Stop me if you’ve heard this before.
After escaping playoff elimination, four drivers are set to battle for the right to be crowned champion — and it comes down to one race. Whoever can handle the pressure, seize every opportunity and cross the start/finish line ahead of their fellow contenders will accomplish the ultimate goal.
But this isn’t a battle for the Bill France Cup we‘ve come to know the last decade in the NASCAR Cup Series — it‘s the duel for the NASCAR México Series Championship, where stars south of the border aim to make history.
Xavi Razo, Alex de Alba, Rubén García Jr. and Abraham Calderón have mastered it all, overcoming fierce competition and a grueling season. Through nine regular-season races and two postseason contests — where three drivers were eliminated in each race and points resetted — only one more event remains before one of their names is etched as champion. For many NASCAR Cup Series fans, the names Razo, de Alba, García and Calderón might not carry similar recognition as Kyle Larson or Denny Hamlin, but in México, they are nothing short of legends in the making.
The stakes are even higher than in years past as whoever claims the championship won’t just earn bragging rights for the season, but will also get the honor of being the face that welcomes the Cup Series to México next season for an international crossover where Cup and Xfinity Series will share a tripleheader with the NASCAR México Series in its capital city.
Only 10.5 points separate the four contenders in what promises to be an all-out bullfight in the season finale at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez circuit on Saturday — which is site of the NASCAR Cup Series race on June 15, 2025.
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“Now it’s all or nothing,” Xavi Razo, the current points leader, told NASCAR.com. “We have two multi-champions in Ruben and Abraham, and Alex de Alba has been good all year. I think continuing the momentum and attacking is going to be the strategy”
Razo has erupted this season, equalling his career number of four wins in the first 11 races and netting top fives in all but one race. The 36-year-old is in his 11th full-time season and third driving the No. 7 JV Motorsports Chevrolet. Razo has truly turned a corner claiming the Regular Season Championship, with his team firing on all cylinders from atop the pit box all the way to the spotter stand.
“I think the communication we are having now, my knowledge of the car and trying to communicate all the information, we are doing a very good job. I think that’s the key that we’re like complementing each other in every single way,” Razo said.
Being in one of the fastest cars and competing for a championship has been a long journey for Razo. Battling testicular cancer back in 2014, he didn‘t know if he would even be back behind the wheel.
Ten years ago at El Dorado Speedway in Chihuahua, Razo thought he was preparing for his final race after doctors found the cancer spreading throughout his body. Razo led 50 laps, his first time ever leading, and was determined to see Victory Lane for the first time. Unfortunately, after a mechanical issue, Razo didn’t convert his dominance into a win. Shortly after, he started treatment.
Spending eight months out of the car in 2014, Razo was focused on returning to racing and was keen to hunt wins once he got back. The only problem was that wins were hard to come by as he netted only four over the next nine seasons. He returned to El Dorado this past spring and went wire-to-wire, not allowing anyone or anything to barricade his entrance into Victory Lane. Razo then followed that performance by winning the very next race in Monterrey and he ended the regular season with another triumph before nabbing his fourth win of 2024 in the playoff opener at Querétaro Racetrack.
“My career has been very difficult, like everybody not just me, because, you know the cancer, changing teams or not having a complete season. It has been very hard. But today I can say I’m very happy and everything has been very good to now be super focused to win this championship.”
Breathing down Razo‘s neck by a mere three points is reigning rookie of the year Alex de Alba, who may have the most momentum heading into the finale as the most recent race winner.
“I’m the most prepared guy mentally for this race out of all four,” de Alba told NASCAR.com. “Because I won the last race in Puebla, that gave me a huge boost of confidence. I think the pressure is on them. I know I can do great. I know I can be in the top three places. But yeah, winning that last race was a huge boost for me and my team. I think it’s the most perfect way that I could have arrived to the final four.”
Not only did de Alba‘s win come timely in the playoffs to lock into the Championship 4, but it was his maiden win in the NASCAR México Series. After winning the Challenge Series Championship in 2022 — México’s version of the Xfinity Series — de Alba was dreaming of being right in the middle of a title fight at Mexico’s top level of racing.
“I expected to be there,” de Alba said. “But it’s still like, I want someone to pinch me and say ‘Okay, you won last year in the Challenge Series. Now you’re competing with these big guys, and you can do it.’ I still feel very surprised [to be in the Championship 4], but pretty excited to compete against all those guys. They’re pretty tough.”
With top 10s in all but one race so far this year driving the No. 14 AGA Racing Team Chevrolet, de Alba knows he has the pace to become the first rookie to hoist the big trophy in series history. The key factor for him will be if he can find a deeper aggression level against the three veterans he’s up against.
“Watching the replay of last year’s final in México, I think it’s going to be a second half of pure mess. Everyone wanted to gain some places on those final restarts.
“I think that’s going to be the key (this year), to be super aggressive on the restarts. There’s no point in saving your car at the last, 30 minutes of the race, right? I know we have a pretty good car on long runs. We have been very fast all year in those long runs, but the hardest part is going to be defending those positions on all those restarts.”
The challenge for both Razo and de Alba is holding off Rubén García Jr., arguably the most successful driver in NASCAR México Series history. García is just one win away from tying the all-time record of 26 victories and aims for his fifth championship title — which would extend his record for most titles in series history — especially after the heartbreak of last year’s title fight.
“I’ve been fortunate to win a few (championships), and they all have been special,” García told NASCAR.com. “But this next one, in particular, felt like it was taken away from me. I led the whole deal until a lap and a half before the checkered flag, and the driver contending for the title wrecked me, ruining my day and my full season.”
Fueled by that disappointment, García kicked off the season with a victory at San Luis Potosí, dominating a chaotic race that featured eight cautions. Since then, the No. 88 Team GP Chevrolet has consistently finished in the top 10 and secured two additional regular-season wins in July.
García’s journey began with Rev Racing in 2016, where he spent four seasons in the ARCA Menards Series. Although the COVID-19 pandemic stalled his ascent in NASCAR‘s national series, he remained determined to excel in every race he entered. “I started learning and getting experience since I was very young,” García said. “Now, at 28, I can capitalize on that experience. I feel that’s my strong card.”
He emphasizes the importance of seat time, noting that even top drivers like Kyle Busch or Larson continue to race at lower levels to refine their skills. He approaches racing and preparation the same. “I spend a lot of time on a dirt bike, which helps with hand-eye coordination and cardio. The more time you spend in a vehicle, the better.”
One would assume that being in contention to win a championship for nine straight seasons and the familiarity of being in this moment makes García the most comfortable. But like all motorsports disciplines, nothing is ever guaranteed and García isn‘t taking the opportunity to add to his legacy lightly.
“It‘s very hard to say that you can actually feel comfortable with these scenarios,” García said. “But definitely I feel like I have the most experience out of the other drivers. I‘ve learned how to (get) along with my team in the pressure of being in contention for a title, so we have to definitely take that on our advantage. My team, I think is really well prepared to work with pressure. So, it‘s a perfect scenario for us, we‘ve been doing this for nine years, so we know what it takes to win the championship.”
García isn’t the only one with experience vying for a title; Abraham Calderón, a 17-time winner and two-time champion, is right on García’s heels, trailing by just 2.5 points. While Calderón won the second race of the season, it’s been the only trip to Victory Lane for the No. 2 Telmex Racing Team Chevrolet.
“It’s been a tough season for us,” Calderón told NASCAR.com. “We actually had speed in every single race, but we struggled with flat tires and other issues.”
Since his victory at Súper Óvalo Chiapas, Calderón has added only four more top-10 finishes, including a runner-up spot in the playoff opener at Querétaro. Despite these challenges, the foundation of a championship-caliber driver and team remains strong.
“I think in the past three races, we did what we had to do at the right moment,” Calderón said. “We know we are competitive, and the team has been working hard to give us the right tools to fight in every race.”
As he prepares for the championship showdown, Calderón emphasizes consistency and confidence.
“I’m not trying to do something different. I’m just trying to do my best,” he said. “I think that the team deserves this championship. We have the speed and we’re really competitive throughout the season, but the struggles and situations we’ve faced didn’t let us show that. I believe this is an opportunity we are going to take and make the most of.”
The NASCAR Mexico Series may not be as familiar to U.S. audiences as its premier American counterpart, but it delivers the same intensity with a roster of talented drivers, showcasing the top-tier talent from Latin America and proving that NASCAR‘s appeal transcends borders.
So while names, faces and tracks may be different, NASCAR México’s Championship 4 battle is set up to be just as electrifying as any battle would be in stock-car racing, but with its distinct flair.
Each driver carries their own unique story and motivation, setting the stage for a battle that transcends mere competition — it‘s about legacy, redemption and delivering on one of racing’s biggest stages.
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