The NASCAR Cup Series heads to Mexico City, and while the track brings its own excitement, the pit road is causing the teams to face a tricky challenge.

There’s a thing called ‘reverse pit stop’ in NASCAR. It’s not something fans get to see often in the Cup Series. In fact, the only other place on the schedule where it happens is at Watkins Glen. And now, Mexico City joins the club.

Hendrick Motorsports Changing the Game on Pit Road at Mexico City

Most NASCAR tracks/ovals have pit roads on the left side. Drivers enter with their left side against the wall, and pit crews are trained to jump off and perform their tasks in a very specific flow. But at Autodromo Hermanos Rodríguez, things change a little.

In Mexico City, the pit road entry will be on the right, meaning the right side of the car hugs the pit wall. That means, crews have to do everything they usually do, but in reverse order.

It might not sound like a big deal initially, but pit stops are all about timing and rhythm. Team crews spend hours practicing every movement to save fractions of a second. But suddenly everything’s reversed when the cars come in from the right. That’s where the challenge comes in.

Hendrick Motorsports (HMS), one of the top teams in the sport, is changing something in its roster before the weekend. NASCAR reporter Bob Pockrass informed fans on X that HMS had swapped the positions of its front and rear tire changers for the Mexico race. That way, even with the reversed pit stop, the changes could stick to its usual tires, just from the opposite direction.

In checking rosters, appears the Hendrick crews have swapped their rear and front changers with this being a “reverse” pit road with the right side of the car closest to pit wall (like Watkins Glen).

— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) June 12, 2025

Fuelers also face a challenging task. Their approach angle changes when the car’s right side is near the wall. Properly lining up the fuel can on the opposite side without spilling or losing time gets trickier.

Jumping off the wall to get to the car will be another task for which the crew will need ample practice. A sudden change in positioning could lead to early jumps and penalties.

History in the Making for NASCAR at Mexico City

There’s always pressure during a big race weekend, especially when NASCAR travels internationally. With this being the first points-paying Cup Series race outside the U.S. in decades, every team is looking for ways to stay sharp.

HMS’s roster tweak is a smart adjustment. Some teams prefer to keep changers in their regular spots and have them switch their usual positions on the car, which often leads to confusion. By swapping their positions entirely, HMS hopes to avoid that awkward transition.

Their small decision to flip their crew setup could make a big difference on Sunday.

Denny Hamlin announced Thursday that he will not compete in this weekend’s NASCAR Cup Series race in Mexico City, as he will focus on tending to his fiancee Jordan after the birth of their son on June 11. Hamlin will take a week off from driving the No. 11 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing after earning three wins this season, the most recent of which came just one week ago at Michigan.

Ryan Truex, the younger brother of 2017 Cup champion Martin Truex Jr. and the reserve driver for Joe Gibbs Racing, will drive Hamlin’s No. 11 in his place this weekend at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, while Hamlin’s team will apply for a waiver from NASCAR to maintain their playoff eligibility. Per NASCAR rules, full-time drivers who miss a race are permitted to apply for a waiver to maintain their playoff eligibility in the event of an injury, or for accepted personal reasons such as the birth of a child.

“We are happy to announce the birth of our son. Everyone is doing well,” Hamlin said in a statement. “My main priority is to be here at home for Jordan and our family for the next few days when she is able to go home and we transition to life as a family of five.”

Hamlin, who had been on baby watch over the past two weeks, said earlier this week on his podcast Actions Detrimental that it would be very difficult for him to travel to Mexico if his son was not born by a certain point, citing the logistics and complications that come with international travel that would make it more difficult for him to go back and forth between home and the racetrack.

“It’s one thing when you’re in Michigan, you’re an hour-and-a-half flight away, there’s no customs, I fly right into the airport. It’s not that in Mexico,” Hamlin said. “So I certainly can’t leave until we have a baby.”

NASCAR at Michigan results: Denny Hamlin prevails in fuel mileage duel for his third win of the season

Steven Taranto

Mexico City will mark the first Cup race that Hamlin has missed since March 2014, when a sinus infection that compromised Hamlin’s vision sidelined him for a race at Fontana. Hamlin had made 406 consecutive starts after that point, a streak which will end on Sunday just after Hamlin made his 700th career Cup start at Nashville two weeks ago.

As for Truex, Sunday’s race in Mexico City will mark his first Cup start since 2014, when he ran most of the season driving for BK Racing with a best finish of 20th at Pocono. Truex, who has three career wins in the Xfinity Series, last attempted a Cup race when he failed to qualify for the 2019 Daytona 500 driving for car owner Tommy Baldwin.

Hamlin currently sits third in the Cup Series regular season standings, having wins at Martinsville, Darlington and Michigan to go with seven top fives and eight top 10s in 15 races. This season has seen Hamlin move to 11th on NASCAR’s all-time wins list, with his 57th career win at Michigan putting him just three victories away from tying Kevin Harvick for the 10th-most Cup wins all-time as he continues to pursue his first Cup championship.

NASCAR has adjusted the Friday and Saturday schedule in Mexico City after multiple industry members could not leave Charlotte, N.C., because of flight issues.

The travel issues occurred on Thursday, when the majority of the industry headed for Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez. However, with two aircraft experiencing issues, multiple Xfinity Series and Cup Series teams and some drivers are still in Charlotte or looking elsewhere for flights to Mexico.

As such, NASCAR has pushed Xfinity Series practice from Friday to Saturday. Cup Series practice was shifted to later in the day on Friday, and, because of the change to Saturday’s schedule of events, Cup Series qualifying moved back that day. Sunday’s schedule has not changed.

Friday will now be as follows:

• The first NASCAR Mexico Series race will be at 11:30am local time
• Cup Series practice (there will be two) has shifted to 2:05pm and 3:30pm local time
• Xfinity Series practice moves to Saturday

Saturday will now be as follows:

• Xfinity Series teams will have a 50-minute practice at 9:05am local time
• Xfinity Series qualifying will be at 10:10am local time
• Cup Series qualifying has been moved to 12:05pm local time
• The second NASCAR Mexico Series race has been shifted to 5pm local time

Mexico City is in the Mountain time zone. It is two hours behind the East Coast.

The original weekend schedule would have put Xfinity Series and Cup Series teams on track Friday for the first time, with each series receiving two practice sessions. Saturday would have then seen qualifying for both series and the Xfinity Series race, the first for that series since 2008 in Mexico City.

Sunday is the inaugural event for the Cup Series in Mexico.

In the final hour of night practice for the 93rd Le Mans 24 Hours, Ferrari finished 1-2 on the leaderboard to shake off a lackluster effort in Hyperpole.

Robert Kubica set the pace in the yellow No. 83 AF Corse Ferrari 499P with a 3m26.523s, followed by the factory-run red No. 50 Ferrari 499P.

Cadillacs took up three of the next four spots in the running order with the No. 31 Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R in third, the No. 38 Hertz Team JOTA Cadillac in fourth, and the No. 12 JOTA Cadillac, the pole-sitting car for Sunday, in sixth behind the No. 6 Porsche Penske Motorsport 963.

The No. 48 VDS Panis Racing ORECA 07-Gibson led LMP2; Toyota-backed young driver Esteban Masson set a 3m38.302s to lead the class, followed by the No. 29 TDS Racing ORECA and the No. 183 AF Corse ORECA.

And in LMGT3, Jose Maria Lopez put the No. 87 Akkodis ASP Team Lexus RC F LMGT3 in first place with a 3m55.057s – leading the No. 10 Racing Spirit of Leman Aston Martin and the No. 54 Vista AF Corse Ferrari.

Brenton Grove had only completed one lap in his No. 63 Iron Lynx Mercedes-AMG LMGT3 when the car came to a halt at the exit of the first Mulsanne Chicane. On its own, it wasn’t what the Grove family-fronted entry needed, after changing chassis following Stephen’s big Free Practice 1 crash.

And with the lack of sufficient night-time running last night and tonight, it puts the crew of the No. 63 Mercedes-AMG in a very difficult position just to be able to race on Saturday and Sunday.

There was drama later on for the No. 23 United Autosports ORECA – with 15 minutes to go, Daniel Schneider suffered a right-front puncture and stopped along the Mulsanne Straight to bring out a Full Course Yellow.

In the interim, the No. 15 Team WRT BMW M Hybrid V8 limped back to the garage after just one lap with a reported cooling system issue.

Towards the end, Zacharie Robichon reported a potential drivetrain issue for the LMGT3 pole-sitting No. 27 Heart of Racing Team Aston Martin Vantage LMGT3, but the car returned to the track in time for the checkered flag.

RESULTS

Yamaha Motor Corp., USA awarded over $387,000 in grants through its Yamaha Outdoor Access Initiative (OAI). The company supported off-road access support efforts to protect and improve OHV opportunities across the U.S. These efforts focused on large-scale projects in Oregon and Georgia.

“Yamaha continues to support a range of projects that address challenges to outdoor recreation, and we’re eager to partner with those who share our passion for building and protecting access to the spaces we all enjoy,” said Steve Nessl, Yamaha Motorsports marketing director. “It’s gratifying to see these collaborative efforts evolve into large-scale projects that help make outdoor recreation accessible to everyone.”

Major OHV Investments Receive Off-Road Access Support

This quarter, Yamaha OAI grants supported 12 projects. The list included major OHV riding areas and trail systems in Oregon. The Great Outdoors Fund (supported by Florence Motorsports) received funding for Phase Two of an OHV signage project. The project will expand across the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area to promote safety, stewardship and regulations.

The Rogue Valley SxS Club (supported by Waterworld Boat and Powersport) will use its grant for trail maintenance. The club will focus on clearing the 270-mile Prospect OHV trail system and removing downed trees from designated trails.

OHV Construction and Conservation (supported by Power Motorsports) will create a loop trail around Tillamook State Forest’s OHV area. The “Tour of the Tillamook Powered by Yamaha” project includes trail development, maintenance and new signage. This project includes 49 trails: 17 double-track, 13 4×4 and 19 single-track routes.

The Georgia Recreational Trail Riders Association (supported by Cycle Specialty) received funding for trail improvements across the state. The group will maintain more than six motorized trails and riding areas. Their work includes bridge repair, culvert installation and new signage.

Yamaha OAI grant funds will also protect California’s historic Perris Raceway (supported by Langston Motorsports). Additionally, the initiative will continue supporting the All Kids Bike program for kindergartners nationwide.

Additional Recipients

Yamaha OAI also awarded Q1 2025 grants to the following organizations:

• Burbank Police Department
• Everything Outdoor Fest — D2 Powersports (Spartanburg, South Carolina)
• Riley Directorate of Family, Morale, Welfare and Recreation — Brooks Yamaha Inc. (Manhattan, Kansas)
• Stewards of the Sierra National Forest Inc. — Clawson Motorsports (Fresno, California)
• Truckee Dirt Riders — Michael’s Reno Powersports (Reno, Nevada)

Yamaha OAI continues accepting quarterly grant applications to fund urgent access projects and land rehabilitation. The initiative prioritizes safe OHV use, trail and land maintenance, and sustainable access to public lands.

The application deadline for the second quarter of 2025 is June 30. Yamaha invites land managers, riding clubs, and stewardship organizations to apply.

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.”

More on Arby’s and the Chicago Street Race

“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.