NASCAR’s Nationwide Series makes its fourth trek to Mexico City for arguably its biggest race after Daytona. Stand-alone Sunday status, international flavor and an unusual mix of drivers give it some star power.
It’s an odd one, to be sure, and perhaps still a bit ragged around the edges, but nevertheless a big moment for the Charlotte-Daytona sport of stock-car racing in one of the world’s biggest cities, even if Mexico City still isn’t quite sure just what to make of NASCAR — and vice versa. But just what this race means is still unclear.
But hand it to NASCAR execs, they are trying to ingrain this sport somewhere in the Hispanic psyche — not just with this weekend’s race but also with a regular-season-long dose of racing in various other Mexican venues.
Two weeks ago the Morgenthaus abruptly decided to switch from Dodge to Toyota, to run engines out of the Bill Davis shops in High Point. But after one shot, at Martinsville, they just as abruptly shut down for two weeks, to “regroup,” they said, planning to return to the NASCAR tour next week at Talladega.
Now, Beth Ann Morgenthau said they’ve run into more problems:
“Our recent switch to Toyota is a strong testament to our focus and commitment to become more competitive. Even though we were disappointed it became necessary to miss two races to complete the transition to Toyota, we were excited about the potential for the balance of the 2008 season.
“With no other primary sponsor to fill the void, the harsh reality is we are forced to reduce our 2008 participation to a partial season.”
Boris Said, the irrepressible racer, a world-class road-course star, and still eager to become a NASCAR regular, will go to Mexico City this week looking for vengeance on the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez course south of the city center. Said said that the exotic nature of Mexico City is what he likes about the trip. And Said has raced all around the world, defending pole winner. Previous winners were Martin Truex Jr. (2005), Denny Hamlin (2006) and Juan Montoya (2007).
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