How far will Nascar drivers prepare at the high height of Mexico?

In the last weeks of Alexa Deleon Reddick’s pregnancy, man Tyler Reddick slept in a tent.

No, he wasn’t in trouble. He was in training.

Nascar’s first race outside the continental United States since 1958 has presented managers and teams a unique challenge – the highlight of Mexico City.

Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, the 15-turn, 2.42 mile track XFinity and Cup drivers, will compete this weekend, sitting at an height of almost 7,500 feet. The next highest lane on the high -rise cup is Las Vegas Motor Speedway at about 2,000 feet above sea level.

With less oxygen at higher heights, the driver’s performance can be affected.

Drivers tried different methods to prepare for the impact on their bodies to arrive in Mexico city earlier to accommodate, to wear a mask that simulates less oxygen to sleep in a hypoxic tent.

Reddick was among those who slept in a tent to adapt to the higher height and reduce possible symptoms of height disease.

“One side effect of this is that my wife was not very happy that I slept in a hypoxic environment, especially not in the later stages of her pregnancy,” says Reddick, whose wife delivered the second child of the couple on May 25.

While he said he noticed the benefits of using the tent, Reddick would continue to use it to Mexico as part of his training?

“My wife would fit if I came from Mexico, and I’m like,” Yes, we’re going to keep this tent running. “She might put the tent outside,” says Reddick, laughing.

The tent was part of the training program that Toyota developed for its managers after Christopher Bell asked questions before the season about what would be done to help maintain maximum performance in such difficult circumstances.

“We started it early in the season to just talk and get a plan together and make sure we are prepared for it,” Bell said. “I’m proud of everyone in Toyota, the Toyota Performance Center. Caitlin Quinn really set up the Department of Physical Fitness and made sure we were ready for this challenge. Hopefully the Toyota drivers are that that succeeds. ‘

Quinn is the Director of Performance for the Toyota Performance Center in Mooresville, North Carolina. She was a strength coach at Florida State University before joining Toyota Performance Center.

The department has grown into a sports dietitian, physiotherapist, physician assistant for orthopedic issues, mental health specialist and well -being, an extra strength coach and, as Quinn said, “just every science instrument we can imagine.”

Quinn said everything that was done “to help drivers find their lead in the car. The teams are working very hard to make the cars as quickly as possible and we are trying to do the drivers physically and mentally at the best of their power.”

After the conversation with Bell, Quinn started working on a program to help managers prepare for Mexico. This has led to a few ways to help managers adjust.

One has that drivers are accustomed to a lower oxygen environment if they rest (the tent). Another was to have them practiced in an environment where there was less oxygen. Toyota has closed a space in its waist with a bicycle for drivers to ride in a lower oxygen environment.

Quinn said Toyota started the programs about eight weeks ago for drivers.

“I practiced a lot in the height,” says Bell, who will compete in the XFinity and Cup races in Mexico city. “Let’s see if it works.”

Reddick said the sleep in hypoxic tent seems to be beneficial, and he felt he was sleeping better in it.

“It’s different to sleep in a hypoxic environment,” he said. “I have noticed the changes so far, and I’m excited to see what it’s going to be like when I get there to Mexico City.”