During the Viva Mexico 250 weekend, many drivers faced a slew of travel hurdles to get to Mexico City. It seems as though there were some delays for the drivers to get back home as well. However, the reigning Cup Champion, Joey Logano, thinks the problem is different from what most think.
He has been driving in the NASCAR Cup Series since the 2009 season. So it’s safe to say that he has a lot of experience travelling to different states week after week. However, this is the first time NASCAR has gone racing outside of the United States of America since 1998. So things were not as convenient as Logano or the other drivers are used to.
Joey Logano Thinks NASCAR Drivers Are Spoiled
Throughout the week, we heard many drivers and team members facing delays in their travel plans. Speaking about these issues on the Morning Drive podcast on SiriusXM, the No. 22 Team Penske driver mentioned they didn’t have the smoothest travel to get back home.
Joey Logano said, “We hung out after the race and then stayed there. And then, 5:30 yesterday morning, we hopped on the bus. The bus took us to the airport. We hung out there for a while and jumped on the plane, land, go through customs, get another bus back to the shop, get your car, drive back home. It was 5:30 p.m. by the time I got home. It wasn’t bad.” Not to get him wrong, he clarified what the real problem is, according to him.
NEWS: NASCAR announces updated weekend schedule for #NASCARMexico due to two aircraft issues that grounded multiple race teams in Charlotte, N.C., on Thursday. pic.twitter.com/IjjxNdcFSq
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) June 13, 2025
“Everything went as planned, it’s just a long process. We’re so used to, we’re spoiled. That’s the bottom line is we’re all spoiled. Like we’re used to, as soon as the race is over, we typically get in the car, we drive to the airport, we load, and go, right?”
“We’re home. What four hours after the race typically? And so for us to be like another day after the race, you’re like, Oh, are we ever going to get home? What are we going to do? But it’s not bad. It’s just that we’re spoiled and gotten a little soft. That’s all well,” he said.
Given that the drivers on the grid are not used to racing internationally, they had to wait a bit longer than they are used to before heading home. During a normal Cup Series race in the United States, drivers usually tend to return home as soon as the race is completed, without waiting in line for customs or delayed flights.
Logano also mentioned that some drivers did not have to wait too long after the race. This could be because they had private jets to fly back. But what about the others? The slightly privileged?
What Problems Did the Drivers and Teams Face While Traveling to Mexico?
While most NASCAR team members arrived on time, a few faced many issues getting there. One Xfinity team travelling in a chartered plane ran into trouble when the driver, Ryan Ellis, heard a loud ‘boom’ on the flight. The aircraft was grounded, and the team was forced to make other arrangements.
Something similar happened to Dale Earnhardt Jr., whose flight was canceled because it was under service in Singapore. He also had to look for alternate travel plans to get to Mexico. A couple more teams and drivers were affected by similar issues over the weekend.
CONFIRMED: Issue w/ team charter plane heading to Mexico, first noted by driver @ryanellisracing. Team heard “a boom” pilot thinks something flew into engine. Also CONFIRMED per @NASCAR that everyone is safe. Per FlightAware teams affected are expected depart in 28 minutes. pic.twitter.com/bHVNS3OwhN
— Jerry Jordan (@JerryJordan_KTT) June 12, 2025
Due to these travel issues, NASCAR was forced to change its racing schedule to wait for these teams and drivers to arrive on time. Even then, crews operated with just four or five members during practice.
It’s safe to say that last weekend’s first international race since 1998 ran into some hurdles. NASCAR will be working to solve these hurdles as it looks to keep Mexico on the calendar for the long term.