NASCAR VP Ben Kennedy boasts historic moment after Mexico City race, vows return

Ben Kennedy, NASCAR’s executive vice president, chief venue & racing innovation officer, was happy with how the Mexico City race turned out. While speaking to reporters after the race, Kennedy praised how everything turned out despite some challenges.

“Today wasn’t just a race. It was a historic moment for our sport,” Ben Kennedy said, per Jeff Gluck of The Athletic. “The logistical planning wasn’t perfect. We learned a lot of things. One of the coolest parts about this weekend is seeing the reaction from the fans. … The energy and the passion of the fans here is unmatched.”

When asked if NASCAR would return to Mexico City, Kennedy said, “We’re very hopeful to be back here in the future.” Sunday’s race was the first time NASCAR had an international points event in the modern era. It took place at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, and Shane van Gisbergen won Sunday’s race.

Mexico City has been on NASCAR’s ‘radar for a long time’

“This has been on our radar for a long time,” Kennedy said when the race was announced in August. “We’ve been talking about the continued iteration of our schedule, right? You can go back a few years, went to new markets like Nashville and Austin, Texas. We went to the Coliseum for the Clash. … We went to our first street race in downtown Chicago, and this is going to be another first for us in a lot of ways. This is going to be certainly a monumental event for us, the first time we’re going south of the border.”

After the race, Shane van Gisbergen shared his thoughts on competing at Mexico City. “Yeah, it was amazing,” he said. “Yesterday I had goosebumps watching Daniel [Suarez] win at the hotel, and I’ve won at home before when Supercars went to New Zealand, and New Zealanders are a bit more reserved, I guess, than Mexicans, and it was amazing, the reception, the crowd.

“Even today when he was on wets and he’s got no chance, I got to the lead and you just see the crowd erupt. It’s amazing the support that he had and how much this race meant to everyone, and you see people so stoked to meet you for the first time. Like they’ve been NASCAR fans for years but never been able to see the race in person. I thought it was a really cool weekend, and I’d love to come back here.”