Fernandez hopes to finally win N'wide race at home

MEXICO CITY -- There's no telling if the walls surrounding the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez would be standing if local hero Adrian Fernandez wins Sunday's Nationwide Series Corona Mexico 200.

But it's a fact that, in order to accomplish his first NASCAR victory, Fernandez will have a formidable contingent of North American drivers with glowing records on the 2.518-mile inner city road course to contend with.

Fast facts

What	Corona Mexico 200
When	Green, 2:22 p.m. ET Sunday
TV	ESPN/Deportes, 1:30 p.m. ET
Radio	MRN (Sirius Ch. 28), 2 p.m. ET

Loop | Numbers | Notes | Track

The 47-car entry includes defending pole winner Scott Pruett; 2006 pole winner Boris Said, who's never finished outside the top five in the three previous series events here; NASCAR's hottest driver in the early season, Kyle Busch, who had a potential race-winning car in his only Mexico appearance in 2006 before he finished seventh; and Carl Edwards, who was fourth here a year ago.

Roush Fenway Racing rookie Colin Braun has only six career NASCAR starts in the Nationwide and Truck Series, but he had two consecutive second-place finishes here in Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series events, including last season from the pole.

"The competition is always strong, and the level of the NASCAR drivers is very strong," Fernandez said. "I was surprised at how many good drivers there were [on the road courses]."

The race's defending champion, Latin American hero Juan Montoya isn't entered, but the teammate he bumped out of the way in the 2007 race's closing stages to steal the win, former Rolex Series champion and Mexico City defending Grand-Am race winner Pruett, is in position to defend his pole win.

And gaining a coveted first career NASCAR victory is a prime goal for Pruett, who once again drives for Chip Ganassi Racing, but this season in the No. 40 Dodge rather than the No. 41 he drove a year ago.

"It would be huge," Pruett said. "It would have been huge last year, but getting down to Mexico, the reality is that I've been heavily involved with a Mexican sponsor, Telmex, and [company head] Carlos Slim since our start with Grand-Am and Ganassi.

"There's a big following for our team down there -- the Mexican fans are absolutely rabid about motorsports -- [so] it's a little bit more personal, with what happened last year and the relationship with Mexico, so for me, it would be huge."

With eight laps remaining, Montoya made a late-braking move into Turn 1 that caused a collision that spun out Pruett, who fell back into the field before eventually finishing fifth.

Qualifying to determine the 43-car field is Saturday at 11:35 a.m. ET. The race, which is set to start Sunday at 2 p.m., is for 80 laps, or 201.44 miles.

None of the event's three previous winners, Martin Truex Jr., Denny Hamlin or Montoya, are entered, so a new winner is guaranteed.

For Fernandez to do that, along with the threat of his NASCAR competitors, the fan favorite, one of seven Latin American drivers entered, faces a peripatetic schedule as he attempts a career first, racing in two different countries on the same weekend.

He practiced his American Le Mans Series car in Long Beach, Calif., Thursday, as the second-best in the LMP2 class. Fernandez will do Friday's whole first practice and about an hour of the second session before handing off to veteran and former series champion David Green, who will qualify the No. 5 JR Motorsports Chevrolet Saturday while Fernandez races in California, which he said is a four-and-a-half hour trip.

The Mexican native, who has the most career passes in the event, 171, will have to accrue several more if he hopes to win in his fourth crack at his home track event as, no matter where Green qualifies, Fernandez will have to start at the back Sunday due to changing drivers (listen here).

Even that won't be a first for the driver who has finished ninth, 12th and ninth in his previous three attempts. In the 2005 inaugural race, the only race in which Fernandez has led laps, he started 40th after crashing before the race and a mid-race penalty also hurt his chances.

The other Latin American entrants include Mexican Rafael Martinez, who won the opener of the NASCAR Mexico Corona Series last month; countrymen and fellow Corona Series pilot Antonio Perez, Jose Luis Ramirez, Ruben Pardo and former Indy car and Formula One driver Michel Jourdain Jr.; and Venezuelan Alex Garcia.