NASCAR star reveals he's 'training different' to deal with Mexico City health concern

NASCAR Cup Series racer Daniel Suarez has spoken about the changes in his training schedule, as the series heads to Mexico City.

For the first time in history, the Cup Series will race in Mexico at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in the country's capital, a circuit that is also home to F1's Mexican Grand Prix.

The track sits around 7,500 feet above sea level, which is a stark difference to where drivers normally train, with Charlotte and North Carolina 751ft above sea level.

F1 drivers have complained in the past about how challenging racing in Mexico can be, but as racers who travel the world, they are much more suited to dealing with the conditions.

Suarez, who was born in Monterrey in Mexico, has revealed his excitement at the Cup Series heading to the country he was born in, but has also explained the difficulties in training for the race.

In an interview with NBC, Suarez said: "The elevation is gonna be a big deal. A lot of people think that I know the racetrack, and I actually don't.

"I have never been there in that configuration, I have raced there several times in the old configuration, but never in the configuration that we're gonna race in, so it's gonna be something new for everyone.

"The elevation is definitely gonna be a challenge. I hope that people underestimate that because it's a little bit tricky.

"I have had a lot of conversations with my team about it," Suarez continued. "I'm personally training different to prepare for that because it's going to be different. I don't think many people here in NASCAR driver-wise have experienced competing in that altitude and elevation so it's gonna be different for sure."

NASCAR heads to Mexico

The 21st round of the season is set to be a historic one for the Cup Series, as NASCAR seeks to expand its reach.

As well as the series racing in Mexico from 2025 onwards, NASCAR have been in talks with both Canadian and Brazilian circuits about potentially racing in those countries in the future, so drivers will need to get used to different conditions.

Suarez has not been the only one expressing concern about the altitude of the Mexico track. Christopher Bell told Fox Sports' Bob Pockrass: "I've been trying to dot my i's and cross my t's and do all the homework to make sure I'm as prepared as I can be whenever I get there, but I don't know,"

"NASCAR has raced there in the past, and we didn't hear a lot about the altitude, and obviously F1 goes there, and same thing.

"It could be a really big talking point, it could be nothing at all, nobody's going to know until we get there."

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