NASCAR Cup Series: Live Updates and Highlights From the Viva Mexico 250 in Mexico City

The NASCAR Cup Series takes on the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico City for the first time in the Viva Mexico 250 on June 15.

Sunday's race will be the first Cup Series points race outside of the United States in more than six decades.

Shane van Gisbergen is on the pole and should be considered the race favorite, though the field's increasing road course aptitude should make for a competitive 100-lap race.

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Daniel Suarez will likely be the fan favorite in his home country, as evidenced by the reaction to his Xfinity Series victory on June 14.

Ryan Truex , subbing in for Denny Hamlin, will start 36th in the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota.

Follow along with our live race updates, with green flag set for after 2 p.m. CT at Mexico City.

NASCAR Cup Series race at Mexico City: Live updates, highlights, live leaderboard for the Viva Mexico 250

LIVE LEADERBOARD: Full field leaderboard of NASCAR Cup Series Viva Mexico 250

NASCAR Mexico City stories, news

RACE RESULTS: NASCAR Mexico City results: Shane van Gisbergen is winner, plus full leaderboard for Viva Mexico 250

WINNERS AND LOSERS: NASCAR Mexico City winners and losers: Shane van Gisbergen is in NASCAR playoffs, like it or not

DISAGREEMENT: Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Carson Hocevar argue after NASCAR Mexico race

OUCH: Kyle Busch, Kyle Larson crash early in NASCAR Mexico City race after rainy start

PLAYOFF PICTURE: NASCAR points standings: Cup Series points update after Mexico City race

Shane van Gisbergen wins in Mexico

SVG is in the playoffs with a win on Sunday in Mexico City, by more than 16 seconds over Christopher Bell.

Chase Elliott makes the podium in third.

Lap 97: SVG's lead to 15 seconds

Shane van Gisbergen leads by 15 seconds over Christopher Bell, with Chase Elliott chasing Bell for the runner-up spot.

Michael McDowell is up to sixth, while William Byron has entered the top 10 late.

Lap 90: SVG cruising with 8 second lead; Chase Elliott to P3

Shane van Gisbergen leads Christopher Bell by 8 seconds, with Chase Elliott up to third after passing teammate Alex Bowman.

John Hunter Nemechek is primed for a top-five finish, while Cole Custer is in line for his first top-10 finish of the season.

Lap 77: SVG leads by 1.3 seconds

Shane van Gisbergen's lead over Alex Bowman is a fairly consistent 1.3 seconds. A look at the top 10:

1. Shane van Gisbergen
2. Christopher Bell
3. Alex Bowman
4. John Hunter Nemechek
5. Chase Elliott
6. Cole Custer
7. Chris Buescher
8. Ross Chastain
9. Ty Gibbs
10. Michael McDowell

Ty Gibbs has struggled behind Ross Chastain despite a tire age advantage.

The two fastest cars among the leaders? SVG and Chase Elliott, who is pushing John Hunter Nemechek for fourth.

Shane van Gisbergen clears on the restart, feels better about possible tire issue

Shane van Gisbergen takes the inside into turn 1 and holds the lead, with Alex Bowman up to second. He also is relieved about the way his tires feel under green.

"Must be the air pressures (building back up)," SVG tells his team. "Good to hear," he is told.

At the restart....

The top 10 on the restart:

1. Shane van Gisbergen
2. Christopher Bell
3. Alex Bowman
4. Cole Custer
5. Chase Briscoe
6. Chris Buescher
7. John Hunter Nemechek
8. Ross Chastain
9. Riley Herbst
10. Ryan Truex

SVG concerned about a loose wheel

Shane van Gisbergen tells his crew that he may have a loose wheel, but it sounds like the No. 88 Chevy will stay out after the crew reviewed the film of the last stop.

Lap 65: Caution is out for Carson Hocevar

That's a tough caution for Ty Gibbs and the others who stayed out. Carson Hocevar spins in the final turn, doesn't get moving for about 15 seconds and forces NASCAR to throw the caution flag.

Shane van Gisbergen and Christopher Bell will be in a very good spot, assuming the other cars pit as will be needed.

Lap 63: SVG pits from the lead

Shane van Gisbergen pits for the final time. SVG is told they'll need to wait a bit for fuel on the stop. His lead was 5.1 seconds over Ty Gibbs pre-stop, but Gibbs had newer tires.

Lap 62: SVG leads by 5.5 seconds

Shane van Gisbergen leads by 5.5 seconds over Christopher Bell, who is the first to pit for the final time.

SVG's team is waiting an extra couple laps to ensure that the weather will hold up.

Meanwhile, Chase Elliott is up to 6th and is very fast later in this run.

Lap 53: SVG back in front

A pro move by Shane van Gisbergen through the stadium section to set Bell up for a poor angle through the final corner, and SVG retakes the lead.

Lap 50: Christopher Bell to the lead

Christopher Bell takes the lead on the restart, but SVG is within range. Alex Bowman is third, with Michael McDowell in fourth. Ross Chastain spins through the stadium section, but gets back going. Chastain bumped by Carson Hocevar there, but no one had any room.

Bell was able to pass SVG after a lockup through the first turn. McDowell, Joey Logano and Chase Briscoe all went through the grass during that sequence but no harm and no foul.

SVG stays out during the stage break

Shane van Gisbergen, not wanting to risk track position and possible rain, stays out. They can still go on one more stop, but it'll be an early one.

Shane van Gisbergen wins Stage 2

Instead of a tight battle to the finish of Stage 2, Ty Gibbs pits from the lead. Shane van Gisbergen had clawed to within a half-second of Gibbs before he pitted, and SVG wins Stage 2.

The top 10:

1. Shane van Gisbergen
2. Christopher Bell
3. Alex Bowman
4. Ryan Blaney
5. Michael McDowell
6. Austin Dillon
7. Chris Buescher
8. Riley Herbst
9. Carson Hocevar
10. Daniel Suarez

Good stage points day for Michael McDowell, who earns 13 points over the two stages.

Meanwhile, Kyle Larson returns to the race track at 37 laps down.

Lap 35: Ty Gibbs holds off SVG

Ty Gibbs holds off Shane van Gisbergen for the lead on the restart. We'll see how the pit strategy shakes out at the end of the stage.

Lap 31: Caution for Ryan Truex

Ryan Truex spins through a braking zone in front a handful of cars, and that'll force a caution. Halfway through the second stage, with Ty Gibbs leading Shane van Gisbergen and Christopher Bell.

Lap 25: Ty Gibbs passes Daniel Suarez for the lead

Daniel Suarez initially takes the lead on the restart, but Ty Gibbs passes Suarez through the stadium section for the top spot. SVG then passes Suarez for second.

Almost the entire field is now on slick tires, with Suarez and Michael McDowell the exceptions.

Ryan Preece wins Stage 1

As some leaders stop before the end of the stage, including Shane van Gisbergen, others stay out. Ryan Preece holds off Ryan Blaney to win Stage 1. 10 big points for Preece, who is on the playoff bubble.

The top 10:

1. Ryan Preece
2. Ryan Blaney
3. Ross Chastain
4. Michael McDowell
5. Todd Gilliland
6. Erik Jones
7. Carson Hocevar
8. Bubba Wallace
9. Chase Elliott
10. Daniel Suarez

Lap 13: Rain roundup....

• Zane Smith had to go to the garage after spending too much time on pit road repairing his FRM Ford. He will return to the track after that.
• Austin Cindric is back to 31st on the slick tires, the next-to-last car on the lead lap. Chris Buescher did pit for wet tires on the previous caution.
• AJ Allmendinger is running OK despite the damage in the Kyle Busch crash, up to 23rd.
• SVG is lapping about 1.1-1.5 seconds better than Ty Gibbs right now and is pulling away up front.
• The track is very wet through the stadium section, but rain has virtually stopped all across the track.

Lap 10: SVG back to the lead

Shane van Gisbergen works around Ty Gibbs in turn 3 to take the lead. Right now, three Trackhouse Racing cars are in the top 4 (SVG 1st, Ross Chastain 3rd, Daniel Suarez 4th).

Lap 7: Kyle Busch locks it up, causes multi-car crash involving Kyle Larson, AJ Allmendinger, others

Kyle Busch locks up his tires in the rain and spins out of control, running into the back of Justin Haley, AJ Allmendinger and Kyle Larson.

All four cars suffer major damage, while Zane Smith and Chase Briscoe are also involved.

Larson and Busch are headed to the garage. Allmendinger's team is working to fix the Kaulig Racing Chevrolet on pit road.

"It's pretty well destroyed here guys, everything in the rear," Busch is told over his team radio.

Lap 6: Ty Gibbs to the lead

Ty Gibbs takes the lead on the restart, and he's pulled away from Ross Chastain and SVG.

Austin Cindric is back to 11th after one green flag lap in the rain, while Chris Buescher is outside the top 15. Cannot fathom the strategy in staying on slick tires.

Austin Cindric, Chris Buescher stay out on slicks; most of field opt for wet tires

Austin Cindric and Chris Buescher stay on slick tires as the rain picks up around the track. Ross Chastain beats SVG off of pit road.

Can't imagine Cindric and Buescher last very long on slick tires here.

Lap 1: Caution for rain

The rain is heavier down toward the stadium section, and the caution is thrown before the completion of Lap 1. There are rain tires available, and will likely need to be utilized here if the rain persists.

NASCAR tells teams that that they can change to wet tires at their discretion.

Green flag!

With rain drops falling, the Viva Mexico 250 is green!

Shane van Gisbergen leads down the main straightaway, a long way into turn 1.

SVG not feeling well, Amazon Prime reports

Prime Video pit reporter Marty Snider notes on the race broadcast that Shane van Gisbergen is not feeling well and took some medicine before hopping into the car.

The field is rolling for pace laps.

Closing in on the green flag in Mexico

Drivers have made their pre-race introductions and ride around the track, and pre-race festivities should begin soon.

Shane van Gisbergen on the pole; full NASCAR Cup Series Mexico starting lineup

In a qualifying session cut short by 17 minutes on June 14, Shane van Gisbergen won the pole with a lap of 1 minute, 32.776 seconds.

The top 10:

1. Shane van Gisbergen, No. 88 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
2. Ryan Preece, No. 60 RFK Racing Ford
3. Ross Chastain, No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
4. Ty Gibbs, No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
5. Michael McDowell, No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
6. Kyle Larson, No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
7. Todd Gilliland, No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford
8. AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet
9. Joey Logano, No. 22 Team Penske Ford
10. Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet

Find the full starting lineup here.

NASCAR race radio coverage: How to listen to NASCAR Cup race at Mexico City

The Viva Mexico 250 will be aired on the radio by the Motor Racing Network. MRN has affiliates all across the country, and their feed can also be streamed on NASCAR.com as well as the NASCAR app. The race can also be heard on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, channel 90.

NASCAR Mexico City race TV schedule, start time

• Green Flag Time: Approx. 2 p.m. CT on Sunday, June 15
• Track: Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez (2.41-mile road course) in Mexico City
• Length: 100 laps, 241 miles
• Stages: 20 laps, 25 laps, 55 laps
• TV coverage: Amazon Prime Video (streaming) ( Watch Amazon Prime with a free trial )
• Radio: MRN
• Streaming: Amazon Prime Video (subscription required); MAX app for in-car cameras (subscription required); NASCAR.com and SiriusXM on Channel 90 for audio (subscription required)

The Viva Mexico 250 will be broadcast nationally via streaming on Amazon Prime Video. Other streaming options for the race include MAX for in-car cameras for each driver.

Recent NASCAR Cup Series winners on road courses

• 2025 COTA: Christopher Bell
• 2024 Charlotte Roval : Kyle Larson
• 2024 Watkins Glen : Chris Buescher
• 2024 Chicago street course : Alex Bowman
• 2024 Sonoma : Kyle Larson

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: NASCAR Cup Series race at Mexico City: Live updates, highlights, leaderboard for the Viva Mexico 250