Winners and losers from a historic NASCAR weekend in Mexico

NASCAR held its first points-paying Cup race outside of the United States since 1958 this weekend when the top level of the sport journeyed to Mexico for the very first time. The race weekend featured two international drivers capturing the checkered flag with home hero Daniel Suarez winning the Xfinity race and Shane van Gisbergen winning the Cup race.

While the weekend began with some travel issues that forced NASCAR to adjust its schedule, it ended with a thrilling race and a brilliant drive by the three-time Supercars champion. Here’s a look at biggest winners and losers from Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez:

WINNER: SVG doesn’t give the field a chance in dominant showing

Shane van Gisbergen (SVG) didn’t just win the inaugural NASCAR Cup race in Mexico, he dominated. SVG ended the day 16.5 seconds clear of his closest competition in the biggest margin of victory seen in any Cup race since 2009, and any road course race since 1979. He led 60 of 100 laps on his way to his second career victory at the top level of the sport.

LOSER: Ty Gibbs ran a perfect race, but luck wasn’t on his side

Ty Gibbs, Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

Photo by: James Gilbert / Getty Images

The only driver who could even hold a candle to Van Gisbergen was Ty Gibbs. Still winless after over 100 starts at the Cup level, it looked like Sunday might be his day. He kept pace with SVG throughout most of the race, but got caught out by an unfortunate caution, which cost him all of his track position. Gibbs was never able to recover, finishing a distant 11th.

WINNER: Haas earns their best result of the year

Cole Custer, Haas Factory Team Ford

Photo by: Sean Gardner / Getty Images

No one was talking about Cole Custer before Sunday’s Cup race in Mexico, but the No. 41 Haas Factory Team took advantage of the same caution that hurt Gibbs’ race. After wrecking in the battle for the Daytona 500 win, Custer has failed to score any top tens this year … until now. Custer held strong despite faster cars behind him, finishing eighth in his best run of the 2025 season.

LOSER: Carson Hocevar is in the eye of the storm again

Watch: Round 2: Stenhouse confronts Hocevar after on-track contact

It seems like we’ve gone through this cycle a few times with Carson Hocevar. He will get into some hot water, profusely apologize, and then do the exact same thing again. Mexico was another example of this and an overall rough outing for the No. 77. Hocevar was involved in several incidents, including a moment where he accidentally spun out Ricky Stenhouse Jr. — the same driver he wrecked at Nashville. Stenhouse confronted Hocevar after the race and told him he was “gonna beat your ass.”

WINNER: Daniel Suarez gives his home crowd something to cheer for

Watch: Daniel Suárez on Xfinity win in Mexico return: ‘It’s been a special day’

Sunday’s Cup race didn’t go as planned for the home hero, but it was still an incredible weekend for Daniel Suarez. It seemed like he was everywhere throughout the week and drove from last to first in a backup car to win the NASCAR Xfinity race on Saturday. It was an incredible and emotional moment that had the entire crowd roaring.

LOSER: A costly mistake by Kyle Busch in the rain

When rain arrived at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, the field had to tiptoe around the circuit on wet-weather tires. Unfortunately for Kyle Busch, the two-time series champion made a mistake on the seventh lap in the run down into Turn 1. He lost traction and spun wildly into a group of cars, collecting six cars in a crash that ended his day. Busch lost a lot of points to the cut-line as a result following his worst result of the 2025 season.

WINNER: Alex Bowman fights through the pain for a near-podium finish

Alex Bowman, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

Photo by: James Gilbert / Getty Images

There was doubt that Alex Bowman would even race this weekend following a vicious crash at Michigan that left him feeling incredibly sore. Anthony Alfredo was on standby for Hendrick Motorsports, but he was never needed as Bowman pushed through the pain. To finish the race would have been an impressive achievement, but Bowman got as high as second in the final stage and ended up with a impressive fourth-place finish.

LOSER: Ty Dillon’s good day goes bad

Ty Dillon, Kaulig Racing Chevrolet

Photo by: Chris Graythen – Getty Images

One of the most surprising drives on Sunday belonged to Ty Dillon in the No. 10 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet. At one point, it looked like he had top-five pace in what could have been his best finish in the last five years. Instead, he finished 33rd after getting pushed around by competitors and ending up in the wrong place on restarts.