The NASCAR Mexico Series (formerly NASCAR Corona Series and other names) is a national

NASCAR The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. It is considered to be one of the top ranked motorsports organizations in ...

-sanctioned racing series in Mexico. It is the most prestigious

stock car racing Stock car racing is a form of Auto racing, automobile racing run on oval track racing, oval tracks and road courses. It originally used Production vehicle, production-model cars, hence the name "stock car", but is now run using cars specifical ...

series in the country.

Origins (Desafío Corona)

The

Desafío Corona The Desafío Corona was a stock car racing series in Mexico. NASCAR founded the series in 2004 in conjunction with OCESA, a Mexican entertainment company. The business partnership between NASCAR and OCESA resulted in the creation of a new entit ...

was established in 2004 by

NASCAR Mexico NASCAR Mexico is a joint-venture between NASCAR and OCESA, a Mexican entertainment company, aiming to develop, manage and operate local motorsports events and oversee television distribution, sponsorship and licensing. The venture attempts to cre ...

, a joint-venture between

and Mexican entertainment group

OCESA OCESA (formerly Operadora De Centro De Espectaculos S.A.) is a Mexican concert promoter founded in 1990 by Alejandro Soberon Kuri. The company organizes concerts, music festivals, and other live events. It is currently the largest music promoter ...

, with the idea of developing stock car racing in Mexico, and fueling a transition from the country's historically

open-wheel car An open-wheel car is a car with the wheels outside the car's main body, and usually having only one seat. Open-wheel cars contrast with street cars, Sports car racing, sports cars, Stock car racing, stock cars, and Touring car racing, touring car ...

racing fan base to stock car racing. From 2004 to 2006, the

grew considerably in infrastructure, as well as in number of fans, drivers and sponsors.

Present

The NASCAR Mexico Corona Series was officially presented at the 2006 Desafío Corona award ceremony.

Toyota is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturer headquartered in Toyota City, Aichi, Japan. It was founded by Kiichiro Toyoda and incorporated on August 28, 1937. Toyota is the List of manuf ...

assumed naming rights in 2012, dubbing it the NASCAR Toyota Series. The series is one of NASCAR's four international series alongside the

NASCAR Canada Series The NASCAR Canada Series (NCS, ) is a national NASCAR racing series in Canada, and is a continuation of the old CASCAR Super Series which was founded in 1981. It is the top NASCAR touring series in Canada. History In September 2006 NASCAR purchas ...

NASCAR Brasil Series The NASCAR Brasil Series (formerly known as Sprint Race, GT Sprint Race and NASCAR Brasil Sprint Race), commonly referred to as NASCAR Brasil or Sprint Race, is a NASCAR Stock car racing, stock car series based in Brazil. It is one of NASCAR's fo ...

, and the

NASCAR Euro Series The NASCAR Euro Series (formerly known as Racecar Euro Series, Euro-Racecar NASCAR Touring Series, and NASCAR Whelen Euro Series) is an official NASCAR stock-car racing series based in Europe. It is one of NASCAR's four international-sanctioned ...

. The winner of the series championship received an invitation to the

UNOH Battle at the Beach The University of Northwestern Ohio Battle at the Beach was a nonpoints, all-star race that brought together the top drivers in NASCAR's lower-level series and club racing. A successor to the Toyota All-Star Showdown, held from 2003 to 2011 ...

(formerly the

Toyota All-Star Showdown The SRL All-Star Showdown is a Super Late Model championship event at Irwindale Speedway, originally held from the 2006-2010 seasons as a non-championship NASCAR event for lower-level series, and since the 2020 motorsport season, revived by the ...

). All other drivers could also attempt to qualify by entering the heat races.

2016 hiatus

After the end of the 2015 season, the series was suspended supposedly due to the fact that organizers of the series wanted to instead support the

Formula One Formula One (F1) is the highest class of worldwide racing for open-wheel single-seater formula Auto racing, racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The FIA Formula One World Championship has been one ...

Mexican Grand Prix The Mexican Grand Prix (), currently held under the name Mexico City Grand Prix (), is a motor racing event held at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in Mexico City. It first appeared as a non-championship event in 1962 before being held as a ...

, which had just been revived for

2015 2015 was designated by the United Nations as: * International Year of Light * International Year of Soil __TOC__ Events January * January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...

. Several of the teams and drivers that participated in the series moved to the Super Copa Telcel "V8" series.

2017 return

In October 2016, it was announced that the series would return with new sponsorship from PEAK Antifreeze, with an exhibition race that December to be followed by a full 2017 season. Two new supporting series were also created for 2017: the

NASCAR FedEx Challenge Series The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. It is considered to be one of the top ranked motorsports organizations in ...

and

NASCAR Mikel's Truck Series The NASCAR Mikel's Truck Series (formerly known as the MasterCard Truck Series) is a Mexican pickup truck racing predecessor of Desafío Corona. Drivers NASCAR Corona Series drivers participated in the MasterCard Truck Series, including Jorge Goe ...

. The series lost its sponsorship with PEAK Antifreeze in 2022, with the series name reverting back to the NASCAR Mexico Series. The following year saw the implementation of a playoff system for the first time to decide the end-of-season champion.

Mexico Series tracks

The NASCAR Mexico Series has held events on 17 tracks in 15 locations (two in

Santiago de Querétaro Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile (), is the capital and largest city of Chile and one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is located in the country's central valley and is the center of the Santiago Metropolitan Region, ...

and two in

San Luis Potosí San Luis Potosí, officially the Free and Sovereign State of San Luis Potosí, is one of the 32 states which compose the Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 59 municipalities and is named after its capital city, San Luis Potosí. It ...

) since its inception in 2004 (22 seasons). The series has raced on a mix of ovals and road courses that are mainly located in

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

, though some events have also taken place in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

and

Panama Panama, officially the Republic of Panama, is a country in Latin America at the southern end of Central America, bordering South America. It is bordered by Costa Rica to the west, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north, and ...

. Several tracks have been raced on in both a road course and oval configuration, including

Autódromo Monterrey The Autódromo Monterrey is a racetrack in Apodaca, Nuevo León, México, in the Monterrey metropolitan area. The track currently is operated by DIPSA and host races for NASCAR México, drag racing, karting and Volks races. History The tra ...

Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez The Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez is a motorsport race track in Mexico City, Mexico, named after the racing drivers Ricardo Rodríguez (1942–1962) and Pedro Rodríguez (1940–1971). The circuit got its current name in 1979 after Ricardo ...

Autódromo Miguel E. Abed The Autódromo Internacional Miguel E. Abed is a motorsport race track located in Amozoc de Mota, Amozoc, east of Puebla, Puebla, Puebla city, in the Mexican state of Puebla. The circuit has a capacity for 42,500 spectators. History It was ...

, and Autódromo de Quéretaro. The

Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum (also known as the Los Angeles Coliseum or L.A. Coliseum) is a multi-purpose stadium in the Exposition Park, Los Angeles, Exposition Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, United States. Conceived as a hal ...

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

USA The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 contiguous ...

, has historically had the shortest lap distance of any track, being just long. Currently, the

Super Óvalo Potosino The Super Óvalo Potosino (formerly Autódromo Potosino) is a half-mile paved oval located near the city of San Luis Potosí in Mexico. The track was opened in 1983 as a road course. It was built by Promotodo, an enterprise owned by Michel Jou ...

is the shortest track with a distance of . The longest track is set to be

's National road course layout, which will be used for the Mexico Series' joint weekend with the NASCAR Cup and

Xfinity Comcast Cable Communications, LLC, doing business as Xfinity, is an American telecommunications business segment and division of the Comcast Corporation. It is used to market consumer cable television, internet, telephone, and wireless servic ...

Series in June 2025, with a distance of . Previously, the longest track was

's road course layout, with a distance of .

is the location with the most races in series' history, with 42 races having been held as of April 2025 (40 at

and 2 at Autódromo San Luis 400).

has powered the construction of oval tracks in México, with examples including a remodeling of

Autódromo Potosino Autodromo or Autódromo is an Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish word for race track. It may refer to: * Autódromo de Benguela, Benguela, Angola * Autódromo Chiapas, Berriozábal, Chiapas * Autódromo Ciudad de Concordia, Concordia, Entre Ríos ...

in 2005,

Aguascalientes Aguascalientes, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Aguascalientes, is one of the 32 states which comprise the Political divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. At 22°N and with an average altitude of above sea level it is pre ...

Chiapas Chiapas, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Chiapas, is one of the states that make up the Political divisions of Mexico, 32 federal entities of Mexico. It comprises Municipalities of Chiapas, 124 municipalities and its capital and large ...

, and

Querétaro Querétaro, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Querétaro, is one of the Political divisions of Mexico, 32 federal entities of Mexico. It is divided into Municipalities of Querétaro, 18 municipalities. Its capital city is Querétaro Cit ...

. In 2012, another speedway was completed in

Juan Aldama, Chihuahua Aldama is a city and seat of the municipality of Aldama in the northern Mexican state of Chihuahua. As of 2020, the city had a population of 22,568 inhabitants. History The city of Aldama dates from August 7, 1671, when Captain Pedro Cano de ...

, which is currently known as

El Dorado Speedway El Dorado Speedway is a motorsports venue in Juan Aldama, Chihuahua near the state capital of Chihuahua City. It hosted the NASCAR Mexico Series The NASCAR Mexico Series (formerly NASCAR Corona Series and other names) is a national NASCAR-sa ...

has uniquely hosted one of the only night races on the calendar for several years. In 2013, the series held its first international event; a 75-lap, 75-mile (122 km) long race held at

Phoenix Raceway Phoenix Raceway (formerly known as ISM Raceway from 2018–2020, Phoenix International Raceway from 1964–1973 and 1976–2017, and FasTrack International Speedway from 1973–1976) is a Oval track racing#Unique shapes, dogleg oval track in A ...

in the southwestern

. The race was held as part of the

NASCAR Cup Series The NASCAR Cup Series is the top racing series of the NASCAR, National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR), the most prestigious stock car racing series in the United States. The series began in 1949 as the Strictly Stock Division, ...

' Subway Fresh Fit 500 weekend, and was known as the

Toyota 120 The Toyota 120 is a NASCAR stock car race, competed as part of the NASCAR Mexico Series at Phoenix International Raceway. The inaugural running of the event in 2013 was the first NASCAR Toyota Series race ever held outside Mexico Mexico, off ...

. The race lasted until the

season. In 2024, the series held an exhibition race as part of the

' Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum weekend, that was conducted at a temporary circuit around the

. The Mexico Series race was a support race for the Clash, and the race was won by

Daniel Suárez Daniel Alejandro Suárez Garza (born January 7, 1992) is a Mexican-American professional stock car racing driver. He competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 99 Chevrolet ZL1 for Trackhouse Racing and part-time in the NASCAR ...

. In 2025, the series is set to stage its first race in

Central America Central America is a subregion of North America. Its political boundaries are defined as bordering Mexico to the north, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest. Central America is usually ...

, which will be held at the Autódromo Panamá located near Sajalices, roughly 50 km southwest of

Panama City Panama City, also known as Panama, is the capital and largest city of Panama. It has a total population of 1,086,990, with over 2,100,000 in its metropolitan area. The city is located at the Pacific Ocean, Pacific entrance of the Panama Canal, i ...

. The event will be known as the Nations Panama City 200.

Former tracks

Cars

In the first season, only

General Motors General Motors Company (GM) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturing company headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, United States. The company is most known for owning and manufacturing f ...

(through its

Pontiac Pontiac most often refers to: * Pontiac (Odawa leader) ( – 1769), Native American war chief *Pontiac (automobile), a former General Motors brand Pontiac may also refer to: Places and jurisdictions Canada * Pontiac, Quebec, a municipality ** Apo ...

division) and

Dodge Dodge is an American brand of automobiles and a division of Stellantis, based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. Dodge vehicles have historically included performance cars, and for much of its existence, Dodge was Chrysler's mid-priced brand above P ...

participated in the series.

Ford Ford commonly refers to: * Ford Motor Company, an automobile manufacturer founded by Henry Ford * Ford (crossing), a shallow crossing on a river Ford may also refer to: Ford Motor Company * Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company * Ford F ...

made its debut in 2005 with its

Mustang The mustang is a free-roaming horse of the Western United States, descended from horses brought to the Americas by the Spanish conquistadors. Mustangs are often referred to as wild horses, but because they are descended from once-domesticate ...

model, but since 2006, the Fusion is the Ford model entry. In 2009,

started its participation with its

Camry The Toyota Camry (; Japanese: トヨタ・カムリ ''Toyota Kamuri'') is an automobile sold internationally by the Japanese auto manufacturer Toyota since 1982, spanning multiple generations. Originally compact in size (narrow-body), the Cam ...

. The

Mazda 6 is a Japanese multinational automotive manufacturer headquartered in Fuchū, Hiroshima, Japan. The company was founded on January 30, 1920, as Toyo Cork Kogyo Co., Ltd., a cork-making factory, by Jujiro Matsuda. The company then acquired Ab ...

was first entered in 2010. As with the other NASCAR divisions in the United States, Dodge subsequently pulled its factory support and no longer participates in the Mexican series. Along with NASCAR's other international series and the

ARCA Menards Series The ARCA Menards Series is an American stock car racing, stock car series, the premier division of the Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA). It is considered a minor, semi-professional league of stock car racing, used as a feeder series into ...

, the Mexico Series has

General Tire Continental Tire the Americas, LLC, d.b.a. General Tire, is an American manufacturer of tires for motor vehicles, and semi trucks. Founded in 1915 in Akron, Ohio by William Francis O'Neil, Winfred E. Fouse, Charles J. Jahant, Robert Iredell, ...

as an exclusive tire supplier.

Most wins

Specifications

*Chassis: Steel tube frame with safety roll cage, must be

standards. *Engine Displacement: (350 in³) V8. *Transmission: 4 Speed Manual. *Weight: Minimum (without driver). *Power Output: 400 hp. *Torque: . *Fuel: 98

octane Octane is a hydrocarbon and also an alkane with the chemical formula C8H18, and the condensed structural formula CH3(CH2)6CH3. Octane has many structural isomers that differ by the location of branching in the carbon chain. One of these isomers ...

unleaded

gasoline Gasoline ( North American English) or petrol ( Commonwealth English) is a petrochemical product characterized as a transparent, yellowish, and flammable liquid normally used as a fuel for spark-ignited internal combustion engines. When for ...

provided by

Pemex Pemex (a portmanteau of Petróleos Mexicanos, which translates to ''Mexican Petroleum'' in English; ) is the Mexico, Mexican State ownership, state-owned Petroleum industry, petroleum corporation managed and operated by the government of Mexico, ...

. *Fuel capacity: . *Fuel delivery: Carburetion. *Compression ratio: 9.3:1. *Aspiration:

Naturally aspirated A naturally aspirated engine, also known as a normally aspirated engine, and abbreviated to N/A or NA, is an internal combustion engine in which air intake depends solely on atmospheric pressure and does not have forced induction through a turboc ...

. *Wheelbase: . *Tires:

Slick tire A racing slick or slick tyre is a type of tyre that has a smooth tread used mostly in auto racing. The first production slick tyre was developed by M&H Tires in the early 1950s for use in drag racing. By eliminating any grooves cut into the tre ...

s provided by

. *Length: . *Width: . *Height: . *Safety equipment:

HANS device A HANS device (head and neck support device) is a type of head restraint and a safety device in motorsports. Head restraints are mandatory when competing with most major motorsports sanctioning bodies. They reduce the likelihood of head or neck ...

Seat belt A seat belt, also known as a safety belt or spelled seatbelt, is a vehicle safety device designed to secure the driver or a passenger of a vehicle against harmful movement that may result during a collision or a sudden stop. A seat belt reduce ...

Champions

As of 2025, eleven different drivers have won the NASCAR Mexico championship. Rubén García Jr. was the youngest champion (20 years old), and Rafael Martínez was the oldest champion (45 years old). Rubén García Jr. has the most championships to his name with 5.

Rookie of the Year

Series winners

List of winners

''Info accurate as of the 2025 Queretaro Race''

University of Northwestern Ohio Battle at the Beach

Mexico Series champions were invited to the University of Northwestern Ohio Battle at the Beach (formerly known as the

). In 2011,

Germán Quiroga Germán Quiroga Jr. (born May 29, 1980) is a Mexican professional stock car racing driver. In 2011, he became the first three-time NASCAR Corona Series champion. Racing career Beginnings Quiroga began his career in Reto Neon in 1996. Corona ...

and Rubén Rovelo took part. They finished in 11th, 12th and 30th, respectively.

Female drivers

To date, four women have started a NASCAR Mexico Series race, three started a Trucks Mexico Series race and one started a NASCAR Challenge race. Some notable accomplishments by female drivers have included

Mara Reyes Mara Reyes (born March 12, 1977) is a Mexican stock car racing driver. Finding some success in the NASCAR Mexico Series, she started one race in what is now the NASCAR Xfinity Series in 2005. Reyes currently races in the Super Copa Telcel with A ...

scoring a

pole position In a motorsports race, the pole position is usually the best and "statistically the most advantageous" starting position on the track. The pole position is usually earned by the driver with the best qualifying times in the trials before the ra ...

in her first race, and Regina Sirvent becoming the first woman to win a NASCAR Trucks Mexico Series race. *Has only raced in the NASCAR Challenge Series (run in the same races at the same time with NASCAR Mexico Series) **Has only raced in the NASCAR Trucks Mexico Series

Other NASCAR series

While some NASCAR Mexico Series drivers have taken part in

Xfinity Series The NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) is a stock car racing series organized by NASCAR. It is promoted as NASCAR's second-tier circuit to the organization's top level Cup Series. NXS events are frequently held as a support race on the day prior to a ...

and

Truck Series The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series is a pickup truck racing series owned and operated by the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR), and is the only series in NASCAR to race production pickup truck-based stock cars. The series is o ...

races, only

Jorge Goeters Jorge Goeters (born June 26, 1970) is a Mexican racecar driver. At the present time, Goeters competes full-time in the NASCAR Mexico Series in Mexico. In the past few years he also competed at the international level on a limited basis, running ...

and

have raced in both the

and NASCAR Mexico Series. Additionally,

Scott Riggs Russell Scott Riggs (born January 1, 1971) is an American former professional stock car racing driver. He last competed in the 92 for RBR Enterprises in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. Racing career Early career Riggs was born in Bahama ...

Cody Ware Cody Shane Ware (born November 7, 1995) is an American professional auto racing driver. He competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 51 and No. 15 Ford Mustang (seventh generation), Ford Mustang Dark Horses for Rick Ware Racing ...

, and Kevin O'Connell have all only made one start in the Mexico Series but have also taken part in Cup Series races. Rubén Pardo,

Rogelio López Rogelio López III (born July 29, 1980) is a Mexican racing driver from Aguascalientes, Aguascalientes, Aguascalientes. López won the 2006 Desafío Coronachampionship, and went to the United States to drive the No. 03 Telmex/Lucas Oil Dodge in t ...

and Rubén García Jr. have all achieved victories in the regional

K&N Pro Series East The ARCA Menards Series East (formerly known by other names) is a regional stock car racing series owned and operated by the Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA) and the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR). Races are h ...

; while

has won in the

, and all three of NASCAR's domestic national series (the

and

Cup Series The NASCAR Cup Series is the top racing series of the NASCAR, National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR), the most prestigious stock car racing series in the United States. The series began in 1949 as the Strictly Stock Division, ...

). In 2016, Suárez won the NASCAR Xfinity Series championship, driving for

Joe Gibbs Racing Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) is an American professional stock car racing organization founded by Pro Football Hall of Fame coach Joe Gibbs. His son, J. D. Gibbs, ran the team with him until his death in 2019. Founded in Huntersville, North Carolina, ...

, before moving up to the

the following year, driving the No. 19 for Joe Gibbs Racing. In 2019, he moved to the No. 41 driving for Stewart-Haas Racing before moving to the No. 96 driving for Gaunt Brothers Racing, then moved to the No. 99 for

Trackhouse Racing Team Trackhouse Racing is an American motorsports organization that competes full time in the NASCAR Cup Series and Grand Prix motorcycle racing, MotoGP and part time in the IMSA SportsCar Championship. History After Leavine Family Racing announced ...

. On June 12, 2022, Suárez won his first career

race at

Sonoma Raceway Sonoma Raceway (originally known as Sears Point Raceway, Golden State International Raceway and Infineon Technologies, Infineon Raceway) is a road course and dragstrip located at Sears Point in the southern Sonoma Mountains of Sonoma County, Cal ...

NASCAR Cup Series drivers

Five drivers have raced both the NASCAR Mexico and

References

External links

* {{NASCAR Corona Series' Champions Recurring sporting events established in 2004 Stock car racing