We’ve got a busy race weekend on our hands. NASCAR teams have effectively been on the road since last weekend as Cup haulers went straight to Mexico City from Michigan while Xfinity Series teams left North Carolina Sunday. NTT IndyCar Series teams will be at World Wide Technology Raceway, Formula 1 in Montreal and the 24 Hours of Le Mans for sports cars. There’s something for everyone, beginning with the NASCAR TV schedule for this weekend.
NASCAR Mexico City TV Schedule
- NASCAR Cup Series Practice No. 1: 4:05 p.m. ET Friday on Amazon Prime Video
- NASCAR Cup Series Practice No. 2: 5:30 p.m. ET Friday on Amazon Prime Video
- NASCAR Xfinity Series Practice: 11:05 a.m. ET Saturday on The CW App
- NASCAR Xfinity Series Qualifying: 12:10 a.m. ET Saturday on The CW App
- NASCAR Cup Series Qualifying: 2 p.m. ET Saturday on Amazon Prime Video
- NASCAR Xfinity Series The Chilango 150: 4:30 p.m. ET Saturday on The CW
- NASCAR Cup Series Viva Mexico 250: 3 p.m. ET Sunday on Amazon Prime Video
Note that Mexico City, much like Phoenix, does not observe Daylight Savings Time. As a result, even though Mexico City is in the Central time zone, they are two hours behind Eastern time.
This weekend, NASCAR makes history as the NASCAR Cup Series will race in Mexico for the very first time. As noted above, there is a lot of logistical work that has gone into making this happen. Cup Series haulers have been in Mexico City since Tuesday afternoon, while Xfinity Series teams arrived on Monday.
Since this is the first time the Cup Series has ever raced at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez and no one has raced on this configuration, there is expanded practice. The original plan was to have Practice No. 1 at 1:05 p.m. ET Friday afternoon and Practice No. 2 at 3 p.m. ET.
However, due to multiple aircraft issues for teams and drivers in Charlotte that have delayed personnel from getting to Mexico City, the schedule has been shifted significantly.
Teams will still have two practice sessions, but they will start later. Practice No. 1 will begin at 4:05 p.m. ET Friday, while Practice No. 2 will be at 5:30 p.m. ET. Both sessions will air live on Amazon Prime Video.
Qualifying has also been pushed back for the big race. The session is now scheduled for 2 p.m. ET and will air live on Amazon Prime Video.
Coverage of the Viva Mexico 250 will begin with NASCAR Live at 2 p.m. ET on Amazon Prime Video. Race coverage will start at 3 p.m. ET with the green flag around 3:20 p.m. ET.
On the undercard of the Cup Series will be the Xfinity Series, which will make its first appearance in Mexico City since 2008. However, the four previous races that have been held at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez were held on a different configuration that went around the Foro Sol instead of through it.
Xfinity Series teams have been affected even more than Cup teams by aircraft issues in Charlotte. Some teams, such as Haas Factory Team, have elected to drive to Atlanta to find alternate commercial flights to get to Mexico City.
The original plan was to have two practice sessions on Friday, one for 50 minutes and the other 25, similar to what the Cup Series is doing. Those sessions would have been at 2:05 p.m. ET and 3:30 p.m. ET.
Instead, Xfinity Series teams will have a regular weekend setup with slightly expanded on-track time. There will be one 50-minute practice session Saturday morning at 11:05 a.m. ET, with qualifying following shortly afterwards. The sessions will air live on The CW App, The CW’s website and on selected CW affiliates. Check your local listings for availability.
Coverage of The Chilango 150 will begin with NASCAR Countdown Live at 4 p.m. ET Saturday afternoon on The CW. Race coverage will begin at 4:30 p.m. ET with the green flag around 4:45 p.m. ET.
ARCA has a split schedule this weekend. The ARCA Menards Series has its first short track race of the season at Berlin Raceway.
Teams are scheduled to practice for 45 minutes starting at 3 p.m. ET Saturday. Qualifying will be held at 4:30 p.m. ET. Neither session will be televised.
Coverage of the Berlin ARCA 200 will air live at 7 p.m. ET on FS1 Saturday night. The green flag is currently scheduled for 7:09 p.m. ET.
ARCA Menards Series West teams will make their second visit of the year to Kevin Harvick’s Kern Raceway Saturday night. Teams there are scheduled to practice for 60 minutes starting at 6 p.m. ET. Qualifying will follow shortly afterwards.
Coverage of the NAPA Auto Parts 150 presented by West Coast Stock Car Motorsports Hall of Fame will stream live on FLORacing beginning at 9:45 p.m. ET Saturday night. The green flag is scheduled to fly at 10 p.m. ET.
What’s the Weather Looking Like?
Unfortunately, there is a chance of sketchiness this weekend in Mexico City. Teams and media were greeted by heavy rains Thursday while working.
On Weather.com, Friday’s forecast is for cloudy skies in the morning, but a 40% chance of scattered thunderstorms in the afternoon. High temperatures will be around 74°.
Whatever rubber gets laid down Friday may be washed away by overnight rains. Saturday’s forecast is for cloudy skies and a high around 75°.
Sunday’s forecast is a little cooler than Saturday, but otherwise similar. Cloudy skies with a few breaks of sun with a high of 71°.
Other outlets have forecasts that are significantly worse. For example, AccuWeather is predicting a 90% chance of rain on Sunday. Regardless, the races will go on as Goodyear has brought rain tires to Mexico City. If it rains, things could get interesting.
TV & Streaming Ratings Check — Michigan
Sunday’s broadcast of the FireKeepers Casino 400 had 1.77 million viewers on Amazon Prime Video, the lowest rated race of the season to this point. This is down 21% from last year on FS1. Things aren’t all bad as the audience that is watching appears to be younger, as Sports Media Watch reported on Wednesday.
As of this writing, there are no TV ratings available for Saturday’s DQS Solutions & Staffing 250 for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.
Phil Allaway has three primary roles at Frontstretch. He's the manager of the site's FREE e-mail newsletter that publishes Monday-Friday and occasionally on weekends. He keeps TV broadcasters honest with weekly editions of Couch Potato Tuesday and serves as the site's Sports Car racing editor.
Outside of Frontstretch, Phil is the press officer for Lebanon Valley Speedway in West Lebanon, N.Y. He covers all the action on the high-banked dirt track from regular DIRTcar Modified racing to occasional visits from touring series such as the Super DIRTcar Series.