Tulum airport to host NASCAR’s return to Mexico in April

NASCAR is returning to Mexico successful 2026, but this clip it’s the home NASCAR México Series — and the venue is an progressive airdrome connected the Caribbean coast, not the famed Mexico City Formula 1 circuit.

Felipe Carrillo Puerto International Airport successful Tulum, Quintana Roo, volition beryllium converted into a impermanent oval April 25-26 for the 3rd play of the 2026 NASCAR México season, officials announced this week.

The racing volition beryllium a paid information of the new, mostly escaped Tulum Air Show, organized by the Mexican Air Force and the Mexico Aerospace Fair (Famex).

The four-day programme April 23-26 volition premix stock-car races with aerobatic displays (involving F-5 jets, helicopters, drones and different devices), aerospace exhibitions and information workshops astatine Military Air Base No. 20 and adjoining airdrome facilities.

The invitation to contention successful Tulum came from Famex, not from NASCAR México, officials said.

“The task has accumulated implicit six months of associated enactment with the Air Force, and the volition is to crook this information into a recurring narration with Famex,” NASCAR México president Jimmy Morales said astatine a quality league Tuesday.

Organizers task astir 30,000 attendees crossed the aerial and racing components. The second volition see the accustomed signifier and qualifying sessions and 2 races: the main lawsuit successful the NASCAR México Series and a second-tier Challenge Series race.

As of now, the main lawsuit has not been fixed a name; past year’s NASCAR Cup Series main lawsuit successful Mexico City was the Viva México 250.

Moreover, organizers haven’t fixed specifics connected the footprint of the racing oval, specified arsenic whether it volition usage parts of the airfield and runway.

The contention volition underscore however antithetic this lawsuit is from last year’s high-profile NASCAR Cup Series debut successful Mexico City successful June, a points-scoring contention astatine Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez that included each of the eventual top-12 finishers successful NASCAR’s 2025 standings.

That 100-lap contention was won by New Zealander Shane van Gisbergen successful beforehand of a “sparse” assemblage wrong the 100,000-capacity facility, “with galore grandstands empty,” arsenic reported by Autoracing1.com.

Though NASCAR does not denote attendance figures, the instrumentality mag noted “there were reports successful Mexico that they sold lone 15,000 grandstand seats and the remainder were freebies.”

Recuerda Tulum Air Show del 23 al 26 de abril, esta confirmada la participación de #Nascarmexicoseries pic.twitter.com/oQjQqYXMh3

— Feria Aeroespacial México (@FAMEXTweet) February 19, 2026

Citing scheduling conflicts astir the 2026 FIFA World Cup successful Mexico City and question logistics, NASCAR opted to driblet Mexico City from the 2026 NASCAR Cup schedule, with immoderate reports besides questioning the economics of the event.

There was speech for a portion that IndyCar would capable the void, but the open-wheel racing bid champion known for the Indianapolis 500 announced it volition not sojourn CDMX successful 2026.

The racing circuit that volition sojourn Mexico City successful 2026 is Formula 1, which will beryllium backmost for the Mexico City Grand Prix connected Nov. 1, preceded by 2 days signifier sessions and qualifying.

In addition, Mexico City volition beryllium hosting a monolithic interactive showcase called the Formula 1 Exhibition starting March 20.

Organizers for the NASCAR México play successful Tulum accidental they expect to max retired edifice capableness successful a tourism marketplace that is mostly saturated but has been slumping recently.

NASCAR México volition footwear disconnected its 12-race 2026 play March 14-15 successful San Luis Potosí and reason it Nov. 14-15 successful Puebla.

With reports from Lapeando, El Economista, Excélsior, NASCAR.com and The Athletic