In Mexico City, NASCAR has placed tire packs around the track at the apex of several corners, even adding another one after the first practice session. While drivers may use as much pavement as they want in some areas, such as the exit of the final corner, NASCAR wants to avoid drivers cutting corners.

They’ve also painted yellow lines through the esses, and crossing that line will result in a stop-and-go penalty at a designated location around the track. But the addition of tire packs is a welcomed one for most drivers, who would rather focus on avoiding those than having to worry about the painted lines on the track.

Wallace in favor of tire packs

Bubba Wallace, 23XI Racing Toyota

Photo by: Jam Media / Getty Images

 “I think it is good for us,” said Bubba Wallace when Motorsport.com asked about the tire packs in a Friday press conference. “Us Cup drivers, we push to find the limits of the race cars and the race tracks, and it seems like we are always revamping the race tracks to meet the driver’s needs – like, well the track needs to be wider here for us. Slow down, slow down and we can make the corner.

“We are taking a race track and making it ‘Cup cars 2.0’ and it doesn’t make sense to me, so I was a big fan of the tire packs. It forces you to stay on the track limits and I spent the majority of my time on the sim, staying tidy and staying on the racing surface, and I think hopefully that pays dividends for when we get on track later. But I’m a big fan of the tire packs, keeping us on line and keeping us on the racing surface.”

NASCAR is also being cautious about placing tire packs in the faster sections of the track. They infamously put a tire pack at the exit of the original Charlotte Roval chicane, which several drivers (including Wallace) clobbered in ugly practice crashes. So far, the tire packs have caused no issues in Mexico City.

Changing the way you approach the corner with tire packs

Chase Elliott, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

Photo by: Chris Graythen – Getty Images

Hendrick Motorsports driver Chase Elliott was also asked by a different media outlet about track limits, noting how the tire barriers weren’t there when they practiced on the sim in preparation for this weekend.

“I ran laps (on the sim) where I was really aggressive running off the road and kind of taking advantage of different areas that I felt might be worth a little bit of time. But I would say the majority of laps that I ran, you know by choice, was just really staying inside the lines because I had a feeling that might be a little more of a reality,” said Elliott. “But, you know, there are some areas that I think you’ll take advantage of off the racetrack. I think the tire barriers have, especially through (turns) eight and nine or whatever numbers… I don’t know which track map you’re looking at, right, the numbers change. But the last two, that’s before you get to the stadium section, for clarity, the tire packs, where they’re located through that section, I think will significantly change how at least I was approaching that section in the sim.

“But … we have some practice to get some time on the track. I think everyone’s going to be super aggressive with taking every advantage that you can take and probably stepping over that line. And if you get caught, you’ll get caught, and you’ll learn what you can and can’t do. So my intention is to go and push the limits as far as I can push them. I’ll probably step over them, you know, at different points in time. And I want to know for sure what’s going to be called and what wasn’t.

Allgaier: “Any mistake can be a big mistake here”

Justin Allgaier, JR Motorsports Chevrolet

Photo by: Logan Riely / Getty Images

Motorsport.com also asked reigning NASCAR Xfinity Series champion Justin Allgaier about the tire packs during his press conference appearance. The JR Motorsports driver said he and Michel Jourdain Jr. have been going over this very topic as he prepares for Saturday’s Xfinity race.

“For us, there are sections with track limits and there are sections without and I think it’s going to be interesting because we’re in a little bit of a moving target,” said Allgaier. “I think track limits can be relaxed or enforced harder based on how aggressive we are, and how much we’re trying to make in those sections. The tire packs, or the barriers that they’ve put in some of the different corners of the racetrack, I think are different than what I expected, until you see it and you feel it and understand it. I mean, even so, (even before making) a lap on track, I’m already changing my approach to a couple of different corners. That’s going to be something else that’s very interesting to me, is how do we race here? Where are the most effective passing zones?”

The tire packs also mean that drivers will have to be extra careful in minimizing mistakes as any off-road excursion could result in significant damage to the car.

“Any mistake can be a big mistake here,” noted Allgaier. “If you get off and you make a mistake, maybe other than turn one, it has the potential to be a big moment and damage to your car right so without really having the ability to go to a backup car, those are going to be important moments to not have, right.”

NASCAR starting positions for Mexico City

Tomorrow, the NASCAR Cup Series takes the green flag at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez. Now, the field rolls to the track for qualifying ahead of the first Cup race in Mexico.

View the Mexico starting lineup for the NASCAR Cup Series below.

Mexico Menu
Xfinity: Prac/Qual | Race
Cup: Prac | Qual | Race

Mexico TV Schedule

This qualifying session has been shortened after the rain has begun to fall. Shane van Gisbergen will start from the pole position.

Mexico City
Starting Lineup
June 15, 2025
NASCAR Cup Series

Pos | Driver

1. Shane van Gisbergen
92.776

2. Ryan Preece
92.840

3. Ross Chastain
92.849

4. Ty Gibbs
92.921

5. Michael McDowell
92.974

6. Kyle Larson
92.984

7. Todd Gilliland
93.020

8. AJ Allmendinger
93.022

9. Joey Logano
93.049

10. Daniel Suarez
93.061

11. Kyle Busch
93.084

12. Chase Elliott
93.108

13. Josh Berry
93.158

14. Erik Jones
93.194

15. Riley Herbst
93.201

16. Chris Buescher
93.206

17. Justin Haley
93.234

18. Ryan Blaney
93.247

19. Chase Briscoe
93.257

20. Austin Cindric
93.319

21. Austin Dillon
93.342

22. Tyler Reddick
93.345

23. Carson Hocevar
93.351

24. Zane Smith
93.365

25. Bubba Wallace
93.426

26. Cole Custer
93.428

27. William Byron
93.458

28. Ty Dillon
93.595

29. Alex Bowman
93.604

30. Brad Keselowski
93.707

31. Christopher Bell
93.720

32. John Hunter Nemechek
94.058

33. Ricky Stenhouse Jr
94.152

34. Cody Ware
94.213

35. Noah Gragson
94.416

36. Ryan Truex
94.624

37. Katherine Legge
95.468

Links

NASCAR.com

Kyle Larson, No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, met with the media in advance of the NASCAR Cup Series qualifying session at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez.

Media Availability Quotes:

Is there anything you’re going to be looking at for the Xfinity race today, just to see how NASCAR officiates things or how things go in order to potentially recommend or see if any changes should be made for Sunday?

“Yeah, I think you definitely try to pay attention to all that you can. I think as you mentioned, the officiating track limits is something, but also more from the competitive side of things. You notice how people are shaping corners, passing or things like that. Pit road entry, all the little details that matter for the race on Sunday. I felt like walking the track yesterday, there were a few areas where I was like — oh, this could be a concern. But once we got at speed, I didn’t think some of the barriers were in awkward spot outs or the tire packs were in awkward spots. I thought all that felt fine.”

You’re a veteran of international-type races. You’ve raced all over. Is this any different than going to Australia and doing a sprint car race?

“Well, we haven’t really quite gotten to the race yet. Obviously, the atmosphere will be a lot different, but the difference would be just the logistics of it; the shuttles and all of that. When I go race in Australia, it’s really no different, as far as driving to the racetrack or the people that you see and things like that. I imagine the atmosphere on Sunday will be quite a bit different from what we’re used to seeing in a NASCAR event.”

What’s your comfort level with the track at this point?

“Yeah, I think there’s still areas probably that you can fine tune and get a little better. But overall, I felt like it related well to the simulator. The feel of the car is somewhat similar and all of that. I was lucky enough that they got to put in some tire packs on the simulator on Tuesday for me to get in and visually get a feel for that. I thought it all looked normal to what I was used to in the sim, so I think that helped make the learning curve a little bit better. At this point, I think we’ve had to work on our car quite a bit to try and get it more comfortable. I think the altitude and what that does to the downforce itself is a real thing. It definitely feels different out there; braking, the initial turn into the corners and stuff. So yeah, it feels a little different and something I could adjust to.”

The forecast for tomorrow has the potential for rain. And even if it’s not raining during the race, it could be a wet track. What are the challenges and how might this track change under wet or rainy conditions?

“Yeah, I don’t know. Being not that experienced on wet, I would like for it to not rain or be wet. But I think at the same point, that opens up an opportunity. If you do hit on it or get comfortable, you can make a big difference behind the wheel.

I don’t know, but I’m a pretty risky driver. You could see that at Chicago in that crash last year.

I don’t know… I can take it or leave it. I would rather leave it. But yeah, we’ll see. We’ll just be ready for whatever conditions come.”

How did you feel with the elevation in the car yesterday?

“Yeah, I think when you’re in the car and after, I don’t know. I think you’re not focused on that, so I didn’t notice anything. It’s more like when I walk up the stairs to come here or walk up the stairs to go to the driver’s lounge, by the time you get to the top, you breathe a little bit heavier.

But in the car, no, it felt fine. I tracked my heart rate and all that normally. So yeah, I’m not sure. I think it’s just you’re not focused on that when you’re driving.”

What do you think about the track? What is the most difficult part of the track here in Mexico City? And if you can tell me as well, what’s your favorite part about Mexico?

“Yeah, I think that so far the most difficult thing or different thing to a typical road course that we feel would be I think that lack of downforce and then how that affects the brake zones. So that’s kind of challenging. I think you can see a lot of drivers kind of struggling with that yesterday. I think the sim kind of under-predicted that. So all the brake zones, we had to work to kind of back up, and then so you don’t lock up your rear tires and your front tires and whatnot. So yeah, that’s been the most challenging piece I think for most everybody.

And then yeah, Mexico’s been fun. It’s a different feeling weekend for us here. We don’t have our motor coaches and all that, so we’re all kind of put up in the same place. You’ve got to ride shuttles together. It’s honestly really fun and enjoyable to be around your competitors and get to know each other a bit better because on a typical weekend, we just kind of lock ourselves in wherever we’re at. We don’t talk to anybody or anything. So it’s nice that, yeah, you’re almost forced to hang out with each other. It’s cool. You get to know them, so I’ve enjoyed that.”

Does it feel like a school trip?

“Yeah, yeah, I guess you could compare that. It’s been a long time since I’ve been on a school field trip, but it does feel like that.”

What are the challenges in pitting off the right side of the car? Did you participate in pit stop practice this week?

“I did not participate in pit stop practice. Yeah, I mean, it’s different. I wouldn’t say it’s any more or less challenging. It’s different. And the pit stalls here are extremely short, so I think that’s where the challenge comes from. Combining that with, you know, turning right with your right front being out there, it’s kind of hard to judge your distance and things; your angles and getting those correct if you have to come around somebody. So, yeah, I think on pit road, caution flag pit stops will be difficult. I think you’ll see some penalties and see some guys boxed in and a little bit or a lot of congestion. The end of pit road narrows up too, so if you’re side-by-side two-wide and somebody pulls out three-wide, it’s going to get jammed up a lot. So, yeah, that will be interesting to see.”

You talked about how this is kind of a different weekend for the drivers. Is there anything you can pull from this weekend that you would like to see incorporated at other NASCAR races?

“I don’t know… I’m not sure. I think maybe things will come up tomorrow and seeing how, you know, driver intros go or the post-race podium and stuff. I think that could be a piece, an easy piece, to incorporate to other weekends.

I don’t know… I don’t know. I like hanging out with the other drivers, but I don’t know how you ban motorhomes and force us to stay at the same hotel in places like Pocono (laughs). But it’s fun.”

I was wondering if you believe you have some sort of an edge, you know, especially with other drivers, because you race a lot, a lot of different series, a lot of different type of cars. This is a new facility for most NASCAR drivers….

“I don’t. I think I can see how that could be a topic, but no, I don’t feel that way.

Obviously, I was slow yesterday, so no, I don’t think it matters. I just think everybody in the Cup Series is really good, and, you know, although, yes, it’s our first time here on the real-life surface, everybody probably spent time in the simulator at some point over the last couple weeks, so you learn the corners, you learn the gearing, you learn enough to where you come here and get up to speed pretty quickly. So I felt like it didn’t take but three or four laps for everybody yesterday to kind of get to a steady pace. I think that just shows the level of talent and ability in the Cup Series.”

You referenced the podium celebration earlier. Is that something that you would like to see, potentially, for all Cup races, or is that something that’s just maybe the compromise of you doing it for road course races and leaving it as is for others? Is that something that intrigues you, or what’s your thoughts on that?

“I don’t know. You know, maybe just your crown jewels events would be a good start, but I’m not sure. You know, I come from dirt racing where the top three have to stop on the frontstretch every night and, you know, do your interview, which we do interviews on pit road and stuff, so that’s not way different.

But, yeah, although it stinks sometimes when you’re frustrated and you’ve got to force a smile, I think the fans appreciate seeing the top three drivers on the frontstretch, the photos and whatnot. You look at other forms of motorsports, and, yeah, the post-race podium celebration — like I look at Formula 1, you kind of celebrate the country that you’re from, too, playing the national anthem. But I just think that’s a nice added touch. So, yeah, I think there’s ways to look at it and make it kind of feel like our own. You know, we’re not completely copying other forms of motorsports. But, yeah, I think I heard Ross (Chastain) say it, but, like, it’s tough to run the top three in the Cup Series, so I think it should definitely be celebrated a little bit more. You know, second and third should be celebrated a little bit more than it is, not only for yourself and your team, but your partners and whatnot. So, again, I think there’s ways that NASCAR can look at making it have their own kind of touch and feel. But, yeah, I think we’ll see how it goes tomorrow. I thought the L.A. Clash thing was awesome, too. So, yeah, we’ve done it before. I think we can do it at other places.”

GM PR

Hendrick Motorsports driver Kyle Larson is among the most versatile – and well-travelled – competitors in the NASCAR garage. And he had nothing but compliments for the organizers of the Mexico City race, noting it was kind of “fun” staying at the same hotel and sharing bus rides to the circuit with his competitors.

One of the unique features of the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez course is that the top-three drivers in the race will stand on a podium to receive trophies – similar to the traditional Formula One victory celebration.

Larson likes the idea and thinks maybe it’s something the sport would consider elsewhere as well.

“Maybe just your crown jewels events would be a good start, but I’m not sure,’’ Larson said, adding,  “Although it stinks sometimes when you’re frustrated and you’ve got to force a smile, I think the fans appreciate seeing the top three drivers on the frontstretch, the photos and whatnot.

“You look at other forms of motorsports, and the post-race podium celebration — like I look at Formula 1, you kind of celebrate the country that you’re from, too, playing the national anthem. But I just think that’s a nice added touch. So, yeah, I think there’s ways to look at it and make it kind of feel like our own.”

MEXICO CITY — Trackhouse Racing driver Shane Van Gisbergen was buckled into his seat, ready to head to Mexico City for NASCAR’s first international Cup Series race of the modern era when a loud “BOOM!” suddenly forced the pilot to abort takeoff.

There was an engine problem with the chartered plane in North Carolina, and Van Gisbergen and most Trackhouse personnel suddenly found themselves stranded. In fact, two NASCAR charters had trouble Thursday that delayed the arrivals of crew members and drivers for at least five teams.

They all arrived safely Friday morning — some teams drove to Atlanta to catch commercial flights — while others awaited a new morning charter.

“Yeah, it wasn’t real fun. Yesterday was a long day,” Van Gisbergen said once in Mexico City. “Pretty scary when the plane launched itself on takeoff. They stopped and were trying to just get another plane. And then it was first thing this morning, so early start this morning. I think we got up at 3:30 a.m. at home and got on an early flight down here.”

It was a bumpy start to the first points-paying Cup Series race outside the United States as the entire Friday schedule had to be revamped to accommodate the stranded teams. And with team personnel missing for some organizations, reinforcements were called in to help; for one, the communications director for Trackhouse had to help unload the team cars off the haulers.

The trucks came directly from last Sunday’s race in Michigan and arrived at the Mexico City track on Thursday.

“Due to two aircraft issues that grounded multiple race teams in Charlotte, N.C., on Thursday, NASCAR has adjusted the on-track schedule for this weekend’s activities at Mexico City’s Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez,” NASCAR said in a released statement.

NASCAR delayed Friday’s originally planned top-tier Cup Series practice to later in the afternoon. NASCAR also pushed all second-tier Xfinity Series practice sessions from Friday to Saturday. And the first of two NASCAR Mexico Series races were moved to early Friday instead of their late Friday schedule.

The Xfinity Series was set to lose some practice time, with just one 50-minute session Saturday morning, just before qualifying. There were other slight adjustments as well, but Cup Series teams will not lose any practice.

Van Gisbergen was rolling with the delay.

“You can’t predict that kind of stuff happening. There’s so many moving parts,” he said. “Everyone’s down here now. I think it’s all the important people, I guess, needed for (Friday) , so I think they’ve done a good job salvaging it.

“I guess it’s a big deal when you think about it, but I’m not really too fussed about it,” he continued. “I’m already focused on (racing). Obviously not ideal, but it happened and we fixed it.”

Some changes had nothing to do with travel trouble.

It’s been 11 years since Ryan Truex raced in the Cup Series, but he gets another start Sunday as the replacement for Denny Hamlin in Mexico City.

Truex is a reserve driver for Joe Gibbs Racing and has been in a holding pattern the past three weeks as Hamlin awaited the birth of his son. Hamlin didn’t have to get out of the car at Nashville Superspeedway, where he finished third, or Michigan International Speedway, where he got his third win of the season, but the baby finally arrived Wednesday and Hamlin opted to skip this weekend to care for his family of five that already included two daughters.

Truex got the call the same evening to wheel the high-profile No. 11 Toyota. The younger brother of former Cup Series champion Martin Truex Jr. has 26 career starts on NASCAR’s top circuit, but none since 2014.

Martin won an Xfinity Series race in 2005 in Mexico City, something he reminded his younger brother of when he told him he got the call.

“I texted him this week when I found out, and he said, ‘You know, the Truexes are 1-for-1 in Mexico,’ so no pressure,” Ryan said Friday. “I’m glad he could throw that at me.”

Hamlin requested and was granted a waiver by NASCAR officials to retain his eligibility for the Cup Series playoffs. Drivers are required to compete in all points races, but it’s not uncommon for waivers to be granted.

Truex does have recent seat time as the 33-year-old was a fill-in option in practice for Tyler Reddick of fellow Toyota team 23XI Racing — which is co-owned by Hamlin — during Coca-Cola 600 practice. Still, the waiting game to see if he was needed and getting ready for an international trip has been a whirlwind.

“It’s been a crazy few weeks, especially since Charlotte, I’ve been on standby,” he said in reference to the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway the week before the Nashville race. “I’m glad it is at a track where I can practice and have time and know what to do to. It has been kind of chaotic getting here and putting all of that together, but I’m just grateful for the experience and grateful to be here.

“I don’t really have any set goals or expectations. I just want to enjoy the weekend. I’m driving a Cup car for Joe Gibbs at an international race. This is not something I ever dreamed of doing, so I just want to take it all in and have a good time.”

Truex said that every time he received a text from Hamlin crew chief Chris Gayle last month, his heart began to race as he wondered if this was the call.

He’s thankful for his time in a reserve role with Gibbs after a miserable time in Cup a decade ago. Truex is hoping to use Sunday as a springboard to regular racing.

“My last time in Cup was not a fun experience. It didn’t go well for me. I didn’t enjoy it,” Truex said. “That was probably not the right move for me, career-wise, and I’ve kind of been fighting back since then. I enjoy everything I do at JGR. I’ve been able to race part-time the last couple of years, and do all of this stuff away from the track.”

It’s an interesting time to have to jump behind the wheel.

NASCAR drivers will face one of the biggest challenges of their career racing at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, which sits at an elevation of nearly 7,500 feet. The next-highest track on the Cup circuit in terms of elevation is Las Vegas Motor Speedway at about 2,000 feet above sea level.

To prepare its drivers for the altitude, Toyota launched a comprehensive training program months ago that had its drivers wearing a mask that simulates less oxygen while training and even sleeping in a hypoxic tent.

Reddick was among those who slept in a tent to adjust to the higher altitude and mitigate potential symptoms of altitude sickness.

“One side effect of it is my wife hasn’t been super happy about me sleeping in a hypoxic environment especially at the later stages of her pregnancy,” said Reddick, whose wife delivered the couple’s second child on May 25.

The tent idea was devised after JGR driver Christopher Bell asked Toyota what would be done to help maintain maximum performance in the high altitude.

“We started that early in the season just talking and getting a plan together, making sure we’re prepared for it,” Bell said. “I’m proud of everyone at Toyota, the Toyota Performance Center. Caitlin Quinn has really headed up the department of physical fitness and made sure we’re ready for this challenge. Hopefully, the Toyota drivers are the ones that are succeeding.”

The program was devised by Quinn, director of performance for the Toyota Performance Center in Mooresville, North Carolina. She was a strength coach at Florida State University before joining TPC.

Quinn helped drivers learn to perform in a lower oxygen environment when they’re resting, as well as exercise in an environment with less oxygen. Toyota enclosed a space in its center with a bicycle inside it for drivers to ride in a lower oxygen setting.

Quinn said Toyota starting implementing those programs about eight weeks ago for drivers.

“It is different sleeping in a hypoxic environment,” Reddick said. “I’ve noted the changes so far, and I’m excited to see what it’s going to be like.”

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.

___

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