There has been a lot of talk recently about whether or not NASCAR should hold a Cup race outside the United States. The Nationwide Series has visited the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico City for four years now and will visit the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal for the second year in a row.

Many say this is simply a test run for the Cup Series and if that is the case, I would say so far so good.

These recent adventures outside the borders are not a first for NASCAR. The series made its way to Suzuka, Japan in 1996 and 1997, running two exhibition races on the road course there.

Much like the races in Mexico City and Montreal, the grandstands were packed and the fans came out in droves to show their support or to simply see what was going on – regardless tickets were sold.

Over the last twenty years, NASCAR has become one of the top sports in the United States – second only to baseball and football. Many of the other ‘stick-and-ball’ sports have also traveled beyond the borders to play games.

The Boston Red Sox and the Oakland Athletics opened the 2008 MLB season by playing their first series in the Tokyo Dome in Japan. Last year the Miami Dolphins battled the Super Bowl champion New York Giants in Wembley Stadium in London, England.

It is a time for sports to expand their horizons and now is the time for NASCAR. With more and more open-wheel drivers – most notably Juan Pablo Montoya (from Columbia) and Patrick Carpentier (a native Canadian) – fans of that sport will be driven to NASCAR once they see those cars compete.

In both Canada and Mexico, racing is a major sport with a huge fan following. The fabric of the U.S. is changing as well, the Hispanic population has increased and they are Hardcore about their sports. I say bring on the international races. More road courses and more fans are a great thing for the sport.

No one is trying to steal NASCAR or ruin it for those longtime Hardcore Fans. By establishing a Cup date in another country, NASCAR would be sharing that sense of community, competition and speed that has made this sport what it is today.