NASCAR Mexico City: Drivers explain changes to Cup Series cars due to altitude

The NASCAR weekend in Mexico City is underway, and drivers are already noticing major changes to their cars in practice. Racing at 7,500 feet above sea level makes parts and pieces act much differently. That includes the engines and the brakes.

If you are looking for chaos this weekend, then it might come in the form of mechanical failures. This Mexico City track, Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, is testing these drivers. The braking zones are tough to nail down, and drivers are having to adjust.

After the first practice session, Chase Briscoe talked about the changes to his car. He noticed his brakes were wearing out quicker, getting hotter than usual.

“At least, how, truthfully, how much the brakes changed for me, at least,” Briscoe said on the Prime Video broadcast. “Just the lack of air up here with the altitude, like, my brakes just faded really, really quick compared to what they typically would. So, for me, that was honestly the biggest thing was just trying to figure out what I needed to do different input-wise every single lap. Because my braking ability was getting worse and worse.”

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. joined Carl Edwards, Corey LaJoie, and Danielle Trotta at the booth. He talked about the engine changes.

“Definitely, all the engine manufacturers are worried about overheating,” Stenhouse said. “Heard there was a few overheating issues throughout that practice session. Watching my gauges, I felt they were obviously well hotter than they normally are. And that was out by yourself, that’s not you know, tucked up next to each other, racing. So, you gotta assume that’s gonna be more issues for those cars. You know, growing up in the engine shop with my dad, I do know like altitude changes the performance of the engine. You’ve gotta put more fuel to it, take fuel away, and just see how these things run.”

Prime Video had a great virtual car graphic. They showed how the NASCAR Cup car reacts to the thin Mexico City air. When the altitude is as high as it is at the track, a lot changes. Brakes and engines are going to get hot.

Checking into the @PrimeVideo Garage to see how the altitude in Mexico affects the cars #NASCARonPrime pic.twitter.com/zaQOjAeKCp

— Sports on Prime (@SportsonPrime) June 13, 2025

So, keep an eye out this weekend. We saw a lot of tire lock-ups as well. Todd Gilliland touched on that after the second practice. Whether that is brake-related, altitude-related, or the track surface, remains to be seen. This NASCAR race in Mexico is going to be tough.

“I don’t know. It seems like a grip-level issue. To be honest, I’ve never seen so many guys in front of me locking up tires. You know, it seems like you go to the rear and you lock up the rears. And there’s just not a lot of grip under braking. So, that was one thing we tried to get a lot better. It looked like everyone was kinda struggling like we talked about, but it should make for an exciting race.”

This Mexico City track has given these NASCAR Cup Series drivers fits. If the grip is lacking and the brakes are hot and the engines are struggling to breathe, then we’re in for one hell of a show.

If the rain stays away, the NASCAR Mexico City weekend is going to be worth the wait. You won’t want to miss the action. Qualifying tomorrow, along with practice, qualifying, and the race for the Xfinity Series.