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With anticipation building for the 2024 NASCAR season schedule, Jeff Gordon has expressed his wish to see the sport go international in the coming years.
Following the success of NASCAR's Garage 56 entry in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in Europe, going international was seen as the next big milestone for the sport. The Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal, Canada was rumored to be on the 2024 NASCAR schedule, however that appears to be less likely as time passes by.
Against the backdrop of the reports, Hendrick Motorsports' Vice Chairman Jeff Gordon expressed his wish to see the sport cross the borders and race in front of the fans present in the neighboring countries.
"Well I know that there's been conversations about Montreal and I'm not sure if it's gonna happen or not but I would love to see us be international," he said on NASCAR SiriusXM radio.
The NASCAR Hall of Famer doesn't want the organizers to take the sport to exotic countries but instead to the neighboring countries and South America, where the American stock car racing series already has an established fan base.
"Not international like overseas I think, because we have done that in Japan and if that happens again, I would like to relook about how we go about it because I don't know if that actually grew the sport."
He added:
"But I think there's a lot of fans in Canada and I think there's a lot of fans in Mexico and South America that we are not tapping into, that I think would grow the sport and pull more eyeballs on it. So I would love to see if its next year or the year after that, I would love to see it."
NASCAR organized exhibition events in Japan between 1996 to 1998, racing at iconic venues like the Suzuka Circuit and the Twin Ring Motegi.
While the Cup Series drivers have visited Japan, they have never raced across the US border in Canada. The Xfinity Series used to race on the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve from 2007 to 2012.
According to the latest reports, the iconic Montreal track which has been a staple in F1, will not be hosting NASCAR in 2024.
NASCAR heads back to the track where Jeff Gordon's victory count reigns supreme
The 2024 NASCAR schedule is slowly shaping up as a few tracks have confirmed their dates on the calendar. One among them is the iconic Indianapolis Motor Speedway, which has announced the revival of the Brickyard 400, an event dominated by Jeff Gordon in the past.
After a three-year hiatus, the Cup Series returns to the oval configuration of the Brickyard 400 just in time for the 30th year anniversary of the maiden event, which was won by Gordon in 1994. He went on to increase his tally to five with his last victory coming in 2014, a record he holds to date.
Next season, the Xfinity Series Pennzoil 250 is scheduled on Saturday, July 20 followed by the Brickyard 400 on Sunday, July 21.
