The first trucks of a weeklong convoy to Mexico City crossed the border Monday to begin setup for the first international points race in NASCAR Cup Series history.
NASCAR vice president of racing operations Tom Bryant, who has spearheaded the organizational logistics for the June 15 race, said planning began nearly a year ago and has included multiple trips to the border crossing in Laredo, Texas, to meet with officials from U.S. Customs and Border Protection and Mexican customs agencies.
“It‘s been a ton of coordination moving lots of people and lots of stuff safely and efficiently across a great distance and an international border,” Bryant said on the newest episode of the “Hauler Talk” podcast. “There is a lot to it, but the key to it is you just have to define the problem. We’ve got to get these people and these things from this point to that point within a certain time period. How do we do it in a way that’s going to best position us to be ready to go to work as soon as we hit the ground down there? Because this is a pretty tight window.”
It‘s about a 40-hour drive from Michigan International Speedway (site of Sunday‘s Cup race) to Mexico City. Bryant, an Army Ranger whose military background has proven useful in logistics, will arrive in Laredo on Saturday to help guide the crossing by Xfinity Series teams, which will arrive on Sunday morning from North Carolina.
Cup teams will swap out cars and begin preparing for the drive south of the border before and during the Michigan race Sunday, so that haulers can leave immediately after the checkered flag. The Cup Series teams are scheduled for a Monday night arrival at the Laredo border for a Tuesday crossing. They will enter the garage at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez at 2 p.m. ET on Thursday, June 12.
“Literally every hour from Sunday morning until about noon Tuesday is planned and there are events tied to it,” Bryant said of the crossing. “And by gosh, it better happen on time.”
NASCAR has enlisted the assistance of Rock-It Cargo, an international logistics company that handled getting 200 haulers to Mexico City on Taylor Swift‘s recent Eras Tour concert. The company also works with Formula One and will handle World Cup events next year.
“When it comes to navigating international borders and moving stuff on the ground, they have been a tremendous help for us, and they will also augment our security for all of our trucks,” Bryant said. “We’re anticipating no issues. Those guys have been doing it for 45 years and haven’t had an issue, so knock on wood, we’re gonna keep that record going for them.”
To enter Mexico, all the equipment and tools in every NASCAR hauler must be documented on an exhaustive manifest. Though the original plan was to seal the trucks at Michigan before departure, border officials relaxed that requirement after attending the Circuit of The Americas race and observing NASCAR operations. The NASCAR haulers will drive through a massive X-ray machine upon entry to Mexico.
“They have determined that our folks did such a good job getting those manifests straight and listing all that equipment, and they had an opportunity to review it,” Bryant said. “I’m confident with the work we’ve done ahead of time with the Border Patrol authorities on both sides of the border that we’re going to be able to get our convoy soon in a pretty relatively short amount of time.”
Other topics covered during the 17th episode of “Hauler Talk,” which explores competition issues in NASCAR:
— How the unapproved adjustment made by AJ Allmendinger‘s team at Nashville Superspeedway was discovered, the reasoning behind the punishment and how long the car chief will lose his annual credential.
— The rules on adding fuel before a race that might have played a critical role in Ryan Blaney‘s victory.
— Whether there were aerodynamic changes made for Michigan International Speedway after last year‘s airborne crash for Corey LaJoie.
— How the seeding process works over the next three races for the in-season tournament.
Click on the embed above to listen or search for “Hauler Talk” wherever you download podcasts to hear it on your phone, tablet or mobile device.
Nate Ryan has written about NASCAR since 1996 while working at the San Bernardino Sun, Richmond Times-Dispatch, USA TODAY and for the past 10 years at NBC Sports Digital. He is a contributor to the “Hauler Talk” show on the NASCAR Podcast Network. He also has covered various other motorsports, including the IndyCar and IMSA series.
Read the full article here
