The first road course race at the Circuit of the Americas was brutally demanding for the drivers. From trying to navigate around twenty turns on the track and at the same time fighting for track position in Texas heat, the drivers were up against some tough conditions. Corey LaJoie had the worst of it, as he was unable to move after the race and had to be taken to the care center.

Given that modern-day NASCAR drivers follow a strict fitness regime and training regimen, it was a concerning sight to see many of them struggle after the race. Kevin Harvick, who himself has first-hand experience running the races at COTA, explained the brutal nature of racing at the racetrack and how it takes a toll on the bodies of the drivers after the race.

Kevin Harvick explains why the COTA race is physically burdensome for the majority of drivers

It’s fair to say that the road course race in Austin, Texas is a unique yet treacherous undertaking for the teams and drivers. It is a tough task for them to navigate their run across 20 turns, and that too without getting taken out by their opponents. Adding to their troubles are the chaotic restarts on every caution, which take the winds out of the sails for several teams.

Explaining the brutal nature of racing at COTA, Harvick on the Happy Hour podcast shared, “Yes, it is very physically taxing. Last year was the same, just a super long last run. So you run half the race under green, and you shift 24–25 times a lap. You know twelve hundred pounds of brake pressure. And there’s a lot of bumps, it’s a very bumpy racetrack, so you’re getting the crap beat out of you all day, bumping over the curbs.”

The former SHR driver also shared how he and his colleagues in the broadcast booth witnessed several drivers struggle to move after the race. “Corey LaJoie happened to be right outside of our broadcast booth, he got out of the car and kind of fumbled around for a minute, then went over to the other side of the car and laid down. Hocevar was the same thing besides his car, Bubba was gassed. I saw Blaney come walking out, I mean, all of them looked completely smashed.”

One of the major talking points after the race was the track limits. While there has been a raging debate on how they should be put to use, Harvick believes covering the entire venue with track limits is the way to go forward.

Harvick shares his opinion on the track limit for NASCAR road course races

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The nature of the track limit is simple, drivers have to be careful not to cut the turns and the field of play and gain an unfair advantage. At COTA, there are no barricades or walls that stop the drivers from making aggressive passes. NASCAR does not officiate the entirety of the 3.4-mile course at COTA but only keeps a tab on the esses of the racetrack. This is where Harvick believes NASCAR should enforce the entire field under their watchful eyes, stating that placing the entire course within track limits will only make things smooth for drivers.

“From a pursuit road race racing standard, I believe that we need to race on the track. I think that COTA would actually race better if we had track limits. NASCAR’s point is, hey, we’re not to the point of being able to officiate it yet. They need to hurry up, we need to officiate every corner on the road course like it needs to be officiated, and I think track limits will make every road course a better race track,” Harvick added.

Given how tough it has been to organize and operate a NASCAR race at COTA, it will be interesting to see what the next course of action is made by the governing council regarding the future of the event in the upcoming schedule.

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