McDowell going with the flow in return to Mexico City

There are all new variables in place this weekend at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez that the NASCAR drivers who competed there over a decade ago won’t have any advantage. But when the Mexico City event was announced as part of the 2025 schedule, Michael McDowell was still excited.

“I remember the crowd, the fans, and the energy was electric,” McDowell told RACER. “It was pretty close to a Bristol feel, but more spread out over a wider area. So, it was a cool experience. It was great food and great coffee. You remember all the things, and I was like, 'Man, this is so much fun.'

“It’s weird because it gives you a little bit of confidence. Even though the cars aren’t close to the same, the track is not really the same, but you’re like, 'No, I know this place and I’m good here. I’m ready to go.' So, it’s been an exciting week, and I think we’re all looking forward to it.”

McDowell is one of a few NASCAR drivers entered this weekend who have previous experience at the Mexico City course. However, McDowell earned his laps not in the Xfinity Series races that ran in the country from 2005 through 2008. Instead, he competed there in Champ Car (2005) and Grand-Am (2005-06), taking a win in the 2006 sports car event.

NASCAR will run a 15-turn course this weekend that is 2.429 miles. It has also been repaved since NASCAR’s last visit. And there is a new section, referred to as the stadium, that the field will come through, which is expected to be a tight and slow corner.

McDowell describes the facility as a proper road course, as it was built for Formula 1. It is a state-of-the-art surface, curbing and run-off area. Or, as McDowell describes in simple terms, it flows.

“The (front) straightaway is super, super long, so you’re going to see big top speeds and a long braking zone,” McDowell said. “So, there will be good passing opportunities and good drafting opportunities to make a run on people. But it’s also very technical. Turns 1, 2, and 3 are very technical in how you take the curbs.

“It’s actually really cool when you get into the stadium because you’re on the course, but it’s almost like driving through a park a little bit like Montreal. Then you get to a stadium. Literally, it’s a stadium, and you drive in and out of the stadium. So, it’s a cool experience there.”

The stadium section is part of the Mexico City track's unique appeal, McDowell says. James Gilbert/Getty Images

McDowell believes there will be three excellent braking zones that provide the ability to pass. The Spire Motorsports driver is overall optimistic about the product fans will see Sunday because he feels the road course races have been competitive in the Next Gen era.

“I was trying to play it back through my head of going back through Watkins Glen and COTA and others,” McDowell said. “Watkins Glen has more of that rhythm and flow, and you don’t really slow down a ton. So, it’s easy to get into a chain where it’s harder to pass. I don’t think we’ll have that here. I don’t think we’ll have the tire wear or fall off that we have at Sonoma. We might. We don’t know, and we don’t know the surface.

“There are a lot of unknowns and there are for sure going to be teams that hit it and there are going to be teams who don’t. That will add a variable. When we go to a place three or four times, we all figure it out, and some better than others. So, I think that will add the ebb and flow of who is quick and who is not that maybe you expected to be. But, yeah, I think it’s going to put on a good race. I don’t want to oversell it, but there’s no reason that this wouldn’t be a great road course for us and our cars.”

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A two-time winner in the Cup Series, McDowell's most recent triumph came on the Indianapolis road course. But he is typically considered a driver to watch when the series heads to facilities that make left- and right-hand turns, given his background.

The simulator has been the biggest resource for drivers and teams in their preparation. McDowell feels content with the amount of time he’s put in and how the team has worked to do their best estimates of what to expect. As for his training, McDowell has increased it a bit but has not gone as far as others preparing for a high-elevation event. By no means does he feel he has it all figured out.

“But I can tell you there are guys doing it wrong,” McDowell said. “I know that for sure by experience. It is going to be an element, it really will be. For the manufacturers, it’ll be an element, too. Who has the proper cooling, and who has the engine mapping right? It’s a game changer when you’re at that altitude.”

And that is the name of the weekend: the unknowns. Mexico City might be familiar, but when it comes to the event, McDowell and others aren’t going to know every variable until they start going through them.

“We’re trying our best to prepare,” McDowell said. “I think a little bit of experience does help with that. I remember and I’ve lived it where everything is overheating and nothing is cooling as good you think it should or you want it to. I’ve dealt with the altitude sickness... and when it does, I don’t think everybody will get that right. So, there are a lot of challenges, and I’m looking forward to it.”