TEAM CHEVY UNOFFICIAL TOP-10 STARTING LINEUP:

POS. DRIVER

1st – Shane van Gisbergen

3rd – Ross Chastain

5th – Michael McDowell

6th – Kyle Larson

8th – AJ Allmendinger

10th – Daniel Suarez

· Gearing up for a history-making race in Mexico City, Shane van Gisbergen captured his first pole win of the 2025 season to lead the field to the green flag in Sunday’s Viva Mexico 250. Turning in a best lap of 93.904 seconds, at 132.776 mph, in his No. 88 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet, the qualifying effort delivered the 36-year-old Auckland, New Zealand, native his second career pole in NASCAR’s top division.

· Chevrolet owns half of the pole wins this season in NASCAR’s top division, with Shane van Gisbergen giving the manufacturer its eighth pole award heading into the 16th points-paying race. The pole triumphs have come on now three different racetrack configurations, with the road course of Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez being accompanied by one short-track pole win, as well as six on intermediate ovals.

· The Bowtie brand’s speed prevailed in qualifying with Chevrolet drivers taking six of the top-10 starting positions for the NASCAR Cup Series’ first-ever international points-paying race. Accompanying Shane van Gisbergen with strong qualifying efforts includes his Trackhouse Racing teammates, Ross Chastain and Daniel Suarez, who piloted their Chevrolet-powered machines to third and 10th-place qualifying efforts, respectively. Spire Motorsports’ Michael McDowell qualified fifth, Hendrick Motorsports’ Kyle Larson qualified eighth and Kaulig Racing’s AJ Allmendinger qualified eighth to give four different Chevrolet organizations representation in the top-10 of the starting lineup.

Shane van Gisbergen, No. 88 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet – Pole Winner Quotes

Where were the improvements in your car today for qualifying?

“We made some big swings last night. Our No. 88 Safety Culture Chevrolet was a bit better. 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 tomorrow. I’m excited.. that’s really cool.”

What are the tough parts of this track, and how much of an advantage is it starting on the pole tomorrow and having that No. 1 pit stall?

“Yeah, going into turn one, it’s crazy. The brake zone there, there’s going to be a lot of action there tomorrow. And then looking after the brakes, there’s no air, so the brakes are really going to struggle. We struggled yesterday on the long run, but being out front, you’ll get the most air in there.”

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Terran Swanson has always had a profound love of cars.

From watching his father, Brian, race vintage cars at Sonoma Raceway while growing up to working his first job as a parts washer at an auto shop, there was nothing that could separate the Petaluma native from the four-wheeled machines.

“I distinctly remember that I was not allowed to skip school on Friday to go to the racetrack,” Swanson recalled. “Turns out my uncle had barrel-rolled a car in the first practice session, so he came home early and was done for the weekend. So I didn’t get to see that, but later on I was going to the racetrack in pouring down rain and hanging out in the van all day.”

His life in motorsports reached new heights recently as a member of the pit crew for Alex Palou’s No. 10 car, this year’s winner of the famed Indianapolis 500.

Swanson is what is referred to as a rear-end mechanic, meaning he works on the back of Palou’s IndyCar for Chip Ganassi Racing. It’s a position he has held for the past two years, having worked his way up over five years as part of the Ganassi team.

But on Memorial Day weekend, Swanson was front and center for the No. 10 crew, working on the front right tire during pit stops. He was also responsible for guiding the car into the pit lane and sending it out once the crew is finished.

But Swanson, who now resides in Indianapolis, said being part of that city’s namesake racing circuit wasn’t a goal growing up.

“Funny enough, IndyCar wasn’t necessarily a dream,” Swanson said. “It was something I knew existed but never really followed it. What was the big passion was working on historic cars and club racing. There wasn’t a focus on IndyCar; I just wanted to work with race cars, that was the thought.”

Growing up on the east side of Petaluma and attending Casa Grande High School, Swanson’s first motorsports gig took him to Veloce Motors West on Petaluma Boulevard North. It was a job he took after graduation, washing car parts for about three years.

While working for Veloce, he attended Santa Rosa Junior College before moving out to Indiana to attend Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, now known as IU Indianapolis. The school was one of the only few that offered a Bachelor of Science degree in motorsports engineering.

After school, Swanson stayed in Indianapolis and got a job with Ganassi a few years later. Fast forward five years, and he was standing up on the pit wall at Indianapolis Motor Speedway May 25, watching Palou cross the finish line first despite a late caution.

“It is very much as people say — it’s a fleeting moment,” Swanson said of seeing Palou take the checkered flag. “It happens that quick, and then a few hours later the adrenaline wears off and you’re like, ‘I can’t believe this is real.’”

So what comes next after helping a driver to one of the biggest trophies in motorsports? Swanson said one of his goals is to continue to move up and eventually become a car chief. The big goal, he noted, is to become an Indy 500-winning car chief.

And his family back in Petaluma will be watching.

“I’m super proud,” Brian Swanson said of his son. “He’s doing a really good job, and it’s cool to see him following something that he loves to do.”

Terran tries to get back to Petaluma once or twice a year, and when he does he and his dad will race their vintage Formula Ford vehicles. In Indianapolis, Terran has a go-kart that he takes out as much as he can.

Clearly, his early desire to race is still there — when he’s not part of winning the “Greatest Spectacle in Racing.”

You can reach Staff Writer Kienan O’Doherty at 415-887-8650 or kienan.odoherty@pressdemocrat.com. On X (Twitter) @kodoherty22.

Daniel Suarez dreamed of NASCAR bringing its top series to Mexico one day. Now he’s living that dream, racing in his home country for the first time in 10 years this weekend, pulling double duty in the NASCAR Xfinity Series with JR Motorsports and the Cup Series race with his Trackhouse Racing team.

The latter, Sunday’s show, is the first time the Cup Series is racing in Mexico City, and it’s the first international points event for the series since 1958.

“It’s very hard to put into words,” Suarez said after Friday’s activities at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez. “I had an expectation on the hype of the people, the energy, and the fans coming and the media. The entire week and weekend, it has exceeded every single expectation that I’ve had. For that, I want to say thank you to you guys. This event – it hasn’t even started yet, and I’ve been living a dream. That’s exactly what has been happening for me the last few days.

“I’ve been very blessed, very happy to be here to be racing in front of you guys. Finally, I was able to drive the car and not just talk about it, and I feel like a fish in water. Hopefully, I can continue to have fun and continue to enjoy this moment. We’re making history together, not just NASCAR and me, but the entire country of Mexico. So, this is something very special, and it’s a very good example that when these two countries work together, the sky is the limit. I think it’s a great example of the work that NASCAR and Mexico, [promoter] OCESA, and all the promoters have been doing together.”

The last time Suarez was on track in Mexico City was when he ran in the NASCAR Mexico Series. Of the 10 wins that Suarez earned in the series, three of them came in Mexico City at the circuit NASCAR is competing at this weekend.

Suarez left Mexico City shortly after his NASCAR Mexico Series success and earned a ride with Joe Gibbs Racing in the Xfinity Series later that season. Two years later, he was a series champion, and then a year later, he unexpectedly became a full-time Cup Series driver when Carl Edwards retired. Today, Suarez is a two-time Cup Series winner with Trackhouse Racing.

The last time a NASCAR national series event was held in Mexico City was 2008. Suarez has, naturally, been the face of the sport’s return, and he has been eager to show off his country and his culture. Not only has Suarez been used repeatedly by NASCAR for promotion of the event, but he also arrived in Mexico early for events and obligations leading into race weekend.

“Honestly, a lot of people have been worried about that, but I haven’t,” Suarez said. “I have had a plan in my mind of what I was going to do, and I’ve been following that plan since Tuesday.

You have no idea how many people have been telling me, ‘Daniel, you’re going to be burned out. Daniel, slow down a little bit.’ I have a plan in my mind, and I already know what I need to do, how much to push. I’m just enjoying it.

“I’m like a kid on Christmas. That’s why you guys see me with a smile pretty much everywhere I go. It’s been a blast so far. Like I said, this is just getting started. This is only the first day of the weekend.”

Suarez earned his first career Cup Series win on a road course. A win Sunday would lock him into the playoffs as he enters Mexico City sitting 28th in the standings.

Sunday, June 15, 2025

NASCAR star Ryan Ellis slams American Airlines in a dramatic twist that has shaken fans and travelers alike. His chaotic trip to Mexico City wasn’t just a flight delay—it turned into a revealing spotlight on airline failures and growing travel disruption risks. As Ryan Ellis battled rebooking nightmares, sealed luggage, and sleepless hours, the road to one of motorsport’s most anticipated events turned turbulent. The trip to Mexico City, already expected to test the limits of logistics, became a case study in what can go wrong when air travel stumbles.

Ahead of major motorsport events, Ellis’s experience has now exposed serious airline failures that could impact not just athletes but the entire sports tourism ecosystem. The chaos didn’t end at the gate. It followed him to baggage claim, through security, and into viral headlines. This is no ordinary travel hiccup. It’s a warning—especially with more high-profile motorsport events on the horizon.

Ryan Ellis Highlights Airline Failures Ahead of NASCAR Mexico Race

NASCAR veteran Ryan Ellis faced a travel meltdown before the Mexico City race. An aborted takeoff, flight delays, left luggage, and even a locked suitcase have turned heads—not on the track, but in the travel industry.

This story goes beyond a sports drama. It’s a lesson in how airline failures can ripple into tourism, logistics, and international event planning. From Charlotte to Miami, and finally Mexico City, Ellis’s journey has highlighted risks that all events and travelers face now.

Abort at Charlotte: Safety Trumps Schedule

Ellis began his trip aboard a NASCAR-chartered flight out of Charlotte on Thursday. Nearly airborne, the plane aborted its takeoff. Emergency vehicles rushed in. The reason? Technical alarm and passenger concern. No one went back on that flight.

This move prioritized safety—a key message for all travelers. However, the sudden pivot triggered a sea change: crews scrambled, connections vanished, and stress rose.

Commercial Flight Delays Add Stress

Scrambling for alternatives, Ellis transferred to American Airlines via Miami. But commercial flights aren’t immune to chaos. Schedules slipped. Boarding times morphed. Exhaustion set in.

Ellis hit Mexico City but with only 105 minutes of sleep in twenty-four hours. That exhaustion wasn’t just personal—it highlights airline vulnerabilities during high-stakes travel surges.

Locked Luggage: Small Issue, Big Signal

When his bag finally arrived—tracked by AirTag—it was sealed with a wrench-lock applied by American Airlines. It wasn’t a security screening. It was a jammed cabin tool turned traveler frustration.

In normal travel, locked baggage signifies lost trust. When it happens to a professional athlete—country-wide news erupts. This wasn’t about sporting glory anymore, it became a story about airline transparency and traveler respect.

Race Logistics under Spotlight

NASCAR’s playoff series already demands tight schedules. Race weekends hinge on precise arrival times. Teams, media, and pit crews juggle chartered flights and commercial legs.

In Mexico, NASCAR reshuffled its schedule. Practice moved, qualifying delayed. This air travel breakdown rippled across the event’s timeline.

Sports tourism is a major driver of revenue—hotels, local transport, dining. One travel failure can disrupt an economy.

Industry Impacts: Travel Confidence Takes a Hit

Sports fans rarely fixate on flights. But when a driver calls out an airline, everyone listens. Air travel confidence is shaken. Airlines risk being the villain in travelogues.

For sports leagues, it raises questions. What backup plans exist when charters fail? Should teams invest in redundancy? What about insurance, or priority boarding, or parallel flight routes?

Airlines must respond. Better baggage protocols. Smoother rebooking platforms. And public messaging during disruptions.

Travelers Beware: The Seasonal Surge Warning

The summer travel season is here. Stadiums, race tracks, summer festivals. The demand-crash mismatch pressures carrier capacity. Overloaded flights. Unpredictable delays.

Ellis’s ordeal signals to every traveler: plan early. Stay flexible. Pack carry-ons. Get travel protection. Opt for bag tracking. Assume things will go sideways.

What Comes Next for Airlines and Events

American Airlines now faces scrutiny. Will the FAA investigate? Will NASCAR modify its travel clause for drivers? Will airlines shift high-end customers to premium coordination?

Elsewhere, airlines are listening. Will priority baggage channels emerge? Will VIP handling expand? There’s pressure to innovate in response to high-visibility travel failures.

Conclusion: A Pit Stop for Travel Improvement

Ryan Ellis made the race—just in time for Mexico City’s roar. But his airport saga is a cautionary travel tale. Whether pro or tourist, anyone can get blindsided by travel chaos.

Sporting events rely on reliable airlines. Airlines rely on civic trust. If that trust breaks, the impact spreads across hotel check-ins, city economies, and event schedules.

Ellis’s wrench-locked luggage becomes more than a personal frustration—it’s a wake-up call. Fix the gaps. Rethink logistics. Because in travel, excuses don’t win races.

Source: profootballnetwork

Tags: airline baggage policy, American Airlines, Charlotte, Flight Delays, International Sports Travel, June 2025 travel news, Mexico City, Miami, NASCAR Mexico, Ryan Ellis, travel chaos, Travel Disruption