NASCAR in Mexico succeeded where it matters most – with the fans

If you’ve ever seen a race horse in action, then you know what it’s like to be a NASCAR industry member. The focus is always forward. The job and winning are all that matter. Life, it seems, is simple: train, race, repeat. 

Oh, and a race horse will likely be wearing blinders, or blinkers as they’re known, to ensure the focus is forward and allow no distractions in the peripheral vision. That certainly describes some in the NASCAR industry.

In this analogy, the industry's blinders were taken off over the weekend. NASCAR bringing its top two national series to Mexico City was a chance for folks who are usually so predictable and content in their schedule and lifestyle to pop their heads out of the bubble. 

Mexico City impressed. Mexico City embraced NASCAR and its industry. Examples were all over social media, from the drivers the fans mobbed throughout the weekend to the crew members, media members, and others who were leaving the track Sunday night and received high-fives. 

Take the social media post from Front Row Motorsports of Todd Gilliland before Sunday’s race. In the United States, Gilliland would likely go unrecognized nine out of 10 times. But in this case, he looked like Dale Earnhardt Jr. in his heyday when trying to get from one place to another.

Gilliland is only one example. 

Even for those who weren’t in Mexico City, it wasn’t hard to get a sense of what a big deal the event was and how much enthusiasm was in the air, with fans enthralled by the chance to see NASCAR stock cars and the drivers. They came with homemade team clothing and other trinkets. There were even first-time fans and some from the United States, according to Ben Kennedy.

“So my favorite thing about Mexico -- it's been 20 years since I've raced here -- it's the fans,” Michael McDowell said. “It's incredible energy and incredible atmosphere. It feels like a festival and a concert and a race all happening at one time. Like I said, it was 20 years ago when I was here. But at the time, Luis Diaz and Mario Dominguez were racing, and those guys were heroes. Like every time they went into a corner, you heard the crowd cheer. And wherever they walked, the crowd went nuts.”

NASCAR racing in Mexico City was all about those fans — the ones who had never seen the cars or drivers in person, or the ones who had never seen NASCAR at all before but bought a ticket. In no way was it about taking NASCAR away from its roots or its legacy fans, but about taking a sport so many already love and sharing it with others. 

“One of the coolest parts about this weekend is seeing the reaction from the fans,” Kennedy, NASCAR EVP, chief venue and racing innovation officer, said.

“I had the opportunity to go up in the stands a few times, both Friday as the cars rolled out for the first time, (Saturday), and seeing the hometown hero Daniel Suarez win the race, and then throughout the entire race (Sunday). Whether it was the start, passes for the lead, passes throughout the field, the end of the race with Shane [van Gisbergen] dominating, the energy and the passion of the fans here are unmatched.”

It's no surprise that there was a lot of love for home hero Suarez, but all the other drivers recieved plenty of support too. James Gilbert/Getty Images

When those blinders are on, it’s easy to get lost in the big picture. It’s easy to think about the preparation that needs to be done during the week and the approach to the race weekend ahead. Conversely, it’s easy to get lost in one headline after another and be buried in quotes and pumping out content. 

The addition of Mexico City to the calendar was met with skepticism. These ranged from the event's logistics, safety, the racing product, expected turnout, not being an international sport, and what NASCAR was trying to accomplish. Those blinders were firmly in place in the belief that NASCAR wouldn’t turn this venture into a long-term win.

Except, a long-term win might not be the point. The short-term win in this case matters more, given the injection of passion and energy Mexico City gave the sport. And it wasn’t just on the Mexico City side. When those blinders came off, the industry was given a chance to experience something new and explore outside of their comfort zones, and the familiarity of racetracks, airports, and hotels, they have become almost intimately familiar with over the years.

“I felt like everything, the reception, all the people, just first off, thank you to everyone who’s from here or had anything to do with the race weekend,” Chase Elliott said. “I thought it was a really special thing for us to be able to come down here and do this. I thought it was really well done. I haven’t had any bad experiences throughout either of my trips to Mexico City. I thought the weekend was overall a success.”

Mission accomplished. NASCAR brought what might have been a once-in-a-lifetime experience to race fans, and gave its industry a chance to enjoy the world outside of the bubble.