NASCAR is always open to revving up its international ambitions, and the debut Cup Series in Mexico City only fueled the excitement. Earlier in June, Shane van Gisbergen dominated the Viva Mexico 250 at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, bringing the NASCAR high-octane action beyond the US border. Riding that wave, Commissioner Steve Phelps made a stop in Brazil and hinted at a possible future race. Naturally, fans are buzzing, with reactions ranging from excitement to skepticism as they debate whether South America could be NASCAR’s next wild playground.

Pocono Raceway is no ordinary oval; it’s ‘The Tricky Triangle’ tucked away in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania, and it is a true test for any NASCAR driver daring enough to take it on. Forget standard turns; Pocono throws three very different corners at you, each ripped from the playbook of other famous tracks: Turn 1 channels Trenton Speedway, Turn 2 takes a page from Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and Turn 3 borrows from ‘The Milwaukee Mile.’ The 2.5-mile layout, with its mix of 14°, 8°, and 6° banking, is a brain and body workout all at once, which is why races there are as unpredictable as they are thrilling.

Now, as per a Reddit post from NASCAR on Reddit, Brazil is supposedly cooking up its very own Pocono-style tri-oval in Cuiabá, Mato Grosso. According to the chatter, another 1.5-mile track is going to be fully flat with no banking whatsoever, but it won’t just be a one-trick pony. There will be an inner layout, a drag strip, and even a dirt track for fans of sideways action. Night races are reportedly on the menu, so drivers can sweat it out under the lights instead of roasting by day. NASCAR Brazil’s CEO, Thiago Marques, has allegedly given the thumbs up to host a race there in 2026.

And mind you, this is separate from the already existing NASCAR Brazil, which is the South American arm of NASCAR, officially known as the NASCAR Brasil Series. Established in 2012 as a Sprint Race by Thiago Marquez, a former stock car pro series driver, the Series aimed to provide an entry-level platform for drivers transitioning to higher categories in racing in Brazil. The Series gained official NASCAR status in 2023, marking the first NASCAR-sanctioned series in South America. Moreover, the 2024 season introduced a banked oval at Circuitos dos Cristais in Curvelo, signifying a significant step in the Series’ evolution and its alignment with NASCAR’s global expansion.

But the chances of hosting a NASCAR Cup Series race in Brazil cannot be diminished. NASCAR Commissioner Steve Phelps recently touched down in Brazil for the NASCAR Brazil round at Interlagos in June, sharing his thoughts and hinting that NASCAR is keeping its eye on South America. He admitted, “I don’t know when we’ll get to Brazil. I’d like to see it happen. Obviously, we need all parties to come together and understand how important that would be for NASCAR in general and for the category. But I personally would be very excited about it.”

There had been earlier whispers about taking “The Clash” overseas, but NASCAR executive VP and chief venue and racing innovation officer Ben Kennedy noted that the season-opening exhibition will more than likely remain at Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, which hosted the 2025 event. Still, Kennedy didn’t rule out the possibility of going international down the line. And now, the fans sound off on the possibility of another international race.

NASCAR fans are wary of the Brazil track amid NASCAR rumors

Amid Mexico being dropped from next year’s calendar, fans on social media have been buzzing over rumors of a potential new NASCAR-style event in Brazil. One fan remarked, “No banking is certainly one of the choices of all time,” while another compared it to a familiar track, saying, “So it’s like homestead version 2 but it’s also a triangle. Still cool to see a oval elsewhere in the world.” 

Homestead-Miami Speedway is a 1.5-mile oval track that has been a staple on the NASCAR schedule since its inaugural race in 1999. The track features variable banking ranging from 18 to 20 degrees, which provides opportunities for multiple racing lines and exciting on-track action. Over the years, it has hosted numerous memorable races and has been the site of several championship-deciding events. And this is exactly what the potential Brazil track could look like for one of the fans.

But not all fans were impressed, though. Some questions concern the lack of competitive racing that could be without banking, with one warning, “Probably gonna be a pretty shitty “oval” if there’s no banking,” and another reflecting, “Another flat oval as well, but I heard it give amazing races, such a shame the track was destroyed tho….. they are planning to build an new track in Rio tho.”

As of now, NASCAR has not announced plans to build a new track in Rio de Janeiro. However, there are ongoing developments in the city that could potentially host motorsport events in the future. The Autódromo de Deodoro is a proposed motorsport circuit in Rio de Janeiro. It is intended to replace the former Autódromo Internacional Nelson Piquet, which was decommissioned and demolished for the 2016 Summer Olympics. The initial forecast for construction was in 2012, but the progress has been delayed.

Others focus on the potential racing dynamics, offering measured takes on what the track could mean for competition. One fan wrote, “We will only know when the first race happen, I think it will give good racing seeing how NASCAR Brasil cars are very different from the Cup Series (even with an new car coming for 2026), I think it will be an nice addition to their calendar.” Another observed the track’s global design influences with humor, saying, “If I had a nickel for every time a foreign country copied Poconos homework, I’d have two nickels. Which isn’t a lot, but it sure is weird it happened twice. (The other triangle is in Germany btw, for the curious).”

While a few others stayed cautiously optimistic with “Doesn’t look that tricky” and “Potential new Clash location surely.” Some of the community leaned into the mechanical challenges they expected from a flat oval. “Brakes are going to explode on the oval haha,” joked one, while another summed up the shared astonishment: “Bru its fu*kin flat.”

Even without official confirmation from NASCAR, the chatter highlights a mix of curiosity, skepticism, and anticipation, with fans already imagining how such a track would fit with the racing landscape.