NASCAR charter flight to Mexico City stuck in Charlotte after 'small boom,' failed takeoff attempt

A bit of trouble for the NASCAR industry on the way to Mexico City. Two chartered flights have been held up in Charlotte. On Wednesday this week, Dale Earnhardt Jr. had to change his travel plans after his plane was held up in another country.

Today is the day that drivers and team members are expected to arrive in Mexico City for the NASCAR weekend. It is a historic race weekend with the first international points race for the Cup Series since the 1958 season. So, all eyes are on the sport as they embark on this journey.

Ryan Ellis, driver of the No. 71 Chevy for DGM Racing, posted a photo from the Charlotte airport. Firefighters are seen on the tarmac as NASCAR industry members walk off the plane.

Andddddd we are back in Charlotte pic.twitter.com/KFIsBraBVl

— Ryan Ellis (@ryanellisracing) June 12, 2025

Ellis reported in a prior tweet that upon attempting takeoff, the “plane made a small boom” and returned to its gate. So, not an ideal start to the weekend for these NASCAR drivers and team members.

Matt Weaver of Sportsnaut and The Sporting News reported that passengers on the flight were told by the captain that “engine 2 blew.” The captain suspected a bird had possibly flown into the engine just as the plane attempted to take off. Scary situation.

So, the NASCAR Mexico City weekend is on hold for these industry members. While they have run into a bit of trouble, NASCAR has made arrangements for another flight.

NASCAR Mexico City weekend off to rough start with travel woes

Currently, NASCAR Is trying to find an alternative flight for the personnel left in Charlotte to get to Mexico City. Finding a last-minute international flight is not the easiest thing to do. However, the weekend can’t go on without these drivers and team members at the track.

Tomorrow is when the action starts. There will be extensive practice sessions for both the Cup and Xfinity Series. This is a new track for the field. Even drivers who competed in the Xfinity Series races in Mexico City years ago, they will not necessarily recognize the configuration being used this weekend, although it is similar.

The Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez is a historic venue that hosts all kinds of races throughout the year. Daniel Suárez is used to racing on the oval back in his NASCAR Mexico Series days. F1 races at the track on a yearly basis, but that is not the exact same configuration that NASCAR will compete on.

There are a lot of questions right now around the weekend. The main one at the moment is when these drivers and teams will actually get to the city and settle in. Then there is the altitude change. Mexico City sits 7,500 feet above sea level, and these NASCAR drivers are not used to that kind of elevation. The air will be thinner, and blood oxygen levels will be lower than the drivers are used to.

Drivers like Tyler Reddick have been doing what they can to train for the intense altitude difference. While others have somewhat shrugged it off with it being only a one-time thing this season. We will see if those who have prepared the most gain an advantage on the field or not.