The new track limits at the Circuit of the Americas road course proved costly for drives in all three series. A staggering total of 37 track limit penalties were dished out with 20 in the Truck Series, and 17 in the Xfinity race. The two races were the first test of the new limits and it is safe to say not everyone is pleased. Former Xfinity Series champion Dale Earnhardt Jr came forth to express his annoyance with the limits, especially after seeing all the penalties doled out.

Most likely, it will be an uphill task for NASCAR racers to keep within the white lines on a road course given their natural racing domains. But, how things will unfold remains to be seen as stock cars also add to the level of challenge. However, Dale Earnhardt Jr quickly reflected on the importance of separating the sport from the rules and penalties.

“Love NASCAR, hate track limits,” Dale Earnhardt Jr on track limit penalties

The 37 penalties ranged from a pass-through if the offense was committed under the green flag, to starting at the end of the longest line if it occurred under caution, to a 30-second penalty if the infraction took place on the final lap. As a result, several drivers who were running quite high up lost valuable track positions and were never able to recover. Xfinity Series racer Brandon Jones even got his stage win taken away due to a track limit violation.

Considering the situation many drivers have found themselves in, it was only a matter of time before professionals would voice their discontent. One among them is Dale Earnhardt Jr who was frustrated like a lot of fans with the track limits. Sharing his thoughts on X, the 49-year-old reflected on how these changes bring out strong emotions but he was willing to look past them.

“It’s ok to love Nascar and hate track limits at the same time. This is also a good lesson in learning to control (my) anger and frustration,” the 2-time Xfinity Series champion tweeted. His sentiments were somewhat echoed by Brad Keselowski.

“You kind of have to arm wrestle between the idea of enforcing track limits and keeping the track clean versus making a bunch of fans angry when their driver gets penalized,” Keselowski said.

In the Xfinity Series event, a couple of drivers were heavily affected by these penalties and they were Brandon Jones and veteran stock car racing driver AJ Allmendinger. Jones was the one who won stage 2 of the race but it was taken away from him as he had gone over the white lines at the esses.

Veteran race car driver suffered the “worst of it” at COTA

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What happened with AJ Allmendinger was outright cruel. The veteran race car driver ran near the top of the pack throughout the race and had fantastic battles for the lead. However, the driver of the #16 car was penalized for failing to stay within track limits through the esses and then causing a pile-up behind.

“Once the caution comes out in these late races, especially these road courses, anything could happen,” the 42-year-old said as per a report in Frontstretch. “So you expect the worst and hope for the best, and we got the worst of it.”

All this drama has made for a fantastic build-up to the main event, the Cup Series race on Sunday. It will be interesting to see if those guys are able to stay within track limits for the most part, although that is unlikely. Who do you think will win in that race? Let us know your predictions.

Cup Series Race at COTA Teed Up for Ultimate Drama as Track Limit Racks Up Victims