Dale Earnhardt Jr. ‘seeking alternative solutions’ for travel to Mexico City NASCAR weekend after flight disaster

Dale Earnhardt Jr. needs help. He has to get to Mexico City for Sunday’s Viva Mexico 250 at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez.

The only problem is that the Prime Video analyst is having plane issues. Earnhardt revealed Wednesday that his planned flight to Mexico City “is in Singapore stuck in maintenance.” As a result, he’s seeking “alternative solutions.”

Now, Earnhardt still has time. In fact, drivers aren’t scheduled to head out to Mexico City until Thursday. But still, it creates a stressful situation as he goes about getting from the United States to Mexico. When he arrives, he’ll be on the call for the first NASCAR Cup Series race outside the U.S. in the modern era.

NASCAR set to race in Mexico City, several drivers have opportunity to secure playoff spot

This will be the 16th race of the regular season and just the second held on a road course. With just 11 races remaining until the postseason, Mexico City presents an opportunity for several road course experts to secure a spot in the 16-car field.

Shane van Gisbergen, AJ Allmendinger, Chris Buescher and Mexico native Daniel Suárez come to mind. Of the four, only Buescher is currently occupying a playoff spot.

It’s a big moment for Suárez, who is competing in both Sunday’s Cup race and Saturday’s Xfinity race. Suárez competed in the NASCAR Mexico Series and now returns to race in his home country for the first time in 10 years.

“It’s very special,” Suárez told Kelly Crandall of ESPN. “Honestly, it’s very difficult to put into perspective for people. Only those who really know me very well understand how important and special this is for me.

“After a lot of work and sacrifices, I was able to make it in NASCAR Mexico, and at one point in my life, that was my goal — that was my ultimate goal. I was able to get there at an early age, which gave me hope to be able to do something in the United States.”