Toyota has been known to take care of its drivers well, whether it’s through top-notch facilities or tight-knit teamwork. At Toyota Racing Development (TRD) in Salisbury, North Carolina, NASCAR drivers tap into a high-tech simulator and aerodynamic wind tunnel, dialing in setups and prepping for tracks by mimicking real-world conditions. It’s part of Toyota’s “vertical” motorsports philosophy, nurturing talent from grassroots like the ARCA Menards Series all the way to the Cup Series.

Whether it’s fine-tuning horsepower or swapping aerodynamic tweaks, Toyota’s collaborative vibe keeps its cars running up front, a formula that’s powered six Cup Series wins in 2025 alone. Well, now a new challenge awaits Toyota next week in the form of the Cup Series race at Mexico City’s Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez. But Toyota, as usual, is fully prepared for it.

Toyota’s high-altitude prep gives drivers an edge

Toyota’s gearing up for Mexico City’s Viva Mexico 250 like it’s a moon mission, tackling the race’s biggest hurdle: altitude. At 7,500 feet above sea level, Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez is the highest track the Cup Series has ever faced, with thin air that can sap driver stamina and overheat engines. Toyota’s not leaving anything to chance. At the Toyota Performance Center in Mooresville, North Carolina, Caitlin Quinn, director of performance, and sports dietitian Stephanie Fernandes built a training program to ready drivers for the low-oxygen environment. It all started when a Cup driver asked, “Hey, are we getting ready for Mexico?” Quinn dove into research, realized the altitude’s impact, and got to work.

The program, launched nine weeks ago, mimics Mexico’s hypoxic conditions, having low oxygen that can trigger headaches, dizziness, or nausea. Quinn’s team created workouts to boost heat tolerance and oxygen efficiency, while Fernandes crafted a nutrition plan with supplements to counter the altitude’s toll. Drivers like Tyler Reddick went all-in, training and even sleeping in hypoxic chambers to adapt. “I noticed a difference from the start. It’s been fun testing myself in new ways.” Reddick said. His wife, Alexa, backed his prep, though sleeping away from home, with their second child due, wasn’t her favorite part.

Not every Toyota driver dove as deep. Some, like Denny Hamlin, cherry-picked what fit their style, but all got the same playbook. Quinn kept details under wraps but stressed the goal: make drivers feel “awesome, not just fine.” High altitude messes with cooling, hydration, and even inner ear function, critical for split-second decisions at 180 mph. By training in low-oxygen settings, Toyota’s aiming to turn a challenge into a competitive advantage, ensuring drivers like Reddick and Hamlin stay sharp when rivals might fade.

The effort’s not a one-off. Quinn plans to weave this training into future prep, even for sea-level races, to keep Toyota’s drivers at peak performance. While some drivers might skate through Mexico’s thin air unscathed, Toyota’s betting its prep will tip the scales, especially on a track where endurance could trump speed. This isn’t just about drivers; Toyota’s tweaking car setups, too. TRD’s engineers are optimizing cooling systems for the thinner air, balancing horsepower and aerodynamics. The team’s data-sharing culture, honed over a decade, ensures every Toyota car, from Joe Gibbs to 23XI Racing, benefits. With six Cup wins this season, including Hamlin’s Michigan triumph, Toyota’s Mexico prep could set the stage for a historic victory.

The stakes are high. Mexico’s race is NASCAR’s first international points event, and Toyota’s drivers, sitting strong with Reddick in sixth and Hamlin in third, are playoff contenders. If Quinn’s training and TRD’s tech click, Toyota could steal the show, flipping the script on rivals caught flat-footed by the altitude.

Mexico’s debut pushes Next Gen cars to the limit

Mexico City’s Viva Mexico 250 is a historic leap for NASCAR, but it’s also a brutal test for the Next Gen cars, racing in high-altitude conditions for the first time since their 2022 debut. At 7,300 feet, Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez’s thin air makes engines run hotter, risking performance drops or failures. Brad Keselowski, RFK Racing’s co-owner, laid out the stakes: “The cars run hotter, don’t cool as well, and NASCAR opened up some options. We’ll likely go for the high-end package, but practice will tell.” NASCAR’s one-time cooling override, venting air through a hood opening, cools engines but bleeds downforce on the track’s long, sweeping turns—a dilemma untested in Next Gen’s three-year run.

Bob Pockrass clarified the challenge on X: “Engines generate more horsepower at high altitude, running hotter. Each manufacturer’s emergency cooling system helps but impacts downforce.” For Next Gen cars, designed for parity with standardized parts, Mexico’s 2.429-mile hybrid layout demands new engineering tricks. Toyota’s TRD leans on its unified data pool, but Ford’s RFK-Penske alliance, which Keselowski defers to—“technical directors will decide”—must sync perfectly. The cooling-down force trade-off could reshape race strategy, with uncharted tire wear and fuel efficiency adding layers of complexity.

Keselowski, mired in 32nd with five DNFs, sees Mexico as a reset. His Michigan 10th showed grit, but the Next Gen’s high-altitude debut is a gamble which Toyota’s hypoxic-trained drivers, like Reddick, could exploit rivals’ missteps if cooling tweaks falter. This race tests more than tech—it’s about alliances. Toyota’s edge lies in its seamless team integration, while RFK and Penske’s Ford pact faces a proving ground. If Keselowski’s crew nails the Next Gen’s cooling setup, they could surge. If not, Toyota’s prep might dominate. Mexico’s thin air is a new frontier, and the Next Gen’s first dance at altitude could rewrite the Cup Series script.