Hauler drivers met in Laredo, Texas then broke into convoys for the trip to Mexico City. Credit: Turner Sports Interactive

No big deal

Hauler drivers encounter few problems on way to Mexico City

MEXICO CITY -- One of the big fears many had about coming to Mexico City for a Busch Series race was getting so many transporters across the border and safely to the track.

Many worried the haulers would be stopped by criminals, and some thought the drivers were in danger of kidnapping.

And at the least, hauler drivers would have myriad problems getting across the U.S.-Mexican border, perhaps getting held up for hours upon end.

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But, alas, the truth was something less exciting. The Busch Series haulers all made it to Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, and for the most part, all made it intact.

Only three haulers had any problems from the U.S.-Mexican border to Mexico City, but all three still made it safely to the track.

"I was nervous about coming, but once I got in the group - you know all these guys," said Talmadge "Bones" Patton, driver of Hendrick Motorsports' No. 5 hauler. "You've got 50 trucks here, and you know 95 percent of, so if something happens, you know you're going to be taken care of. That's just the way NASCAR is."

Other transporter drivers thanked UPS, which helped with crossing the border, and with the Mexican federal police, who escorted the convoys of haulers from the border to the track.

After all the haulers gathered in Laredo, Texas -- some coming from Fontana, Calif., site of last weekend's Busch race and some coming from North Carolina --- the trucks were ready to make the short trip to the Mexico border. NASCAR and UPS coordinated the paperwork each truck needed and helped arrange a speedy pass through the toll booths. Instead of a long wait at the border, most trucks zipped through.

Randy Davis Credit: Turner Sports Interactive

"They upheld their word on getting us through the toll booth," Patton said. "We didn't have any problems. They inspected a couple trucks just to see what everything was. All they had to do was drop the lift gate and see the cars."

Randy Davis, driver of Chip Ganassi Racing's No. 42 hauler, said the drivers "couldn't have done it without" UPS.

"Out of all the trucks, I only know of two or three that had problems with paperwork," Davis said. That's a credit to UPS."

Once in Mexico, the haulers were split into convoys of 10 to 15 trucks apiece, each with an escort from the federales. The federal police would lead the convoy, blue lights blazing, until the next federale crew took over.

Davis said the No. 2 Richard Childress Racing hauler suffered a flat tire, but the Goodyear hauler was in the next convoy. While waiting for a new tire, the police stayed with the No. 2 hauler.

Tom Brown isn't a big fan of Mexico's road system. Credit: Turner Sports Interactive

The No. 14 FitzBradshaw team also had a failure when the truck's serpentine belt broke. But that was eventually repaired, too, with no incident.

The trip from the border to Mexico City lasted about 17 hours. Davis said drivers had to be careful because most Mexican roads did not have shoulders. Instead, there was a 2- to 3-foot dropoff.

Tom Brown, driver of Ganassi's No. 41 hauler, said American roads are much better.

"The roads are a little rough," Brown said. "They need to work on their roads a little bit."

But that was the easy part. Mexico City is one of the world's largest metropolitan areas, and Busch Series hauler drivers found out the hard way about getting around.

"We would go one way, and then we made a complete U-turn and went the direction we just came from," Davis said. "But we veered back off to the right when we got in town."

Of course, road signs are all in Spanish, but even if they were in English, most drivers would be lost.

"You couldn't find the track," Davis said. "We've come to the track five times and never came the same way."

About 20 million people live in and around Mexico City, so traffic is a nightmare. Drivers here don't seem to mind the congestion.

"People around here drive way too crazy for me," Patton said. "But other than that, no problem."

Of course, Patton drives a huge 18-wheeler, while most Mexican drivers sit behind the wheel of compact cars.

"I've seen more Volkswagens here than I've seen in my life," Brown said. "I guess people in Mexico City don't realize what a big truck can do a little ol' vehicle down here."

Safety aside, there were some lighter moments.

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Davis got an early morning call about some strange happenings ahead.

"At 3 a.m., someone came on the radio and said, 'Watch out, there's an ass in the median,'" Davis said. "Sure enough, there was."

A donkey, it seems, was grazing in the grassy median. It wasn't the only animal, as Davis said he saw cows, goats and wild horses.

Why the median?

"That's because that's where the green grass was," Davis said.

Davis also said he saw a truck that didn't have a cab on it. Instead, an industrious driver had placed a wooden chair behind the wheel.

Like a lot of Busch hauler drivers, Davis hasn't slept in his own bed much. Since Feb. 7, Davis said he's been home for a grand total of a day-and-a-half. He drove to Daytona Beach, Fla. for Speedweeks, then to Fontana, Calif., to Laredo and to Mexico City. He leaves here for Las Vegas before finally getting to go home.

Before Davis and the other drivers head back, there's the matter of crossing the border one more time. And that could be a bigger problem. Thousands of 18-wheelers cross the border into the United States every day, with the inspection of trucks a painstaking process.

The wait at the border could be as much as 12 hours.

"Going back, I think, is going to be bad," Patton said. "Going back into the United States is a four- to eight-mile backup waiting to get in. Hopefully, they'll open us up a lane and let us go. If not, we'll be there until next week."

Davis isn't worried.

"The federales and UPS had it set up to where we didn't go in the same line as they did," Davis said. "We zipped around in our own special line. They checked our stuff, and then we shot out.

"I fully expect it to be that way going back. I don't see a problem with it."

There haven't been many problems thus far.

"It's been a real pleasure," Davis said. "It's nice in the motels. People are real friendly. They're tickled to see us down here."