NASCAR buzz in Mexico City has leveled off

NASCAR's experiment to bring its product south of the border finished its third year Sunday, with the Busch Series racing in Mexico City. The word is the third try might not exactly have been the charm. Although a solid crowd was on hand at the historic Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, the buzz around NASCAR's junior circuit's visit to Mexico has definitely leveled off.

But despite the decline in attendance and the monumental logistical task of bringing teams, crews and drivers to Mexico, the series is expected to return in 2008, albeit on a different weekend. "We're expecting to be back," said Steve O'Donnell, NASCAR's vice president for racing operations. "I don't see any reason why we wouldn't."

The coveted Hispanic and Latin markets are very important in NASCAR's growth plan for the future, when the event in Mexico City was first announced three years ago it was heralded as the first step in the globalization of NASCAR Nation. But there's very little evidence that Mexican race fans clamor for more of the sport than the annual pilgrimage to Mexico City.

In order for the Latin fans to truly become interested in NASCAR, a national hero needs to be on the circuit, so they can follow him every week of the schedule. However, that's not as easy as it might sound. More at CBS.Sportsline.com