It wasn’t part of the initial plan, but Ryan Truex will get the opportunity to be a part of NASCAR Cup Series history when the field takes the green in Sunday’s Viva Mexico 250 — the series’ first event outside the United States since 1958.
Truex is the designated reserve driver for Joe Gibbs Racing, and for the last four weeks, has been on standby for Denny Hamlin, while he and his fiancée Jordan Fish awaited the birth of their third child.
With the couple’s son born on Wednesday (June 11), Truex got the call that he would be driving the No. 11 Yahoo! Toyota Camry XSE, less than two days before the first practice session of the weekend.
“It’s been a crazy few weeks — especially since Charlotte, I’ve been on standby,” Truex said in a media availability on Friday. “I’m glad it is at a track where I can practice and have time and know what to do. I found out on Wednesday night, so it has been kind of chaotic getting here and putting all of that together, but I’m just grateful for the experience and grateful to be here.”
“I don’t really have any set goals or expectations,” said Truex. “I just want to enjoy the weekend. I’m driving a Cup [Series] car for Joe Gibbs Racing 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.”
It has been more than a decade since Truex last competed in the NASCAR Cup Series, dating back to his tenure with the now-defunct BK Racing in 2014. In the years since, the series has undergone several major changes, including the introduction of a radically different car.
The good news for Ryan Truex? Although road courses aren’t technically his strongest point, there won’t be a single driver on-site this weekend in Mexico City who has turned laps around the 2.42-mile road course in the NextGen car.
“I was definitely more nervous about Charlotte. The idea of jumping in for 600 miles with no practice or anything — just going for it — was a little nerve-wracking, same with Nashville,” Truex said. “Michigan, I was pretty comfortable with. I did the test a few months ago, so I did at least have some reps to fall back on.”
“I feel like this is the best-case scenario. I have tracks that I enjoy – Dover, Richmond, New Hampshire – where I feel like I know what I need, but with this car, it is a whole different animal. Just the fact that we get practice — we get 50 minutes and then a half-hour — that’s huge for me.”
Truex ranked 36th of 37 drivers in the opening practice from Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, but drastically improved his best lap time every single time the Yahoo! Toyota Camry XSE hit the racetrack.
Regardless of how Friday and Saturday’s on-track sessions unfold, Sunday’s Viva Mexico 250 serves as a massive opportunity for the native of Mayetta, New Jersey, whose career has mostly faded into part-time Xfinity Series efforts and reserve driver opportunities.
It’s a significant amount of pressure for a driver who hasn’t run at NASCAR’s top-level in more than a decade. especially when driving a racecar that has won three NASCAR Cup Series events in 2025, including last week at Michigan.
However, Truex is trying to put those potentially earth-shattering ramifications aside.
“I’ve thought about that,” Truex said when asked about the potential ramifications. “I try not to think about it too much and put too much pressure on myself, because it is really easy to do that and make mistakes. I have a lot of confidence with this group and just with Joe Gibbs Racing as a whole. I feel like it has really been family for me the last few years, and they’ve taken me in and done a lot for me, helped me develop my skills, and made me a better driver.”
“I just want to return that investment into a good finish for them.”
It’s destined to be quite the uphill battle for Truex this weekend in Mexico City, as he not only looks to better understand the real-world characteristics of the seventh-generation racecar, but also tries to make lap time around a brand-new road course.
Qualifying for the Viva Mexico 250 will take place on Saturday at 2:05 pm ET on Prime Video, with the event itself happening on Sunday at 3:00 PM ET. Prime Video, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90 will have coverage of all on-track sessions this weekend.
