Andres Perez is excited about the unknowns of an international stage for the Mexico Series race at the L.A. Coliseum

Andres Perez has competed at a diverse range of tracks across the United States and his home country of Mexico during his brief career.

On Sunday afternoon, he’ll will add the prestigious Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum to that list when he runs the exhibition event for the NASCAR Mexico Series that will lead into the Busch Clash for the NASCAR Cup Series.

Perez never imagined he would race inside the stadium that has hosted the Olympics and the Super Bowl on two separate occasions. With so much notoriety surrounding this event for the NASCAR Mexico Series, Perez is eager to take advantage of the unique opportunity and deliver a marquee win for his team Escudería Telmex.

“This is really exciting,” Perez said. “There are a lot of unknowns going into that track, but getting a win there would be really good. We’ll try to adapt the best we can and hopefully we can bring home a good result.”

A race at the Coliseum is one of several challenges Perez has tackled head on in just the past few months alone.

The debut season for Perez with the ARCA Menards Series saw the NASCAR Drive for Diversity program competitor finish second in the point standings with 10 top fives. Highlights for Perez included leading his first laps at Talladega Superspeedway and battling for the victory at Michigan International Speedway before being sidelined by a blown engine.

Perez found success on the ARCA platform while simultaneously chasing a championship in the NASCAR Mexico Series. Despite not winning a race, consistency kept Perez in contention for the title all year, but he ended up settling for a fourth-place finish to eventual champion Salvador de Alba.

The paramount obstacle Perez endured while oscillating between ARCA and the NASCAR Mexico Series was travel, as occasional overlap resulted in limited track time. Perez was not fazed by the circumstances, and he committed himself to bolstering his already versatile skillset.

Perez hopes the experience obtained from 2023 will make him slightly more prepared for the NASCAR Mexico Series’ first trip to the L.A. Coliseum, which Perez believes will be the most important event for the division to date.

“I was not expecting [a NASCAR Mexico Series race in Los Angeles] if I’m being honest,” Perez said. “This event will give us a spotlight for the drivers and teams to show what the Mexico Series is. There’s going to be a lot of people watching. Not only fans, but from inside NASCAR in the U.S.

“This is an exhibition, but I’m pretty sure everyone is going to treat this like a championship race.”

The race format for the King Taco La Batalla en El Coliseo will consist of 150 laps, which equates to just 37.5 miles around the L.A. Coliseum. A 60-minute time limit is also being placed on the event, which is expected to increase the urgency for drivers as they try to navigate the tight layout.

Although there are relatively few notes for NASCAR Mexico Series teams to rely upon ahead of Sunday’s 150-lap sprint, Perez said the competitive teams will be the ones who get the most creative with setups and strategy.

“Preparation-wise, there’s not much you can do because nobody knows the track,” Perez said. “You have to think outside of what you’re used to. Our shortest track is a half-mile, and [the L.A. Coliseum] is a quarter-mile, so our team has really been thinking on what to take over there.”

One advantage on Perez’s side for the L.A. Coliseum is the addition of Cup Series veteran Daniel Suarez to Escudería Telmex. Before he made the jump to the Cup Series, Suarez was a standout in the NASCAR Mexico Series, having amassed 10 victories in his home country.

Suarez has made the main event in both iterations of the Busch Clash at the L.A. Coliseum. His teammate’s experience is something Perez knows can only help him ascertain the narrow track quicker, but he added Suarez’s presence only puts more pressure on each driver to perform on a national stage.

“The fact that Danny is racing only gives us more spotlight,” Perez said. “A lot of people are going to be watching him, but I’ll be able to learn a lot from him, as well. For him, this is a good opportunity to give back to the series where it all started.”

Perez is confident he can shine in front of the L.A. crowd and build momentum before starting his sophomore campaign in ARCA.

With last year’s champion Jesse Love progressing into the NASCAR Xfinity Series for 2024, an opening exists for Perez to establish himself as an early favorite to join Drive for Diversity alum Nick Sanchez as a champion in the primary ARCA division.

Even though Sunday’s 150-lap event at the L.A. Coliseum is unorthodox compared to what Perez will see on the ARCA platform in 2024, setting an efficient tone against the NASCAR Mexico Series could be crucial toward putting together a stellar season.

“On the ARCA side, everyone is excited,” Perez said. “Coming back to the same tracks is not exactly easier, but we have so much more experience and know not to make the same mistakes. Our results are going to be better and we’re ready to win races.”

Perez starts his bid for an L.A. Coliseum victory on Saturday when he, Suarez and the 20 other representatives from the NASCAR Mexico Series take part in a three-lap qualifying session to set the field. The green flag for the King Taco La Batalla en El Coliseo waves at 1:30 p.m. PT/ 4:30 p.m. ET on Sunday.