IndyCar Driver Pato O'Ward Rips Series For Not Going To Mexico Before NASCAR

IndyCar is holding a double-header at the Milwaukee Mile this weekend, but a hot topic in the paddock was Mexico City.

Specifically, the fact that, at the moment, the series has no plans to go there, something that didn't seem to sit well with Mexican IndyCar star Pato O'Ward.

This week, the NASCAR Cup Series announced plans to hold a race at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico City. According to the Associated Press' Jenna Fryer, several drivers, including O'Ward, criticized IndyCar for not getting down there first.

"They beat us to the cake," the Arrow McLaren driver said. "I strongly believe that we’re not only late, but I strongly believe that there isn’t more room in Mexico City. Like, not only did they beat us there, but now that is not an option for IndyCar. You need to understand that these people save up their money to go to these events."

O'Ward is right. Racing fans in Mexico City now have multiple options at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez alone. They can hit the Mexican Grand Prix or the NASCAR race next June. They can even hit up Formula E's Mexico City Grand Prix.

But that would mean that racing fans in that part of the world are already stretched a little thin, and IndyCar heading down there wouldn't help that situation.

It's a huge misfire for IndyCar given that O'Ward is one of the biggest names in the series, and that alone would help the event. NASCAR beat them to the punch, with plans to make their own Mexican-born star, Daniel Suarez, a major part of the event.

Other drivers agreed with O'Ward's assessment, including current championship leader Alex Palou and series great Scott Dixon.

"It’s like, everybody is overtaking us, like left, right, left, right," Palou noted. "One-hundred percent, we should have been (in Mexico City). It doesn’t make much sense to me. But for Pato, he’s been growing, so I think we’re like five years too late, and now NASCAR overtakes us."

Dixon also questioned how the Series could be behind on something that seems like a no-brainer.

"I think that’s a massive miss," he said. "I don’t know how that happens."

IndyCar previously raced in Monterey — O'WEard's hometown — back in the early to mid-2000s at Parque Fundidora, but as Fryer noted in her piece, this circuit would need a lot of work before it's up to IndyCar standards.

With Formula 1 and NASCAR holding races at Mexico City's Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, there doesn't seem to be room for IndyCar at the moment.  (Photo by Peter J Fox/Getty Images)

IndyCar Needs To Add Another ‘Spectacle Race’ And Mexico Would Have Done The Trick

IndyCar is in a bit of a transitional period on track and off. They're in the middle of getting their hybrid era up and running, while next season they start a new TV deal with Fox that will put every race on network TV. That last aspect is huge.

However, while the series centerpiece has always been the Indianapolis 500 — as it should — but the series could benefit from some kind of big, flashy "destination race" like Formula 1 has pursued in recent years with the  Las Vegas and Miami Grand Prix, or like NASCAR has tried with new events like the Clash at the Coliseum or the Chicago Street Race.

While some of those events had mixed responses, they did get some attention and eyeballs from new and casual fans, which is something IndyCar could really use on race weekends that aren't at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

That was the plan with moving the Music City Grand Prix to a new layout that used Nashville's famous Broadway, but the construction of the Titans' new stadium forced a venue change over to the Nashville Superspeedway.

It's a bummer they weren't able to go to Mexico City before NASCAR because an Indy race at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez would have fit the bill nicely.