It appears that NASCAR won’t feature any international races in 2026. On Wednesday, Jordan Bianchi of The Athletic reported that NASCAR won’t return to Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico City in 2026, with Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Illinois, likely taking Mexico City’s place on the schedule. NASCAR’s 2025 race weekend in Mexico City marked a return to Mexico for the NASCAR Xfinity Series and the Cup Series’ first trip south of the border. For the Cup Series, the June 15 Viva Mexico 250 was the first international points race since 1958. For all the history that was made, it’s curious that NASCAR decided against returning to Mexico City. Local fans that came out were clearly enamored by the sight of Cup Series vehicles hitting the racetrack. Fans mobbed drivers on race day, and most Cup Series drivers had positive things to say about the event. At a time when NASCAR is hyper-focused on bold scheduling moves and taking the sport to places where it hasn’t been before – such as Naval Base Coronado
