The longtime theory (around here, anyway) said NASCAR babies are always born on a Tuesday.

Is it all right to point out when something doesn’t happen?

OK, good.

The Boys in the Booth did not throw a caution flag during Sunday’s closing laps in Mexico City. 

Shane van Gisbergen was so far ahead, he’d win the race and be done with his donuts and burnout while many drivers were still completing the final lap.

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If a situation ever called for a visit from good ol’ Jacques Debris, that was it. We’ve all made fun of NASCAR over the years for those mysterious debris cautions that spring up when a rout is unfolding in the later laps, but this time, the yellow flag remained holstered.

Best guess: They were ready to get outta there. From a marketing standpoint, NASCAR’s first Cup Series visit to Mexico City appears to have succeeded. But logistically, what a pain. It didn’t help when one of the chartered jets blew an engine before leaving the Charlotte runway.

A lot of personnel, including a good chunk of van Gisbergen’s crew, arrived late for the weekend. And then it rained.

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And finally, SVG “stunk up the show,” to borrow (and tweak) an old Bill France Jr. term.

Thankfully, he didn’t stink up the cockpit.

Huh? We’ll get to that, and more, as we throttle up.

First Gear: SVG plugs the leaks with a checkered flag in Mexico City

Compared to crediting Goodyear and the pit crew, professing love for the wife and kids back home, and thanking the ticket buyers, this wasn’t your typical winner’s interview from SVG.

“I felt pretty rubbish today,” he began, “leaking out both holes.”

He wasn’t talking about his Chevy. It was a short-lived illness that came on suddenly Saturday night and departed in time-honored fashion.

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But for a few hours Sunday afternoon, the exit ramps were closed and Shane did what he’s been hired to do — show off on the road courses while hopefully improving enough on ovals to become a threat instead of an accessory in the playoffs.

After races at Pocono and Atlanta the next two weeks, NASCAR has back-to-back road races at Chicago and Sonoma. The odds boards had SVG heavily favored entering Mexico, so how much of a favorite will he be when Chicago rolls around?

It’s a good time to remind everyone that he still loses more road-course races than he wins. Including his part-time work the previous two seasons, he’s now 2-for-8 on road courses, though he did win three of six in last year’s Xfinity season.

Second Gear: So SVG has no shot in the NASCAR playoffs?

Probably not. Barring a serious uptick in oval-track performance, he’d need to thread some needles to go deep in the playoffs.

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Step 1 was Sunday’s win and the automatic playoff entry it brings — along with the five-point bonus for the win and another bonus point for winning a stage. Those bonus points transfer to the playoffs, and if he piles up a bunch in the three remaining regular-season road races, it will obviously help.

If he gets through the Round of 16 (Darlington, St. Louis, Bristol), the Round of 12 includes the Charlotte Roval. And the Round of 12 includes Talladega.

It’s tempting to say “stranger things have happened,” but frankly, it’d be shocking to see SVG ride into Phoenix in November as one of the Championship 4.

Third Gear: Ricky Stenhouse prefers north-of-border retribution for Carson Hocevar

The next two tracks on the schedule — Pocono and Atlanta — are fast ones. In normal times, growing a third eyeball would be beneficial to any driver.

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Consider Carson Hocevar. Along with the heavy traffic at high speeds, it’s gonna be pure head-on-a-swivel time as he keeps tabs on the whereabouts of a ticked-off Ricky Stenhouse Jr., who delivered a warning which, you have to assume, has never been uttered before in the nearly eight decades of NASCAR racing.

“I told him I was going to beat his ass once we got back in the states.”

It’s a weird dynamic and probably not rooted in any type of science, but in stock-racing particularly, when two guys develop a history of not playing well together, they find themselves near each other quite often.

Hocevar got into Ricky’s left-rear two weeks earlier in Nashville, which seemed avoidable. Sunday in Mexico, he simply lost his car and, wouldn’t you know it, Ricky was nearby, took the brunt, and later delivered his version of diplomacy to Hocevar.

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Yes, there’s some irony here. It wasn’t all that long ago, Ricky Stenhouse was the driver who went through a period of igniting caution flags and anger. In racing, what goes around will eventually come around. Barring trouble in Turn 2.

Fourth Gear: One more week, and Amazon delivers its Prime product to TNT

Grandma’s NASCAR blackout has just one more Sunday to go. Pocono will be the fifth and final installment of Amazon Prime’s midseason takeover of the Cup Series.

After that comes five weeks on TNT, which Grandma can find because that’s where she goes to watch “Charmed” every morning. And guess what: The broadcast changes from Prime to TNT, but TNT keeps the Prime roster of on-air talent, which includes Junior and Cousin Carl — Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Carl Edwards.

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Not sure if TNT will also keep Prime’s strategy of negating full commercial breaks during green-flag racing. We’ll find out soon enough, but not soon enough for the Prime boycotters.

— Email Ken Willis at ken.willis@news-jrnl.com

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: NASCAR race in Mexico City ends in rainy rout as SVG plugs leaks

Two NASCAR insiders had a problem with a caution flag being thrown at the start of the Cup Series race at Mexico City. On The Teardown podcast, Jeff Gluck and Jordan Bianchi of The Athletic talked about how NASCAR should have let the drivers and teams handle things when it was raining at the start of the race.

“Right as they’re coming into the stadium for the first time, they throw the caution,” Gluck said. “It was wet, but you could say, ‘Hey, there’s rain. There’s rain. Pit now or slow down.’ Just let the teams make their pit stop. If you need to declare it wet weather or whatever, turn on your flashing lights.

“Just tell them on the radio. ‘Hey, they just said turn on your lights. Okay, do it.’ I don’t think they need to parent them like that because some of them would have said, ‘Hey, I’m going to try to do a few more laps or whatever.’ Some of them would have pitted immediately. Let their skill and their talent… take a gamble or crash.”

Bianchi added, “Let them make the choice of how they want to conduct themselves, and then they have the consequences of however they do it. I 100 percent agree.”

Shane van Gisbergen talks about winning the NASCAR Mexico City race

The caution for rain was one of six cautions during the Mexico City race. It only lasted for three laps, and Shane van Gisbergen went on to win the event. After the race, van Gisbergen was asked if he found Autódromo Hermamos Rodríguez challenging.

“I didn’t find it the most challenging,” van Gisbergen said. “It’s all first and second gear corners so quite boring. I like a track with fast corners and you’ve really got to hang on to the car and commit. The track itself wasn’t very challenging. It was first and second gear everywhere and a lot of technique, I guess, but that’s why in qualifying everyone was within eight-tenths or a second. It’s close because the track is not challenging.”

Van Gisbergen talked about the track being special in his career. “I’ve been very lucky to take part in some great races, win a few majors, I guess, and this is certainly up there,” he said. “It probably wasn’t sunk in yet, but as I said, I’ve been lucky enough to race in Europe, Asia, and I’ve never raced here. There’s a couple places left I’d love to go and race, but yeah, I’m stoked to tick off another cool race.”

• The Iowa Corn 350 NASCAR Cup Series race at Iowa Speedway is sold out for the second consecutive year.
• The race will take place on August 3rd and air on USA Network.
• Strong attendance at the 2024 race secured Iowa Speedway’s spot on the 2025 schedule.

For the second straight year, the Iowa Corn 350 NASCAR Cup Series race at Iowa Speedway is sold out.

Yamaha Motor Corp., USA, awarded more than $387,000 in grants through its Yamaha Outdoor Access Initiative (OAI) in the first quarter of 2025, supporting efforts to protect and improve off-highway vehicle opportunities across the country, with a particular focus on large-scale projects in Oregon and Georgia.

Since 2008, the Yamaha Outdoor Access Initiative has contributed over $6 million to more than 470 projects across the country.

“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,” says 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.”

Yamaha’s first quarter OAI grants supported 12 projects, including these major investments in OHV riding areas and trail systems in Oregon:

• The Great Outdoors Fund (supported by Florence Motorsports) was awarded funding for Phase Two of an OHV educational signage project across the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area, promoting messages of safety, stewardship, regulations, and recreation opportunities.
• The Rogue Valley SxS Club (supported by Waterworld Boat and Powersport) will use its grant to support trail clearing and maintenance on the 270-mile Prospect OHV trail system, focusing on removing downed trees to keep riders on designated trails.
• OHV Construction and Conservation (supported by Power Motorsports) will develop a loop trail around the outer edge of the Tillamook State Forest OHV area. The “Tour of the Tillamook Powered by Yamaha” project encompasses 49 trails, comprising 17 double-track, 13 4×4, and 19 single-track routes, and includes trail development, restoration, maintenance, tree removal, and trail signage.

In Georgia, the Georgia Recreational Trail Riders Association, supported by Cycle Specialty, will use its grant to maintain more than six motorized trails and riding areas throughout the state. Work will include bridge repair, culvert installation, and signage.

Yamaha OAI grant funds also will protect California’s historic Perris Raceway, supported by Langston Motorsports, and continue supporting the All Kids Bike program, which teaches kindergarteners nationwide to ride bicycles as part of their physical education curriculum.

The Yamaha OAI continues to accept grant applications on a quarterly basis, providing timely resources to address urgent access issues and land rehabilitation efforts. While project types vary, Yamaha OAI prioritizes initiatives that promote safe and responsible OHV use, perform essential trail and land maintenance, and protect, restore, and expand sustainable access to public lands.

The application deadline for the second quarter of 2025 is June 30. Yamaha invites public land managers, riding clubs, and stewardship organizations to apply. Submission guidelines and applications are available at YamahaOAI.com.