DAYTONA BEACH, Fla., March 9, 2014 – The ninth season of the NASCAR Mexico Series under the NASCAR banner will take the green flag on Friday at Phoenix International Raceway, and fans across the United States can catch all the electrifying action of Mexico’s national racing championship on NBC UNIVERSO. The broadcast of the Toyota 120 will air live beginning at 10 p.m. ET.
NBC UNIVERSO continues its evolution in bringing Latinos the best and most iconic sports franchises, including NASCAR. The network’s telecast of the Mexico Series race in Phoenix looks to deliver all the exciting door-to-door, fender banging action that is synonymous with NASCAR racing across the world. Viewers can find NBC UNIVERSO in their channel lineup in their area by visiting www.nbcuniverso.com.
“The NASCAR Mexico Series has proven to be Mexico's foremost motorsports series,” said George Silbermann, NASCAR vice president of weekly & touring series. “Having the Phoenix race air on NBC UNIVERSO in the United States is a tremendous opportunity to expose an even wider audience to what Mexican fans already know: The NASCAR Mexico Series races are must-watch events.”
Phoenix, which kicks off the series for the third consecutive year, is the first of 15 races scheduled in the Mexico Series. It will culminate with the five-race Desafío to crown the 2015 NASCAR Mexico Series champion. Rising young star Abraham Calderón, who won the inaugural race at Phoenix in 2013, is the defending series champion.
In addition to the 26-year-old Calderón, fans of the NASCAR Mexico Series have watched some of NASCAR’s best young drivers like Daniel Suárez – now competing for Joe Gibbs Racing in the NASCAR XFINITY SERIES – and Rubén García Jr. test their mettle against series veterans such as Rubén Pardo, Antonío Peréz and Rogelio López.
Within the past five years, NASCAR has retained a commitment to diversity on and off the track by creating programs that authentically and organically reach the Hispanic community. The sanctioning body has made important changes to how it markets the sport, including developing Spanish-language ad spots and launching the NASCAR Te Mueve platform to help engage Hispanic fans in new and relevant ways through digital channels.
In 2014, NASCAR signed a 10-year TV rights agreements with FOX and NBC, who are committed to evolving the live TV experience. Part of the agreement with NBC includes airing races on NBC UNIVERSO, which will introduce new fans to NASCAR.
Following the season-opener at Phoenix, the first race in Mexico will be the Potisina 200 at Súper Óvalo Potosino in San Luis Potosí on April 12. The series will race twice at San Luis Potosí – making a return trip July 12 – and twice at Autódromo Ecocentro De La Unión Ganadera in Querétaro (May 17 and Aug. 2).
The 10-race regular season also includes visits to Súper Óvalo Chiapas in Tuxtla Gutiérrez (April 26), Autódromo Miguel E. Abed in Puebla (May 31), Ovalo Aguascalientes in Aguascalientes (June 14), El Dorado Speedway in Chihuahua (June 28) and Autódromo De Monterrey in Monterrey (Aug. 16).
The Desafío will begin at Puebla on Aug. 30 and include races at Tuxtla (Sept. 13), Chihuahua (Oct. 4) and Aguascalientes (Oct. 18) before the championship race on the 1-mile oval at Autódromo Miguel E. Abed in Mexico City.
The Toyota 120 will kick off a full weekend of racing at the 1-mile oval, with the NASCAR XFINITY Series and NASCAR Sprint Cup Series competing on Saturday and Sunday respectively.
