The Mexico-based NASCAR series made its U.S. debut in March 2013 at Phoenix Raceway but has not been back since.
When NASCAR announced that the Clash would return to the LA Memorial Coliseum and its ¼-mile made-from-scratch asphalt oval this season, it decided to add an invitational, non-points Mexico series race as well.
For NASCAR’s continuously expanding international efforts as well as its desire to put the sport in front of new fans, it seemed a perfect fit.
“From the excitement that we’ve seen so far from them coming, it’s just huge,” Chad Seigler, NASCAR vice president and chief international officer told Motorsport.com. “This is the first time they’ve been across the border since Phoenix, so it’s been 10 years or so.
“That part has been well-received. It’s important for the drivers, too. They all know Daniel Suarez and they want to take the path of Danny. For them to spend a weekend in Los Angeles and be with the big show and with the drivers, I think it makes it a little bit more real to them.”
Why it's important
Seigler said he sees an important crossover element from the fan side adding the Mexico Series to the Clash weekend.
“If you look at the largest population of Mexican Hispanics, the largest single concentration outside of Mexico City is Los Angeles. For us, as we look as growing a fan base outside the U.S., it’s a no-brainer,” Seigler said.
“With everything we’ve seen with Garage 56 at Le Mans, the interest from Supercars drivers and our launch in Brazil, with all these things we’ve done, it’s not a coincidence we’ve seen increased international interest.
“We may not everyday be shouting that story from the rooftops per se, but it’s been a strategic plan to do all this international engagement.”
To NASCAR, it’s just as important to expose its international series’ drivers to American NASCAR competition as it is to expose the sport’s current American fans to NASCAR’s international offerings.
That also includes getting the NASCAR Mexico drivers to engage with their American counterparts.
“It’s important from an influence side, a mentor side,” Seigler said. “That crossover is an important element to allow these guys to see a path forward.
“Our national series drivers have been very good in offering guidance, tips, advice. They really want to help these young kids. We bring a lot of drivers to the U.S. – we’ll be bringing some NASCAR Brazil drivers to Daytona next month.”
The addition of a NASCAR Mexico event to the Clash weekend also has special significance from the TV exposure side.
As part of its weekend of coverage, Fox Sports will air the Feb. 4 Mexico race live on Fox Sports 1 with veteran talent Adam Alexander and Michael Waltrip joining Cup driver Brad Keselowski in the booth.
While the race will also air on Fox Deportes, it appears the FS1 broadcast will be the first for the series on an English-speaking sports network in the U.S.
“We think this is a great opportunity to showcase the top Mexican drivers to the largest Mexican population in the U.S. It’s a great opportunity for the drivers, for the fans here in L.A., maybe make some new fans and L.A. is the perfect market for it,” said Bill Wanger, Fox Sports’ executive vice president and head of programming and scheduling.
“Our NASCAR fans are very familiar with our talent and having those familiar faces in the booth will bring in people. At the end of the day, NASCAR fans want to see good racing and our talent in the booth will obviously help facilitate that.
“We’re all on board growing the sport across the world. Obviously, we’re focused on the States, but anything NASCAR can do to grow its popularity can only help the sport across the board.”
For the NASCAR Mexico competitors, they seem to see nothing but positives.
ARCA Menards Series full-time driver Andres Perez, who also still competes in the Mexico Series, said everything about next weekend’s race is “a big deal.”
“I’ve never been to the Clash. I’ve definitely watched it. I think it’s going to be great but chaos at the same time,” said Perez, who is entered in the race. “Small track, no points. All the drivers, most of them from Mexico, this is like their chance – and they also consider me to be spoiled here in the U.S. Everyone’s going to try and win it even though there’s no points.
“I think it’s big. It just brings a lot more eyes and showing to the U.S. what NASCAR Mexico is. A lot of people know this a big deal over there, and it is growing, so yeah, I think that’s very important.”
