{"id":488783,"date":"2026-02-21T00:32:14","date_gmt":"2026-02-21T00:32:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/488783\/"},"modified":"2026-02-21T00:32:14","modified_gmt":"2026-02-21T00:32:14","slug":"tulum-airport-will-be-the-site-of-a-nascar-mexico-series-race","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/488783\/","title":{"rendered":"Tulum airport will be the site of a NASCAR Mexico Series race"},"content":{"rendered":"

NASCAR is returning to Mexico<\/a> in 2026, but this time it\u2019s the domestic NASCAR M\u00e9xico Series \u2014 and the venue is an active airport on the Caribbean coast, not the famed Mexico City Formula 1 circuit.<\/p>\n

Felipe Carrillo Puerto International Airport<\/a> in Tulum, Quintana Roo, will be converted into a temporary oval April 25-26 for the third weekend of the 2026 NASCAR M\u00e9xico season, officials announced this week.<\/p>\n

The racing will be a paid portion of the new, mostly free Tulum Air Show, organized by the Mexican Air Force and the Mexico Aerospace Fair (Famex).<\/p>\n

The four-day program April 23-26 will mix stock-car races with aerobatic displays (involving F-5 jets, helicopters, drones and other devices), aerospace exhibitions and safety workshops at Military Air Base No. 20 and adjoining airport facilities.<\/p>\n

The invitation to race in Tulum came from Famex, not from NASCAR M\u00e9xico, officials said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe project has accumulated over six months of joint work with the Air Force, and the intention is to turn this participation into a recurring relationship with Famex,\u201d NASCAR M\u00e9xico president Jimmy Morales said at a news conference Tuesday.<\/p>\n

Organizers project roughly 30,000 attendees across the air and racing components. The latter will include the usual practice and qualifying sessions and two races: the main event in the NASCAR M\u00e9xico Series<\/a> and a second-tier Challenge Series race.<\/p>\n

As of now, the main event has not been given a name; last year\u2019s NASCAR Cup Series main event in Mexico City was the Viva M\u00e9xico 250.<\/p>\n

Moreover, organizers haven\u2019t given specifics on the footprint of the racing oval, such as whether it will use parts of the airfield and runway.<\/p>\n

The race will underscore how different this event is from last year\u2019s high-profile NASCAR Cup Series debut in Mexico City<\/a> in June, a points-scoring race at Aut\u00f3dromo Hermanos Rodr\u00edguez<\/a> that included all of the eventual top-12 finishers in NASCAR\u2019s 2025 standings.<\/p>\n

That 100-lap race was won by New Zealander Shane van Gisbergen in front of a \u201csparse\u201d crowd within the 100,000-capacity facility, \u201cwith many grandstands empty,\u201d as reported by Autoracing1.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Though NASCAR does not announce attendance figures, the fan mag noted \u201cthere were reports in Mexico that they sold only 15,000 grandstand seats and the rest were freebies.\u201d<\/p>\n

Recuerda Tulum Air Show del 23 al 26 de abril, esta confirmada la participaci\u00f3n de #Nascarmexicoseries<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/oQjQqYXMh3<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Feria Aeroespacial M\u00e9xico (@FAMEXTweet) February 19, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

Citing scheduling conflicts around the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Mexico City<\/a> and travel logistics, NASCAR opted to drop Mexico City from the 2026 NASCAR Cup schedule, with some reports also questioning the economics of the event.<\/p>\n

There was talk for a while that IndyCar would fill the void, but the open-wheel racing series best known for the Indianapolis 500 announced it will not visit CDMX in 2026.<\/a><\/p>\n

The racing circuit that will visit Mexico City in 2026 is Formula 1, which will be back for the Mexico City Grand Prix<\/a> on Nov. 1, preceded by two days practice sessions and qualifying.<\/p>\n

In addition, Mexico City will be hosting a massive interactive showcase called the Formula 1 Exhibition<\/a> starting March 20.<\/p>\n

Organizers for the NASCAR M\u00e9xico weekend in Tulum say they expect to max out hotel capacity in a tourism market that is generally saturated but has been slumping recently.<\/a><\/p>\n

NASCAR M\u00e9xico will kick off its 12-race 2026 season March 14-15 in San Luis Potos\u00ed and conclude it Nov. 14-15 in Puebla.<\/p>\n

With reports from Lapeando<\/a>, El Economista<\/a>, Exc\u00e9lsior<\/a>, NASCAR.com<\/a> and The Athletic<\/a><\/p>\n