Mexico City (AP) – Shane Van Gisbergen was seated and prepared to fly to Mexico City for NASCAR’s inaugural international Cup Series event of this modern age when an abrupt “BOOM!” caused the pilot to halt the takeoff.
An engine problem occurred with the chartered plane in North Carolina, leaving Van Gisbergen and much of Trackhouse Racing unexpectedly grounded. Actually, two NASCAR charters faced complications on Thursday, causing delays in the arrival of crew members and drivers from at least five teams.
All of them reached their destination safely on Friday morning—some groups drove to Atlanta to take commercial flights—while the rest waited for a chartered flight scheduled for the next day.
Yeah, it wasn’t really enjoyable. Yesterday was quite a lengthy day,” Van Gisbergen commented from Mexico City. “It was pretty frightening when the plane almost took off on its own during departure. They halted proceedings and tried to switch to another aircraft. Then, since it was my first activity today, I had an extremely early start. We woke up around 3:30 a.m. back home and managed to catch one of the earlier flights down here.
The beginning of the inaugural points-scoring Cup Series event held beyond U.S. borders faced several challenges, primarily due to the revised Friday schedule necessitated by transportation issues affecting multiple teams. Additionally, because some organizations lacked key staff members, additional support was brought in; notably, the communication director from Trackhouse assisted in unloading the team vehicles from the transport trucks.
The trucks originated from the previous Sunday’s race in Michigan and reached the Mexico City circuit on Thursday.
“Due to two aircraft issues that grounded multiple race teams in Charlotte, N.C., on Thursday, NASCAR has adjusted the on-track schedule for this weekend’s activities at Mexico City’s Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez,” NASCAR said in a statement.
NASCAR delayed Friday’s originally planned Cup Series practice to later in the afternoon. NASCAR also pushed all Xfinity Series practice sessions from Friday to Saturday. And, the first of two NASCAR Mexico Series races were moved to early Friday instead of their late Friday schedule.
The Xfinity Series will have reduced practice time, featuring only a single 50-minute session on Saturday morning preceding the qualification round. Other minor changes apply too; however, Cup teams won’t face any reduction in their practice sessions.
Van Gisbergen took the delay in stride.
You can’t anticipate things like that occurring. There are too many variables at play,” he stated. “Everybody is here now. I suppose it includes all the key individuals required for Friday, so I believe they have done an excellent job pulling it together.
I suppose it’s quite significant when you consider it, but I’m not particularly bothered,” he went on. “My focus remains on racing. Clearly not perfect, but since it occurred, we addressed it.
Truex gets a shot
It has been 11 years since Ryan Truex last competed in the Cup Series, but he will get another chance this Sunday. He is stepping in for Denny Hamlin to race in Mexico City.
Truex serves as a backup driver for Joe Gibbs Racing and has essentially been on standby over the past three weeks while waiting for Hamlin’s child to be born. Hamlin managed not to exit the vehicle after races in Nashville and Michigan, giving priority to being present for the arrival of his newborn.
Finally showed up on Wednesday, and Hamlin decided to skip it.
This coming weekend to take care of his household of five.
Truex received the call later that evening to drive the prominent No. 11 Toyota. The sibling of ex-Cup Series champion Martin Truex Jr., who has competed in 26 career Cup races—but hasn’t raced since 2014—was set for this opportunity.
In 2005, Martin Truex secured victory in an Xfinity Series race held in Mexico City. He referenced this achievement when informing his younger sibling about receiving the news.
I messaged him this week after finding out, and he replied, ‘You know, the Truexes have a perfect record of one win in Mexico,’ so no stress,” Ryan Truex stated on Friday. “I’m relieved he brought that up.
Hamlin, who has won three times this season, asked for and received permission from NASCAR officials to keep his chances alive for the Cup Series Playoffs.
Recently, Truex did get some track experience since the 33-year-old substituted for practice in place of Tyler Reddick from the sister Toyota squad, 23XI Racing, at the Coca-Cola 600 practice session. Nonetheless, enduring the suspense to check if his services were required alongside preparing for an overseas journey has certainly kept him on his toes.
It’s been quite a wild period lately — particularly after Charlotte, I’ve been on standby,” he mentioned. “I’m relieved it’s at a circuit where I can get some practice and understand what needs to be done. Getting everything sorted out and making my way here was somewhat hectic, but I am thankful for this opportunity and happy to be part of it.
“I don’t have specific objectives or anticipations; my aim is simply to savor the weekend. I’m racing a Cup car for Joe Gibbs at an international event—this isn’t something I once aspired to do, so I intend to soak it all up and make the most of it.”
Every time Truex got a text from Hamlin’s crew chief, Chris Gayle, over the past month, his heartbeat would quicken as he pondered whether this message was the one he had been anticipating.
He’s grateful for his stint in a backup position under Gibbs following a difficult period in Cup about ten years back. Truex aims to leverage Sunday’s performance as momentum into returning to consistent competition.
My previous experience with Cup wasn’t enjoyable; things didn’t work out as planned,” Truex stated. “It likely wasn’t the best decision for my career moving forward. Since then, I’ve been working hard to recover. Currently, I’m quite happy with what I’m doing at JGR. Over the past few years, I’ve had the opportunity to compete part-time and engage in various activities outside racing events.
Elevation training
NASCAR racers will encounter one of the most significant tests of their careers when they compete at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, situated at an altitude close to 7,500 feet. In comparison, the next highest venue on the Cup series schedule is Las Vegas Motor Speedway, standing approximately 2,000 feet above sea level.
To ready its drivers for high altitudes, Toyota initiated an extensive training regimen several months prior. This involved having their drivers wear masks that simulate lower oxygen levels during workouts and sleep in a hypoxic tent.
Reddick was one of those who camped out in a tent to acclimatize to the elevated height and reduce possible signs of altitude illness.
“One consequence of this has been that my wife isn’t particularly pleased with me sleeping in a low-oxygen setting, particularly as she approaches the final stages of her pregnancy,” explained Reddick, who welcomed their second child with his wife on May 25th.
After JGR driver Christopher Bell queried Toyota about measures for ensuring peak performance at high altitudes, the concept of using tents was developed.
We began discussing and putting together a strategy early in the season,” Bell stated. “I’m proud of everyone at Toyota and the Toyota Performance Center. Caitlin Quinn has taken charge of the physical fitness division and ensured we’re ready for this challenge. Here’s hoping the success will be with the Toyota drivers.
The initiative was created by Caitlin Quinn, who serves as the director of performance at the Toyota Performance Center located in Mooresville, North Carolina. Prior to her role with Toyota, she worked as a strength coach at Florida State University.
Quinn assisted drivers in acclimating to a reduced-oxygen atmosphere both during rest periods and while exercising. To achieve this, Toyota created a confined area within their facility containing a stationary bike, allowing drivers to train under conditions of decreased oxygen levels.
Quinn mentioned that Toyota began putting those programs into action around eight weeks ago for drivers.
It feels distinct sleeping in a low-oxygen setting,” Reddick stated. “I’ve observed several differences up until now, and I’m eager to experience how things will change.
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