‘As Curious as Everyone’ — Chase Elliott Keeps a Sharp Eye on NASCAR’s Big Experiment With Mexico City
As the “N” in the name suggests, NASCAR has been a dominant sport in the U.S.; however, when it comes to expanding its reach into foreign lands, the stock car racing giant has somewhat struggled in the past.
The popularity of NASCAR in the early days had a lot to do with regional drivers who attained heroic status after their feats. With such deep-rooted sentiments for drivers with regional pride, it was naturally hard for the sport to break through overseas with the national pride.
While NASCAR has tried breaking beyond the U.S. market and forayed into neighboring countries as well as other continents, it has only been partially successful. In its latest foreign venture, NASCAR is going to Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in Mexico. With only a few weeks to the Mexican race, Chase Elliott had some interesting thoughts about it.
Chase Elliott’s Thoughts on NASCAR’s Upcoming Mexico Race
Hailing from a family of racers, the Hendrick Motorsports (HMS) driver’s father, Bill Elliott, was one of the most accomplished drivers in NASCAR. In the younger Elliott’s case, it can surely be said that the apple indeed has not fallen far from the tree.
While the elder Elliott leaned toward a more pace-intensive and overall aggressive driving style, his son is more of a strategic and technical racer. Although both possess distinct skill sets, the younger Elliott still admires his dad for all his achievements, and in his recent interview, he briefly spoke about it.
When motorsports journalist Peter Stratta asked Elliott for his opinion of Indianapolis’ track, he said, alongside his own experience of racing on the track, the track was special to him for his father’s achievements there, especially his 2002 victory.
“It means as much to me as anything on the schedule,” Elliott confessed.
.@chaseelliott says what makes @IMS special to him and what he’s looking forward to in a few weeks from @NASCARMexico_ #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/zXLg6Bci8L
— Peter Stratta (@peterstratta) May 24, 2025
Afterward, he spoke about the 2025 Viva México 250. Considering the high elevation of the track, Elliott agreed that it was going to be “different” than most NASCAR races — though he was not sure how exactly it would differ from the other competitions on the NASCAR calendar.
“Road courses are always more physical, in my opinion, than ovals are. You’re working a lot; shifting, plus, a lot of throttle and brake,” the HMS driver explained. Elliott also mentioned that the race had been on his radar for quite some time, and he was looking forward to taking some extra efforts to get well acclimated to the track.
When he was asked what prestige comes with winning the debut of a Cup event, he candidly replied by admitting that no one is sure about the longevity of these newly introduced competitions. “You always wanna get it while you can,” he said.
Elliott continued by saying that, while winning the Mexico race might be “a cool thing,” he believes it could be a trial run for NASCAR to test its waters outside the U.S.
“I do think the Mexico City thing is seemingly a trial run to kind of see what racing outside the U.S. might look like and the logistics that go into it. So, I am as curious as everyone else,” Elliott said
Earlier this year, Elliott, along with Ryan Blaney and Christopher Bell, joined Daniel Suárez on a trip to Mexico to promote the upcoming Viva México 250. With just a few weeks remaining until NASCAR goes to Mexico, the HMS driver voiced his excitement for the overseas competition.
