Pato O'Ward is looking forward to the possibility to bring an IndyCar Series race to a throng of passionate fans in his native Mexico.
The 25-year-old, who’s arguably the preferred driver in the game, with legions of his fans flooding the stands with flags and even surrounding his van during race weekends, has been steadfast in his openness about his intention to maneuver North America's premier open-wheel racing championship to the opposite side of the Rio Grande.
There have been no IndyCar races in Mexico because the Champ Car era on the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in 2007.
NASCAR lands first race in Mexico
And so IndyCar once more lost to NASCAR.
As Motorsport.com previously reported, NASCAR will race on the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico City next yr. The event is scheduled for June 14-15, 2025, the identical weekend the IndyCar Series will likely be at Gateway. The NASCAR-specific track layout will feature 14 turns but will skip Turns 5 and 6, turning right at Turn 4 as an alternative of left. Other than that change, it can match the layout utilized by F1 within the Mexican Grand Prix.
When Motorsport.com first heard rumors about the potential of NASCAR heading to Mexico, it was in the course of the IndyCar Detroit Grand Prix weekend in early June, and O'Ward shared his thoughts on the matter, including his excitement for his friend and Cup Series driver Daniel Saurez, who, like O'Ward, hails from Monterrey, Mexico.
“I’m incredibly happy that Daniel will be able to have this,” O’Ward told Motorsport.com.
“You know, they [NASCAR] “They’re obviously very aware of what Latino communities can bring to the show.”
O'Ward, a six-time race winner and driver of the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet, is also pushing to bring IndyCar back to Mexico, hoping the event will count toward a championship and never turn out to be a non-points event like The Thermal Club earlier this season.
“For us, it’s beyond me, man,” he said. “I don’t know, I’ll push as hard as I can, but it surely’s not my decision to make. I actually hope that ever [IndyCar] “If you decide to go to Mexico, I will be very angry if it is not part of the scoring system in the real championship.”
Plans for the longer term
In February 2022, Mark Miles, chairman and CEO of Penske Entertainment Corporation, owner of IndyCar, said Mexico is where he “could envision” the series racing. At the time, he said, “I think our strategy is that we’re going to continue to focus on racing in North America. Those of you who live in Mexico City know that we know that Mexico is in North America!”
Miles added: “We have long seen Mexico as a market where we could imagine racing. We have to find the right place in the right circumstances, but we are interested in racing in Mexico if we can put all the pieces together.”
Since Miles’ comments, IndyCar seemed more prone to head to Argentina for an exhibition race until last December’s presidential election modified the course of that possibility. In the meantime, there’s been little word on any move by IndyCar management, which might proceed to push for a possible, long-awaited return to La Ciudad de los Palacios.
“Ask Penske”
During Tuesday's IndyCar press conference, Motorsport.com asked Graham Rahal for his thoughts on why IndyCar isn't happening in Mexico.
“I think that’s a question you should ask Penske Entertainment, not me,” Rahal said.
Then Rahal, who won his first Atlantics race in Mexico City (Fundidora Park) in 2006 after which finished fourth on the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez the next yr to advance to Champ Car, briefly expressed a desire to see IndyCar race more often outside the United States (the one round outside the country currently takes place in Toronto, Ontario, Canada).
“I’m all for international expansion,” Rahal said. “So, you know. Yeah.”
