Latest news with #AutodromoHermanosRodriguez
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Automotive
- Daily Mail
NASCAR driver forced to apologize over insulting Mexico remark as he's hit with punishment
Following the NASCAR Cup Series' first race at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico City over the weekend, Spire Motorsports' Carson Hocevar was fined for insulting comments about the track and the country. Hocevar was on a live stream in the days prior to finishing 34th out of 37 drivers at the track that is best known for hosting the Mexico City Grand Prix in Formula One. When asked for his thoughts on the race, Hocevar went off on the organizers, the track itself, and the city - which he described as a 's**thole' before even taking a lap around the track. 'If the travel was better, if getting here was easier, if you felt safer getting to and from everywhere, if it wasn't such a s**thole, if the track limits were a little better enforced, if it was going to be a little bit better of a race, and it wasn't so easy to, or feel so locked down like you can't leave anywhere, it'd be a great experience,' the 22-year-old Michigan native said live on a Twitch stream. After his disparaging comments, Spire Motorsports slapped Hocevar with a $50,000 fine and placed him in mandatory cultural-sensitivity and bias-awareness training. 'These actions are consistent with Spire Motorsports' core value of RESPECT, which is something we proudly display on every race car, team uniform, trackside hauler, and digital channel,' a statement from the race team read. 'Respect is not a slogan. It is a daily expectation that we "walk the walk" in how we speak, compete, and serve the communities that welcome our sport. Carson Hocevar's recent comments made during the livestream fell short of that standard.' The team said that NASCAR was informed of their discipline of Hocevar and did not impose any further punishment. Hocevar fully apologized back on Sunday, saying in part, 'My opinion has changed. I am embarrassed by my comments.' Nearly two hours after Spire posted their statement - and received plenty of backlash - Hocevar publicly admitted fault again. 'Whoa everybody, the truth is the truth,' he began. 'I said something that not only was wrong, I said it without even laying my own two eyes on CDMX or turning one lap in an actual race at an amazing facility that welcomed me with open arms and I go and say that? 'Thank you for the support but I'm not sure we're on the same page. You guys want me to be me? It was me who said it and it was me who apologized after actually taking the time to explore the city and feel the passion of every fan in attendance.' The fine Hocevar will pay is being distributed to the Mexican Red Cross, the Mexican United Way, and Un Kilo de Ayuda - a nonprofit combating childhood malnutrition and supporting early-childhood development. Hocevar sits 20th in the NASCAR Drivers' Championship standings - with his best results being second-place finishes at Atlanta and Nashville. The series heads to Pocono in Pennsylvania this weekend.
Fox News
4 days ago
- Automotive
- Fox News
NASCAR Power Rankings: Christopher Bell, Chase Elliott move up after strong Mexico runs
Print Close Published June 17, 2025 The drivers who finished second and third at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez moved up in these power rankings. The winner? Well, that was Shane van Gisbergen but he will need to put a few solid finishes together before he cracks this list. Christopher Bell (second) and Chase Elliott (third) should feel good about their performances heading into this weekend at Pocono. Here are the power rankings following the Cup debut in Mexico City: Dropped out: Tyler Reddick (Last Week: 9) On the verge: Alex Bowman, Kyle Busch, Ty Gibbs, Joey Logano, Ryan Preece, Tyler Reddick 10. Chase Briscoe (LW: Not Ranked) Briscoe didn't win a fourth consecutive pole. But he'll take the finish from Sunday, as he placed seventh in Mexico City. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver was involved in an early incident and rallying for that result was a good sign that his team remains resilient. 9. Ross Chastain (LW: 6) Chastain took the stage points in the first stage by finishing third. However, he ended up with a 16th-place finish on a day when his Trackhouse Racing teammate van Gisbergen won. 8. Bubba Wallace (LW: 8) Wallace has consistently improved on road courses. The 23XI Racing driver didn't qualify well (25th) but he brought home a respectable 12th-place finish. 7. Chris Buescher (LW: 7) Buescher is one of the more underrated road-course drivers in the series. He finished seventh in the second stage and after losing the track position to pit, drove his RFK Racing car to 12th at the finish. 6. Chase Elliott (LW: 10) Quite a solid day for the Hendrick Motorsports driver, as he finished third in Mexico City. He started 12th, got the car better during the weekend and survived some of the beating and banging on the restarts. 5. Denny Hamlin (LW: 2) Hamlin didn't race at Mexico City after the birth of his son earlier in the week. He is expected to return at Pocono. 4. Ryan Blaney (LW: 4) Blaney didn't have a winning car so he took the stage points. He finished second in the opening stage and fourth in the second stage. That — combined with a 14th-place finish — gave the Penske driver the fifth-highest point total on the day. 3. Kyle Larson (LW: 3) Larson was an innocent bystander in getting collected in a wreck on Lap 7. He ended up 36th, making the trip to Mexico a frustrating one for the championship contender. 2. Christopher Bell (LW: 5) Bell finished second in the second stage behind van Gisbergen, and that's also where they ended up at the finish of the race. The JGR driver will carry momentum into Pocono. 1. William Byron (LW: 1) Byron's ninth-place finish wasn't great, but it was better than many of the other top drivers on this list. The Hendrick driver should be a threat for the win at Pocono. Bob Pockrass covers NASCAR and INDYCAR for FOX Sports. He has spent decades covering motorsports, including over 30 Daytona 500s, with stints at ESPN, Sporting News, NASCAR Scene magazine and The (Daytona Beach) News-Journal. Follow him on Twitter @bobpockrass. Print Close URL
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Alex Bowman grits through pain to finish fourth in Mexico
MEXICO CITY — Alex Bowman winced as he lowered his body into a seat in the drivers meeting Sunday, the pain in his right lower back and leg a result of his high-speed head-on crash the previous week in Michigan. He said on Saturday that it was painful sitting in his car. Just sitting in a regular padded folding chair Sunday proved as difficult. Advertisement Yet, here he was about to run 100 laps around the 15-turn, 2.42-mile Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez course from the 29th starting spot. HIs journey lasted 3 hours and 14 minutes. When it ended, he had finished fourth. "Running well probably made it easier than it could have been,' Bowman told Prime after the race. 'Just proud of the whole team. I put us behind this week. In full transparency, I couldn't walk on Wednesday, so I missed all my sim stuff, all my meetings. Just trying to get back going. 'I had a lot of help from a lot of people to fix whatever the hell was going on, and thankfully enough, I was able to run all the laps this weekend.' Mexico NASCAR photo (5).jpg Shane van Gisbergen wins NASCAR Mexico City Cup inaugural race by over 16 seconds Advertisement The Trackhouse Racing driver qualifies for the 2025 playoffs with his second career victory. Crew chief Blake Harris marveled at what Bowman accomplished. 'To be honest, we didn't know … Wednesday night for sure that he was going to be on the plane with us Thursday,' Harris said. 'I thought his recovery was going well and Wednesday me and another guy had to basically carry him because he got to a point where he almost couldn't walk. 'It's tough for me because I look at Michigan, it doesn't matter what happens with our team, I feel responsible for it. In my opinion … if the car is more comfortable at Michigan, we're not in the 20s (in the running order) and we don't get crashed.' NASCAR Mexico NASCAR won't commit to returning to Mexico in 2026 but 'very hopeful' to be back Advertisement NASCAR Commissioner Steve Phelps told drivers before the race: 'Together, we are doing something that will be remembered in the history of our great sport.' Bowman said he spent most of his time in Mexico in his hotel bed recovering. His team had Anthony Alfredo on standby to relieve Bowman. Alfredo wasn't needed. Bowman fought through the injury for just his third top-10 finish in the last 10 races. A key moment in the race came when Harris pitted Bowman on Lap 62 from sixth place. Bowman was the second car to come to pit road at the start of that green-flag cycle. Christopher Bell, who went on to finish second started the cycle a lap earlier. NASCAR: Wurth 400 presented by LIQUI MOLY Ricky Stenhouse Jr. upset with Carson Hocevar, vows action when 'we get back to the States' Advertisement Ricky Stenhouse Jr.'s comments were caught by Carson Hocevar's in-car camera after the race. Harris said that strategy started with Bowman's pit stop on Lap 17. The pit crew took off the wet-weather tires and put on slicks (meant for dry conditions). Harris admits that they probably put the slicks on too early but the stop came at their last chance to pit before the end of the stage at Lap 20 since there are no pit stops allowed in the last two laps of either the first or second stage. There was a benefit to the move. 'That gave us the first jump to track position,' Harris said. 'Then at that point, we knew a lot of guys thought a bunch of rain was coming, so we knew a lot of guys would pit and we stayed out. They pitted before (the end of) stage two, thinking they could go to the rain. We thought the rain was going to be like right at the time we were out of fuel. Advertisement 'We started to get some of those sprinkles right as we were starting to run out of fuel.' NASCAR Mexico (4).jpg What drivers said at Mexico City after Cup race won by Shane van Gisbergen The Trackhouse Racing driver turned in a dominant performance for his second career Cup victory. That's why Bowman pitted at Lap 62. When a caution came out for Carson Hocevar's stalled car at Lap 66, only part of the field had pitted. Those that had, moved to the front of the field. Those that had not — including leader Ty Gibbs — restarted deeper in the field after their pit stop. Bowman restarted third and went on to score a top-five finish. 'It feels good to get this No. 48 Ally Chevrolet team a run that they deserve,' Bowman said. 'We've had a lot of fast race cars and just had days that haven't gone our way. We've had issues and there's been times that I've crashed the car, so to get them a good run after everything this week and how hard they've had to work is great.'
CNA
5 days ago
- Automotive
- CNA
Suarez makes history on home soil despite bittersweet Mexico City finish
MEXICO CITY :Daniel Suarez became the first Mexican driver to compete in the NASCAR Cup Series on home soil and while he had hoped for better than his 19th-place finish in Sunday's inaugural Viva Mexico 250 at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez he said the experience had left him craving more. "We wanted to battle for the win, yet it didn't happen. However, I'm pretty happy for everything about this weekend, the people, the fans, the sponsors, the excitement and the energy," Suarez told reporters. "I hope that we come back many, many times," said the Monterrey native, whose weekend had begun with a victory in Saturday's second-tier Xfinity Series race. The contrast between Suarez's result and that of his victorious Trackhouse Racing teammate Shane van Gisbergen — who got some tips from three-time Formula One world champion Max Verstappen — highlighted the technical nuances of NASCAR's international expansion. "Sometimes they are good decisions, sometimes they are not. We don't have exactly the same race cars. And then the strategy was different too. Today the strategy didn't work out.' Suarez said. However, for the 33-year-old driver the disappointment failed to overshadow the broader significance of NASCAR's historic race. "Hopefully we'll improve enough in the next 10 weeks to make it into the playoffs, and hopefully I'll be back next year here with my people" he added.
Reuters
5 days ago
- Automotive
- Reuters
Suarez makes history on home soil despite bittersweet Mexico City finish
MEXICO CITY, June 15 (Reuters) - Daniel Suarez became the first Mexican driver to compete in the NASCAR Cup Series on home soil and while he had hoped for better than his 19th-place finish in Sunday's inaugural Viva Mexico 250 at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez he said the experience had left him craving more. "We wanted to battle for the win, yet it didn't happen. However, I'm pretty happy for everything about this weekend, the people, the fans, the sponsors, the excitement and the energy," Suarez told reporters. "I hope that we come back many, many times," said the Monterrey native, whose weekend had begun with a victory in Saturday's second-tier Xfinity Series race. The contrast between Suarez's result and that of his victorious Trackhouse Racing teammate Shane van Gisbergen — who got some tips from three-time Formula One world champion Max Verstappen — highlighted the technical nuances of NASCAR's international expansion. "Sometimes they are good decisions, sometimes they are not. We don't have exactly the same race cars. And then the strategy was different too. Today the strategy didn't work out.' Suarez said. However, for the 33-year-old driver the disappointment failed to overshadow the broader significance of NASCAR's historic race. "Hopefully we'll improve enough in the next 10 weeks to make it into the playoffs, and hopefully I'll be back next year here with my people" he added.
