Gordon, McMurray ready to take on Mexico City

While NASCAR Nextel Cup drivers Robby Gordon and Jamie McMurray agree that running a Busch Series car can benefit their Cup programs, both expect to have a little fun in this weekend's road race in Mexico City.

"I'm as excited to go to Mexico as I have been for any race," McMurray said Tuesday. "I really enjoy going to the road courses and we've got a great car. I'm really looking forward to going down there."

Robby Gordon Credit: Autostock

McMurray's Chip Ganassi Racing team built a car for the race after their Nextel Cup sponsor, Chevron Texaco, elected to do a program for Sunday's Telcel Motorola Mexico 200.

Gordon said Tuesday he has primary sponsorships for his own Robby Gordon Motorsports team for all 36 Nextel Cup races, and he'll announce a sponsor in Mexico for the race at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez.

Gordon is especially excited about the Mexico event because he won two Nextel Cup road races two seasons ago for Richard Childress Racing; and he's also had several successes in off-road events on Mexico's Baja Peninsula.

"I'm pretty excited about it (because) I think it's a good marketplace for us," Gordon said. "From what I've heard from my friends that have raced there with open wheel cars, the fans there are pretty cool.

"From what I've been hearing from friends down there, the buzz is obviously the NASCAR Busch race down there this weekend."

Gordon did say he would park his Busch car after Mexico to concentrate on his Cup deal.

"I'm pretty happy about my Busch program," Gordon said. "We were fifth at Daytona (and) I think we'll be good when we go down to Mexico City.

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"We're not going to bring the Busch car back out for a while. Our efforts have been focused strictly on getting the Nextel Cup team competitive (and) doing whatever that takes to make that happen."

McMurray said that sports car champion Scott Pruett tested his car last week and McMurray has his Nextel Cup crew, led by crew chief Donnie Wingo, providing service.

"I'm pretty sure all of them are going down," McMurray said. "They went in and told the guys they didn't have to go, but they gave my team first choice (and) I think every single one of them signed up to go."

Despite scheduling the race, NASCAR officials have gone out of their way to caution competitors and media about straying away from "the group" while in Mexico. The sanctioning body has also organized group hotels, secured mass transit with armed guards and a hauler convoy to get the teams' equipment to Mexico City en masse.

Despite the careful preparations, McMurray has no qualms about the trip.

"It's going to be a lot of fun for us," said McMurray. "(The Busch race) won't be as stressful as a typical race weekend and it's going to be fun."

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McMurray's situation is a little different than a lot of competitors are going to face. He's flying to Mexico on a Bombardier jet with Rusty Wallace, whose sponsor for the race -- Bell Helicopter -- is providing chopper transport "anywhere we need to go" while in Mexico City.

McMurray did say he was going to stick with the assigned protocol, however.

"I don't really know if it's dangerous or it's not (but) I'm really not worried about it," McMurray said. "I've been told to use some common sense. I'm going to stick with the crowd.

"I'm not 100 percent sure on this, but I believe NASCAR has got some security for us while we're there (but) I'm just going to hang out with the group of guys I'm going with and not venture out on my own -- I'm really not all that worried about sight-seeing."

McMurray said that aspect was no different from racing in the United States.

"Obviously when we go to the races we go to race," McMurray said. "We don't go sight-seeing when we go anywhere else, so I don't see that being something we're going to do."

Gordon said anyone going to the Mexico City race might be short changing themselves if they take that tack. However, Gordon admitted he has been racing in Mexico for nearly 20 years and therefore might have an edge in local knowledge.

Jamie McMurray Credit: Autostock

"I just hope they get the opportunity to enjoy it," Gordon said. "I've really, really enjoyed myself every time I've been down there (but) the key is to keep it all in perspective -- the key is to know where you're at and what your consequences may be.

"Obviously, I've had friends of mine that have got in trouble in Mexico before (and) you don't want to get in trouble down there. The rules are still the rules -- they still have speed limits.

"When you have a language barrier like we have, being a U.S. citizen, going to Mexico, not speaking fluent Spanish -- that can be a big issue (but) I must say, for 20 years I've never had one issue down in Mexico."

Unlike McMurray, Gordon can compare the Mexico experience to racing in Japan, which NASCAR did for four years at the end of the 1990s, -- three times with Cup exhibition races and once with a Winston West points race.

"I think this experience down in Mexico City will be a lot easier than the experience of going to Japan where we're shipping cars and stuff like that," Gordon said. "We'll still have our transporters to work out of (in Mexico).

"Organization and preparation are going to be key for this event. I don't know if there's going to be a Hutch truck (Hutcherson-Pagan, a race team supplier that has a parts truck at every domestic Cup, Busch and Truck Series event) or a parts truck there that you can just go grab parts off of.

"We also have the luxury of either UPS or FedEx to have parts shipped in if you happen to forget something at home."