The weekend in Mexico City was a big success. Despite logistical challenges and delayed flights, the double-header at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez went off without a hitch, with Daniel Suarez winning in front of home fans. Fans south of the border were ecstatic at the prospect of hosting the first points-paying Cup race since 1958, and advertisements promoting the race were scattered throughout the fifth-largest city in the world. It was a milestone achievement, and if NASCAR rumors are to be believed, it wasn’t a one-off either.
But in a surprising twist, Dale Earnhardt Jr. made an eye-opening revelation about the Mexico City race for next year. While nothing is ‘officially’ confirmed yet, Junior’s claim could completely shake up the 2026 calendar.
Dale Jr. shares a bombshell NASCAR rumor
“This was a historic moment for our sport, for Mexico, and for the global motorsports community,” said Ben Kennedy, NASCAR’s executive vice president, after the Cup Series race. Given how successful the weekend was, it’s well within the realm of possibility that the sport will exercise the option it holds with Mexican promoter OCESA to return to the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez next year. There have been plenty of positives to take from the little adventure south of the border, and the majority of teams are also keen on having an international race on the schedule.
But Dale Earnhardt Jr. believes that there could be a schedule change for the Mexico City races next year. Sharing the news on the ‘Bless Your Hardt’ podcast, he told Amy Earnhardt, “Awesome trip. And yes, I would have brought you. You were thinking about coming, then you decided not to go. You would have loved it.” The veteran then went on to share the big news, saying, “What I hear though, to let you know, is that Mexico City may still be on the schedule, but it might move to a different network. Like a different part of the season. And we may end up getting San Diego on the schedule.”
While such NASCAR rumors should always be taken with a pinch of salt, Dale Jr. is as reliable a source as they come. Not only does this confirm Mexico City remaining in the calendar for 2026, but also the road course race at San Diego. The stock car racing series doesn’t usually leave a track after just a single year, with Road America being the only venue that exited three years after being introduced. And while the sanctioning body hasn’t confirmed anything yet, Kennedy dropped a hint recently, saying, “We’re very hopeful to be back here in the future.”
Ultimately, many factors will be taken into consideration to change the 2026 scheduling. This time around, there were significant hiccups in travelling south of the border, with eventual-winner Shane van Gisbergen only arriving shortly before opening practice on Friday, along with the Trackhouse crew. The delay was because their NASCAR-chartered plane was grounded with a mechanical issue.
Dale Jr. also faced trouble, as he said, “I was gonna rely on the charters, and the plane had trouble. My plane was stuck in Singapore. Steve Letarte and Adam Alexander, my boothmates way ahead of time got commercial flights direct from Charlotte. I should have done that.” Perhaps from a logistics standpoint, NASCAR may choose to move the Mexico City weekend to another part of the calendar. This means Amy Earnhardt may miss out on a trip south of the border once again if her husband isn’t in the booth during the 2026 race.
Jeff Gordon wants a schedule change for Mexico in 2026
NASCAR will have learned some important lessons after the double-header at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez. If the sanctioning body is hoping to find a spot for Mexico City in the 2026 schedule, they will want to improve on the teething problems they faced this time around. One of them is teams coordinating their travel itineraries like they usually do for every race weekend. This might streamline the logistics process.
On that note, Hendrick Motorsports vice chairman Jeff Gordon said, “We can’t do this — Michigan, Mexico City, back to Pocono, can’t happen. We’re doing it and we’re excited to take on the challenge, but it’s going to wear on us, and I don’t think we can do it all back-to-back. So we’ve got to make some adjustments to the schedule and how do we fit it all in into what’s already a very difficult schedule.”
With teams racing 37 times over 38 weeks in the Cup Series, logistics can be a significant challenge, even though the trip isn’t to a different continent. After the race in Michigan, haulers immediately made their way to Mexico City and were expected to be at the border in Laredo, Texas, 24 hours later. And then make their way to Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pennsylvania, 2500 miles the other side. Perhaps that’s why Ben Kennedy said, “Ideally, if we do come back, it will be around an off week, but still have some work to do.”
Do you think NASCAR will change the 2026 schedule to shift the Mexico City race? Let us know in the comments!
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