Autódromo Monterrey

Overview

Autódromo Monterrey is a motor racing venue in Apodaca, Nuevo León, in the Monterrey metropolitan area of northern Mexico. It lies on the Carretera México-Laredo at kilometre 1008, opposite Del Norte International Airport. The circuit describes itself as one of the main motor racing tracks in Mexico and hosts national championships, quarter-mile drag racing, kart racing, track days and special events. Its regular programme includes the Mexican Quarter-Mile Championship, the regional Monterrey Racing Cup and the Kart Monterrey series, and the NASCAR Mexico Series visits with its Regia 200. The venue also rents out the track for private use and takes enquiries for track days.

Technical Specifications and Track Features

The full road course, used since 1986, has 19 turns. It begins with a long straight that doubles as the drag strip, followed by a chicane at turn one that leads into a hairpin. A second chicane at turn six was, like the first, added later. The final corner was originally a banked turn; that banking is used by the short layout, while the long version takes a bypass onto the second part of the corner. A bridge spans the straight at the start line. The fastest race lap on the full course, 1:05.161, was set by Waldemar Coronas in a Lola Indy Lights car in 2000, and the stock car record of 1:05.912 belongs to Gerardo Nieto, driving a Chevrolet Camaro in the 2021 NASCAR Mexico round.

Facilities and Specialized Areas

Beyond the road course, the site includes El Frijol, a 1.6 km dogleg oval named after its bean shape, with a flat first turn and a banked second turn. The straight is used for the quarter-mile drag championship, which runs in bracket format, with each driver declaring a target time, and is backed by the Mexican motorsport federation FEMADAC and the national drag racing commission. The venue's kart track hosts the local kart championship and national kart events, and karts can be rented for recreational sessions. In 2026 the kart track hosted a national SKUSA round.

History

The circuit was opened in 1970 by Filiberto Jiménez and was originally known as Autódromo Apodaca. During the 1970s the 500 km of Monterrey was its main event. The original 3.09 km course with 12 turns was used until 1985 and replaced by the present full circuit in 1986. Mexican Formula Three raced here in most seasons between 1990 and 2001, and the venue later hosted the LATAM Challenge Series, Fórmula Panam and, between 2016 and 2020, the NACAM Formula 4 Championship. NASCAR Mexico first raced at Monterrey in 2004 and has used both the long and short configurations over the years, with Daniel Suárez among its winners in 2013 and 2014. The track is operated by DIPSA.