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If you weren’t a fan of this weekend’s racing action at the road course of Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in Mexico City, Mexico, then you are just not a fan of NASCAR.
The sport’s top circuits returned to Mexico City for the first time since 2008, and it was an amazing weekend.
The iconic racing venue provided a beautiful canvas for the on-track artwork of these talented drivers. In fact, the emotions from the fans and drivers made this weekend a special one. NASCAR would be foolish to not make this track an annual part of their calendars.
The Xfinity Series stole the weekend with Daniel Suarez winning the Chilango 150 in front of his fellow countrymen. His victory sent the crowd into a frenzy, which gave me goosebumps as I was glued to the TV.
For the Cup Series, the Viva Mexico 250 was a smash hit with fans, drivers and, of course, NASCAR bettors. Sunday’s race saw plenty of action, suspense, and post-race altercations. It also ended with some international flavor just like Saturday’s Xfinity race.
If you missed any of the racing action from Mexico City, we’ve got you covered. Continue reading our NASCAR results, race recaps, and catch up on all of the weekend’s excitement.
Additionally, check out how our NASCAR picks fared for the Cup Series and Xfinity Series and Mexico City NASCAR races.
NASCAR Cup Series Results
The following NASCAR Cup Series results are for the Viva Mexico 250:
| Cup Series Results | Driver | Team |
|---|---|---|
| Race Winner | Shane van Gisbergen | Trackhouse Racing |
| Stage 1 Winner | Ryan Preece | RFK Racing |
| Stage 2 Winner | Shane van Gisbergen | Trackhouse Racing |
| Led Most Laps | Shane van Gisbergen | Trackhouse Racing |
| Pole Position | Shane van Gisbergen | Trackhouse Racing |
The Viva Mexico 250 didn’t end with a conquering hero like the Xfinity Series race did, well that’s not entirely true. New Zealanders were thrilled that their countryman Shane van Gisbergen took the checkered flag in the Cup Series inaugural race at Mexico City.
But, that’s only one chapter in this story. The entire book for Sunday’s race saw van Gisbergen dominate the event. He started on the pole, led the most laps (60), and win by over 16 seconds. It was a masterclass in road racing, and it cemented SVG as the top road-course driver in the Cup Series.
It also reminded us how van Gisbergen did the same thing two years ago, when he won the first Chicago Street race.
SVG is a three-time Australian Supercars champ, and an elite driver on road courses. In his first full-time Cup Series season, van Gisbergen not only scored his second Top 10 finish of the season, but he has also cemented himself a spot in the Cup Series Playoffs. SVG made the following post-race comments:
“What a week. I’ve really enjoyed myself here, but felt like rubbish this morning. Our car was amazing. The 54 [Ty Gibbs] was close, but that last stint, what a pleasure, just ripping lap after lap and watching them get smaller in the mirror.”
Although he led the second most laps (27), Gibbs ended up fading to 11th. Yet, the young driver was one of the best throughout the entire weekend in Mexico City. Unfortunately, wrecks doomed his chances.
Christopher Bell finished runner-up in this race and led four laps on the day. Chase Elliott, our pre-race pick to win and our best bet to finish in the Top 3, came home third without any laps led:
“Chase Elliott (+220) is not only my pick to win the race, but I also really like him for the Top 3 finish prop bet. Elliott leads all Cup drivers with an 8.8 average finish in road races and also has three Top 5s in the last four road events.”
His teammate, Alex Bowman, finished fourth after a tough month of racing. Michael McDowell rounded out the Top 5.
Kyle Larson and Carson Hocevar were caught up in wrecks that ended any hopes of winning on the day. However, in Hocevar’s case, it was just one of many on-track incidents. And, it also led to a post-race altercation with his newfound nemesis Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
This was the second time that Hocevar spun out Stenhouse in the last three weeks. Although this incident was more of an accidental collision, the one in Nashville was intentional. So, Stenhouse was already not a fan of Hocevar.
Sunday’s incident was one that Hocevar chalked up to his “sloppy” day of racing. Yet, for Stenhouse, it was another reason to hate the younger driver and further motivation to exchange fists.
In fact, Stenhouse stated that he was going to fight Hocevar once they returned to the United States: “I told him I was going to beat his ass once we got back in the States.”
Next weekend, the Cup Series returns to “The Tricky Triangle” as they head to Pocono Raceway for The Great American Getaway 400. This race will air live on Amazon Prime beginning at 2pm ET on Sunday, June 22.
NASCAR Xfinity Series Results
The following NASCAR Xfinity Series results are for the Chilango 150:
| Xfinity Series Results | Driver | Team |
|---|---|---|
| Race Winner | Daniel Suarez | JR Motorsports |
| Stage 1 Winner | Carson Kvapil | JR Motorsports |
| Stage 2 Winner | Sammy Smith | JR Motorsports |
| Led Most Laps | Daniel Suarez | JR Motorsports |
| Pole Position | Connor Zilisch | JR Motorsports |
If you read our NASCAR picks of the week, for the two Mexico City races, you would’ve seen how close we came to nailing our predictions. In fact, I went as far as to declare the following:
“I will be rooting for Suarez to win in his home country. I think he has a better shot at winning this race than the Cup Series event on Sunday.”
And, though I picked Connor Zilisch to win, who finished 5th overall due to getting wrecked on the final stage, I was rooting for Suarez to edge out runner-up Taylor Gray for what felt like the entire day.
Saturday’s Chilango 150 was probably the most fun that I’ve had watching a Xfinity Series race since Dale Earnhardt Jr. first started racing in the Xfinity Series. Now, he owns JR Motorsports, which saw its cars finish 1st (Suarez), 5th (Zilisch), and win two stages (Kvapil, Smith).
In the end, Suarez was able to hold off Taylor Gray to win the race by .598 seconds. The talented driver from Mexico made the following post-race comments:
“It’s everything I was looking for, just a special day. It’s a very special day, very, very special to be here in front of my people, all these people that have supported me for many, many years and known me since my NASCAR Mexico days, now I’m fighting with the big boys.”
The race didn’t start off with Suarez running out front. He had to work his way up from 39th overall. In fact, he wasn’t even the best car in the race. He was just the best car when it counted the most.
Both Zilisch and Ty Gibbs had the two best cars all race long. Combined, the two men led 35 of the 65 total laps. Unfortunately, both cars were caught up in crashes at the beginning of the final stage.
While Zilisch was able to rebound and score a Top 5 finish, Gibbs ended up 14th. Also finishing in the Top 5 were Austin Hill and Christian Eckes. Hill was our pick as the best Top 10 finish:
“When you combine his success this year, with consistent Top 5 finishes in road races last season, Hill is the best Top 10 option for this prop bet. More specifically, he’s the best option that still offers any value.”
Speaking of the Top 10 – William Sawalich, Austin Green, Jeb Burton, Harrison Burton and Sammy Smith all scored Top 10 results.
In total. There were five cautions for 17 laps. Additionally, there were seven lead changes. Suarez took the lead from Zilisch on lap 46 and led the final 19 laps for the victory.
The Xfinity Series will head to Pocono Raceway next weekend for the Explore the Pocono Mountains 250. The race will air live on The CW beginning at 3:30pm ET on Saturday, June 21.
