Following Denny Hamlin's fuel-mileage win at Michigan International Speedway, the NASCAR Cup Series heads south of the border to Mexico City's Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez on Sunday for the running of the Viva Mexico 250 (3 p.m. ET, Prime Video, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
This will be the 16th race of the 2025 season and the second on a road course after Christopher Bell's win at COTA back in March. When cars take the green flag at the 2.42-mile, 15-turn course on Sunday, it will be the first international points-paying Cup Series race since 1958. Despite the travel woes that some drivers and teams have experienced getting to the track, a historic weekend is on tap south of the border.
Although Hamlin will miss this Sunday's race in Mexico City following the birth of his third child earlier this week, no one in the series has more momentum following his Michigan triumph. The three drivers below, on the other hand, could use a better result this weekend and are in search of a rebound performance following the FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan.
Ryan Blaney, No. 12 (Team Penske Ford)
Blaney's Michigan race did not end the way he would have liked following his first win of the season at Nashville one week prior. Despite leading seven laps, Blaney made contact with the Turn 4 wall while running 12th and spun with 92 laps remaining, ultimately finishing 32nd.
Blaney's road-course career has seen mixed results. In 35 starts when going left and right, Blaney has one win (Charlotte Roval, 2018) and 16 top-10 finishes. He was 19th in the series' only prior stop at a road course earlier this season at COTA in March. With only three top-10s in his last 11 road course starts, a win does not look likely this Sunday in Mexico City.
William Byron, No. 24 (Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet)
Byron has been nothing short of consistent this season with nine top-10s and a 10.4 average finish. He scored 19 stage points at Michigan and appeared to be on his way to his second win of the season until he ran out of fuel coming to the white flag and dropped to 28th in the running order.
A rebound could certainly be in store in Mexico City, given Byron's recent track record on road courses. In his last seven starts dating back to his first road-course win at Watkins Glen in 2023, Byron has an additional win at COTA (2024) and five top-fives in those races. Byron should be one of the drivers to beat this weekend.
Daniel Suarez, No. 99 (Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet)
Suarez has struggled so far this season with a dismal 21.1 average finish. While his last two finishes of 16th (Nashville) and 14th (Michigan) are a step in the right direction, his overall numbers from the season leave plenty to be desired.
As Suarez returns to his home country this weekend, the pressure is definitely on him to make the most of it and return to Victory Lane. As a previous winner at Sonoma (2022), Suarez has had some success on road courses at the Cup Series level. What better way for Suarez to punch a playoff ticket than to win in his home country.