MND LOCAL BCS: Baja 1000 revs up for action in Los Cabos as an epic year for cruise ship visits nears the finish line

The first-ever SCORE Baja 1000 to start and finish in Los Cabos — and to be run entirely within the state of Baja California Sur — is only days away. So excitement is building. 

But anxiety is also growing among some business owners in San José del Cabo, who worry about what traffic could mean for their bottom line during times when vehicles aren’t off-road but on city streets.

Traffic worries and the build-up to the 2026 Baja 1000

The race is scheduled to begin and end on Avenida Centenario in San José del Cabo on Nov. 13-14; the thoroughfare that borders the city’s historic downtown district and is a key access point for downtown commerce.

Business owners in this district have already gotten a sneak peek at what the race might mean for local traffic … and they didn’t like what they saw. When Avenida Centenario was closed for street cleaning in the days leading up to the race, two hours of gridlock ensued, affecting traffic downtown and on the Transpeninsular Highway, and leading to predictable dips in sales for local shopkeepers.

“The entire Centro Histórico area is, in a sense, held hostage (by the race), which directly impacts the local economy,” local business owner and civic activist Blanca Pedrín Torres told El Sudcaliforniano. “While it’s true that the Baja 1000 generates significant economic activity — perhaps benefiting the hotel industry — the Historic Center is not made up solely of hotels.” 

MND Local BCS: Historic ‘Cabo to Cabo’ running of the Baja 1000 announced for November

Of course, as Pedrín notes, the race does generate substantial economic benefits — an estimated US $35 million statewide — and San José del Cabo is the primary beneficiary; even if not all business owners benefit equally.

In Cabo San Lucas, for instance, which is not on the race map at all, a special “block party” exhibition of 10 race cars, trucks and buggies was scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 10, presumably so that downtown business owners there could see at least some economic boost. It worked, as an estimated 10,000 people attended.

A record-setting year for cruise ship visits continues

Cabo San Lucas, despite its relatively low profile for the Baja 1000, remains the primary economic engine for the region’s tourism economy, and in a down year for tourism (international air arrivals are down 8.4% through September, total air traffic by 5.6%), the Land’s End city has provided the lone bright spot with its thriving cruise port.

Last year, Cabo San Lucas welcomed over 1 million cruise ship passengers for the first time in its history (1,057,758 passengers from 285 cruise ships, to be exact), establishing itself as the second-most popular cruise port on Mexico’s Pacific Coast (behind only Ensenada, which welcomed over 1.3 million, and just ahead of Puerto Vallarta, which narrowly topped the million mark). 

To say that Cabo San Lucas is going to smash that record this year is a bit of an understatement. Through August, it had received 956,964 cruisers aboard 244 ships, and was pacing towards upwards of 1.4 million passengers for the year. 

It’s a remarkable rise. Cruise passenger numbers increased by 46.7% from 2024 to 2025, and this year, at least so far, they’ve climbed by another 50.7%, with the results of two traditionally robust months (November and December) yet to be tallied.

World Wide Technology Championship winner puts golf world on notice

In my recent preview of Los Cabos’ PGA Tour event, the World Wide Technology Championship, I noted that this year’s field featured an electrifying young player. I should have said three of them. 

While press attention has understandably been lavished on Jackson Koivun, the 21-year-old who set an NCAA record for scoring average while winning two national championships at Auburn and won his first PGA event just 24 days after turning pro in June, he’s not the only young player who’s putting the tour on notice.

Ben James, who also turned pro in June and is only 23, cruised out to a four-shot lead after three rounds on the Tiger Woods-designed El Cardonal course at Diamante, just north of Cabo San Lucas. However, the leaderboard tightened up considerably on the final day, with several players making charges, including 19-year-old phenom Blades Brown and Álvaro Ortiz, the Guadalajara-born player who emerged as the crowd favorite.

Brown becomes youngest winner on tour since 1931

Brown, vying to become the youngest PGA Tour winner in 95 years, fired a final-round 63. But James eagled the dramatic par-5 18th to force a playoff for the winner’s share of US $1,080,000 and a two-year tour exemption.

Youth was going to be served regardless of the outcome, but in the end it was Brown who won the battle of future stars, becoming the youngest PGA Tour event winner since 18-year-old Charles “Chuck” Kocsis in 1931 with a birdie on the second playoff hole.

Chris Sands is a writer and editor for Mexico News Daily, and the former Cabo San Lucas local expert for the USA Today travel website 10 Best and writer of Fodor’s Los Cabos travel guidebook. He has also contributed to numerous other websites and publications, including The San Diego Union-Tribune, Marriott Bonvoy Traveler, Forbes Travel Guide, Porthole Cruise and Travel, and Cabo Living.