2018 IndyCar Mexico race date continues to develop

IndyCar CEO Mark Miles says the series is weeks away from knowing whether it will race in Mexico next year.

"There's serious dialogue and progress there," he told RACER. "I think it's something we'll know by the end of August, and then the 2018 calendar will come out."

The Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico City (pictured above during last year's Mexican Grand Prix) is the lead candidate to host IndyCar, according to Miles. And despite his ongoing interest in expanding the series' calendar to include international destinations, a stop at the high-altitude road course would not fall within that category.

"I look at a Mexico race as a domestic race, not an international race, like if we were going to Montreal or some other track within driving distance for our teams," he said. "So, I'd see Mexico as fitting our regular calendar if it were to happen. Given that it's a time zone that's normal for us, it would be another North American race."

Miles has earmarked the early portion of the year for potential international races, and given Mexico City's position as a normal part of the IndyCar championship, its calendar date would likely fall toward the end of the schedule.

"It wouldn't be in February, it would be in October," he clarified.

Retaining Monterrey, Mexico native Esteban Gutierrez (pictured above greeting fans at Mid-Ohio), who currently drives for Dale Coyne Racing, would only help IndyCar's desired expansion into the country.

"If we can keep him in the series, and there's a Mexican race, we can renegotiate our TV contract next year and come up with something special for our Spanish language audience," Miles added.

Gutierrez, who has enjoyed backing from Mexican telecommunications billionaire Carlos Slim during his career, would be one of a few possible Spanish-speaking IndyCar starts to load the bill. Four Colombian drivers, including Indy 500 winner and IndyCar champion Juan Montoya, race winner Carlos Munoz, Gabby Chaves and Sebastian Saavedra are obvious candidates for inclusion along with Spain's Oriol Servia.

Considering Slim's direct involvement with renovating and returning the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez to the Formula 1 calendar in 2015, his ties to Gutierrez in IndyCar would appear to favor Miles as the negotiations continue.