Very little went right for Shane Van Gisbergen in the buildup to NASCAR's first international Cup Series points-paying race of the modern era.
A mechanical issue on takeoff forced his team charter to abort the initial journey to Mexico City. He arrived at the venue Friday, a day late, and after winning the pole Saturday, the New Zealander fell seriously ill.
He was sleeping on the floor of his hauler before Sunday's race, unsure he'd be able to physically complete the 100-lap event at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez.
But there's something special about the Kiwi and new venues, especially in the rain, and he salvaged the weekend by winning on the road course to earn an automatic berth into NASCAR's playoffs.
Van Gisbergen led 60 of 100 laps and beat Christopher Bell by 16.567 seconds.