This weekend’s NASCAR Nationwide Series event in Mexico City has raised the question of whether or not NASCAR’s top series should have a race outside the United States.

The Cup Series has ventured overseas in the past, but have not raced on foreign soil since 1998 when the series ran an exhibition race in Suzuka, Japan. Increased international attention and the ongoing search for new fans have many asking is it time to expand the schedule once again.

Sunday’s event at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez will mark the fourth time the Nationwide Series has made the trip south of the border.

Last season, an event at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal, Canada was put on the Nationwide schedule with a return date on the schedule this year. These events have drawn a great crowd and created new international fans. In addition, with more and more open-wheel drivers making their way into the sport’s top series, the names such as Franchitti, Montoya and Carpentier are assured to draw attention and large crowds.

With so much discussion focused on the rising cost of the sport, along with the continuing struggle to attract new and retain old fans, scheduling an additional event for the Cup Series outside the United States would have NASCAR biting off more than they could chew.

“I’m sure it’s something that NASCAR has and continues to take a look at,” 2000 Cup Series champion Bobby Labonte explained. “I’m sure it can be great for the sport, but all the parts and pieces have to fit just right. It’s not an easy task for these teams to travel like that and get back to race the following week. We’re a weekly series, and we don’t have much room in our schedule right now. Logistically, it’s tough.”

Expanding the sport to the international market is a step that could propel the popularity of the sport much further. The main problem – as Labonte pointed out – is timing. With so many changes taking place in NASCAR over the last five-ten years, adding an international race on the Cup Series schedule would only create tension and disappointment.

NASCAR needs to step back and focus on the Hardcore Race Fans that helped build this sport and pay attention to their opinions. Over the last twenty years, NASCAR has left tracks such as North Wilkesboro and Rockingham and has limited Darlington Raceway to only one race a year.

Many Hardcore Race Fans felt the sport turned its back on these historic tracks and lost sight of where they came from. The addition of an international date would cause additional stress to many teams throughout the garage. When the ‘Car of Tomorrow’ was introduced last season, crew members back at the shop put in long hours trying to get a handle on this new car while remaining competitive in the old body style.

This over-worked a lot of crews and proved to be financially strapping. By adding a date on the Cup schedule outside the United States, teams would have to put in extra man hours once again – especially transport drivers – and bear the costs of getting their crew to the track.

While the event might draw attention and some new fans, the cost and inconvenience to teams should be taken into consideration. Creating an additional date in another country would only further alienate the sanctioning body from the fans that have built the sport, plus require much more from the teams that compete week-in and week-out. Any gains made in the international market would only be lost here at home as tracks like North Wilkesboro and Rockingham go unused.