The Case for NASCAR's Next Big International Market - Brazil
- Adam Tropper
- Jun 13
- 5 min read
Adam Tropper - Motorsports Today Contributor
The following opinion piece is a segment from my final term paper for a course in my Sports Management Master's program at Columbia University. With the NASCAR Cup Series going to Mexico City this weekend, they will be making their first international trip since 1998 (and first points event since 1958), this is the perfect time to expand on some of the other key markets that need to be considered by the top leaders in NASCAR sooner rather than later. Without further ado, here is my case as to why NASCAR should visit Brazil next:
* Note: Data is accurate as of December 2024
One country that NASCAR should consider expanding to in the near future is Brazil. Brazil already has a surprisingly high motorsports presence. Over the years, some of the most successful talents in open-wheel history, such as Ayrton Senna, Nelson Piquet, Felipe Massa, and Tony Kanaan all originated from the country. Clearly, open-wheel racing has a rich history in Brazil, further highlighted by the F1 Brazilian Grand Prix held at Autódromo de Interlagos.
Even outside the racing world, the automobile industry is still very prominent in the country, with the International Organization of Motor Vehicle Manufacturers reporting that Brazil had the 8th highest number of vehicles produced in 2022 (worldpopulationreview.com). Although there are not any major car brands that are based in Brazil, the nation has a population of 216 million and boasts the 11th largest GDP in the world (globalpeoservices.com). This means that there is no shortage of car buyers or capital among citizens.
Racing is so popular in the South American country that in 2022, NASCAR announced that they reached an agreement with the GT Sprint Race series to rebrand it as the NASCAR Brasil Sprint Race, with NASCAR serving as the sanctioning body. This marked NASCAR’s 4th international series, after the Canada Series, the Mexico Series, and the Euro Series.
NASCAR’s investments in Brazil don’t stop here however, as in 2024 they opened up Circuito dos Cristais, the first oval track in the country that’s “purposely built for stock car racing” (Maulana, 2024). NASCAR did this in collaboration with the Brazilian Automobile Confederation and the track is the “first oval of considerable size built in South America since the Autódromo Ciudad de Rafaela, Argentina, inaugurated more than seven decades ago, back in 1952” (Baer, 2024). The Brasil Sprint Race hosted its first race there in November 2024.
The Circuito dos Cristais track itself is modeled after Darlington Raceway and Mobility Resort Motegi. The track has a banking of 16 degrees in one set of turns and 0 degrees in the other, creating a unique challenge for any driver.
There is a current driver in the NASCAR Cup Series that could help leverage the market if they were to expand and race in Brazil. This driver is Daniel Suarez. Suarez, the first Mexican-born driver to win a NASCAR Cup Series race, made three Brasil Series appearances in mid-2024, winning one race. NASCAR already announced that in 2025, it will be hosting the first modern Cup Series points-paying race outside the U.S, taking place in Mexico City. When asked about further expansion, Suarez said that “I only wish that every driver in the Cup Series and even the media had the opportunity to experience that because the amount of racing culture that is down there in Brazil is unbelievable. I feel like there is so much opportunity” (Dwivedi, 2024). Having someone as marketable as Saurez being able to relate to the Latino racing fans would make NASCAR’s transition down to Brazil even easier.
In terms of media coverage, since 2022 NASCAR has provided Brazilians with live flag-to-flag coverage for every race. This applies to not only the Cup Series but all three of NASCAR’s National Touring Series (Cup, Xfinity, Trucks). The races are aired through the network Bandeirantes, their sports channel BandSports, and their YouTube channel. BandSports is also the provider for all NASCAR practice and qualifying sessions (nascar.com).
Bringing a Cup Series race to the country would provide undeniable financial incentives for Brazil. To use F1 as a comparison, the 2024 Brazilian Grand Prix at Interlagos attracted 267,000 fans and generated 1.64 billion Reais (approx. $273 million USD) (Sant’Anna, 2024). Even if NASCAR doesn’t put up these numbers initially (or ever), the hospitality and tourism industries would not hurt from potentially earning millions of dollars of revenue in one weekend. Plus, the cost to maintain the facilities for a relatively small oval circuit would be significantly less than a massive FIA Grade 1 racetrack, allowing for a higher profit margin.
Unlike other markets such as Japan, where two of the country's major tracks are owned by actual car manufacturers, there won’t be any direct paths for manufacturers to cross-promote directly at the track. However, as mentioned above, NASCAR owns the new Circuito dos Cristais facility. Thus, NASCAR itself will be able to create multiple sponsorship opportunities for its OEMs on the premises. Plus, it goes without saying that the NASCAR Brasil Series would be the perfect opening act for a Cup Series event, and since the Brasil Series uses two of the three Cup Series OEM’s (Chevrolet & Ford), the integration between the two series would be seamless.
Additionally, for non-automotive sponsorships, NASCAR should create a naming-rights partnership for the race with a sponsor that already invests in motorsports. One of the few companies that currently sponsors teams in both NASCAR and F1 (which competes in Brazil) is the energy drink Celsius. Celsius is sold in Brazil, so this would be the perfect brand to help elevate NASCAR’s presence in the country even more.
With all of this being said, NASCAR making the trip to Circuito dos Cristais would be an obvious first choice for an exhibition event. However, once the Cup Series has a more established long-term presence in Brazil, heading to Sao Paulo for a race at Interlagos could also be a good strategic move.
Sources:
Baer, L. (2024, November 17). NASCAR opens its first oval circuit in Brazil. DIVEBOMB. https://www.dive-bomb.com/article/nascar-opens-its-first-oval-circuit-in-brazil
Brazil race tracks. Race Track World. (2024, December 5). https://racetrackworld.com/south-america-race-tracks/brazil-race-tracks/
Car production by country 2024. worldpopulationreview.com. (n.d.). https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/car-production-by-country
Dwivedi, N. (2024, December 4). Daniel Suarez pushes for NASCAR to enter Brazil: “wish that every driver in the Cup Series...” The SportsRush. https://thesportsrush.com/nascar-news-daniel-suarez-pushes-for-nascar-to-enter-brazil-wish-that-every-driver-in-the-cup-series/
Gabriel, E., & Costa, C. (2023, December 13). Q&A: NASCAR executive talks expansion into Brazil. motorsport.com. https://www.motorsport.com/nascar-cup/news/nascar-brazil-international-cup-race-interview/10557715/
Greatest brazilian racing drivers. Pantheon. (n.d.). https://pantheon.world/profile/occupation/racing-driver/country/brazil
Maulana, R. (2024, August 5). NASCAR Brasil: Newly built Circuito dos Cristais Oval to host 2024 season finale. World of EuroNASCAR. https://worldofeuronascar.com/2024/08/05/nascar-brasil-newly-built-circuito-dos-cristais-oval-to-host-2024-season-finale/
NASCAR finalizes international broadcast rights agreements with Fox Sports Mexico and Bandeirantes to bring National Series races to Latin America. (n.d.-d). https://www.nascar.com/news-media/2022/02/18/nascar-finalizes-international-broadcast-rights-agreements-with-fox-sports-mexico-and-bandeirantes-to-bring-national-series-races-to-latin-america/
Saleh, T. (2022, February 23). NASCAR extends with Fox Sports Mexico; IndyCar to air in over 200 territories. Sportcal. https://www.sportcal.com/media/nascar-extends-with-fox-sports-mexico-indycar-to-air-in-over-200-territories/
Sant’Anna, E. (2024, October 25). F1 boosts commerce expectations in São Paulo. valorinternational. https://valorinternational.globo.com/business/news/2024/10/25/f1-boosts-commerce-expectations-in-sao-paulo.ghtml
Singh, A. (2024, September 20). Top 15 countries by GDP in 2024. Global PEO Services. https://globalpeoservices.com/top-15-countries-by-gdp-in-2024/
Stern, A. (2022, November 16). NASCAR set to launch Brazil series. Sports Business Journal. https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/SB-Blogs/Breaking-News/2022/11/NASCAR-launches-Brazil-Series.aspx
Wirtz, T. (2023, October 4). Formula E: 4% more live TV viewers worldwide, fan base grows fastest in Germany & USA. E-Formula. https://e-formula.news/news/formula-e-news/formula-e-news-detail/formula-e-4-more-live-tv-viewers-worldwide-fan-base-grows-fastest-in-germany-and-usa-56576
Yusuf, I. (2022, February 18). NASCAR seals Fox Sports Mexico, Bandeirantes Rights Deals. SportBusiness. https://www.sportbusiness.com/news/nascar-seals-fox-sports-mexico-bandeirantes-rights-deals/
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