Trackhouse Racing faces unprecedented logistical warfare ahead of NASCAR’s Mexico City debut. Stranded personnel and aborted flights forced emergency measures just hours before Friday’s critical practice sessions. The team now operates with minimal on-site staff while North Carolina-based engineers are scheduled to arrive in Mexico City tonight.
This crisis strikes at NASCAR’s first international points event since 1958. With playoff hopes dangling by threads, drivers and crews wage battle against vanished time and 7,500-foot altitude challenges at Sunday’s historic Viva Mexico 250.
Stephen Doran’s ‘Skeleton Crews’ Deployed Amid Travel Nightmare
Only three to four crew members per car currently service Trackhouse’s entries at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez. This drastic reduction follows Thursday’s dual aircraft failures, which stranded nearly 100 NASCAR personnel in Charlotte. A damaged fan blade crippled one plane during takeoff, forcing an emergency return. Another charter faced extensive delays.
Shane van Gisbergen’s Crew chief, Stephen Doran, confirmed the bare-bones operation to Bob Pockrass Friday morning. “Yeah, we’ll be ready. Skeleton crew. There’s only three or four of us on each of our cars, but yeah, we’ll be fine,” Doran stated.
Shane van Gisbergen crew chief Stephen Doran says they have three-four people here for each Trackhouse car. Some engineers stayed in NC for practice today and will come tonight. Will be able to get through practices today with skeleton crews. pic.twitter.com/h0m2Xm1mtf
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) June 13, 2025
Critical engineers remain anchored in Trackhouse’s North Carolina shop, practicing off-track. Their delayed arrival pushes full team integration to Saturday’s qualifying, a nerve-wracking timeline.
Doran acknowledged the brutal calculus and added, “They’ll be just in the schedule, definitely have to settle for a bit, but we just got to get caught up now.” NASCAR’s schedule adjustment, delaying technical inspections until Saturday, offers minimal relief. Mechanics scramble through shorter sessions while battling altitude-induced engine performance drops.
Trackhouse Racing Continues to Face Mexico City Struggles
Trackhouse Racing’s engineers in Charlotte stayed back in the team shop, practicing and dissecting real-time data streams from Mexico during Friday’s practices. This represents Trackhouse’s desperate adaptation to cascading failures. Doran outlined the split strategy, said, “We have some engineers staying back so they can do practice from the shop and they’ll fly down tomorrow.”
The chaos magnifies the pressure for Shane. The Kiwi star languishes 33rd in points, making Mexico’s road course his prime playoff lifeline. “Not really. They’ve got it pretty under control,” Shane downplayed when asked about the skeleton crews. “Obviously, it’s not ideal, but it’s fine.”
Shane van Gisbergen said he feels his car will be ready for practice with a handful of team members getting to Mexico City today (SVG flew in this morning) after the NASCAR chartered plane apparently blew an engine as it was about to take off. pic.twitter.com/OICsqF0drp
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) June 13, 2025
His crew chief projected stoic resolve: “Most of them- rest of them will get here tonight.”
Trackhouse isn’t suffering alone. Xfinity driver Ryan Ellis endured 24 hours of cancellations and lost luggage. Notably, his suitcase is still stranded in Charlotte as he tweeted, “I might die of a heart attack before I ever get there.”
For Shane, the crisis threatens his strongest remaining opportunity. “I’ve been doing a lot of SIM lately, and it’s pretty cool, a challenging and big track. There are lots of technical sections, and it’s going to be very difficult,” he predicted.
“Turn one is going to be carnage, I think, with how NASCAR restarts are. It’s going to be nuts, but I’m looking forward to some right-handers this weekend.”
His crew chief, Doran, brings championship pedigree from Kevin Harvick’s 2014 title run, experience now tested under fire. As Doran’s skeleton crew races the clock, their improvisation could redefine pit road limits for global expansion.