IndyCar Won't Head To Mexico City For Event In '18; Negotiations Continue For Race In '19

IndyCar on Thursday announced that there "will not be a race in Mexico City" at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez road course during the '18 season, according to Jim Ayello of the INDIANAPOLIS STAR. Despite remaining hopeful over the past couple of months that a deal would be struck, IndyCar CEO Mark Miles in a release said that the racing body and event organizers -- whom he has yet to identify -- were "unable to finalize a contract and he could not wait any longer." The release makes clear that IndyCar will "continue negotiations in hopes of racing in Mexico" in '19. In September, Miles through a spokesperson said that the Sept. 19 earthquake in Mexico "affected negotiations." It was "not made clear in Thursday's release whether the earthquake and its aftermath had an effect" on the possibility of racing there in '18 ( INDIANAPOLIS STAR, 12/1 ). AUTOWEEK's Bruce Martin noted the last time an IndyCar race was "contested in Mexico" was a Champ Car Series event in '07 ( AUTOWEEK.com, 11/30 ).