MEXICO CITY — Alex Bowman wasn’t sure he was going to make the trip to Mexico City because of lower back pain suffered in “the hardest hit of my career” at Michigan last week.

As late as Wednesday — the day before he was scheduled to leave for NASCAR’s first points-paying Cup Series race of the modern era outside the United States — the Hendrick Motorsports driver was so sore he didn’t know if he’d be able to get in the car.

He was still sore after two days of practice at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, but it was after he got out of his No. 48 Chevrolet and not while he was driving. Bowman said his hit registered 50 G-force.

“I don’t know if on paper that’s the biggest (hit) I’ve ever taken, but it’s the most painful one I’ve ever taken, for sure,” Bowman said Saturday. “Even compared to when I broke my back, it’s way more pain than that was.”

Bowman last Sunday slammed hard into the wall at Michigan in a head-on impact at approximately 150 mph. The hit was so fierce that it lifted the rear wheels in the air. Although nothing was broken, he has severe lower back pain on his right side that shoots into his leg.

The 32-year-old kidded he’s been a bit of a “crash dummy” of late: Bowman missed five races in 2022 with a concussion suffered at Texas, and he broke his back in a 2023 sprint car crash that led Rick Hendrick to ban him from further extracurricular racing.

Although he’s ranked 13th in the Cup Series standings, he didn’t want to miss a race considering the recent slump Bowman is going through. He has finished 27th or worse in seven of the last nine races and has five finishes of 35th or worse.

Even though Bowman made it to Mexico City and says he feels fit enough inside the car, Anthony Alfredo is on standby in case Bowman can’t complete Sunday’s race on the 15-turn, 2.42-mile layout.

Alfredo, a full-time driver in the Xfinity Series, does simulator work for Hendrick Motorsports. He has 42 starts in the Cup Series, including one start earlier this year at Talladega Superspeedway.

Bowman, who qualified 29th, hopes to be able to complete the race.

“The goal is to get all the laps in and go from there,” Bowman said. “It hasn’t been a fun week at all. Wednesday was probably the worst day, but we’re here and ready to go. It’s all in the right side of my lower back and then through my lower right leg. Everything is really tight. It’s all muscular. Definitely a lot of pain.”

Shane Van Gisbergen won the pole for Sunday’s race in Mexico City in a rain-shortened qualifying session.

The New Zealander got in three qualifying laps and took the top spot with a lap of 93.904 mph to put his No. 88 Chevrolet from Trackhouse Racing out front.

Van Gisbergen proved to be a master of racing on a wet road course in his NASCAR debut when he won on the rain-drenched street course in Chicago in 2023. That victory led to a career change for Van Gisbergen, who was an Australian V8 Supercars champion but made the move to NASCAR after shocking the Cup Series with his Chicago win.

With rain expected Sunday in Mexico City, many believe Van Gisbergen is the favorite to pick up his second career Cup victory. He didn’t want to claim that title, even though BetMGM Sportsbook has him listed as the +225 favorite.

“I don’t know, that’s your guys’ jobs, but I do know that we will be competitive if we get everything right,” he said. “It’s so hard to know what the car’s going to be like — it’s a different track, how it’s going to be affected by the altitude and the surface. We should be up front. These are the types of tracks I’m good at, so we’ll see.”

But, he added he actually despises racing in the rain despite his superior skills at maneuvering slick surfaces.

“I absolutely hate racing in the rain, but I’m good at it,” he said. “I’d rather it didn’t rain, but if it happens, we put the wets on and go. I just don’t enjoy it. It’s just never fun. You’re always sliding around, and it just turns stuff into chaos. It’s fun to watch, but I don’t really enjoy driving.”

Ryan Preece in a Ford for RFK Racing qualified second and was followed by Ross Chastain, Van Gisbergen’s teammate at Trackhouse. Ty Gibbs in fourth was the highest qualifying Toyota driver.

Daniel Suarez has been feted as a hero since arriving home in Mexico for this weekend’s race, but the joy was spoiled when he demolished his car during qualifying for the Xfinity Series race.

The Saturday crash caused JR Motorsports to unload a backup for Suarez to race later in the day. The native of Monterrey is doing double duty this weekend, racing in both the Xfinity Series race and the Cup Series race for Trackhouse.

He qualified 10th for the Cup race.

But because of his crash, he had to start at the back of the Xfinity field.

Suarez said his Chevrolet had some brake issues in practice that led to a debate over skipping qualifying. He ultimately went out on the track but his brakes failed in Turn 11 and the car did not stop or turn.

Instead, it slid across the track and slammed nose-first into the barrier. The crash buried the No. 9 into the firewall, and Suarez climbed out of his mangled car unscathed.

___

AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing

Tyler Reddick is looking for his first win of the season and sixth top-10 finish when he takes part in the 2025 Viva Mexico 250 at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico City on Sunday. He finished 13th last week at Michigan International Speedway. The 29-year-old has competed in 197 races over his seven-year career. Since joining the NASCAR Cup Series, he has eight wins and 83 top-10 finishes. Denny Hamlin, last week’s winner, will not compete due to the birth of his son.

Shane van Gisbergen is the +330 favorite, with Christopher Bell at +700, William Byron, Tyler Reddick and Kyle Larson at +800, and Chase Elliott at +1000 in the latest 2025 Viva Mexico 250 at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico City odds from DraftKings Sportsbook. Sunday’s race is scheduled to start at 3 p.m. ET. Before making any 2025 Viva Mexico 250 at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico City picks or NASCAR predictions, you need to see what NASCAR insider Steven Taranto has to say.

Taranto, who moonlights as a sim racer and has 20 career wins in iRacing, is the lead NASCAR writer for CBSSports.com. He has an annual NASCAR media credential and also publishes a popular weekly NASCAR predictions column, famously calling Ross Chastain and Daniel Suarez’s breakthrough wins in 2022.

Taranto was red-hot for SportsLine in 2024 as he nailed 17 winners, including 16-1 longshot William Byron at the Daytona 500 and 14-1 longshot Chase Elliott at Texas. He correctly picked the Straight Talk Wireless 400 winner in Larson on March 23. Anyone following his NASCAR picks at their favorite sportsbooks could have seen huge returns.

Now, Taranto has analyzed the starting lineup and odds for Sunday’s Viva Mexico 250 at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico City. He’s sharing his best bets at SportsLine. You can also use them to take advantage of the latest FanDuel promo code, DraftKings promo code or BetMGM promo code.

2025 NASCAR Viva Mexico 250 expert picks

For the 2025 Viva Mexico 250 at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico City, Taranto is high on a number of favorites, including Shane van Gisbergen, the +330 favorite. The road course expert should be in the mix, after leading 23 laps en route to a sixth-place finish at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, in March. The 36-year-old from New Zealand is in his third year at the NASCAR Cup level. In 18 races over three years, he has posted one win and five top-10 finishes.

His Cup Series win was at the street course at the 2023 Grant Park 220 in Chicago. He is a three-time Supercars champion. Van Gisbergen is fourth on the all-time wins list in the Supercars Championship, registering 80 wins and 46 pole positions. He also has three wins and 10 top-10 finishes in 33 races at the NASCAR Xfinity Series level. See which other drivers he’s backing at SportsLine.

Top NASCAR props for Mexico City

Head-to-head: Taranto sees Michael McDowell (-140) finishing ahead of Alex Bowman (+105). Although Bowman has seven top-10 finishes this season compared to just one for McDowell, Bowman is coming off a hard crash last week in Michigan and Xfinity Series driver Anthony Alfredo is on standby in case Bowman can’t go this week. McDowell is a solid road racer, having placed 11th at the Circuit of the Americas in March and fifth last year in Chicago. The 40-year-old has two wins in his 18-year career with 45 top-10 finishes.

Bowman, meanwhile, won last year’s Grant Park 165 in Chicago and was ninth at the 2025 EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix. He finished fifth at the 2025 Advent Health 400 last month. He was second at the Straight Talk Wireless 400 in March. In his 11-year career, the 32-year-old has registered eight wins and 103 top-10 finishes in 336 races. See all of Taranto’s picks at SportsLine. 

How to make 2025 Viva Mexico 250 predictions

Taranto has also identified four other drivers in his 2025 Viva Mexico 250 at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico City best bets. He’s also high on a huge NASCAR longshot going off with double-digit odds, potentially netting any backer a huge payday.  You can only see who they are here.

So who wins the 2025 Viva Mexico 250 at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico City, and which massive longshot could stun NASCAR? Visit SportsLine now to see the 2025 Viva Mexico 250 at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico City picks and best bets from a NASCAR insider who nailed a colossal 17 winners last year, and find out.

2025 NASCAR Viva Mexico 250 odds, lineup

See full 2025 Viva Mexico 250 at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico City picks at SportsLine

(odds subject to change)
Shane van Gisbergen +330
Christopher Bell +700
William Byron +800
Tyler Reddick +800
Kyle Larson +800
Chase Elliott +1000
A.J. Allmendinger +1200
Daniel Suarez +1400
Kyle Busch +1400
Chris Buescher +1600
Ross Chastain +1800
Michael McDowell +1800
Alex Bowman +2500
Carson Hocevar +2800
Chase Briscoe +3000
Ty Gibbs +3000
Austin Cindric +3500
Denny Hamlin +4000
Ryan Blaney +4000
Joey Logano +5500
Bubba Wallace +15000
Brad Keselowski +15000
Todd Gilliland +15000
Justin Haley +20000
Austin Dillon +20000
Ryan Preece +20000
Noah Gragson +20000
Cole Custer +25000
Zane Smith +25000
Josh Berry +30000
Erik Jones +30000
Riley Herbst +30000
John Hunter Nemechek +40000
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. +40000
Cody Ware +100000
Ty Dillon +100000
Katherine Legge +100000    

MEXICO CITY — Shane van Gisbergen, who won the inaugural Cup Chicago Street Race in 2023, will look to add a victory in the inaugural Cup race at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez after earning the pole for Sunday’s event.

The Trackhouse Racing driver claimed the No. 1 starting spot with a lap of 93.904 mph around the 15-turn, 2.42-mile road course Saturday.

It his van Gisbergen’s second career Cup pole. His other pole came last year at the Charlotte Roval.

“We made some big swings last night,” van Gisbergen said. “… We had a lot more front grip, which is what I needed. But my laps were average, like you’ll see everyone was beating me on the first half of the lap and then my lap gets good at the end.

“We had a lot of speed today, which is good. It’s been a great improvement. What a really cool achievement for us and a great start for (Sunday). I’m excited.”

Ryan Preece qualified second after a lap of 93.839 mph. It his first top-five starting spot on a road course.

Ross Chastain will start third after a lap of 93.830 mph. Ty Gibbs qualified fourth at 93.757 mph. Michael McDowell completed the top five with a lap of 93.704 mph.

Mexican native Daniel Suarez qualified 10th after a lap of 93.616 mph. Points leader William Byron qualified 27th with a lap of 93.218 mph. Ryan Truex will start 36th after a lap of 92.070 mph. He’s subbing for Denny Hamlin, who remained in the U.S. after the birth of his son on Wednesday.

Jeff Gordon is obviously revered as one of the greatest NASCAR drivers of all time, but he’s making an impact these days as the vice chairman of Hendrick Motorsports.

The 53-year-old raced full-time for 23 years for Hendrick Motorsports and now he’s part of the team that’s consistently leading the top of the NASCAR Cup Series standings. Hendrick Motorsports features William Byron – who won the Daytona 500 this season for the second time – Kyle Larson, Chase Elliott and Alex Bowman.

Entering this weekend’s NASCAR race at Mexico City, Larson is at the top of the standings with 535 points and three wins, while Byron ranks fourth, Elliott ranks 10th and Bowman ranks 15th.

That same four-driver team has been together since 2021 and they’re the most well-rounded team in NASCAR today, with their drivers consistently ranking at the top of the standings.

“It’s been a solid start,” says Gordon in a one-on-one interview. “We’ve been going to victory lane with two of our cars winning the Daytona 500 but we’ve been top 10 all year long, with all four. It’s been good, but we’re never content with that. We’ve got to always ramp up and push the envelope to get better.”

We’re only a little more than halfway through the season, with 11 more races left in the regular season and the playoff schedule starting at the end of August in Darlington.

Gordon stresses the importance of performing well in entering the stretch run of the season, which will culminate in the final race of the playoffs at Phoenix Raceway in November.

“With our new playoff system, where it comes down to 10 races in that final race in Phoenix this year, that’s the goal,” says Gordon. “You’ve got to constantly be improving in getting yourself in position. When those playoffs start, you’re peaking, you’re at your best when those last 10 races come. I feel like we have more work to do, but we’re in a really good position.”

Hendrick Motorsports Partners With Phorm Energy For Primary Sponsorship Of William Byron

Hendrick Motorsports is obviously seen as the cream of the crop when it comes to teams in NASCAR, as its the winningest team in the sports history.

There are no shortage of sponsors for the team, with Hendrick Motorsports partnering with Cincinnati Incorporated, Liberty University, Axalta, Valvoline and Raptor High Heat this season for Byron’s car this season. You can add another one to the list as Hendrick Motorsports is partnering with 1st Phorm’s “Phorm Energy,” which will include primary sponsorship starting in the 2026 season.

Phorm Energy is a new energy drink released this year as a result of Anheuser-Busch and 1st Phorm teaming up together. 1st Phorm is a nutrition and supplement company also based in Missouri, close to Anheuscer-Busch’s headquarters. UFC CEO and president Dana White is also invested in the brand.

The partnership will see primary sponsorship from Phorm Energy of Byron for six races during the 2026 season, which means branding on fire suits, helmets and fueler gear. It also means branding in Hendrick Motorsports’ new 35,000 square-foot athletic center when it opens next season.

“What’s cool about this, it’s the beginning of not just a partnership, but launching this brand, and we want to be a big part of that and contribute to its success,” says Gordon of partnering with Phorm Energy. “We think that it has endless opportunities. We look at this as a long-term partnership at Hendrick Motorsports.”

Gordon details what led to the partnership between Hendrick Motorsports and 1st Phorm’s Phorm Energy.

“We have incredible athletes, not just behind the wheels of the cars, drivers, but our pit crews, and we’ve been really looking for the right partner at Hendrick Motorsports that really fits well with our brand,” says Gordon. “Ford came on for our friendship with Brendan Whitworth (Anheuser-Bush CEO) and we’ve been trying to figure out what’s a good way where we can get to do a good partnership.

“He calls me one day, and says, ‘I think I got the one here,’ and as soon as you start hearing about it it’s like, ‘This is the perfect fit for us,’” Gordon continues to say. “It’s about how our athletes train with purpose, and that’s exactly what 1st Phorm is all about. It’s obviously exciting partnering with a company like Anheuser-Busch and 1st Phorm that’s going to really take this brand to another level, and we’re excited to be part of that.”

A big part of the partnership is not just putting the drivers at the forefront, it’s also about showcasing the pit crews and their efforts behind the scenes.

“Our athletes, you’re going to see more and more about that storyline coming out with behind the scenes, of the discipline that they have, the commitment that they have, the work ethic if they have what it takes to train and be at the elite level,” says Gordon. “From a pit crew standpoint, these guys have college football backgrounds, professional football backgrounds, and they’re a critical part of our success on the racetrack.

“Finding the right partner that is going to work with them and help them be even better and be a part of the branding behind that is super exciting,” Gordon continues to say. “I love our athletes, I love their personalities, and they’re super pumped about having Phorm Energy on board.”

Jeff Gordon On William Byron: ‘We Are Heavily Invested In His Future’

The 27-year-old Byron has finished in third in the final NASCAR Cup Series standings in back-to-back years. Gordon says he and Hendrick Motorsports is “heavily invested” in his future and calls him an “incredible” race car driver.

“Incredible race car driver, champion from the XFINITY series, and ever since he came to Hendrick, the talent is shown here,” says Gordon. “He’s got a great team surrounding him as well, two-time Daytona 500 champion. He’s been gaining the points this year. This guy has a long career, we just signed him to a new contract for four more years after this. Obviously we are heavily invested in his future, and I think he’s a future champion. If not this year, in the coming years.”

MEXICO CITY, Mexico – Rain ended qualifying early on Saturday afternoon as Hendrick Motorsports turned hot laps at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez. Kyle Larson will lead the organization to the green flag from sixth place.

RELATED: Engineering for beginners: The challenges of building an engine for Mexico City

Sunday’s main event will be the first NASCAR Cup Series race outside the US since the touring series visited Japan in 1998. Chase Elliott, who qualified 12th, leads the team in most wins at a road course with seven total. Teammate Larson follows close behind with six. 

Make sure to tune in Sunday afternoon at 3 p.m. ET on Prime Video to watch the historic race.

Check out the starting lineup below:

NASCAR Cup Series starting lineup

1. Shane Van Gisbergen, No. 88
2. Ryan Preece, No. 60
3. Ross Chastain, No. 1
4. Ty Gibbs, No. 54
5. Michael Mcdowell, No. 71
6. Kyle Larson, No. 5 Valvoline Chevrolet
   
7. Todd Gilliand, No. 34
8. A.J Allmendinger, No. 16
9. Joey Logano, No. 22
10. Daniel Suarez, No. 99
11. Kyle Busch, No. 8
12. Chase Elliott, No. 9 Llumar Chevrolet
    
13. Josh Berry, No. 21
14. Erik Jones, No. 43
15. Riley Herbst, No. 35
16. Chris Buescher, No. 17
17. Justin Haley, No. 7
18. Ryan Blaney, No. 12
19. Chase Briscoe, No. 19
20. Austin Cindric, No. 2
    
21. Austin Dillon, No. 3
    
22. Tyler Reddick, No. 45
23. Carson Hocevar, No. 77
    
24. Zane Smith, No. 38
25. Bubba Wallace, No. 23
26. Cole Custer, No. 41
27. William Byron, No. 24 Valvoline Chevrolet 
    
28. Ty Dillon, No. 10
29. Alex Bowman, No. 48 Ally Chevrolet 
    
30. Brad Keselowski, No. 6
31. Christopher Bell, No. 20
32. John Hunter Nemechek, No. 42
33. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47
34. Cody Ware, No. 51
35. John Hunter Nemechek, No. 42
36. Noah Gragson, No. 4
37. Ryan Truex, No. 11
38. Kathrine Legge, No. 78

NASCAR schedule updated 

Saturday, June 14

• 4:30 – Xfinity Series race, CW
• 7 – México Series race two, no TV

Sunday, June 15

Mexico City weather 

Rain is forecasted on and off this weekend. Make sure to stay tuned for the latest updates and changes to the schedule.