Latest news with #RyanTruex
NBC Sports
13 hours ago
- Automotive
- NBC Sports
Ryan Truex looks to enjoy Mexico weekend driving Denny Hamlin's car
MEXICO CITY — Over the past couple of weeks, Ryan Truex admits that when crew chief Chris Gayle texted him 'my heart would stop.' Did Denny Hamlin, awaiting the birth of his son, need Truex to drive his car? MORE: Results of first Cup practice 'Is it yes or no?' Truex said. 'Every time it was a maybe.' Until Wednesday when Hamlin's fiancee had the couple's child and Hamlin decided to skip this weekend's race at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez. Truex — who is Joe Gibbs Racing's reserve driver and also does much of the team's simulation work — was on plane Thursday for Mexico. The last time a Truex raced in Mexico, Martin Truex Jr. won the inaugural Xfinity race at this track in 2005. After Ryan Truex texted his big brother about his news, Martin texted back: 'Truex's are one-for-one in Mexico.' As Ryan Truex noted: 'So, no pressure.' Dustin Long, This will be his first Cup start since 2014. 'My last time in Cup was not a fun experience,' Truex said of his time with BK Racing, an underfunded team that later went into bankruptcy and had to sell its charter. 'It didn't go well for me. I didn't enjoy it. That was probably not the right move for me, career-wise, and I've kind of been fighting back since then. 'I enjoy everything I do at JGR. I've been able to race part time the last couple of years, and do all of this stuff away from the track. It has been nice. It has been fun to race part-time and have some Saturdays at home, but it is also fun to be at the track, so I feel like I've had a good balance the last few years and the Cup cars then are so different than what they are now.' Nate Ryan, Truex has 102 career Xfinity starts. He three career series wins have come in his last 18 Xfinity starts. In Friday's first practice session, Truex was 36th on the speed chart among 37 cars. Truex says he has modest goals for this weekend. 'Really just want to enjoy it,' he said ahead of Friday's practice sessions. 'I don't really have any set goals or expectations – I just want to enjoy the weekend. I'm driving a Cup car for Joe Gibbs at an international race – this is not something I ever dreamed of doing, just want to take it all in and have a good time.'
Yahoo
16 hours ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Travel issues force NASCAR to change Mexico schedule and delay practice
Earlier on Thursday, it was reported that a chartered plane carrying several members of the NASCAR industry was grounded after an engine issue, causing major delays and forcing them to find an alternative path to Mexico City. That, along with other air travel challenges and delays, have forced NASCAR to adjust its schedule for the race weekend ahead. "Due to two aircraft issues that grounded multiple race teams in Charlotte, N.C., on Thursday, NASCAR has adjusted the on-track schedule for this weekend's activities at Mexico City's Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez," a statement from the sanctioning body read. As a result, NASCAR officials have chosen to delay the planned Cup Series practice session, rescheduling them for later in the afternoon. They have also pushed all NASCAR Xfinity Series practice sessions from Friday to Saturday. Additionally, the first of two NASCAR Mexico Series races will now run a few hours earlier on Friday. Advertisement The Xfinity Series will lose some practice time as a result with just one 50-minute session on Saturday morning, right before qualifying. There are other slight adjustments as well, but Cup teams will not lose any practice. The full updated schedule (EST.): Friday, June 13th 1:30pm EST -- NASCAR Mexico Series race #1 4:05pm EST -- NASCAR Cup practice #1 5:30pm EST -- NASCAR Cup practice #2 Saturday, June 14th 11:05am EST -- NASCAR Xfinity Series practice 12:10pm EST -- NASCAR Xfinity Series qualifying 2:05pm EST -- NASCAR Cup Series qualifying 7pm EST -- NASCAR Mexico Series race #2 Sunday's schedule remains unchanged. The NASCAR Cup race will still take place at 3pm EST. with the green flag planned for 3:23pm EST. Denny Hamlin will need a playoff waiver after choosing not to take part in the event as he stays with his family following the birth of his son. Advertisement Thankfully, there were no major issues for the 132 haulers and transport vehicles that travelled directly from Michigan International Speedway to Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez this week in another massive undertaking for the sport. NASCAR haulers NASCAR haulers Read Also: Denny Hamlin to skip Mexico City NASCAR Cup race, Ryan Truex to drive JGR car Alex Bowman cleared to race after crash, but Anthony Alfredo will be on standby To read more articles visit our website.
Fox News
21 hours ago
- Automotive
- Fox News
Denny Hamlin to miss NASCAR's Mexico City race following birth of son
MEXICO CITY — Denny Hamlin will not race at the inaugural Cup Series event this weekend in Mexico City after the birth of his son Wednesday. Joe Gibbs Racing reserve driver Ryan Truex will drive the No. 11 Cup car at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez. The son was the third child for Hamlin and fiancée Jordan Fish. "We are happy to announce the birth of our son," Hamlin said in a statement. "Everyone is doing well. My main priority is to be here at home for Jordan and our family over the next few days when she is able to go home and we transition to life as a family of five. "I appreciate everyone at Joe Gibbs Racing, our partners, and our fans for the support over the last few weeks and I look forward to being back at the track next weekend in Pocono." JGR will have to ask for a waiver from NASCAR for Hamlin to remain playoff eligible despite missing a race. NASCAR implemented a policy earlier this year that only a waiver granted for medical reasons would allow a driver to retain all playoff points earned during the regular season. The birth of a child is expected to be included in that. "JGR supports Hamlin in his decision," the team said in its news release announcing Truex would race the car. Truex, the younger brother of former JGR driver Martin Truex Jr., spends several hours each week in a racing simulator to help JGR with its baseline setups and has been on standby the last couple of weeks as Fish's due date was last week. Hamlin won last Sunday at Michigan, his third win of the year. "If [the birth] causes me to miss a race, it's one of 701 races that I missed and it's just not that big of a deal," Hamlin said at the time. Hamlin has made 406 consecutive starts, having last missed a race in 2014 when he missed the race at California Speedway because of an object in his eye. It will be Truex's first Cup start since 2014, when he competed in 23 races for BK Racing. Bob Pockrass covers NASCAR and IndyCar for FOX Sports. He has spent decades covering motorsports, including over 30 Daytona 500s, with stints at ESPN, Sporting News, NASCAR Scene magazine and The (Daytona Beach) News-Journal. Follow him on Twitter @bobpockrass.
Washington Post
a day ago
- Automotive
- Washington Post
Denny Hamlin to miss NASCAR's first international race after birth of son
MEXICO CITY — Denny Hamlin will miss NASCAR's first international race of the modern era to remain in North Carolina following the birth of his child. Ryan Truex will replace him Sunday in Mexico City. 'See you guys in Pocono,' Hamlin posted on social media. 'We are happy to announce the birth of our son. Everyone is doing well. My main priority is to be here at home for Jordan and our family over the next few days when she is able to go home and we transition to life as a family of five.'
New York Times
a day ago
- Automotive
- New York Times
Denny Hamlin to skip NASCAR race in Mexico City due to the birth of his son
NASCAR championship contender Denny Hamlin will miss Sunday's Cup Series race in Mexico City following the birth of his son on Wednesday, Joe Gibbs Racing announced Thursday. Ryan Truex, JGR's reserve driver, will substitute to drive the No. 11 Toyota. Hamlin's fiancé, Jordan Fish, has been expecting the couple's third child for the past 12 days and Hamlin has made it known he would miss a Cup race to be by Fish's side. Truex was on standby last week at Michigan International Speedway, but Hamlin not only drove in the race, but won. Advertisement The Michigan win was Hamlin's third on the season and 57th of his career, second-most among active drivers. The 44-year-old has made 406 consecutive starts, last missing a race in 2014 at California Speedway due to an object in his eye. Truex has been lauded for his ability behind the scenes in serving as JGR's reserve driver. These duties include full-time simulator testing that helps JGR refine chassis setups for a given track, though they do not include real-world testing of a car. Truex last made a Cup start in 2014 and has 26 career starts at NASCAR's top level, with a career-best finish of 20th. He is the younger brother of 2017 Cup Series champion Martin Truex Jr., who retired after last season and was a former teammate of Hamlin's at JGR. Because Hamlin is missing the Mexico City race, the first Cup points outside the continental United States since 1958, he will need NASCAR to grant him a waiver to maintain playoff eligibility. The expectation is that NASCAR will grant Hamlin a waiver, allowing him to compete for the Cup championship when the playoffs begin in September. NASCAR Cup Series drivers must start all 26 regular-season points races to be eligible for the playoffs unless they have a NASCAR-issued waiver; the policy was revamped this year to include the birth of a child as an example of a valid reason to be given a waiver. That clearly made Hamlin's decision to remain in the United States and skip the inaugural Mexico City race much easier, since his fiancé is still in the hospital as of Thursday, and they already have two children at home. Travel to Mexico is also not as easy as simply flying his private jet to the racetrack, as he does every other week. Some teams who planned to take a charter flight to Mexico City on Thursday have been forced to scramble after a mechanical problem grounded their flight. But in some ways, this is the best possible race for Hamlin to miss. He has struggled with his road racing and was unlikely to contend in Mexico (he is 1-for-57 in his Cup Series road racing career). Meanwhile, it's a golden opportunity for Ryan Truex, who has been training for this moment all season. As we wrote earlier this year, Truex is JGR's reserve driver and is responsible for helping the teams with fine-tuning their setups in the Toyota simulator each week.
