While NASCAR’s first foray into international street races hit some bumps in the road, racing great and current analyst Dale Earnhardt Jr. believes the league should head back to Mexico City in the future.
“I know everybody’s experience may vary, but mine was a good one. Would I go back? Absolutely,” Earnhardt Jr. said on his podcast this week. “I’m hearing some rumors, there’s a chance that it stays on the schedule. But it might not be in the same part of the season.
“I guess we might not go back to the Chicago Street Course. There’s a chance that Chicagoland could come back, I’m hearing. But I’m not 100% sure about that,” he added. “There’s a chance to race in the streets, I guess, of San Diego, or create some sort of course there. That’s pretty realistic.”
What the TNT Sports analyst was hearing about San Diego ended up being true. It was revealed on Monday that NASCAR is close to finalizing a street course race in San Diego next year.
NASCAR’s first international race since 1958 was far from a smooth process. There were concerns that the high altitude could affect how cars would run, and travel problems caused major delays to the weekend’s events. However, while the teams and drivers faced some hurdles in Mexico City, Earnhardt feels it was a learning process that should make for an even better experience next time at a track he called “great.”
“They learned a ton about the way they should have done this in the first place…Everybody got home safe…Ben Kennedy was honest and transparent about that.” But he was clear about his verdict: “The idea of just going back is a good one. Mexico City was great, Mexico the track was great.”
NASCAR’s return to its popular Chicago street course goes down next month. But it could be the last with the league having the option to avoid future headaches by using a contract opt-out for planned races in 2026 and 2027. Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet has not had NASCAR races since 2019.
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