Ryan Truex has spent the past several weeks preparing to take over the No. 11 Toyota if needed. He finally gets the opportunity in Mexico City, and he is embracing every moment after a chaotic few hours.
Truex, the official reserve driver for Joe Gibbs Racing, will replace Denny Hamlin this weekend. Hamlin's fiancee, Jordan Fish, gave birth to their first son on Wednesday.
"It's been a crazy few weeks," Truex said Friday morning in Mexico City. "Basically since Charlotte, I've been on standby. So yeah, I'm glad it's at a track where I can practice and have time and no one's been except for a few guys.
"I mean, I found out Wednesday night. So it's been kind of chaotic getting here and putting all that together. But I'm just grateful for the experience and grateful to be here and really just want to enjoy it."
Fortunately for Truex, the chaotic hours leading to his first Cup Series start since 2014 did not involve gathering all of his gear. Since he had been on standby since the Coca-Cola 600, the No. 11 hauler already had some of his equipment.
Obviously, Joe Gibbs Racing still had the car set up for Hamlin, so the team needed to make some adjustments to the pedals and seat. Truex noted that he could have hopped in the car at an oval track without issues, but since this start will take place at a road course with heavy braking and a lot of throttle modulation, the team needed to make some adjustments.
Truex has spent countless hours in the simulator running the 2.41-mile configuration of Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, so he will not enter the weekend ill-prepared. He will also have time to complete some actual laps before the race while taking part in two practice sessions -- one will be 50 minutes and another will be 25 minutes.
"I feel like this is really the best case scenario," Truex said. "Obviously, I have tracks that I love like Dover and Richmond and New Hampshire where I'm comfortable and I feel like I know what I need. But this car is a whole different animal.
"I think just the fact that we get practice alone -- we get 50 minutes and then a half hour -- that's huge for me. 'Cuz it's so hard to just go out for 20 minutes and first of all, know the track, second of all, know what you need to be fast."
Truex has made spot starts for Joe Gibbs Racing in the past, and he has delivered multiple wins in Xfinity. These have not yet led to a full-time opportunity.
Now, however, Truex will get the biggest opportunity of his career. He has Cup experience in the past, but this will be the best equipment he has controlled. He will also take on a track configuration on which no other drivers have experience. The Xfinity races from nearly two decades ago were on a different configuration.
Truex will be on a relatively even playing field. This will be a chance for him to show what he can do.
"I'm beyond pumped for Ryan," Justin Allgaier told media members on Friday. "The kid has put in a massive amount of work. He's ultra-talented."
Allgaier spoke glowingly about Truex and his opportunity, but the Joe Gibbs Racing driver is trying to put this distraction to the side. He knows dwelling on this opportunity could lead to mistakes and a chaotic race.
He is also avoiding thinking about a text from his brother, Martin Truex Jr., which said, "Truexs are 1-for-1 in Mexico." The elder Truex won the inaugural Xfinity race in Mexico City in 2005.
"I'm trying to not think about it too much and not put too much pressure on myself, 'cuz it's really easy to do that and make mistakes," Truex admitted. "But I have a lot of confidence with this group, the 11 group, and just JGR as a whole.
"I feel like it's really kind of been family for me over the past few years, and they've really taken me in and done a lot with me and helped me develop my skills, get better as a driver. And I just wanna hopefully return that investment into a good finish for them."