The NASCAR Cup Series will travel across the border to race in Mexico City this week. The race at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez (translates to Rodriguez Brothers Racetrack) is the first points-paying race outside the United States in the modern era. I really expected the field to be loaded with road course ringers who would be trying to win a road course race on a track the NASCAR regulars are not familiar with (like Shane Van Gisbergen did in Chicago). That is not the case. Katherine Legge is the only “ringer” in the race. She is not finishing in the top-25 Sunday. I was hoping for Conner Zilisch and some other road course stars. I guess we will have to make it another week in our One & Done Contests with a driver from the 36 Cup Series regulars.
Here are the picks for the Viva Mexico 250…
ONE & DONE CONTESTS
This pick is for games where you can only use a driver once throughout the season.
MICHAEL MCDOWELL will be my pick in games where you can use a driver once throughout the season. McDowell has more experience at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez than most of the field. He ran a CART Series race at this track in 2005, and he competed in two NASCAR Grand-Am Sports Series races in 2005 and 2006 (He won the race in 2005). It looks like some of that experience is paying off this week. McDowell posted the fastest speed in the first practice and then he was so happy with his car that they only made a short run in the final practice. McDowell won on the road course in Indianapolis in 2023 and he finished 2nd at Sonoma last year. He should have a good chance to finish up front in Mexico.
ONE & DONE (REGULAR SEASON/PLAYOFF GAMES)
The picks for the Regular Season / Playoff Games are rest this week. There are some One & Done Contests that reset when the playoffs start. That means you only need to use 26 Drivers for the regular season and then 10 drivers for the playoffs. We can be more aggressive in these types of One & Done Contests.
DANIEL SUAREZ will be my pick in games that reset at the end of the regular season. This is a home race for “My Amigo” and he is going to get a lot of support from the fans this week. Suarez has been looking forward to this race for many years. He is going to be dialed in to perform well and he has the talent to finish up. Suarez won the Gen-7 car at Sonoma in 2022. The No. 99 car looks fast again this week. I will take a chance with Suarez in his home country Sunday.
ONE & DONE (USE A DRIVER MORE THAN ONCE)
There are some One & Done games that are not really “One & Done.” I play in a league where you can use a driver twice and another league where you can use a driver three times during the season. The picks posted below are for these types of contests (I am going to base these picks on being able to use a driver twice during the 2025 season).
SHANE VAN GISBERGEN will be my pick in games where you can use a driver more than once during the 2025 season. SVG has a good chance to win one of the road course races this summer, so we need to make sure we get a win from him when we use him in our One & Done lineup. There is a good chance that SVG will be in Victory Lane Sunday. SVG was really fast on the long-runs in the first practice. They only made a short run in final practice and then the No. 88 car won the pole for the race Sunday. I will take a chance with the Kewi in Mexico.
NASCAR.COM 36 FOR 36 PICK
Good luck Sunday!
Follow me on X (Twitter) @MrFantasyNASCAR
If you like Fantasy NASCAR, LIKE my Fantasy NASCAR Tips Page on Facebook