Late Thursday night, a well-known NASCAR rumor mill account posted that they had heard a rumor that NASCAR teams are preparing to skip the race in Mexico City on Jun. 15. This rumor has sparked debate among fans about its viability and implications.
This rumor comes from the nascarrumornostalgia Instagram account, which has a history of posting rumors that have turned out both true and false. Some of their correct rumors as of late include Corey LaJoie working as an analyst for Prime and a part-time driver for Rick Ware Racing this season and the 2025 Spire Motorsports Truck Series lineup.
In their post, the account claims that NASCAR teams are preparing to head to the Daytona International Speedway Road Course the weekend of Jun. 15 rather than Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in Mexico City.
The poster did not give a specific reason for this. Yet, some fans theorized in the comments section that the Trump Administration’s tariffs on Mexico could play a role. Following this post, NASCAR’s online community quickly flocked to point out why it may not be true.
The account posted a following, clarifying that this is still an ever-changing rumor and that “Even if the rumor has truth, I suspect it could be a backup plan, nothing certain.” The poster is also quick to remind readers that rumors “aren’t news.”
They also mentioned that this could be a backup plan, something that NASCAR could have in their back pocket should something prevent the Cup and Xfinity Series from traveling to Mexico City.
This post is the first indication that NASCAR could change plans and not race in Mexico City. This race weekend is scheduled to be the NASCAR Cup Series first outside the U.S. since 1958, when the Series raced at Exposition Stadium in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. This weekend was also going to be the first triple-header weekend featuring the NASCAR Mexico, Xfinity, and Cup Series.
Bob Pockrass of FOX Sports has confirmed with NASCAR that they are still planning to race in Mexico as scheduled.
The reasons for this rumor are unknown; however, if NASCAR did move this race, Daytona’s road course would be a logical option. During the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, NASCAR shifted the schedule around and added the road course to make up for lost dates at Sonoma and Watkins Glen.
As the track’s owner, NASCAR was able to change plans quickly, and as Daytona has no planned events during the scheduled Mexico City race weekend, there is no reason to see why this couldn’t happen again.
That being said, this is the first indication that NASCAR could change plans for Mexico City, a race that the sport has heavily marketed. This promotion included a recent press conference on Feb. 26.
This press conference featured top stars of NASCAR, Chase Elliott, Daniel Suarez, and Ryan Blaney; some fans have used this press conference to invalidate this rumor. However, as with any rumor, fans should approach with caution; the sport, both in the front offices, in the garage, and on the track, is always changing.
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