NASCAR México Series Visited Chiapas

The Mexican top motorsport championship, NASCAR México Series, raced its second round of the 2026 season. Chiapas Extraordinario Por Naturaleza 200 was the name of the event completed at the Súper Óvalo Chiapas.

It was a historic day at the series as Rubén García Jr became the most winning driver of the series; the 30 year old driver reached his 29th victory.

Giancarlo Vecchi, 29, had an outstanding performance fighting with the drivers of the main series while he gained a large advantage over his rivals of NASCAR Challenge to take the win in said division; Carlos Novelo finally grabbed his first victory on Trucks México Series.

Here’s a review of how the action developed at the track located in Berriozabal, Chiapas:

All About Strategy

The beginning of the Chiapas Extraordinario Por Naturaleza 200 showed the intensity of the fight for the top spots. German Quiroga, Eloy Falcón and García Jr. battled for the lead.

Quiroga increased his pace, took the lead and stayed there most of Stage 1.

Yellow flags marked a cross-point on the first Stage: some teams elected to make their mandatory fuel-only pit visit on lap 33 (first race neutralization); leaders opted to refuel at laps 68.

Those who anticipated their stop cycled to the front. Rubén Rovelo grabbed the Stage1 win, followed by Abraham Calderón and José Luis Ramírez.

Vecchi and Diego Ortíz, who started from pole position on NASCAR Challenge, exchanged the lead on the first half of the Stage.

As well as the main series, crashes, pit strategy and restarts marked the route of Stage 1. After his fuel stop, Vecchi returned and overtook Andrik Dimayuga for the Stage win.

The incident that ended the Stage involved the drivers that were fighting for the last point of the segment: rookie Mateo Girón blocked Jorge de la Parra, who didn’t lift and ran over the car No. 05; both crashed into the outside wall of Turn 3. The driver from Alessandros Racing abandoned the event.

Exciting finish

After the non-competitive pit stops (tire changes and car adjustments), the second half of the Chiapas Extraordinario Por Naturaleza 200 delivered a great battle for the win.

Rovelo restarted first and defended his place from the rise of Max Gutiérrez. Later, Ramírez gained momentum, advanced to 1st place followed by García Jr.

The No. 88 machine of Team GP Canel’s took the lead on the last restart and led the last 39 laps holding Quiroga (who cut the lead to 1 tenth of a second) until the exit of the No. 69 stock because of an engine failure 8 laps before the finish line. García Jr conquered his second win in a row.

Ramírez closed his solid performance on the second spot, getting his first podium over two seasons. Gutiérrez completed a double podium finish for Team GP Canel’s in 3rd place.

On the definition of NASCAR Challenge, Vecchi was unstoppable and couldn’t be reached at the front; The Tame Racing driver got the lead on lap 95 and stayed there until the chequered flag was waved. The pace of the No.75 car was strong: it finished on the third spot on the general classification.

Diamyuga ended his solid performance on 2nd place. Víctor Barrales Jr grabbed the last spot of the podium; the ANVI Racing No.39 machine had a discreet Stage 1 and benefited from adjustments from the halftime pit stop to rise on the race order.

Patience Game

The second round of Trucks México Series gave the fans a great definition on the 1.2 kilometer (0.74 miles) track from Chiapas.

Trucks México had for the first time a race divided on three stages, plus a mandatory pit stop for change of a tire, that produced a very dynamic spectacle; the faster trucks, that remained on the lead, raced apart from the slower vehicles.

The pit window opened on lap 5 and most of the field made their stop; just few drivers, Rafael Maggio and Ignacio Sánchez, stayed out.

The faster drivers raced into the lead lap and got back in contention for the top spots when the race was neutralized; meanwhile, that drivers that remained a lap down lost their chance to fight for the win.

The race evolved as the main protagonists started to battle the top spots. A couple of accidents reduced the number of vehicles on track: Santiago Cruz crashed from the lead on lap 59; later, a multiple incident eliminated more trucks.

The final restart, on lap 85, was led by Roberto Espinosa, followed by Carlos Novelo; both ran away, 7 seconds apart from third place battle.

The No.18 truck, from Escuderia Telmex, chased Espinosa and used all his tools to hunt the leader. Novelo waited and surprised the No.96 truck on turn 3 to take the lead three laps before the chequered flag and reached his first win on the series.

The last podium spot also had a dramatic ending. Valeria Aranda took the place and hold the attacks from the trucks No. 1 and No. 94. The driver of the No. 27 vehicle crossed the finish line 0.087 seconds over Jan Krüll and 0.305 seconds over Everardo Fonseca.