After a rough start to his weekend in Mexico City, Shane van Gisbergen found race day to be smooth sailing by leading 60 of 100 laps to win the inaugural Viva Mexico 250 at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez.

"Proud" is the word Ben Kennedy is attaching to NASCAR's weekend in Mexico City.The historic Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez course hosted both the Xfinity Series, which last competed in the country in 2008,

It's expected to be 74 degrees with a 21% chance of rain at the start of the Xfinity race.

See where your favorite NASCAR Xfinity Series drivers will pit for The Chilango 150 at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez on Saturday (4:30 p.m. ET, The CW, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

AJ Allmendinger's crew chief made a key decision on picking pits that could play a role in how the team does Sunday.

But Van Gisbergen has a knack for shining in unfamiliar territory. In a gritty performance on the rain-slicked road course, he led 60 laps and pulled away late to win by over 16 seconds ahead of Christopher Bell — earning his second career Cup Series victory and clinching a spot in the NASCAR playoffs.

Sunday's main event will be the first NASCAR Cup Series race outside the United States since the touring series visited Japan in 1998. Chase Elliott, who qualified 12th, leads the team in most wins at a road course with seven total. Teammate Larson follows close behind with six.

The NASCAR Xfinity Series races at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez this weekend, with qualifying at 10:35 a.m. ET on Saturday on The CW App.

The NASCAR Cup Series will make its debut at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez circuit in Mexico City for nearly 90 minutes of practice Friday. Cup cars will be on track for a 50-minute session starting at 4:05 p.m. ET and then another 25-minute session on the 15-turn, 2.42-mile road course at 5:30 p.m.

The NASCAR Cup Series heads to the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico City, Mexico for the premier stock car division's first international points race.