“Plane Made A Small Boom” – Plane Carrying NASCAR Drivers To Mexico City Forced To Abort Takeoff After Blowing An Engine In Charlotte

Better on the runway than in the air…

NASCAR is racing in Mexico City this weekend for the first points-paying Cup Series race since 1958 when Lee Petty won in Toronto. (The Xfinity Series has held races in both Mexico and Canada in recent years, and the Cup Series has also traveled internationally for exhibition races, but there haven’t been any points races internationally in nearly 70 years).

Obviously traveling internationally presents logistical challenges for drivers and teams that they don’t have to deal with when they’re racing in places like Nashville or Michigan. The haulers carrying the cars had to drive from Michigan International Speedway on Sunday to Laredo, Texas on Monday, where they crossed through customs as a group and received heavy security en route to the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in Mexico City.

Another challenge, of course, is getting the drivers and crew to Mexico City. Generally on a race weekend the teams organize travel for their personnel, with the driver often arriving later to the track than the rest of the team who have to be there to get the car ready.

But this week, NASCAR has organized charter flights for drivers and crew to leave from Charlotte to fly to Mexico City as a group.

Unfortunately though, one of those planes didn’t get very far.

NASCAR Xfinity Series driver Ryan Ellis shared photos on X (formerly Twitter) as his plane full of NASCAR drivers and personnel was taking off from Charlotte. But he then updated that takeoff was aborted after a “boom” from the plane:

“Cancel that, plane attempted takeoff, plane made a small boom, we are headed back”

Not what you wanna hear.

Ellis shared photos of firetrucks greeting the plane as they returned to the gate, and firemen standing by as passengers deboarded.

Longtime NASCAR reporter Matt Weaver says that the pilot reported blowing an engine, possibly due to a bird strike, during takeoff:

NASCAR is reportedly working on putting those onboard on a different plane to get them to Mexico City.

It’s not clear who all was on the grounded plane, though NASCAR legend and Prime broadcaster Dale Earnhardt Jr. also reported delays on his fight due to weather.

Of course the big question is whether Joe Gibbs Racing driver and 23XI Racing team owner will be on any of the flights to Mexico City.

Hamlin is expecting his third child, and first son, with girlfriend Jordan Fish. The baby was due on June 1, and JGR reserve driver Ryan Truex has been on standby for Hamlin the past two weekends in case he was forced to miss the race for the birth of his son.

But so far, the parents are still waiting on their baby to make its arrival, and Hamlin said earlier this week that he would not fly to Mexico City if the baby had not been born by today, when the teams left for the race.

There’s been no update on whether the baby came over the past couple of days, or whether Hamlin is going to make the trip south of the border. But his team has previously said that Truex, who serves as not only the reserve driver for Joe Gibbs Racing but also does extensive work in the racing simulator, would drive the #11 car this weekend if Hamlin doesn’t make the trip.

I guess we’ll have to wait and see whether he’s able to make it in time for the race this weekend…but it sounds like Hamlin’s not the only one having trouble getting to Mexico.The post “Plane Made A Small Boom” – Plane Carrying NASCAR Drivers To Mexico City Forced To Abort Takeoff After Blowing An Engine In Charlotte first appeared on Whiskey Riff.