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| Ruben Garcia and his team celebrate in Victory Lane following the 2015 NASCAR Mexico Series championship Sunday. |
NASCAR Next Driver Collects Title; Lopez Wins At Tuxtla
BERRIOZÁBAL, Chiapas, Mexico – The day after turning 20, rising NASCAR star Rubén García Jr. completed his birthday weekend in style as he celebrated the 2015 NASCAR Mexico Series championship.
The Mexico City driver drove the No. 88 Canels/Scotiabank/HDI Toyota to a fifth-place finish in the season-ending Red Co 240 at Súper Óvalo Chiapas to cap the five-race Desafio with the Mexico's national championship.
Rogelio López earned his series-high 24th career victory, beating runner-up Rubén Pardo and third-place Rodrigo Perralta to the Red Co 240 checkered flag. Luis Felipe Montaño and García finished with fourth and fifth, respectively.
García had three wins and 13 top-five finishes in 15 races. He won the first race of the Desafio, and held first-place throughout the five-race playoff. He entered the finale with a nine-point lead over Rubén Rovelo, who finished 14th, and 27 over 2013 champion Peralta. The fourth championship contender – 2007 champion Rafael Martinez – finished 18th. García finished with 1,213 points, 18 ahead over Rovelo, 27 over Peralta and 42 in front of Martinez.
Santiago Tovar finished sixth Sunday, followed by Antonio Pérez, Homero Richards, Jorge Contreras Jr. and James Nides.
The young Garcia has become the ninth champion of NASCAR Mexico, joining Carlos Pardo (2004), Jorge Goeters (2005 and 2012), Rogelio Lopez (2006), Martinez, Antonio Pérez (2008), Germán Quiroga (2009-11), Peralta and Abraham Calderon (2014).
García even surpassed his father, Ruben Garcia Sr., who finished second in the series in 2006 – the year before it became sanctioned by NASCAR.
The path of Garcia Jr. began as champion of NASCAR Mexico's V4 series in 2011, and followed with rookie of the year honors in 2012. He finished fourth in the championship in 2013 and second last year. In 2013, he was selected as a member of the NASCAR Next class, an industry-initiatve to spotlight the sport's rising young stars.
García will join NASCAR's other six touring series champions on Saturday, Dec. 12, at the NASCAR Touring Series Night of Champions Awards at the Charlotte Convention Center/NASCAR Hall of Fame.
- Credit to NASCAR Home Tracks for this article.
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