You won’t believe who made his cup debut at the most recent international race where NASCAR awarded points….
The last time NASCAR held an international points‑paying Cup race was way back in 1958—in Toronto, Canada. And guess what? Richard Petty made his Cup Series debut there .
Fast forward to today: NASCAR just hosted its first Cup points race outside the U.S. since then at Mexico City’s Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez—now named the Viva México 250 .
So yeah, Richard “The King” Petty stepped into the Cup Series on foreign soil in the very last international points race 67 years ago—and today’s race in Mexico marks a full-circle moment for NASCAR’s global journey.
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Bottom line:
1958 (Toronto) — Cup Series goes international; Richard Petty debuts.
2025 (Mexico City) — NASCAR returns abroad with the Viva México 250, the first Cup points race outside the U.S. in nearly seven decades.
