Zane Smith slams NASCAR's Mexico City race 'overreaction' comparing it to Chicago's surprise success

NASCAR driver Zane Smith is frustrated with people overreacting to this weekend’s race at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in Mexico City. It doesn’t matter to him if the concerns are about Montezuma's Revenge, a traveler’s diarrhea contracted in Mexico, or the notion that the track is a dangerous place in general.

Smith is in his sophomore season in the NASCAR Cup Series. He drives the No. 38 Ford Mustang full-time for Front Motorsports under a multi-year deal. The Huntington Beach native spent his rookie year driving the No. 71 Chevy Camaro for Spire Motorsports.

During a recent interview (via Zoom), the 2022 Craftsman Truck Series champion addressed all the hype around the upcoming race, the Viva Mexico 250, and said:

“There is a lot of overreaction from the majority of the industry. And it's frustrating to hear and deal with. I've spent a good amount of time down in Mexico. There's a lot of people that are overreacting.”

“It reminds me somewhat of Chicago, too. Like, 'Oh my gosh, this is gonna be a trainwreck.' And then we go to Chicago and they're like 'Oh my gosh, this is the most fun weekend ever!'” he added.

Zane Smith will compete in the race alongside teammates Noah Gragson and Todd Gilliland. He will enter the 100-lap event 22nd in points. Gragson sits 31st with 224 points, and Gilliland sits 27th with 265 points.

Fans can watch the race on Prime Video, 3 p.m. ET onwards, or listen to live radio updates on MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. This is going to he the first time since 1958 for the Cup Series to host a point-paying race outside of the USA.

Zane Smith reflects on his difficult rookie season in the NASCAR Cup Series

It’s extremely difficult to find success as a rookie in the Cup Series, and Zane Smith, a former NASCAR champion, knows that. Over the first 18 races last year, he never managed to finish higher than a P13. He recorded a pair of top-10s and a pair of top-fives after that, but never visited the victory lane.

“You just see these brutal rookie seasons for guys in Cup," Smith said during a virtual interview on Wednesday, June 11. "I don't remember anyone that just dominated races. You pretty much just try to survive that first year, learn as much as you can and take all the smack talk. It just feels like a bad luck year, your rookie year. I don't really know why."

According to Smith, a driver knows more about what to expect by their second year of racing, as they have already experienced a lot of highs and lows.

“You're still going to experience highs and lows in your second year, but I feel like you know how to react to them a little bit better,” he explained.

Fifteen races into the season, Zane Smith has amassed a pair of top-10s, 10 laps led in all. He is still vying for his maiden series victory, which will automatically propel him into the playoffs.