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Finally! Quiroga Reigns In Mexico

AGUASCALIENTES, Mexico - Former champion Rogelio Lopez added to his series record with his 18th career win and German Quiroga capped off his first NASCAR championship season in the NASCAR Mexico Series finale Sunday at Nuevo Autódromo de Aguascalientes.

Lopez, the 2006 series champion, captured the victory in the Pennzzoil 200 in the series second visit to Aguascalientes. The season also kicked off at the new .446-mile tri-oval.

Quiroga finished second, followed by Germain Quiroga, Rafael Martinez, pole sitter Ruben Rovelo and Jorge Goeters.

Quiroga's runner-up finish put the crowning touches on a championship run that was highlighted by three wins. Quiroga won the title by 281 points over Lopez and 286 over Jorge Goeters.

Quiroga's championship run made up for agonizing near misses in the past two years, where he finished runner-up to Antonio Perez (2008) and Rafael Martinez (2007). Last year, he entered the final race at Mexico City with a 46-point lead only to get caught up in an early crash that left him 29 points short of the title. The year prior, Quiroga won the finale but Martinez finished fourth to claim the title by four points - the smallest margin of victory in series history.

This year, however, Quiroga's consistency allowed him to wrap up the title with one race remaining.

Martinez led a race-high 112 laps on Sunday. Lopez, however, was able to wrestle the lead away with 20 to go and led the remainder of the event. Rovelo, Quiroga, Oliveras, Patrick Goeters and Jorge Goeters also led laps.

The NASCAR Mexico Series Awards Ceremony will be held Dec. 10 in Mexico City.

RESULTS

Below, Rogelio Lopez earned his third win of the season Sunday at Nuevo Autódromo de Aguascalientes. OCESA