Following NASCAR‘s first international points-paying Cup Series race beyond the borders of the USA in Mexico last weekend, former NASCAR driver, commentator, and analyst Kyle Petty has proposed that the sport must consider racing in Canada and Europe.
The race in Mexico’s Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez saw a huge crowd turnout, prompting Petty to point out NASCAR fan bases in international locations. While Canada is one option, given the close proximity to America, he suggested a one-time race in Europe, especially after NASCAR pitched a custom Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 to compete in the 2023 24 Hours of Le Mans. Speaking to George Howson on Motorsport Reports, Petty said:
“Obviously, if we’re opening up Mexico, then I think we should take a look at Canada. I would like to see that. There are so many race fans. If you go to Michigan, Watkins Glen, you’re right along the Canadian border. There’s so many Canadian fans that come over. … So I look at that and I say, Yeah, those are no-brainers to me.
“I would love to see us land somewhere in Europe, at least once. I’ve been going to Goodwood [in England], places like that. There are so many NASCAR fans, so many stock car fans, and it’s just a totally different form of racing than Formula One or sports cars or Le Mans and that type of racing.
“It’s just a totally different form. It’s not better, it’s not worse, it’s just different, that’s just the way it is. I think it would be interesting to see the type of crowd that we could draw over there on an oval, or on a road course, because we have opened ourselves up with this car to be in a road course-type series. I know it’s never gonna go to full road courses, but there will be a lot more of them that add on.”
Howson added:
“We saw in Le Mans a few years ago [in 2023], these cars can run around actual world endurance championship circuits, so there’s no reason why we can’t say I’d love to see NASCAR in Europe. That’d be awesome.”
Speaking of road courses, while Petty acknowledged that more would be added to the NASCAR calendar in the future, his father, Richard Petty, famous for winning seven Cup Series championships, has dismissed road courses.
While addressing how Shane van Gisbergen’s victory in Mexico got him a spot in the playoffs, despite being 30th in the standings, Richard targeted the sport’s ‘if you win, you’re in’ policy and road courses. Newsweek Sports reported his comments:
“The way they got this thing fixed, where if you win, you’re in. That can’t be right. You got somebody that’s 30th in points that’s going to make the playoffs. Hey man, what happened to the guy that 15th, or 16th, or 18th (that’s) been running good (and) finished good everywhere?
“You’re making a championship situation by winning a road course, which is not really NASCAR to begin with. From that standpoint, I think they’re going to have to jockey around and change some of this kind of stuff.”
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