The series traces its roots to the Desafío Corona, established in 2004 as a joint venture between NASCAR and Mexican entertainment group OCESA. The concept was to develop stock car racing in Mexico and encourage a transition among Mexican motorsport fans away from the country's historically open-wheel traditions. From 2004 to 2006, the Desafío Corona grew considerably in infrastructure, fan attendance, and the number of competing drivers and sponsors.
The NASCAR Mexico Corona Series was officially launched at the 2006 Desafío Corona award ceremony, replacing the Desafío brand with full NASCAR series status. Toyota assumed naming rights in 2012, dubbing it the NASCAR Toyota Series before PEAK Antifreeze took over sponsorship in 2017. PEAK's sponsorship ended in 2022, and the series returned to the NASCAR Mexico Series name.
After the conclusion of the 2015 season, the series was suspended for 2016. Organizers cited a desire to support the Formula One Mexican Grand Prix, which had just been revived for 2015 after a long absence. Several teams and drivers that had competed in the Mexico Series relocated to the Super Copa Telcel V8 series during the hiatus. In October 2016, NASCAR announced the series would return with PEAK Antifreeze as title sponsor, beginning with an exhibition race in December 2016 before a full 2017 season resumed. Two supporting series were simultaneously established: the NASCAR FedEx Challenge Series and NASCAR Mikel's Truck Series.
The series has held events on 17 tracks in 15 locations since its inception across 22 seasons, racing on a mix of oval circuits and road courses, with the majority of venues located in Mexico and some events staged in the United States and Panama. San Luis Potosí has hosted more races than any other location in the series' history, with 40 races held at Super Óvalo Potosino alone as of April 2025.
In 2013 the series held its first international event, a 75-lap race at Phoenix Raceway in Arizona, held as part of the NASCAR Cup Series race weekend and known as the Toyota 120. That race returned each season through 2015. In 2024, the series held an exhibition race at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum as a support event for the NASCAR Cup Series' Busch Light Clash, won by Daniel Suárez. The series planned its first Central American event at Autódromo Panamá near Panama City in 2025, though that round was cancelled and replaced with another round on the calendar.
Series cars use a steel tube-frame chassis with a safety roll cage built to NASCAR standards. The engine is a 5.7-litre V8 displacing 350 cubic inches, producing 400 horsepower on 98-octane unleaded gasoline from Pemex, delivered via carburetion. Transmission is a four-speed manual, and the car weighs a minimum of 2,680 lb without driver. The wheelbase is 107 inches. General Tire serves as the exclusive tire supplier, as it does for NASCAR's other international series and the ARCA Menards Series.
Manufacturers in the series' early seasons included General Motors via its Pontiac division and Dodge. Ford joined in 2005 initially with the Mustang, then with the Fusion from 2006. Toyota entered in 2009 with the Camry. Dodge subsequently withdrew its factory support, as it did from NASCAR's US series. As of recent seasons, Ford, Chevrolet, and Toyota are the represented manufacturers.
Eleven different drivers have won the NASCAR Mexico championship. Rubén García Jr. holds the record with five championships and was also the youngest champion in series history, winning his first title at 20 years old. Rafael Martínez was the oldest champion at 45 years old. The 2023 season saw the introduction of a playoff format for the first time to determine the end-of-season champion.
The Mexico Series has produced drivers who advanced to NASCAR's North American national series. Daniel Suárez is the most successful alumnus: he won the 2016 NASCAR Xfinity Series championship with Joe Gibbs Racing and went on to compete in the NASCAR Cup Series full-time, winning his first Cup race at Sonoma Raceway on June 12, 2022. Jorge Goeters and Suárez are the only NASCAR Mexico Series alumni to have also started NASCAR Cup Series events. Rubén García Jr., Rogelio López, and Rubén Pardo have all achieved victories in the K&N Pro Series East.
Among female competitors, Mara Reyes scored a pole position in her first Mexico Series race. Regina Sirvent became the first woman to win a NASCAR Trucks Mexico Series race.