NASCAR PEAK Mexico Series

NASCAR PEAK Mexico Series

Category	Stock Cars
Country	Mexico United States
Inaugural season	2004
Manufacturers	Chevrolet Ford Toyota Mazda
Tire suppliers	Goodyear
Drivers' champion	Ruben Garcia Jr.
Teams' champion	Canel's Racing
Makes' champion	Toyota
Official website	www.nascarmexico.com

The NASCAR PEAK Mexico Series (formerly NASCAR Mexico Corona Series, NASCAR Corona Series, NASCAR Toyota Series and NASCAR Mexico Series) is a NASCAR series in Mexico. It the most important stock car racing series in the country.

Origins (Desafío Corona)

The Desafío Corona was established in 2004 by NASCAR Mexico, a joint-venture between NASCAR and Mexican entertainment group OCESA, with the idea of developing stock car racing in Mexico, and fueling a transition from the country’s historically open-wheel racing fan base to stock car racing.^[1]

From 2004 to 2006, the Desafío Corona grew considerably in infrastructure, as well as in number of fans, drivers and sponsors.

Present

NASCAR Corona Series logo, 2007–2010

NASCAR Corona Series logo, 2011

NASCAR Toyota Series logo, 2012–2014

The NASCAR Mexico Corona Series was officially presented at the 2006 Desafío Corona award ceremony. Starting in 2007, NASCAR is the sanctioning body of the series.^[2] As of 2012 the series was renamed the NASCAR Toyota Series^[3]

The series is one of three NASCAR-sanctioned international series, the others are the NASCAR Pinty's Series and the NASCAR Euro Racecar Series. Following North American short-track racing trends to cut costs and unify rules among different tours, NASCAR is considering changes to the Canadian Tire and Corona Series where the two series adopt the Grand National rules as to allow the competitors to use the same cars in NASCAR Grand National Division races.

The winner of the Corona Series received an invitation to the UNOH Battle at the Beach, formerly the Toyota All-Star Showdown. All other drivers may also attempt to qualify by entering the heat races.

After the end of the 2015 season, the series was suspended supposedly due to the fact that organizers of the series wanted to instead support the Formula One Mexican Grand Prix, which had just been revived for 2015. Several of the teams and drivers that participated in the series moved to the Super Copa Telcel "V8" series.

In October 2016 it was announced that the series would return with new sponsorship from PEAK Antifreeze, with an exhibition race that December to be followed by a full 2017 season.^[4]

Mexico Series tracks

In the 8 seasons, has been used 14 tracks in 12 venues (two in Santiago de Querétaro and two in San Luis Potosí). Currently, six oval tracks are used, only Autódromo Monterrey is a road circuit. Three tracks has been used in two configurations. Autódromo Monterrey long and frijol, Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in NASCAR Nationwide and oval, Autódromo Miguel E. Abed in a 2.75 km layout and oval.

Autódromo Potosino is the shortest track (0.804 km) and Autódromo Monterrey the longest (3.4 km).

San Luis Potosí is the venue with more races (20, 18 in Autódromo Potosino and 2 in Parque Tangamanga II)

NASCAR Mexico had powered the construction of oval tracks in México, Autódromo Potosino was remodeled in 2001, Aguascalientes,^[5] Chiapas,^[6] Querétaro^[7] had new tracks for NASCAR events. In 2012, a speedway in Chihuahua was scheduled for inauguration.^[8]

For 2013, a race in the Southwestern United States was held: a 75-lap, 75-mile (122 km) race at Phoenix International Raceway during the Sprint Cup Subway Fresh Fit 500 weekend.

Avondale

Guadalajara

Querétaro

Gómez Palacio

México City

Apodaca

SLP

Zacatecas

León

Tuxtla Gutiérrez

Puebla

Aguascalientes

Chihuahua

NCS venues. In green are former venues. In blue future venues.

Venue	Tracks	Races	Last
San Luis Potosí	Autódromo Potosino Autódromo San Luis 400	21	2012
México City	Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez	16	2011
Querétaro	Autódromo del EcoCentro Autódromo de Querétaro	16	2012
Guadalajara	Trióvalo Bernardo Obregón	15	2010
Puebla	Autódromo Miguel E. Abed	13	2011
Monterrey	Autódromo Monterrey	12	2012
Zacatecas	Autódromo de Zacatecas	8	2009
Tuxtla Gutiérrez	Autódromo Chiapas	6	2011
Aguascalientes	Autódromo de Aguascalientes	6	2011
León	Autódromo de León	2	2004
Torreón	Autódromo Dinamita	1	2004

Cars

Corona Series cars

In the first season, only General Motors (through its Pontiac division) and Dodge participated in the series.^[9] Ford made its debut in 2005 with its Mustang model,^[10] but since 2006, the Fusion is the Ford model entry.^[11] In 2009, Toyota started its participation with its Camry. The Mazda 6 was first entered in 2010.^[12] As with the other NASCAR divisions in the United States, Dodge subsequently pulled its factory support and no longer participates in the Mexican series.

Most wins

Rank	Manufacturer	Wins	Races	% Wins
1	General Motors	46	113	40.7%
2	Ford	29	98	29.6%
3	Toyota	16	41	39.01%
4	Dodge	15	110	13.6%
5	Mazda	6	27	22.2%

Specifications

• Chassis: Steel tube frame with safety roll cage, must be NASCAR standards.
• Engine Displacement: 5.7 L (5,700 cc) (350 in³) V8.
• Transmission: 4 Speed Manual.
• Weight: 2,680 lb (1,216 kg) Minimum (without driver).
• Power Output: 400 hp.
• Torque: 394 ft·lbf (534 N·m).
• Fuel: 98 octane unleaded gasoline provided by Pemex.
• Fuel capacity: 15 US gal (57 L).
• Fuel delivery: Carburetion.
• Compression ratio: 9.3:1.
• Aspiration: Naturally aspirated.
• Wheelbase: 107 in (2,718 mm).
• Tires: Slick tires provided by Goodyear.
• Length: 205.25 in (5,213 mm).
• Width: 74 in (1,880 mm).
• Height: 52 in (1,321 mm).
• Safety equipment: HANS device, Seat belt.

Champions

Germán Quiroga, three times champion (2009–11)

Six drivers have won the championship. The Telcel team is the most successful with four drivers' championships. Antonio Pérez, Sergio Pérez's brother, is the youngest champion (22 years old), and Rafael Martínez the eldest. (45 years old).^[13] Only, Germán Quiroga has won the title in three occasions.

Season	Driver	Owner(s)	No.	Manufacturer	Starts	Wins	Top 10s	Poles	Points (margin)
2004	Carlos Pardo		6	Pontiac	14	4	12	2	2326 (69)
2005	Jorge Goeters	Ramiro Fidalgo	18	Pontiac / Dodge	14	4		4
2006	Rogelio López			Pontiac / Dodge	14	5		7
2007	Rafael Martínez	Ramiro Fidalgo	18	Ford	14	5		7
2008	Antonio Pérez	Jimmy Morales	1	Dodge	14	5		2	2182 (29)
2009	Germán Quiroga	Mónica Morales	2	Ford	14	3	12	4	2273 (276)
2010	Germán Quiroga	Mónica Morales	2	Dodge	14	3	11	2	2173 (150)
2011	Germán Quiroga	Mónica Morales	2	Dodge	14	3	12	2	2272 (286)
2012	Jorge Goeters	Ramiro Fidalgo	31	Mazda	14	2	12	0	539 (34)
2013	Rodrigo Peralta	Denisse Guaida	24	Ford	14	1	11	0	1198 (8)
2014	Abraham Calderón	Monica Morales	2	Dodge/Toyota	15	0	11	1	1200 (9)
2015	Rubén García, Jr.	Juan Pablo Garcia	88	Toyota	15	3	12	3	1213 (18)

Rookie of the Year

Season	Driver	Car	Team
2004	Ignacio Alvarado	Pontiac	Alvarado Racing
2005	Patricio Jourdain	Ford	Motorcraft Racing
2006	Antonio Pérez	Pontiac	Escudería Telmex
2007	Mike Sánchez	Chevrolet	MAG Paper
2008	Irwin Vences	Ford	FCV Racing
2009	Alejandro Capín	Chevrolet	MT Sport Marketing
2010	Daniel Suárez	Dodge	SC Racing/Equipo Telcel
2011	Enrique Contreras III	Dodge	Fénix Racing Team
2012	Rubén Garcia, Jr.	Toyota	SC Racing
2013	Santiago Tovar	Toyota Chevrolet
2014	Rodrigo Marban	Toyota	Patricia Marban (owner)

Series winners

List of winners

As July 28, 2013

Key

	Driver is currently racing in the 2014 season
Italics	NASCAR Mexico Champion

Rank	Driver	Wins	First	Last
1	Rogelio López	21	2004 Guadalajara 2	2012 Puebla 2
2	Rafael Martínez	19	2005 Guadalajara 2	2013 Chiapas
3	Germán Quiroga	17	2004 San Luis Potosí 1	2011 Aguascalientes 2
4	Jorge Goeters	13	2004 México City 1	2012 Monterrey 2
5	Homero Richards	12	2009 Guadalajara	2013 San Luis Potosí 1
6	Antonio Pérez	11	2007 Monterrey 2	2012 Aguascalientes 1
7	Carlos Pardo	10	2004 Torreón	2009 Puebla 1
8	Rubén Rovelo	6	2008 Guadalajara 1	2012 Aguascalientes 2
9	Patrick Goeters	4	2005 México City 1	2011 Monterrey 1
9	Rubén Pardo	4	2004 Querétaro 2	2012 Chihuahua
9	Daniel Suárez	4	2012 México City 1	2013 Monterrey
12	Carlos Contreras	2	2004 Guadalajara 1	2004 Querétaro 1
12	Freddy Tame Jr.	2	2006 Puebla 3	2007 Querétaro 1
14	César Tiberio Jiménez	1	2004 Monterrey	2004 Monterrey
14	Fernando Plata	1	2006 San Luis Potosí 1	2006 San Luis Potosí 1
14	Ricardo Pérez de Lara	1	2008 Zacatecas	2008 Zacatecas
14	Waldemar Coronas	1	2008 Querétaro 2	2008 Querétaro 2
14	José Luis Ramírez	1	2010 Chiapas 2	2010 Chiapas 2
14	Hugo Oliveras	1	2012 México City 2	2012 México City 2
14	Abraham Calderón	1	2013 Phoenix	2013 Phoenix
14	Héctor Aguirre	1	2013 Mexico City 1	2013 Mexico City 1
14	Rubén García, Jr	1	2013 Aguascalientes 1	2013 Aguascalientes 1

University of Northwestern Ohio Battle at the Beach

Mexico Series champions are invited to the NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown (now the University of Northwestern Ohio Battle at the Beach). In 2011 Daniel Suárez, Germán Quiroga and Rubén Rovelo took part. They finished in 11th, 12th and 30th, respectly.^[14]

The 2012 Series champion, along with international counterparts in Canada and Europe, will be invited to participate with an automatically exempt entry in any of the three divisions (Late Model, K&N Pro, Whelen Modified) in the Battle at the Beach, which will be held a week and a half before the series race at Phoenix International Raceway.

Year	Race	Venue	Driver	Start	Finish
2007	Toyota All-Star Showdown	Irwindale	Ruben Pardo	29	21
2008	Toyota All-Star Showdown		Rogelio López	16	13
			Antonio Pérez	40	31
2009	Toyota All-Star Showdown		Antonio Pérez	8	18
2010	Last Chance		Ruben Rovelo	1	9
2011	Toyota All-Star Showdown		Daniel Suárez	12	11
			German Quiroga	25	12
			Ruben Rovelo	19	30
2013	UNOH Battle At The Beach	Daytona	Jorge Goeters	26	13

Female drivers

To date, three women have started a NCS race. Mara Reyes scored a pole position in her first race.

Driver	Season	Entries	Starts	Wins	Top 10
Mara Reyes	2004–2005	28	28	0	20
Leslie González	2005	1	1	0	0
Estefania Reyes	2007, 2010–2011	21	17	0	0

Others NASCAR series

Scott Riggs, the most successful driver in NASCAR that raced in NTS.

Some drivers have taken part in Xfinity Series action, but only Jorge Goeters and Scott Riggs have raced in the Sprint Cup Series. Rubén Pardo and Rogelio López have won in the K&N Pro Series East; while Daniel Suárez have won in both K&N Pro Series East and Xfinity Series, and is now racing for Joe Gibbs Racing in Xfinity Series as the defending champion.

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers

Two drivers have raced both the NASCAR Corona and Sprint Cup Series.

Driver	Seasons	Cup Starts	Wins	Top 5	Top 10
Jorge Goeters	2005	1	0	0	0
Scott Riggs	2004–2013	208	0	4	16

References

1. "OCESA y SELCA presentan su nuevo serial como "Desafío Corona 2004"". Sporcar.com. March 5, 2004.
2. "El Desafío Corona será en 2007 Nascar-México". La Jornada. December 8, 2006.
3. "La Temporada 2012 Será NASCAR Toyota Series". NASCAR México. February 16, 2012.
4. "NASCAR returns to Mexico for 2017 with new sponsor PEAK". Las Vegas Sun. Las Vegas, NV. 18 October, 2016. Archived from the original on 2016-10-19. Retrieved 2016-10-19. Check date values in: |date= (help)
5. "El óvalo de Aguascalientes: 1.4 km.". ESTO. March 11, 2009.
6. "Inauguran con gran éxito Autódromo Chiapas; más de 20 mil aficionados en la 13a. fecha de la NASCAR". Instituto de Comunicación Social de Chiapas. October 13, 2008.
7. "Impresiona el Autódromo". ESTO. March 8, 2008.
8. "El Dorado Speedway, nuevo óvalo NASCAR en México". NASCAR Europe. December 19, 2011.
9. "Mopar – Seman Baker seguirá teniendo los únicos autos Dodge en el Desafío". Sportcar. June 23, 2004.
10. "Ford entra al Desafío Corona con el Mustang 2005". Sportcar. January 25, 2005.
11. "El Ford Fusion corre en los Stock Cars". Sportcar. February 2, 2006.
12. "Mazda de México participará en la NASCAR Corona Series". Portal Automotriz. April 9, 2010.
13. "Conquista Rafael Martínez título en Nascar". Milenio. November 16, 2008.
14. "Suarez almost at the top ten; Rovelo in an accident at the Toyota All-Star". Escuderia Telmex. January 30, 2011.