NASCAR Cup Series driver Alex Bowman has been medically cleared to compete in Sunday’s Viva Mexico 250 at Autodromo Hermanos Rodríguez in Mexico City, Mexico, Hendrick Motorsports said in a pre-race advance.

The Tucson, Arizona-native will indeed be driving his typical No. 48 Ally Financial Chevrolet in Sunday’s groundbreaking event for the NASCAR Cup Series, which will be the first non-exhibition event outside of the United States since 1958, and the first in Mexico.

In last Sunday’s FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway, Bowman was involved in a multi-car accident at Lap 67, which saw his Hendrick Motorsports machine get hooked up the racetrack viciously into the Turn 2 SAFER Barrier.

Bowman was able to climb from the battered No. 48 under his own power and was subsequently checked and released from the infield care center.

After being evaluated this week for back pain following his hard crash at Michigan, Bowman will compete in the event. However, Anthony Alfredo, who does the majority of the team’s simulation work, will be on standby in case Bowman needs a relief driver at any point this weekend.

When speaking to SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90) earlier this week, Jeff Gordon, Vice Chairman of Hendrick Motorsports, spoke to whether or not Bowman would be able to compete in Sunday’s event in Mexico City, saying the organization “[felt] confident that [Bowman] would be in the car.”

The 32-year-old driver has a history of injuries, which have kept him sidelined from the NASCAR Cup Series for two multi-race stints over the last three seasons, most recently in 2023.

At the tail-end of the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series campaign, Bowman suffered a major impact at Texas Motor Speedway that caused a concussion, forcing him to leave the cockpit of the No. 48 for six events.

The following Spring, while competing in a sprint car race in West Burlington, Iowa, Bowman suffered a compression fracture to his vertebra in an accident with Conner Merrill, which forced him to sit out for three weeks.

Bowman, now cleared by medical professionals to compete, will get the opportunity to take on Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez this weekend in Mexico City, with two practice sessions on Friday (1:30 PM ET and 3:00 PM ET), qualifying on Saturday (Noon ET), and the race on Sunday (3:00 PM ET).

Coverage for all NASCAR Cup Series on-track sessions will take place on Prime Video.

NASCAR championship contender Denny Hamlin will miss Sunday’s Cup Series race in Mexico City following the birth of his son on Wednesday, Joe Gibbs Racing announced Thursday. Ryan Truex, JGR’s reserve driver, will substitute to drive the No. 11 Toyota.

Hamlin’s fiancé Jordan Fish has been expecting the couple’s third child for the past 12 days and Hamlin has made it known he would miss a Cup race to be by Fish’s side. Truex was on standby last week at Michigan International Speedway, but Hamlin not only drove in the race, he won.

The Michigan win was Hamlin’s third on the season and 57th of his career, second-most among active drivers. The 44-year-old has made 406 consecutive starts, last missing a race in 2014 at California Speedway due to an object in his eye.

Truex has been lauded for his ability behind the scenes in serving as JGR’s reserve driver. These duties include full-time simulator testing that helps JGR refine chassis setups for a given track, though they do not include real-world testing of a car.

Truex last made a Cup start in 2014 and has 26 career starts at NASCAR’s top level, with a career-best finish of 20th. He is the younger brother of 2017 Cup Series champion Martin Truex Jr., who retired after last season and was a former teammate of Hamlin’s at JGR.

Because Hamlin is missing the Mexico City race, the first Cup points outside the continental United States since 1958, he will need NASCAR to grant him a waiver to maintain playoff eligibility. The expectation is that NASCAR will grant Hamlin a waiver, allowing him to compete for the Cup championship when the playoffs begin in September.

Good race for Hamlin to miss, great opportunity for Truex

NASCAR Cup Series drivers must start all 26 regular-season points races to be eligible for the playoffs unless they have a NASCAR-issued waiver; the policy was revamped this year to include the birth of a child as an example of a valid reason to be given a waiver.

That clearly made Hamlin’s decision to remain in the United States and skip the inaugural Mexico City race much easier, since his fiancé is still in the hospital as of Thursday, and they already have two children at home.

Travel to Mexico is also not as easy as simply flying his private jet to the racetrack, as he does every other week. Some teams who planned to take a charter flight to Mexico City on Thursday have been forced to scramble after a mechanical problem grounded their flight.

But in some ways, this is the best possible race for Hamlin to miss. He has struggled with his road racing and was unlikely to contend in Mexico (He is 1-for-57 in his Cup Series road racing career).

Meanwhile, it’s a golden opportunity for Ryan Truex, who has been training for this moment all season. As The Athletic wrote earlier this year, Truex is JGR’s reserve driver and is responsible for helping the teams with fine-tuning their setups in the Toyota simulator each week.

(Photo: Chris Graythen / Getty Images)

NASCAR Hall of Famer and Hendrick Motorsports co-owner and vice chairman Jeff Gordon will take on a pivotal role at the upcoming Viva Mexico 250.

The race, scheduled to be held in Mexico City at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, will mark the Cup Series’ first points-scoring race outside of the U.S. since 1958, with the Xfinity Series also traveling south of the border.

Ahead of Sunday’s Cup Series race, Hendrick Motorsports announced that four-time champion Gordon has been awarded the title of “Official Commander,” with the 53-year-old set to give the command at the renowned Formula 1 circuit. It comes after he recently admitted his “terrifying experience” in the car with his kids. 

Responding to the announcement, Gordon took to social media where he wrote, “Can’t wait to give the command for @NASCAR ’s first ever Cup Series race at #NASCARMexico.”

Once the green flag has flown, Gordon will watch on as Kyle Larson, William Byron, Chase Elliott, and Alex Bowman all battle it out for supremacy around the 2.42-mile track.

For Larson, a series-high fourth win this year is on the line, having previously won at Homestead-Miami, Bristol, and Kansas City. As for series-leader Byron, he’ll be aiming to record just his second win of the season, having won the Daytona 500 for the second year in a row in February.

For Chase Elliott, Mexico City represents an opportunity to clinch his first top-three finish of the season, having finished fourth twice through the first 15 races. Meanwhile, the fact that Bowman will be racing at all is something of a miracle after his brutal wreck at Michigan, which saw him go nose-first into the wall.

Thankfully, while Bowman admitted in an interview with Amazon Prime that the incident “hurt, a lot,” Gordon has since told Danielle Trotta that while the 32-year-old is “very sore,” there is “no reason to believe he won’t be in the car at Mexico City.”

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That being said, while all four of Hendrick Motorsports’ stars are good to go for the highly anticipated race, whether or not they will make it seems to be another question. Whilst aboard his flight bound for Mexico City, Xfinity Series star Ryan Ellis revealed on social media, “Plane attempted takeoff, plane made a small boom, we are headed back.” As a result, Ellis and the rest of the passengers were “back in Charlotte,” as per a follow-up post.

Fellow Xfinity Series driver Austin Green also provided an update on social media, posting, “Engine blew up going down the runway to Mexico City. Hope we can all make it in time for practice tomorrow.”

Along with this flight, it seems another also experienced an issue, with reporter Matt Weaver stating that “NASCAR tells us here in Mexico that they are aware and that industry personnel are being placed on different planes to Mexico City.” Subsequently, Weaver added, “Those on the plane that had the engine issue right before takeoff have been sent home or back to their race shops.”

Attorney General Dave Sunday announced that his office is again partnering with Pocono Raceway for its annual Drug Take Back event during NASCAR race weekend at the track from June 20 to 22 for “The Great American Getaway 400.” 

Attendees on any of the three event days can bring unused and outdated prescription medications to the track and safely dispose of them at the Office of Attorney General’s station outside the main entrance at the raceway, under the flag pole.

Those who drop off prescription drugs will be given a voucher to return to the Pocono Raceway on Tuesday, July 8, to drive their own vehicle around “The Tricky Triangle.”

“The opioid epidemic continues to plague communities across Pennsylvania, and I have made prevention, deterrence, and treatment as top priorities for my office,” Attorney General Sunday said. “This take back event is the perfect opportunity to dispose of potentially dangerous medication in a safe way that keeps the drugs out of the wrong hands. I am thankful for the continued partnership with the Pocono Raceway on this proactive measure that can save lives.”

Since 2017, the Office of Attorney General’s statewide Drug Take Back program has collected and destroyed nearly 400 tons of prescription drugs.

“Pocono Raceway is a proud partner of the Office of Attorney General and remains focused on doing our small part to help our guests dispose of unused and expired prescription medications in a safe manner,” Ben May, Pocono Raceway President, said. “We encourage everyone visiting Pocono Raceway between June 20-22nd to visit the Office of Attorney General’s booth – next to our large American flag behind the grandstands – to safely dispose of your medications.”

Representatives from the Office of Attorney General will also host a table on Saturday, June 21, at Kids’ Day, where activities and swag will be available to youth and their families.

In 2022, the Office of Attorney General released a special report on fentanyl becoming the dominant opioid in Pennsylvania that is increasingly found in counterfeit pills. The report notes that just one fentanyl-laced counterfeit pill is enough to cause an overdose.

Pocono Raceway Drug Take Back Weekend is the only large-scale drug take back program of its kind in Pennsylvania. It hopes to provide an example for other large venues and sports teams and show how important it is to take part in these initiatives to combat the opioid epidemic and keep the Commonwealth safe.

Pocono Raceway PR

The NASCAR Chicago Street Race has landed Arby’s as the sponsor. On Wednesday, NASCAR announced the fast-food chain will join the league as the newest founding partner of the race, which will take place at Chicago’s Grant Park on Sunday, July 6. Arby’s is no stranger to NASCAR as it serves as an anchor partner for Rick Ware Racing (RWR) and driver Cody Ware in the Cup Series.

“It’s a watershed moment anytime you have a new brand joining the sport for the first time, especially when it’s a partner like Arby’s with such a unique, recognizable brand,” Craig Stimmel, Senior Vice President, Chief Commercial Officer, NASCAR, said in a press release. “The fact that we’re welcoming Arby’s to NASCAR on the streets of Chicago speaks to the tremendous momentum behind the NASCAR Chicago Street Race and the sport overall.”

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“Arby’s is thrilled to hit the track as a Founding Partner of the 2025 NASCAR Chicago Street Race,” Jeff Baker, Chief Marketing Officer at Arby’s, said. “This marks an exciting moment for our brand in the world of motorsports, with one of the most dynamic and groundbreaking events in racing. Nothing goes better with NASCAR than one of our delicious Arby’s sandwiches, and we can’t wait to bring the meats to the streets for race fans and Arby’s fans in Chicago and beyond.

Arby’s joins Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois and Xfinity’s Xumo brand as the third Founding Partner of the 2025 Chicago Street Race. The restaurant was founded in 1964 and has 3,600 locations around the world. Its main headquarters are located in Atlanta.

“Arby’s is all about bringing joy to their fans, and that’s exactly our goal with the NASCAR Chicago Street Race,” Julie Giese, NASCAR Chicago Street Race President, said. “As anticipation rises in the Chicago market, we know that Arby’s will be a perfect fit for the fun and enjoyment that we plan to bring back to Grant Park this Independence Day Weekend.”

The Chicago Street Race began in 2023 and Shane van Gisbergen won the Cup Series event that year. Alex Bowman won the race in 2024.

Alex Bowman was involved in a terrifying wreck at Michigan International Speedway on Sunday, and while he is expected to race in Mexico City, Hendrick Motorsports has placed Anthony Alfredo on standby.

Denny Hamlin won his third race of the season at Michigan on Sunday, but only after a red flag brought the contest to a halt after Bowman’s No.48 Hendrick Motorsports car was sent head-first into the wall at high speed. Bowman was shaken up after the crash, but avoided serious injury.

Hendrick Motorsports vice chairman Jeff Gordon gave a promising update ahead of the first NASCAR Cup Series race in Mexico, claiming that he expects Bowman to race as usual. However, Alfredo is ready to replace Bowman if he’s deemed unfit to race on Sunday.

Alfredo does all of the simulator work for Hendrick Motorsports and will compete in the Xfinity Series race at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez. He is also mentally preparing for Sunday’s Cup Series race in the event that he’s needed.

Bowman made a fast start to the 2025 season, placing in the top 10 in five of his first six races. However, he has failed to finish in three of his last nine races after suffering two crashes and an engine fault. The latest incident at Michigan was one of the biggest wrecks of the season.

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The No. 48 Chevrolet was running in the 29th position when a collision between the cars of Austin Cindric and Cole Custer compromised him. Contact was made with Bowman, and his car slammed into the outside wall and damaged the barrier.

“Yeah, that hurt a lot,” Bowman told Amazon Prime after leaving the infield care center. “That was probably top of the board on hits I’ve taken, and unfortunately, I’ve taken a lot of hits, so hate that for the Ally 48 team.

“Looks like the 41 got loose or the 2 got into him or something, then at that point you’re just along for the ride. Couldn’t really do anything except think, ‘oh s—, this is about to hurt’, really. So I hate that for our team, and it’s been a rough two months, so just got to keep digging.

“I mean, honestly, we were pretty decent yesterday, I thought. I was pretty optimistic about today, and we completely missed it to start the race, then obviously got super loose and had long pit stops, making adjustments trying to make it better, and never really got a chance to race again after that.

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“Confident that my guys would’ve got the car better and we could’ve got back up there, but unfortunately, when you get in the back like that, s— gets pretty crazy, and stuff like that happens.”

After the crash in Michigan, reporters asked Bowman if he was more afraid to compete after suffering another major scare. In April 2023, Bowman missed several weeks of racing after suffering a fractured vertebra in a crash, and he hurt his back again at Michigan.

“No, I’m not afraid. I wouldn’t even say concerned,” Bowman said. “I don’t know, I’m a race car driver, I hit s—. I would like to stop hitting s—.”