Earlier this year, the sun shone bright over Mexico City, but the spotlight was on NASCAR. When Cup Series drivers rolled into the city, it wasn’t just a promotional stop. For Daniel Suárez, it was personal. “I feel like you are coming to my house for the very first time,” said the Monterrey native with a wide smile. As he toured Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez with Chase Elliott, Ryan Blaney, and Christopher Bell, his pride showed. He had raced and won here. He knew the streets, the tacos, the fans. Now, NASCAR had finally come to his home.
The visit wasn’t a photo op. It was a deep dive into Mexico City’s racing soul ahead of NASCAR’s first point-paying international cup race. The drivers rode golf carts around the historic track, noting changes to the layout, including sections altered for NASCAR’s style. Local fans gathered, media outlets swarmed, and the city buzzed with anticipation. Suárez, who won his first NASCAR Mexico Series race at this very venue, relished every moment. “It’s fun having people here. It’s a different culture, but they are very excited for the race track and for NASCAR,” he said.
While the drivers soaked in the sights and the fans geared up, behind the scenes, one man faced the towering challenge of making it all happen. NASCAR’s vice president of racing operations, Tom Bryant, a former Army Ranger, was pulling off a military-grade logistical operation. From convoys to customs, he was planning an international move of men and machines. Now, just a week ahead of the historic event, he revealed why he felt better being in Baghdad than planning this cross-border move.
NASCAR’s Mexico move is harder than a warzone!
The Viva México 250, scheduled for June 15, marks the first NASCAR Cup Series points race outside the U.S. since 1958. Hosted at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, it’s a landmark moment for NASCAR’s global expansion. The Xfinity Series race will run the day before, marking its return after nearly two decades. With the Michigan race wrapping up just hours before the international push, the schedule is packed. Cup Series cars are being swapped out in Michigan even before that race begins. Once the checkered flag drops, it’s game time.
Tom Bryant, who led NASCAR’s operations through the COVID crisis, is now managing this high-stakes international mission. On this week’s Hauler Talk podcast, he described the work involved. “We’ve worked with everyone you can think of. Embassy teams, consulates, Mexican customs, U.S. Customs and Border Protection,” Tom Bryant said. It wasn’t just phone calls and forms. Bryant, a veteran of military convoy ops, made several trips to the Laredo border. Still, he didn’t sugarcoat it.
“I’ve done a large convoy from Kuwait up to Baghdad, but we didn’t have to deal with customs or immigration then. We just rolled north when we were ready to. That was way easier than this, I’ll be honest with you.” Bryant wasn’t exaggerating. Everything from vehicle manifests to timing windows had to be perfect. “We’re racing in Michigan on Sunday evening and have to get to Mexico City,” he said. “It’s about 40 hours of driving just to get the vehicles there. Every hour from Sunday morning to Tuesday noon is scheduled.”
New episode of Hauler Talk has dropped, with special guest Tom Bryant (#NASCAR VP of Racing Ops), who details the logistical hurdles that need to be cleared in order to race in Mexico City. pic.twitter.com/kD7Yjnrxzl
— NASCAR Communications (@NASCAR_Comms) June 4, 2025
If even one thing goes wrong, like rain in Michigan, the entire operation is at risk. The scale is massive, as NASCAR estimates around 50 haulers need to make the trip. Each truck must pass through a giant X-ray system at the border. Every tool, part, and vehicle must be listed on a manifest. Even the Mexican government loosened entry restrictions after watching how NASCAR operates. To make this work, NASCAR teamed with Rock-It Cargo, the same logistics firm that transported gear for Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour and handles Formula 1 freight. Still, delays aren’t just a problem, they’re a disaster.
Yet despite the chaos behind the curtain, the drivers can’t wait. Earlier this year, Chase Elliott visited the track and was happy with the facility. “My initial thoughts are that it is a pretty incredible property… It’s been a fun experience so far. I’d never been to Mexico City, and this is pretty neat,” he said. Ryan Blaney was even more excited. “I had super high hopes before we even got here, and being here and seeing it all… got me even more excited to come back here and race,” he said.
The buzz was real. But while the fanfare and passion build, NASCAR is walking a very thin line. The event may promise glory and headlines, but under the surface, it’s a race against time, paperwork, and border crossings. And as the date creeps closer, the margin for error disappears.
NASCAR races against the clock for the Mexico City race!
Behind the glamor of racing in Mexico City is a nail-biting schedule that leaves no room for error. NASCAR’s plan hinges on back-to-back weekends. The Cup Series wraps up its Michigan race Sunday at 5 p.m. Before the checkered flag drops, teams will be swapping out cars, taking Mexico-bound vehicles from secondary haulers and loading them into the main rigs. Those haulers need to be ready to roll the moment the race ends. The Xfinity haulers leave even earlier, crossing the border Monday morning.
The goal is simple but brutal: reach the Laredo border by Monday night, cross early Tuesday, and arrive at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez by Thursday afternoon. That’s 40 hours of driving, customs, and no mistakes. “Literally every hour from Sunday morning until about noon Tuesday is planned, and there are events tied to it. And by gosh, it better happen on time,” Bryant said of the crossing. Even rain in Michigan could throw off the entire timetable.
Rock-It Cargo’s experience adds confidence, but no plan survives first contact without stress. “Also, we’re really praying for really good weather in Michigan. That’s critical for us, and I kinda say it half-jokingly, but there’s just not a lot of extra time…,” Bryant joked, but it wasn’t just a joke. A single delay could ruin months’ worth of planning. With only days between races and thousands of miles to travel, NASCAR isn’t just testing its drivers this week. It’s testing the limits of timing, teamwork, and trust. One wrong turn, one bad storm, could spoil the mega event south of the border.
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