Mexico City’s Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez 2025 NASCAR Track Profile

[Editor’s note: The following article is from Athlon Sports’ 2025 Racing Annual magazine. Order your copy online today, or buy one at retail racks and newsstands nationwide.]

The NASCAR Cup Series will have a points-paying international race for the first time in the modern era (1972-present) in 2025. Father’s Day Weekend will be spent at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico City, south of the border. The 2.674-mile road course is in the Magdalena Mixhuca Sports City, which is the same park where the 1968 Summer Olympics took place.

Mexico marks the fifth country the Cup Series has visited. The circuit had two points races in Canada in the 1950s, an exhibition in Australia in 1988, and three exhibitions in Japan from 1996-98.

Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez translates to Rodriguez Brothers Racetrack, as it’s named after Ricardo and Pedro Rodriguez, brothers from Mexico City who raced in Formula 1 and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Tragically, both died young in racing-related crashes. Ricardo was the first Mexican driver to compete in F1 in 1961. He died at the track that would eventually be named after him the following year at 20 years of age. The next year, brother Pedro started a career in F1 in which he won twice (Kyalami, South Africa in 1967 and Circuit de Spa Francorchamps in Belgium in 1970). Pedro even competed in six Cup races, earning a best finish of fifth in the 1965 World 600. He died in a sports car racing crash at age 31.

AHR is most famous for hosting F1’s Mexico Grand Prix, which has taken place off and on since 1963. With the exception of 2020, F1 has been to Mexico City every year since 2015, and the crowds have been some of the loudest — especially for Mexico native Sergio Perez. Expect Daniel Suarez to have the time of his life.

While Cup has never raced at AHR, the NASCAR Xfinity Series held four events here from 2005-08. Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch each won once, so maybe they find a slight advantage. For the record, Suarez has three wins here while racing in the NASCAR Mexico Series, but those events were held on the oval layout.

AJ Allmendinger ran two CART races at AHR in 2004 and ’05, finishing on the podium each time. Michael McDowell was also in that 2005 race, finishing 11th. More importantly, McDowell raced here twice in the NASCAR Rolex Grand-Am Sports Car Series, winning in 2005. The Next Gen car has a lot of similarities to sports cars, so that experience for McDowell should be the most beneficial.

Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez track info

Site: Mexico City

Laps: 2.417-mile road course (14 turns)

2025 Date: June 15

Distance: To be determined

Scouting report

No one really knows what to expect out of the debut NASCAR Cup Series race at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez because this is a different layout from the one used in the Xfinity Series events earlier in the century. That said, we all know who the cream of the crop road racers are in the series. Expect one of the most enthusiastic and largest crowds in recent NASCAR history because there is a tremendous appetite for this product south of the border and the promotional group are the same experts behind the Mexican Grand Prix.