As the NASCAR Cup Series prepares for its inaugural visit to Mexico City, a complex logistical effort has been underway since February. The series’ vice president of racing operations, Tom Bryant, and managing director of racing operations, Steve Beres, have been working tirelessly to ensure everything is in place for the Viva Mexico 250 at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez.
Bryant, who has 21 years of experience in the US Army, likened the operation to a military deployment. He used his knowledge of the military planning process and decision-making elements to coordinate the effort. The PACE method (Primary plan, Alternate plan, Contingency plan, and Emergency plan) was employed to anticipate potential issues and ensure a smooth execution.
The haulers, which traveled from Michigan International Speedway on Sunday night, are just one aspect of the massive logistical undertaking. There are 137 trucks, 284 drivers, and over 2,400 documents that need to be tracked. Beres, who has experience in law enforcement and SWAT teams, was responsible for overseeing the process.
The manifest system, which requires documentation for every item on each hauler, is a tedious and time-consuming process. The team had to ensure that only items allowed into Mexico were transported, and that all necessary documents were completed.
Hendrick Motorsports, with its experience in transporting equipment for international events like the 24 Hours of Le Mans, was able to adapt quickly to the manifest system. Other teams, however, faced challenges in understanding what they could bring into Mexico.
The NASCAR Xfinity Series, which is also competing at The Chilango 150 on Saturday, June 14, began its journey to Mexico City last weekend. The unified effort to transport over 50 vehicles across the border was a testament to the collaboration between teams and industry partners.
Goodyear and Featherlite offered additional support by providing mobile maintenance teams and trailers for the haulers. Stepp’s Towing Service also provided a recovery vehicle in case of a catastrophic breakdown.
The safety of drivers and spectators was also a top priority, with precautions taken to ensure that everyone could take pictures and get up close to the haulers without putting themselves or others at risk.
Rock-It Cargo, a logistics company specializing in big-time events, helped facilitate the process by providing expertise and resources. The effort is guaranteed to be one for the history books as NASCAR’s premier series competes outside of North America for the first time since 1952.
“This is a historic event,” said Bryant. “Knowing that we’re delivering NASCAR racing to this entirely new fan base in Mexico City and knowing that all the people back in the states who are fans are going to be watching this, that’s really cool.”
Source: Nascar
