Ford Performance Notes and Quotes
NASCAR Cup Series
Mexico City Media Availability
Wednesday, June 11, 2025

Zane Smith, driver of the No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford Mustang Dark Horse, is coming off a seventh-place finish in last weekend’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Michigan International Speedway. Smith spoke about that performance and what lies ahead this weekend as the sanctioning body conducts its first international points race for the series in Mexico City.

ZANE SMITH, No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford Mustang Dark Horse – HOW HAVE YOU PREPARED FOR THE HIGHER ALTITUDE THIS WEEKEND IN MEXICO CITY? “My honest answer is I haven’t done anything to prepare for that. I have spent time down in Mexico. I’ve been down there and I don’t think it’s going to be a huge deal. I could be completely proven wrong, but just prepared as normal as I would for the other 37 weekends. I feel like I kind of get myself, I don’t want to say spun out, but sometimes when it’s a new race weekend like this I feel like a lot of people try to not overprepare, but do things differently and it just has never worked for me. So, I’m approaching it as if it’s any other race weekend. It’s an awesome road course and we’re just outside of the country. There are still points that are gonna be given and it’s still gonna be road racing and it’s still a Cup race, so a big effort going at it. It’s been a little different from a film standpoint of not really knowing what to watch. An F1 car, watching that doesn’t really do it for me (laughing), but I’ve watched old highlights where Denny or someone won the race, and then obviously I’ve done numerous laps on our Ford sim, so that’s probably been the most helpful thing. It’s just gonna be attacking the race weekend. I fortunately have a good amount of road course experience and showing up to new racetracks was something that I just grew up doing, so I’m excited for it. I love the Cup car on a road course and I know how electric the fanbase is gonna be down in Mexico City, so I’m really looking forward to that.”

HOW ARE YOU GOING TO ADJUST THE SETUP OF THE CAR WITH THE CONDITIONS? “I guess going back to what we had from a setup standpoint at COTA just wasn’t good for us. COTA has been a great racetrack for me in the past and it was a big struggle for us that whole weekend. We missed it a little bit, so honestly, in a way, that’s better than it being just completely good throughout the weekend and then the race didn’t go well. That kind of leaves a lot of question marks on the weekend. We just weren’t very good all weekend, so we left COTA knowing that we needed to build on a new package of what I like and from a setup standpoint, I really like how my car has been driving. I think the road course is awesome. It’s gonna be a lot of fun. Obviously, the altitude is gonna be a little bit different from an engine feel. I’ve heard and I definitely can see that being the case. I don’t want to say brake issues, but what brake package you have is gonna be very interesting and trying to diagnose that as quickly as possible in practice, and we have a decent amount of practice this weekend. I know adjustments are gonna be really important. Hopefully, we can unload close to the feel that I like and I can spend every minute I can out on the track. I think that’s gonna be more valuable than small adjustments.”

HOW DOES IT IMPACT THE WEEKEND WHERE THIS RACE IS A LEVEL PLAYING FIELD FOR EVERYONE? “I think an occasional weekend like this is really cool. I didn’t get to do the first Chicago race, but I remember all of the talk around it like, ‘What do we watch and how do we prepare for this?’ It kind of reminds me of that. I don’t want to knock Chicago in any way because it’s a ton of fun on that road course, but you’re racing on a street. This is a proper road course. F1 goes here, so if you’re gonna do it this way, I feel this is the best way you could possibly do it. I remember when we were going to all these different road courses in Truck and Xfinity, and then I remember when we first went to COTA I was so excited because I knew that was a proper road course and it felt that way just in practice. I’m excited for that. It seems a little bit of everything. It kind of reminds me of Watkins Glen in a way, which has been a great track for me with it being a fast and longer straightaway road course where you really have to execute your braking zones, and then it’s a little hint of COTA with the stadium section. I’m just trying to diagnose what I’ve had from all of these different road courses and apply my strong suits and weak suits and hopefully apply them to the weekend. I don’t think any of us are going to know how we truly are until we unload down there.”

HOW HAVE YOU SEEN YOURSELF GROW AS A DRIVER FROM WHERE YOU WERE A YEAR AGO AT THIS TIME? “I’ve definitely grown as a driver. You grow every year, but, to be honest, I don’t feel like I’ve changed anything up like, ‘Oh, man. This is why I’m getting good results.’ My cars have a lot of speed, a lot of fast Fords week in and week out. If we are a little off, I feel like my team and I are doing an incredible job of getting to where we need to be come Sunday. That’s super important and then at the beginning of the year, I don’t want to say we lacked any, but keeping up with the racetrack is a bigger challenge when you start going Cup racing, so I feel that was maybe a challenge last year. You just see these brutal rookie seasons for guys in Cup. I don’t remember anyone that just had a rookie season where someone dominated and won all these races, so you pretty much try to survive through that first year and learn as much as you can and take all the smack talking you can get it seems like week in and week out. There are just so many things. It just feels like a bad luck year your rookie year. I don’t really know why. It’s still fun because you’re Cup racing and you’re getting experience racing on Sunday and racing every weekend. I think that’s really cool, but your second year around you know what to expect. By then you’ve experienced a lot of highs and lows and you’re still gonna experience highs and lows in your second year, but I feel like you know how to react to them a little bit better. You just know what a race weekend brings. Sunday can totally be overwhelming at times, but I think trying to keep a level head and knowing what’s important and what’s not is probably the biggest thing.”

HOW HAS NASCAR PREPARED YOU FOR THIS? WE’VE HEARD STAY IN THE BUBBLE, DON’T GO ANYWHERE. WE’VE HEARD THAT DANIEL SUAREZ HAS GOT A GREAT PLACE FOR EVERYBODY TO GO EAT. ARE YOU MAINLY PREPARED BY THE TEAM OR NASCAR? WILL IT BE ANY DIFFERENT? “My honest answer is there’s a lot of overreaction from a majority of the industry, and it’s frustrating to hear and deal with. I have spent a good amount of time down in Mexico. I know I have vacationed in a different spot with a group of friends in Cabo for the past few years, but there’s a lot of people that are overreacting. It somewhat reminds me of Chicago. It’s like, ‘Oh my gosh. This is gonna be a train wreck.’ And then we go to Chicago and they’re like, ‘Oh my gosh, this is like the most fun weekend ever.’ You just have to know what to expect a little bit in Mexico City and Mexico in general. There are good and bad areas, just like there is everywhere. You definitely do have to watch what you eat and drink. From my standpoint, I know what I’ll be eating and drinking because I’ve been on the good and bad side of that, but it’s just common sense and being smart. I feel like the saying better safe than sorry is definitely true this weekend. The altitude stuff, that’s gonna be different to us but I want to say we’re all in pretty good shape at least on Sunday. We race a lot and you don’t really see a lot of guys that flop out of the seat on Sunday – maybe like a really, really hot weekend. The last time I checked the weather it looks chillier and cold and rainy-ish, so it’s not so much the heat standpoint. I don’t know. I’ve been down there and I don’t really notice a huge difference, but we’ll see. I may completely be gassed after this race and we’ll see, but, all in all, I’m gonna go have fun and I can’t wait to go do some road course racing down in Mexico.”

DIDN’T YOU GET MARRIED OR HONEYMOON IN MEXICO A COUPLE YEARS AGO? “A little back story here. My dad has run the off road race team, which races in Baja and Mexico pretty much a majority of their races or at least their big races, and that’s for the Herbst family. That’s why Riley and I are best friends and have been pretty much all of our lives, so right after my championship in 2022 (Truck Series), we vacationed with Riley and some friends in Cabo San Lucas and it’s honestly my favorite place on earth. It’s a ton of fun spending time down there with Riley and just having fun. Me, Noah (Gragson), Riley, and even Todd (Gilliland) on one of the trips for the past three or four years we’ve gone down there and hung out and had an unbelievable time. It’s awesome. It’s different for everyone and, to be honest, the most frustrating and annoying part is probably our itinerary because we have it so easy every weekend. We have pretty much chartered planes, where we go to an FBO down in Statesville (North Carolina) where it’s literally only race teams so there is no security or anything every weekend. Well, when you’re flying out of the country there’s gonna be some security and there’s gonna be a little bit more to it than flying to Pocono. That’s probably the most frustrating thing of I wish I had my own flight because this would be a whole lot easier, but I know once we’re there it’s gonna be cool and a cool experience for everyone, and it’s great to have this style of fan base, just a new generation of fans and some new faces. Like I said, I know how great the fans are down in Mexico and I’m so excited to see them and so excited for the sport to see their passion around motorsports. I’m ready for it.”

HOW WOULD YOU RATE YOUR SEASON SO FAR WITH FRONT ROW MOTORSPORTS? “It’s been pretty fun. I’m probably having the most fun I’ve ever had throughout my racing career and the last time I think I said that was in 2022 with FRM. It’s been great. Being able to get that pole was really cool. I feel like we’ve thrown away a lot of top 10s and possible top fives, and I feel like we’re getting ourselves closer and closer to putting ourselves in contention for a race win on Sunday. That’s crazy to say, especially with how last year went, but we’re just pecking away at it and trying to execute things the best to our ability. It’s been awesome being back at FRM and being teammates with two really close friends and, of course, just being back in the Ford family has been really special. I have some incredible memories with both the Ford family and FRM not many years ago, and we have some incredible memories on the truck side. We’re fighting hard and working hard to create some more memories on Sunday.”

THERE WAS A LOT OF TALK ABOUT FUEL STRATEGY IN LAST SUNDAY’S RACE. HOW NERVERACKING IS IT AS A DRIVER WITH THAT BEING A FACTOR JUST ABOUT EVERY WEEK? “Even the races where fuel mileage isn’t talked about it’s always playing a role behind the scenes. From the moment we fire our cars up Sunday morning, we’re shutting them off trying to save fuel so our pit stops are shorter. You have to take less fuel than the next guy and we’ve seen a lot of wins happen from some guys doing that better than the next guy. At Michigan, as often times, it does come down to fuel strategy and it is confusing at times from the driver’s seat, where you don’t really know. It’s like, ‘What is this ultimate goal we’re doing right now’ because you’ll get track position and then it’s like ‘We’ve got to go take more fuel right now so we don’t have to a little later.’ And it doesn’t really make a whole lot of sense to you at the moment and then typically whenever it does work out for you you’re like, ‘OK, I’m glad that worked out.’ But there are guys on Sunday where their strategy didn’t work out. For us, we made a few mistakes and the caution fell that really hurt us early in the race. I was in good track position at the time. I think I was just outside the top 10 like 11th or 12th and that caution came out. Before that, pretty much every single guy behind me had just pitted and they were in a better tire and fuel position. I knew that put everyone in the window once that big wreck in one and two happened, and we were gonna go from 12th or 13th to 30th because I was at the end of that group that now had to come and get fuel ultimately. So, those things are frustrating. It didn’t work out that way. I think I came out around 20th because some guys behind me did come down as well to work on their car and get in a better fuel position, but the mistakes we made on Sunday put us in a position of taking two tires multiple times and it worked out. I was proud that we were able to hold off a lot of those guys on four tires to ultimately score a good finish. Anytime you finish in the top 10 on Sunday is a good day and we raced inside the top 10 a majority of the day. I had good speed and it was another positive weekend. There are just a few things we need to clean up.”

WE HAVE CHICAGO AND SONOMA AND WATKINS GLEN COMING UP AS ROAD COURSE RACES. WHAT MAKES YOU ENJOY THAT STYLE OF RACING? “I grew up road course karting. I grew up in California doing that, all around the east coast and all around the country really. It’s crazy watching Indy Car. Pretty much every single guy that I grew up racing with and competing for wins with when we were eight years old is pretty much the whole Indy Car field now. There are a couple guys that ended up in F1 now and then I don’t know if there’s anyone in NASCAR that I grew up karting with, but it’s cool to see us end up in all of these different forms of motorsports, and it’s kind of cool to carry that torch racing on Sunday. We all still connect through social media and I ultimately always pull for those guys in the Indy 500, or if they have a good run in F1. It’s just kind of cool to see you compete against those guys at such a young age. I don’t remember a whole lot of it, but all the pictures remind you of it and it’s cool.”

YOU ARE IN A BATTLE AROUND THE CUT LINE FOR THE PLAYOFFS. WHAT IS THE DYNAMIC LIKE BETWEEN STRATEGIZING FOR WINS THIS SUMMER AND POINTS? “Unfortunately, we’re like right in that weird position of like, ‘Hey, let’s try to ultimately get a win, but we can’t give away stage points.’ Stage points, it’s insane of what it carries you to, but I feel so confident from a strategy standpoint with what Ryan Bergenty, my crew chief does and how he approaches the race. Even when I think the day is going ugly, I know he has something up his sleeve, so I love that. I feel that’s just a big thing that can carry you in this sport right now with how close everyone is. If you have a little off day, you’ve got to do something different. If it works out or not, who cares? At least you tried and I feel like more times than not it pays off, and so it’s been a ton of fun working with him. We have some great tracks coming up. I obviously feel confident on the superspeedways with the speed our FRM Fords bring and then I’m looking forward to Pocono and all these road courses coming up. I’m excited to get going. I think we have 11 races until that cut off, so there are a ton of things that are gonna happen on a lot of Sundays. I’m just trying to stay focused and collect as many points as we can and see where we end up.”

Noah Gragson and the No. 4 Long John Silver’s Ford Team
Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez Competition Notes
Viva Mexico 250

Date: Sunday, June 15, 2025
Event: Race 18 of 38
Series: NASCAR Cup Series
Location: Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez (2.42-miles)
#of Laps: 100
Time/TV/Radio: 3:00 PM ET on Amazon Prime/MRN/SiriusXM channel 90

Noah Gragson Notes

Noah Gragson is going international this weekend as the NASCAR Cup Series heads to Mexico City, Mexico for the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez circuit. In the Cup Series, Gragson has two top-12 finishes at road courses, finishing 11th at Watkins Glen in 2024 and most recently, finishing 8th at the Circuit of the Americas in March 2025. Long John Silver’s will partner with Gragson for the 100-lap race, debuting a new “¡Pescado, sí!” scheme on the No. 4 Ford Mustang Dark Horse.

“I’m not sure what to expect in Mexico, but I’m excited to get down there,” said Gragson. “It’s a big event for our sport and a great chance to connect with new fans, so it’s cool to be part of it. We’ve had speed every week—it just feels like luck hasn’t gone our way. Hopefully, that turns around this weekend.”

Road Crew

Driver: Noah Gragson

Hometown: Las Vegas, Nevada

Crew Chief: Drew Blickensderfer

Hometown: Decatur, Illinois

Car Chief: Joey Forgette

Hometown: Iron Mountain, Michigan

Engineer: Dillon Silverman

Hometown: Chico, California

Engineer: Scott Bingham

Hometown: Lawrenceville, Georgia

Mechanic: Chris Trickett

Hometown: Grafton, West Virginia

Mechanic: Tony Infinger

Hometown: Fort Valley, Georgia

Tire Specialist: Chris Aunspaw

Hometown: Zelienople, Pennsylvania

Engine Tuner: Matt Moeller

Hometown: Monroe, New York

Spotter: Nick Del Campo

Hometown: Blauvelt, New York

Transporter Co-Driver: Nate “Cookie” Eller

Hometown: Granite Falls, North Carolina

Transporter Co-Driver: Matt Murphy

Hometown: Augusta, Georgia

Pit Crew

Front Tire Changer: Thomas Hatcher

Hometown: Middleburg, Florida

Rear Tire Changer: Adam Riley

Hometown: Atlanta, Georgia

Tire Carrier: Jarren Davis

Hometown: Jacksonville, Florida

Jackman: Nate McBride

Hometown: Vidalia, Georgia

Fueler: Ray Hernandez

Hometown: Orlando, Florida

ABOUT LONG JOHN SILVER’S

Long John Silver’s was founded in 1969 and is on a mission to create treasured moments through high-quality food and bell-ringing service. With restaurants from sea to mouth-watering sea, Long John Silver’s continues building on a belief that the unique seafood experience from the coasts should be accessible to all. Learn more at ljsilvers.com or join the conversation via social media on X, Facebook, or Instagram.

ABOUT FRONT ROW MOTORSPORTS

Front Row Motorsports (FRM) is a winning organization in the NASCAR Cup and Craftsman Truck Series. The team is the 2021 Daytona 500 and 2022 Craftsman Truck Series champions. The team was founded in 2004 and is owned by successful entrepreneur, Bob Jenkins. FRM fields the No. 4, No. 34, and the No. 38 NASCAR Cup Series teams along with the No. 34 and No. 38 Craftsman Truck Series teams from its Mooresville, N.C. headquarters. Visit teamfrm.com and follow FRM on social media: Twitter at @Team_FRM, Instagram at @teamfrm and Facebook at facebook.com/FrontRowMotorsports.

This Week in Motorsports: June 9 – 15, 2025

• NCS/NXS: Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez – June 14-15
• ARCA: Berlin Raceway – June 14

PLANO, Texas (June 11, 2025) – NASCAR makes its highly-anticipated arrival to Mexico City and the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez with the Cup and Xfinity Series this weekend. The ARCA Menards Series heads off to Berlin Raceway for more short track action on its schedule.

NASCAR National Series – NCS/NXS

Hamlin inching closer to win records … With his victory on Sunday at Michigan, Denny Hamlin now sits just three wins away from 60 career victories in the NASCAR Cup Series, which would tie him with Kevin Harvick for 10th on the all-time wins list. While earning his 57th overall win last weekend, Hamlin also captured win number 54 with Toyota, now sitting just two behind of Kyle Busch’s leading mark of 56 wins.

Bell looks to continue road course prowess … This weekend’s race in Mexico City is the second road course event of the 2025 Cup Series season after Christopher Bell won the first road course at Circuit of the Americas (COTA) back in March. Road courses have been kind to Bell over the course of his career, especially recently. The Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) driver has four top-10 or better results in the last six road courses races, including the win at COTA and a runner-up result at the Charlotte ROVAL last October.

GR Supra drivers in and around Playoff cutline … After a week off, the NASCAR Xfinity Series is back in action in Mexico City this weekend as the 2025 Playoffs near, with several Toyota GR Supra drivers in or in the hunt for the postseason. Brandon Jones sits eighth in the series points standings and is already locked into the Playoffs with his win at Darlington earlier this season. His JGR teammate Taylor Gray and Sam Hunt Racing (SHR)’s Dean Thompson find themselves just outside the provisional Playoff field entering this weekend, with Gray in the 14th position and Thompson in 16th with 12 races remaining in the regular season.

Bell, Gibbs return to Xfinity Series … JGR veterans Bell and Ty Gibbs are getting extra track time at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez by running the Xfinity Series race on Saturday – Bell in the No. 24 GR Supra for JGR and Gibbs in the No. 19 GR Supra for JGR. This will be Bell’s second Xfinity Series start of the season after running at Darlington in April, where he captured the pole. Saturday will be his first Xfinity Series road course start since 2019 at the Charlotte ROVAL. For Gibbs, this will be his first Xfinity Series start of 2025, after running six races last season. He goes for his first Xfinity Series win after winning at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course in 2023.

NASCAR Regional Series – ARCA Menards Series

Reaves for four wins in a row … JGR driver Max Reaves has had a dream start to his ARCA Menards Series career, winning in his first three starts in the ARCA Menards Series East – Five Flags Speedway, Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway, and Flat Rock Speedway. He makes his national ARCA Menards Series debut this weekend at Berlin Raceway, looking for a fourth consecutive win as he continues his development.

About Toyota

Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in North America for nearly 70 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands, plus our more than 1,800 dealerships.

Toyota directly employs nearly 64,000 people in North America who have contributed to the design, engineering, and assembly of nearly 49 million cars and trucks at our 14 manufacturing plants. In spring 2025, Toyota’s plant in North Carolina will begin to manufacture automotive batteries for electrified vehicles. With more electrified vehicles on the road than any other automaker, Toyota currently offers 32 electrified options.

For more information about Toyota, visit www.ToyotaNewsroom.com.

EVENT: Viva Mexico 250 
DATE: June 15, 2025 
RACE: NASCAR Cup Series 16 of 36
TRACK: Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, Mexico City, Mexico | 14-turn, 2.417-mile Road Course 

CLUB MINUTES:

VIVA MEXICO: Holding its first ever NASCAR Cup Series race, Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez is set for its debut this Sunday for the Viva Mexico 250. Built in the Magdelena Mixhuca public park in 1959, the circuit hosted its first Formula One (F1) race in 1962 for a non-championship race before becoming a full World Championship event the following year. While it’s been juggled around the F1 circuit, its consistently been a part of the schedule over the past couple of years. Over the years, the circuit has changed its layout several times to switch up the full 2.674-mile, 19-turn road course.

NASCAR’S HISTORY AT MEXICO: While the NASCAR Cup Series may be making history this weekend in its inaugural race at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in Mexico City, the sport has held a position in Mexico over the years. From 2005-2008, the Hermanos Rodríguez circuit hosted four Xfinity Series races – Martin Truex Jr., Denny Hamlin, and Kyle Busch were among the winners there. In addition, NASCAR has also sanctioned the NASCAR Mexico Series since its formation in 2004 and the series held their season finale there last November.

NASCAR GOES INTERNATIONAL: While NASCAR has rarely branched outside of the United States in its history, it has tested the water over the years. In addition to the four Xfinity Series races held in Mexico, NASCAR also held two Cup Series races in Canada during its early years – 1952 and 1958. The Craftsman Truck Series also held annual races at the Canadian Tire Motorsports Park in Bowmanville, Ontario from 2013-2019. The NASCAR Cup Series made its farthest trip international when it held exhibition races in Japan from 1996-1998.

NEVER SETTLE: Join ESPN’s Marty Smith and LEGACY MOTOR CLUB’s co-owner Johnson for their weekly podcast, “Never Settle”. The podcast airs live on SIRIUS XM NASCAR Radio Ch. 90 at 2 p.m. ET every Wednesday and can be downloaded wherever fans source their podcasts.

JOHN HUNTER NEMECHEK
NO. 42 PYE-BARKER FIRE & SAFETY TOYOTA CAMRY XSE
BIRTHDAY BOY: Before heading to Mexico City this week, John Hunter will celebrate his 28th birthday on June 11.

WHAT A DIFFERENCE: Unfortunate circumstances relegated Nemechek to his first DNF of the season last week at Michigan, but year over year he is showing vast improvement. Last season his average starting position was 27.3 and finish was 25.42. This year he has an average start of 24.071 and finish of 19.429.

NEMECHEK ROAD COURSES STATS: Nemechek’s average finish at a road course in the NASCAR Cup Series is 28.3. In the Xfinity Series Nemechek has one top five and six top 10 finishes on road courses.

TMACK ON THE ROAD: Crew chief Travis Mack has a bunch of experience on road and street course tracks. In the 25 total starts, he has one victory with Daniel Suarez in 2022. Additionally, Mack has five top-five and seven top 10 finishes on road courses on his racing resume.

JOHN HUNTER NEMECHEK QUOTE: 

“I’m really excited for Mexico. It’s a new racetrack for a lot of the drivers in the garage. Hopefully, a lot of the prep that we’ve been able to do helps us out going into [Mexico] but it’s going to be an interesting event. I am excited to go out of the country again and see what NASCAR has been able to put together, overall, I’m really excited about it.”

TRAVIS MACK QUOTE: 

“We’ll have a good amount of practice, but we’ve been running a lot of laps in the simulator – John Hunter is doing his training – we’ll get there and see how the track is and the lap times, and we’ll work the strategy that weekend after Saturday.”

ERIK JONES
NO. 43 FAMILY DOLLAR TOYOTA CAMRY XSE
FAST IN MICHIGAN: Erik Jones found speed last Sunday as the NASCAR Cup Series returned to his home track of Michigan International Speedway for the FireKeepers Casino 400. Despite a slow start to the weekend in practice and qualifying, he rolled off 22nd for the race. He was fast at the drop of the green flag on Sunday though, consistently finding long run speed throughout the race and running in the top-10. He finished 10th in Stage 2 and went on to finish just outside the top-10 at the end of the race in 11th.

NEW TERRITORY FOR JONES: Jones goes international with his No. 43 Family Dollar Toyota Camry XSE in the NASCAR Cup Series’ inaugural race at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez for the Viva Mexico 250. Despite this being his first race outside of the United States in the Cup Series, he has two races under his belt internationally in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series – both coming at the Canadian Tire Motorsports Park in Bowmanville, Ontario. In his first start at the Canadian road course, Jones started third and finished in the same spot in August 2014 when he ran a limited schedule with Kyle Busch Motorsports (KBM). He returned the following year in his only full-time season in the Truck Series with KBM to start second, lead 19 laps, and score his second win of the season in August 2015. He went on to win the 2015 NASCAR Truck Series Championship.

JONES HISTORY ON ROAD COURSES: In the NASCAR Cup Series, Jones has a total of 35 starts on road courses. These have amounted in three top-fives and nine top-10s. His best finish of third came on the Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway Roval in October 2020. Jones owns an additional five starts on road courses in the Xfinity Series where he has a best finish of sixth earned in August 2016 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio. He has two more starts in the Craftsman Truck Series where he won in 2015 at the Canadian Tire Motorsports Park and finished third the year prior.

BESHORE ON ROAD COURSES: Crew chief Ben Beshore has been on top of the pit box for a total of 20 NASCAR Cup Series races at road courses. Overall, his teams have scored six top-fives and seven top-10s turning left and right in NASCAR’s elite series. He has an additional 16 road course starts in the Xfinity Series that amounted in one top-five and five top-10s.

ERIK JONES QUOTE: 

“Mexico is going to be interesting. I mean, it’s going to definitely be a lot of work to just get down there. We’ve raced out of the country before in Canada years ago in the Truck Series, and it was okay. It wasn’t a bad experience in any way, and it was honestly pretty easy. It’s a little bit different now here with the travel, but the track I think is good. It’s pretty unique. There’s some really high speed stuff, and then the really slow stuff in that stadium section is like 30 mph. So, there’s going to probably be some chaos down there. Overall, it’s hard to put judgment on it because I haven’t raced it before, so I don’t want to say good or bad. We’re racing at a new venue, out of the country. I think the crowd is going to be huge from talking to a handful of people. I don’t know, it’s a little bit hard. Just get there, do it once and see how it goes. To be honest, the travel’s a little overwhelming. I’m not a guy that is super excited about that part of it, but the race itself, I’m really looking forward to.”

BEN BESHORE QUOTE:

“With it being a new track, everyone is sort of on the same page as far as not too many guys have run there outside of some of the older guys who ran in the Xfinity Series there back in the day. We’re trying to do the most we can to prepare from a simulator standpoint to get Erik reps so he’s familiar with the track. With it being a practice event, we’ll have the opportunity to work on the cars there and hopefully work on our road course program to get it better than it was earlier in the season.”

TUNE IN:
The inaugural Viva Mexico 250 race at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in Mexico City will take place on Sunday, June 15. The race is set to broadcast on Amazon Prime, MAX, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90) at 3 p.m. EDT.

ABOUT LEGACY MOTOR CLUB: (LEGACY MC) is a premier auto racing organization co-owned by seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion and 2024 NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee, Jimmie Johnson and Knighthead Capital Management, LLC. Drawing from a rich tradition of success, LEGACY MC is dedicated to pushing the boundaries of motorsport and setting new standards of excellence. The CLUB competes under the Toyota Gazoo Racing banner in the NASCAR Cup Series with the No. 43 Toyota Camry XSE piloted by Erik Jones and the No. 42 Toyota Camry XSE driven by John Hunter Nemechek. Johnson also races on a limited basis in the No. 84 Toyota Camry XSE. With NASCAR legend and Hall of Famer Richard Petty, “The King”, serving as CLUB Ambassador, LEGACY MC blends timeless racing traditions with a new forward-thinking vision. As an inclusive community for motorsport enthusiasts, LEGACY MC honors both its storied past and the promising future of its members, always striving for victory and championship glory at the pinnacle of NASCAR competition.

• Spire Motorsports will field three entries in the NASCAR Cup Series’ inaugural visit to Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in Mexico City, Mexico. Two points-paying Cup Series races were held in Canada (1952 and 1958), while exhibition races were held in Japan and Australia throughout the 90s. The event will mark the third international points race for NASCAR’s premier division and first since 1958. Spire Motorsports fields the Nos. 7, 71 and 77 Chevrolet ZL1s in the Cup Series for Justin Haley, Michael McDowell and Carson Hocevar, respectively.
• Spire Motorsports will honor teammate Tony Witt who tragically lost his life Friday, June 6. Witt served as a suspension mechanic for the team’s NASCAR Cup Series’ operation and had been with the organization since March 2022. He was journeyman competitor who made the move from Wisconsin to North Carolina in the mid 90s to work alongside fellow Wisconsin racer Robbie Reiser on his fledgling NASCAR Xfinity Series team. Since then, he made stops and won races at Darrell Waltrip Racing, Hendrick Motorsports, Richard Childress Racing and others prior to his time with Spire. Witt leaves behind two sons, Dalton and Tyler, mother Jo Anne and brothers Todd and Jon. He was preceded in death by his late wife Paula. The team will honor Witt’s memory with a decal on all three of its NASCAR Cup Series entries this weekend in Mexico City.
• The Viva Mexico 250 will be streamed live on Amazon Prime, Sunday, June 15 beginning at 3 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT). The 16th of 36 points-paying races on the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series calendar will be broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

Justin Haley – Driver, No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet ZL1

• Justin Haley will pilot Spire Motorsports’ No. 7 Gainbridge Chevrolet ZL1 in Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez.
• Haley finished second at the inaugural Grant Park 220 Chicago Street Race in 2023. In 25 Cup Series events contested on road courses, Haley has collected one top five and four top 10s.
• In the last five Cup Series road- and street-course races over the last two seasons, Haley has earned a 26.5 average showing, including a pair of 16th-place finishes (Circuit of the Americas ‘25/Chicago ’24).
• The 26-year-old veteran racer finished eighth in the Verizon 200 at the Brickyard at the road course at Indianapolis Motor Speedway behind the wheel of Spire Motorsports’ No. 77 Chevrolet at the first Cup Series event to be held on the Indianapolis road-course layout.
• Founded in 2018, Gainbridge® is an insurtech subsidiary of Group 1001 that empowers consumers to take control of their financial future with solutions that are accessible to everyone, no matter their budget or financial knowledge. Its platform provides access to financial products that are simple, intuitive, and backed by smart technology with no complexity or hidden fees. Gainbridge® is headquartered in Zionsville, Ind. For more information, visit www.gainbridge.io or follow and connect with us on X and LinkedIn.
• Last week at Michigan International Speedway, Haley battled handling issues throughout the 200-lap race and came home 21st in the final scoring tally.
• Haley won the 2018 Chevrolet Silverado 250 at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. It was his second top-five finish in three starts at the venue. He finished fourth at the 2017 event.
• In NASCAR Xfinity Series road-racing competition, Haley has collected four top-five and 10 top-10 finishes, including a pair of runner-up finishes (Indianapolis/Mid-Ohio) in 2020 and 2021.
• Haley, the 2016 ARCA Menards Series East Series Champion, never finished outside of the top-five in a road race while competing in the regional series.
• The former Trans-Am Series competitor owns 23 starts in the division’s TA2 Class where he collected 10 top-five and 16 top-10 finishes. He closed out the 2016 season sixth in the division’s championship point standings after earning three poles, six top fives and nine top 10s while pacing the field for 41 laps.
• The Indiana native is a veteran of 161 Cup Series starts and has notched one win, five top fives, 16 top 10s and led 103 laps in NASCAR’s premier division.
• In total, Haley has made 57 Cup Series starts for Spire Motorsports, including his first start in NASCAR’s premier division at Talladega Superspeedway on his 20th birthday.

Justin Haley Quote
What are your thoughts as the NASCAR Cup Series heads to Mexico City for the first time?
“Mexico City will be a lot of fun for the industry, for the drivers and for the fans. This will be the first time I’ve raced this track, but we had good speed earlier this season at Circuit of the Americas and I feel pretty good about our road-race program. The biggest challenge is the high elevation, so I’ve been trying to prepare for that part of it. I have been sleeping in an altitude tent to train for the race. We’ll use practice to figure out the fast way around so we can be in a good spot for qualifying and the race.”

Atop the No. 7 Box – Crew Chief Ryan Sparks

• Ryan Sparks serves in a dual role as both Spire Motorsports’ Competition Director and Haley’s crew chief.
• The Winston Salem, N.C., native has called 181 NASCAR Cup Series races, earning three top-five and nine top-10 finishes.
• In total, the 41-year-old has called 25 road course races, earning a career-best eighth-place result with Corey LaJoie at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International last season.

Michael McDowell – Driver, No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet ZL1

• Michael McDowell will pilot Spire Motorsports’ No. 71 B’laster Chevrolet ZL1 in Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series Viva Mexico 250 at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez.
• McDowell will be one of the few drivers in the field with previous experience at the famed Mexican circuit. The veteran racer earned the victory in the 2005 La Gran De la Serie Rolex Sports Car race where he was paired with legendary road racer Memo Gidley at Finley Motorsports. The potent duo led 28 of 90 laps to collect the win in the Grand Am Rolex Sports Car Series season finale.
• The following day, McDowell made his second start in the Champ Car World Series for the series’ 195-mile season finale. Driving for team owner Paul Gentilozzi, he qualified 16th and raced his way to an 11th-place finish in the Gran Premio Telmex-Tecate.
• One of the 40-year-old’s two Cup Series victories came on the road course configuration of Indianapolis Motor Speedway. After qualifying fourth, the father of five kissed the bricks alongside his family by leading a field-leading 54 laps, tallying a 2.9 average running position and securing a career-best 141.1 driver rating.
• The No. 71 B’laster Chevrolet ZL1 will feature an in-car camera during this weekend’s race, showcasing the elite footwork and reaction time of the road course ace.
• B’laster LLC is a chemical manufacturing company based in Valley View, Ohio. Founded in 1957 with PB B’laster Penetrant, the company has since expanded its portfolio to include penetrants, lubricants, cleaners, solvents, removers, grease, protectants, and refrigerants.
• The Glendale, Ariz., native has logged an 18.0 average start and a 20.7 average finish at road courses across his career, a career-best at any track type.
• McDowell collected the 2016 NASCAR Xfinity Series win at Road America, where he led 24 of 48 laps on an overcast Saturday afternoon, making the trip to Victory Lane in his lone start behind the wheel of Richard Childress Racing’s No. 2 Chevrolet.
• The 2021 Daytona 500 Champion will have a familiar voice on the spotter stand this week as McDowell’s cousin, Jason Noll, will assist primary spotter Michael Fisher during the Cup Series’ first visit to Mexico City.
• Last Sunday at Michigan International Speedway, McDowell qualified 32nd and promptly raced his way towards the top 10. Unfortunately, the No. 71 team battled fuel pick-up issues during the late goings, ultimately saddling the team with a 30th-place finish.
• The No. 71 team earned a $100,000 payday and a trip to Victory Lane after winning the Mechanix Wear Pit Crew Challenge during last month’s visit to North Wilkesboro (N.C.) Speedway. The crew’s blazing 12.587-second stop topped all entries for both the NASCAR All-Star Open and NASCAR All-Star Race, earning the title of the fastest team on pit road.
• Through the first 15 races of the 2025 campaign, McDowell owns an average starting position of 14.8, including five starts inside the top 10.
• McDowell has claimed three Xfinity Fastest Lap awards this season, clocking the fastest lap in the Daytona 500, Phoenix Raceway and Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway. The No. 71 stands as the only Cup Series team to earn the award three times.
• McDowell secured Spire Motorsports’ first Busch Light Pole Award at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in March. His 28.833-second lap marks the fastest lap in NASCAR’s seventh-generation Cup Series car (2022-present) at the 1.5-mile Nevada oval.

Michael McDowell Quote
You have previous experience at the track in a variety of disciplines. Talk about that and if you think that experience gives you an advantage heading into this weekend.
“Anytime you have gone somewhere, had success, and experienced the racetrack, the culture, altitude adjustment, and all the things that we have to do going into this weekend, it gives you a little bit of extra confidence. It was a long time ago. It was 2005 when I was back in Mexico City for that double-header weekend where I ran IMSA in the Rolex prototypes. We sat on the pole and won the race on Saturday, then woke up the Sunday morning to run the IndyCar race. It is a little different than the double header that we are used to on the NASCAR side. I went from the prototype to the open wheel car, but I had a lot of fun. It was a great atmosphere. Fans are intense, engaged, and absolutely love motorsports. I think NASCAR is going to be embraced and it is going to be a huge event. I am looking forward to it. I know there is a lot of logistical challenges and stuff like that, but to me, it is a great opportunity to put our sport in a spotlight and go put on a good show at a great facility with very passionate fans.”

You’ve got B’laster on the car this weekend as the primary sponsor. How do you manage your expectations to perform well for a new partner?
“This is going to be our first race with B’laster on board, but we had GUNK, another brand in the B’laster family, with us at Talladega earlier this year. We are looking forward to continuing to build that partnership and brand. When they came on board, they really wanted Mexico City as one of their races. They knew it would be an opportunity for us to go run up front and have a shot at winning, so we hope to do that, right? Anytime you have a new partner onboard, you want to help continue to grow that brand and opportunity. I feel like running well is important and Mexico City is a good opportunity to do that.”

Atop the No. 71 Box – Crew Chief Travis Peterson

• Crew chief Travis Peterson heads south of the border having called 11 NASCAR Cup Series races on road courses. Peterson called McDowell’s win in the 2023 Verizon 200 at the Brickyard at the road course at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The 34-year-old Cup Series topkick has earned a 15.5 average finish at road courses, his best average finish at any track type with a minimum of 10 attempts.
• Peterson has called 91 races in NASCAR’s premier series, securing one win, four top fives, 18 top 10s and seven pole awards.

Carson Hocevar – Driver, No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet ZL1

• Carson Hocevar will pilot the No. 77 Totalplay Chevrolet ZL1 for the Viva Mexico 250.
• Totalplay is Mexico’s leading telecommunications provider, delivering top-quality connectivity and entertainment services through its 100% fully fiber-optic, direct-to-home network. Its commitment to innovation and excellence has positioned the company as the provider with the fastest internet, best service, and most advanced technology in the market. As part of Grupo Salinas, Totalplay continues to transform the industry by developing and integrating new technologies, offering unique experiences that redefine how Mexican households access the internet, television, and digital services.
• The Viva Mexico 250 will be the sixth Cup Series road-course event for the Portage, Mich., native who finished third in last year’s Go Bowling at The Glen.
• Hocevar has turned heads in recent weeks as a result of his aggressive driving style and the team’s high level of performance. The No. 77 crew captured the pole position at Texas Motor Speedway, led 22 laps and was in position for a top-five finish before a late caution mired Hocevar in traffic. Two weeks later at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway, he was battling for the lead with 91 laps remaining when an engine failure ended his race. The next Sunday, at Nashville (Tenn.) Superspeedway, Hocevar earned his second runner-up finish of the year – the first coming at Atlanta Motor Speedway in February. In the most recent outing for the Cup Series, Hocevar returned to his hometrack of Michigan International Speedway where he started 14th, led 32 laps and came within 19 laps from his first Cup Series victory when tragedy struck in the form of a flat left-rear tire.
• In the last five races, Hocevar has led a total of 60 laps – six times more than he led in the first 10 races of the season.

Carson Hocevar Quotes
How do you feel about participating in the first points-paying international Cup Series race in the modern era this weekend in Mexico?
“I’m really excited. This is such a big moment for NASCAR and it will be nice to go to a new track that has hosted motorsports events in some of the top series in the world. We finished last year with a really strong showing at Watkins Glen and I felt like we had a decent car earlier this year at COTA, so it’ll be nice to have a full practice to get laps on track before we qualify. I think it’ll be a great weekend overall and a good show for all the fans”

Atop the No. 77 Box – Crew Chief Luke Lambert

• Crew chief Luke Lambert will call his 37th road-course event from the pit box where he’s earned two top-five and four top-10 finishes.
• He also called four top-five and seven top-10 finishes in nine NASCAR Xfinity Series road-course races.
• The Viva Mexico 250 will mark the Mount Airy, N.C., native’s 60th race atop the pit box for Hocevar with 51 of those starts occurring with Spire Motorsports. Together they’ve earned three top-five, nine top-10 finishes, and captured Hocevar’s first Cup Series pole award on May 3 at Texas Motor Speedway.

About Spire Motorsports …
Spire Motorsports earned its inaugural NASCAR Cup Series victory in its first full season of competition when Justin Haley took the checkered flag in the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway on July 7, 2019. Less than three years later, William Byron drove Spire Motorsports’ No. 7 Chevrolet Silverado to its inaugural NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series win on April 7, 2022, at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway. The team’s most recent win came on May 30, 2025, when Rajah Caruth took the checkered flag in the Rackley Roofing 200 at Nashville (Tenn.) Superspeedway.

In 2025, Spire Motorsports campaigns the Nos. 7, 71 and 77 Chevrolets in the NASCAR Cup Series. The team also fields the Nos. 07, 7, 71 and 77 Chevrolet Silverados in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series and the No. 77 Chevrolet in the ARCA Menards Series in select events.