CONCORD, N.C. - For two days earlier this week, Chase Elliott absorbed life in Mexico City.
Then, he was asked what he thought NASCAR could add to it.
"Just a huge thank you to everybody for welcoming us with open arms to your country, to your city," Elliott said on stage as part of a joint press conference in the Mexican capital alongside fellow drivers and NASCAR officials. "We're excited to be here. We appreciate the opportunity to come and put on a good show for you and I think that's all you can ask for is the opportunity and you guys have totally given us that.
"I think from NASCAR to all the drivers and the teams, we're excited to be a part of this opportunity and this chance to kind of showcase what we have in the states that we're accustomed to seeing."
In addition to the presser and some media appearances, Elliott taste-tested some tacos, checked out some lucha libre wrestling and maybe most importantly, took part in a tour of Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, the road course the Cup and Xfinity Series will tackle in a weekend doubleheader come June. The home of the Mexican Grand Prix off and on since 1962, the track will be slightly altered from its normal 2.674-mile layout that's used in Formula One races. Instead, the two NASCAR races will be held on a slightly shorter 2.417-mile configuration, and where the F1 cars must navigate 17 turns, that's been reduced to 14 for NASCAR purposes.
Elliott, one of the unquestioned road-course ringers in NASCAR, liked what he saw and believes the track still kept its F1 feel while being catered more to stock car racing.
"The track layout, actually, I think is pretty good. It’s very F1 like," Elliott said. "F1 kind of has a style of track - their tracks are unique in different ways and there’s always one part or piece of a layout that makes each track and venue they visit different. But they all have a lot of similar characteristics – long straightaways for (drag reduction system or DRS) zones and things like that and all those things were created for the way those cars race.
"Our cars are a little different in that sense, we’re not to max speed so DRS systems, we don’t have anything like that but certainly, the track layout is more in that direction but I do think the changes they made will suit us a little better. Kind of shortening the course a little taking away (turns) five and six, somewhere in there, and kind of keeping us a little tighter I think will help our race and help our cars put on a better show."
Certainly, the weekend will be a landmark moment in the history of NASCAR. It won't be the first time the sport has visited the track, with the Xfinity Series making stops there from 2005-2008.
But this time around, the premier series will be coming as well and for a regular-season event. Elliott applauded NASCAR for continuing to explore growth on a global scale.
"I think for us, the opportunity NASCAR has to expand, I think it takes a lot of courage and I think anytime you come into a new area, a new part of the world, even a new part of the United States you haven't been in yet, I think there's always a concern of how will we be received?" Elliott said. "Will the people like us there? Is it going to be enjoyable to them?"
And if it is just that, NASCAR's foray into Mexico could be just the first step in a broader international venture. Whether or not that comes to fruition remains to be seen but Elliott believes that this summer's trip to Mexico will be vital in that decision.
"Who knows where things going forward but I think us opening up the borders and being able to get down here and be able to make that work from a logistical standpoint, there's a lot that goes into that and would lvoe to see it continue to grow outside of that too," Elliott said. "I think us seeing how this goes, going through the motions can answer the question of, 'Hey, can we take that to the next level?' Or maybe this might be the end of the expansion, but regardless, I think it's a good opportunity for us all to see how it goes."
NASCAR Mexico City ticket information
Tickets for June's races at Mexico City went on sale on Thursday and can be purchased through Ticketmaster Mexico. For more information, visit nascarmexico.com.