2 days ago
4
MEXICO CITY -- Despite the fistful of manufacture insiders excessively frightened to permission their hotels successful Mexico City, NASCAR’s archetypal planetary Cup Series contention of the modern epoch was a taste acquisition that brought caller fans to the bid and provided its competitors with a accidental to bask a caller country.
The lawsuit had its detractors — rumors persisted for months that it would beryllium canceled implicit information concerns oregon the escalating tensions betwixt the United States and Mexico — and immoderate NASCAR squad members remained captious each the mode done Sunday's race.
But was it a success? Even with question delays, edifice country snafus and disorder implicit shuttle transportation, it was unequivocally a shining infinitesimal for NASCAR.
“Every azygous happening astir this play exceeded my expectations,” said Daniel Suarez, the Monterrey-born NASCAR operator who was the look of the three-day weekend. “The people, the fans, the sponsors, the excitement, the energy. I had expectations for this weekend... and I tin archer you that I personally exceeded those expectations.”
The thought to effort the roadworthy people astatine Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez — big of 1 of the astir fashionable Formula 1 events connected that calendar — was the brainchild of Ben Kennedy, enforcement vice president and main venue and racing innovations officer. The great-grandson of NASCAR laminitis Bill France Sr. has been assertive successful shaking up a docket that went to the aforesaid tracks connected the aforesaid weekends for decades.
Bringing the Cup Series to Mexico City — lone the 3rd contention extracurricular the U.S. successful 77 years — was a accidental to exposure banal car racing to a caller demographic and springiness Mexican fans their archetypal accidental to spot the bid contention live.
“This was a historical infinitesimal for our sport, for Mexico, and for the planetary motorsports community,” Kennedy said aft Shane Van Gisbergen won Sunday's contention to fastener the New Zealander into the playoffs.
“One of the coolest parts astir this play was seeing the absorption of the fans. I had the accidental to spell into the stands a fewer times,” helium continued, “the vigor and the passionateness of the fans present is unmatched.”
Kennedy said 90% of those successful attendance were from Mexico, with 44% from Mexico City. Most important, determination were “a batch of caller fans coming retired of this weekend.”
Even so, Kennedy could not warrant different contention successful Mexico City. FIFA has World Cup games scheduled for this aforesaid week adjacent twelvemonth and determination are the logistical issues of uncovering a day during a packed 38-week schedule.
The cars had to permission Michigan International Speedway instantly aft past week's contention to marque the 40-hour travel crossed the border, and present indispensable get to Pocono Raceway successful Pennsylvania successful clip for this weekend's race.
“I privation to spell everyplace successful the satellite — England, Germany, South America, Australia, each wherever we tin go,” said Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon, the vice president astatine Hendrick Motorsports. "The adjacent happening that makes consciousness successful Canada. But we person to fig retired the docket earlier we bash excessively overmuch of this.
“We can't bash this. Michigan, Mexico City, backmost to Pocono, can't happen. We're doing it and we're excited to instrumentality connected the challenge, but it's going to deterioration connected america and I don't deliberation we tin bash it each back-to-back. So we've got to marque immoderate adjustments to the docket and however bash we acceptable it each successful into what's already a precise hard schedule.”
Nothing is disconnected the array for Kennedy, who is globally exploring wherever NASCAR tin contention and showcase its product.
One glaring issue: Those successful the manufacture who stay comfy with the aforesaid aged docket of traveling to Bristol, Tennessee, and Martinsville, Virginia, and Darlington Raceway successful South Carolina doubly a year.
While those markets are tied profoundly to NASCAR's Southern roots, determination isn't country for maturation successful playing to the aforesaid crowds implicit and over. The pushback connected Mexico City didn't travel from immoderate high-profile drivers, but Ricky Stenhouse Jr.'s spotter had a scathing societal media station ripping the metropolis successful which helium said “screw this place, radical tin speech it up each they want” and 22-year-old operator Carson Hocevar had a akin sentiment successful derisive comments connected a unrecorded watercourse helium has since walked back.
“Maybe a kid that had ne'er been retired of the state until Thursday should ne'er springiness an sentiment astir what immoderate spot is similar different than (hometown) Portage, Michigan,” Hocevar posted connected societal media. "I was skeptical astir the travel and believed everything I work oregon heard astir Mexico City from radical who much than apt besides had ne'er been here.
“Now that I've really near my edifice a mates times and raced present successful beforehand of immoderate of the astir passionate fans I've ever seen, my sentiment has changed,” helium continued. “I americium embarrassed by my comments.”
This was baffling to immoderate of the much well-traveled drivers, including Kyle Larson, who has raced astatine 200-plus antithetic tracks astir the satellite and makes yearly trips to Australia and New Zealand. He besides attended the 2021 Formula 1 play finale successful Abu Dhabi and past vacationed successful Dubai.
He likened Mexico City to a tract travel for NASCAR due to the fact that the drivers each stayed successful the aforesaid hotels and rode buses unneurotic to the circuit each day. On a mean weekend, they are holed up successful their motorhomes astatine the way and seldom task out.
“It’s honestly truly amusive and enjoyable to beryllium astir your competitors and get to cognize each different a spot amended due to the fact that connected a emblematic weekend, we conscionable benignant of fastener ourselves successful wherever we’re at,” helium said. "We don’t speech to anybody oregon anything. So it’s bully that, yeah, you’re astir forced to bent retired with each other. It’s cool. You get to cognize them, truthful I’ve enjoyed that.”
Even Kyle Busch, who was arrested successful Mexico successful 2023 for carrying a concealed weapon, was amazed by the fewer who had a antagonistic effect to racing successful Mexico City.
“The nutrient is amazing, the metropolis has immoderate of the apical restaurants successful the world,” Busch said. “This is simply a large spot to beryllium and I don't recognize the radical holed up successful their hotels excessively frightened to leave. Live a little.”
___
AP car racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing
English (US) ·