The upcoming NASCAR Cup debut in Mexico City on June 15 — the Viva Mexico 250 — is going to be a fairly even event for all drivers, as most Cup drivers have never raced on the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez road course, let alone have previously visited Mexico City.
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But one driver in particular, Chase Briscoe, has researched Mexico City and he warns his fellow drivers that they should prepare for one key element: air — or lack thereof.
The capital of our southern neighbor is 7,350 feet above sea level. That’s almost 1 ½ miles above sea level. By comparison, one of the U.S.’s highest-elevation cities, Denver, Colorado, is 5,280 feet above sea level — or roughly just one mile above sea level.
The difference in distance above sea level is key, as the higher the elevation, the more difficult it can be to breathe, and can also cause Cup motors to strain with less air intake.
That’s why teams are already preparing to have things like oxygen and other breathing aids to help drivers, as well as using mechanical devices to simulate less air intake upon normally aspirated engines.
NASCAR previously raced at the Mexico City road course from 2005 through 2008, but those were Xfinity Series events, not Cup races.
“It is something truly I don’t understand, how bad or indifferent it’s going to be,” Briscoe said during a pre-race interview session prior to last weekend’s Coca-Cola 600.
“Everyone keeps talking about it. I’ve ran the simulator, and for example, you can put the thing in first gear, hold the clutch in and hold it wide open, and let off the clutch, and it won’t even spin the tires — that is how much power is killed.
“I don’t know what to expect. I have been doing things away from the racetrack to try to prepare for that. Will they work? I don’t know. Will it be overkill? I don’t know until I get there.
“The only time I’ve even been in elevation has been snowmobiling in Park City, Utah (just over 7,000 feet above sea level). I remember it being way hard to breathe and stuff. I think it is going to be different, but I don’t know what to expect till I get there.”
Rather than come in on Thursday or even Friday morning as they do on most race weekends, Briscoe and most teams and drivers will likely arrive in Mexico City several days ahead of time to get acclimated to the thin air.
“I was talking to my wife just this week that I don’t know if I will get there and get done with practice and be like, man, I should have been doing a lot more or am I going to get there and be like I’ve been doing overkill these last two months just trying to get ready for this, I don’t know,” Briscoe said.
Teams Are Preparing for Anything and Everything
Getting to Mexico City early may or may not be a help to teams and drivers, it’s such an unknown factor.
“It’s going to be an advantage or a huge disadvantage for the guys that aren’t doing stuff,” Briscoe said of those drivers who are doing breathing exercises and working out in conditions that have less air. “I’ve definitely been doing stuff to prepare. I just don’t know if it is going to apply.”
When asked what specific type of “stuff” he was doing to prepare, Briscoe demurred.
“I don’t want to give away any secrets,” he said with a laugh. “Toyota has put together a plan for the Toyota drivers at least, and we are all doing relatively the same thing. I’m definitely interested to see how it all plays out.”
Chevrolet-powered Chase Elliott also has concerns about driving in the high elevation.
“Road courses are always a little more physical than ovals are,” Elliott said. “Just from our standpoint, you’re working a lot: shifting and a lot of throttle and brake and all that sort of thing.
“With that being said, I know for one thing: “When you go out west and you go climb a flight of stairs, it’s different than climbing a flight of stairs at home, right? And I think everybody can attest to that it’s been at a higher elevation,” he concluded.
