By most standards for visits to new tracks, the first race for NASCAR on Mexico City’s road-course layout turned out to be a successful one with plenty of dramatic turns but ultimately a dominant winner who just seemed to have a leg up on the rest of the competition.
According to NASCAR executive Ben Kennedy, things are looking up down below the United States’ southern border. Still, he was non-committal on Mexico’s place in stock car racing after the inaugural event.
“We’re very hopeful to be back here in the future,” said Kennedy, NASCAR’s Executive Vice President and Chief Venue & Racing Innovations Officer. “This was the next milestone for us.”
That’s not a yes in terms of returning in 2026 — but it’s not a no, either, especially with rumors out there that NASCAR wants a road race in San Diego or Philadelphia and potentially bring back Chicagoland’s tri-oval at the expense of the Chicago Street Race.
Mexico was perfect for left-and-right-turn specialist Shane van Gisbergen, who obliterated the field for his second Cup Series victory in 30 starts. Those checkers were the New Zealander’s second road victory and cut a path for getting to the postseason.
Championship seekers can run inside the top 15 most of the day and pick up a few positions and grab a top 10, which makes for a solid points day.
Or they can do what SVG did on the 15-turn track: Annihilate the field, win from the pole and seize a playoff spot, all despite entering the race 33rd in the points — a far stretch from just having one of those “good points days” that we hear of often.
With the series rolling to Pennsylvania’s Pocono Raceway on Sunday for the lone visit to the “Tricky Triangle,” here are a few drivers who could break out at the 2.5-mile speedway and answer the question, “Who will win for the first time in 2025 in the season’s 17th race?”
TOYOTA
Tyler Reddick — 23XI Racing Camry XSE
A three-time winner in 2024, matching his season-best in 2022, Reddick rides sixth in points and is the second-highest driver without a win, gridding two spots below Chase Elliott, the ‘22 winner on the uniquely designed track who is also looking for those first checkers.
While the 29-year-old Reddick is winless in his last three starts in the Keystone State, he holds the highest average finish (3.3) including two runner-ups and last season’s sixth-place showing, leaving him with a pair of top-fives and three top-10s.
FORD
Ryan Preece — RFK Racing No. 60 Dark Horse Mustang
In a good inaugural season with RFK, the 34-year-old Berlin, Conn., driver finds himself in the worst spot in the playoff standings: In 17th, one spot south of the cut line and trailing teammate Chris Buescher by 19 spots for the final spot.
The former modified champion has one top five (3rd, Las Vegas) and six top 10s and 53 laps led. A 38th at Talladega was damaging, but it would be no surprise to find Preece recording his first Cup victory at a track like Pocono.
CHEVROLET
Kyle Busch — Richard Childress Racing No. 8 Camaro ZL1
The two-time Cup champion’s numbers at Pocono speak for themselves: Four wins during his Hall of Fame career, including three in four starts from 2017 to 2019. His last win was in 2021 driving for Joe Gibbs Racing. The Las Vegas native could really jump-start his season with his first victory since June of 2023.
As for the Pocono pole, Denny Hamlin – who missed last week’s Mexico City race due to the birth of his child – will lead the field after posting a lap of 172.599 mph (52.144 seconds) in his No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota. Hamlin will start on Row 1 next to the No. 17 Ford of Chris Buescher (172.325 mph).
Carson Hocevar, John Hunter Nemechek and Cole Custer rounded out the top-five qualifiers on the three-turn speedway.
–Field Level Media
