RICHMOND, VIRGINIA - AUGUST 11: Denny Hamlin, driver of the #11 FedEx Rewards Toyota, and Christopher Bell, driver of the #20 DEWALT Carpentry Solutions Toyota, race during the NASCAR Cup Series Cook Out 400 at Richmond Raceway on August 11, 2024 in Richmond, Virginia. (Photo by Logan Whitton/Getty Images) | Getty Images
RICHMOND, VIRGINIA - AUGUST 11: Denny Hamlin, driver of the #11 FedEx Rewards Toyota, and Christopher Bell, driver of the #20 DEWALT Carpentry Solutions Toyota, race during the NASCAR Cup Series Cook Out 400 at Richmond Raceway on August 11, 2024 in Richmond, Virginia. (Photo by Logan Whitton/Getty Images) | Getty Images

Richmond losing Cup Series date to Mexico City

NASCAR’s announcement that it will hold its first Cup race in Mexico City next season will mark the fifth consecutive year that the sport’s premier series will have at least one new points event.

To make room on the Cup schedule for Mexico City, NASCAR will drop one of the two Richmond weekends, Ben Kennedy, NASCAR executive vice president and chief venue & racing innovation officer, confirmed Tuesday. The 2025 Cup schedule has not been released yet but could come out later this week.

“We’re still committed to Richmond,” Kennedy said in response to a question from NBC Sports. “It’s an important track, important market certainly as we think about where our NASCAR fans are today.

NBC Sports