Noah Gragson isn’t exactly in the best spot going to the Circuit of the Americas this Sunday. Starting from P35 on a grid full of race winners and road-course specialists sounds concerning. But it’s not just the starting spot that has him worried; it’s the entirely new race package that could turn the weekend into a total crapshoot.

Noah Gragson uncertain about Sunday’s race

During his interview, Gragson was asked if he was looking forward to racing again at COTA. However, the Front Row Motorsports driver is not able to comprehend the recent changes in racing properly. He did finish P8 at COTA last year. But the track and cars have changed since then.

On that note, Gragson has a lot to cover, and he finds himself clueless ahead of Sunday.

“I don’t know, I haven’t really raced it too much. We came here wide open in the second year. I struggled with rear grip at some of these road courses last year. So, I can imagine it’s not going to make that any better for us.

“We’re in a different package altogether. So, hopefully, we make the necessary tweaks to kind of go hand in hand with the changes.”

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The biggest obstacle for drivers is going to be the tire packs this weekend. NASCAR‘s newest additions seem harmless, but they are equally dangerous to the drivers. The tire packs will not only prevent them from pushing too hard in corners, but they also risk a penalty if a driver gets too greedy and crashes into them.

“Yeah, you give yourself a little bit of room. But a little bit of room is one or two inches. You are not trying to skim them, but you get an inch or two from them.

“Maybe three or four inches at the most. Yeah, it’s there to produce the strike calls that NASCAR has to do, so the track is the way it is. My job is to go out there and try to go as fast as I can around it.”

He still remembers his amazing run at COTA from last year. But according to Gragson, it was only slightly indicative of their true speed. He claims that the car exhibits similar speed on multiple tracks, but for some reason or another, he was unable to deliver on the promise.

“I don’t know about our best run. We had a lot of speed, kind of, at most tracks. It just didn’t end up working out so much at other tracks. But, yeah, everything went right: pit stops, great strategy. We were able to be there at the end, racing for the top spots.

“Yeah, the track was fun, and so were the new changes to the track. I love the esses; the track is a little bit shorter, so. Really long laps before, so more laps, more action for the fans. I think it’s a lot of fun.”

However, his teammate has shared some interesting comments about their time driving together for Front Row Motorsports.

Todd Gilliland reveals awkward moments with Noah Gragson

Gilliland debuted in the Cup Series in 2022 and posted a few Top 10 finishes. He was looking forward to a good season next year when he had to face a difficulty. Not only was he competing against a new teammate, but he also had to share his car with him.

Noah Gragson, the rookie in 2023, was allotted the No. 38 multiple times during the year. Meanwhile, Gilliland was forced to drive for Rick Ware Racing on those occasions.

Speaking about that situation, Gilliland does not hold it against his teammate. However, he does believe that it wasn’t the way he would have liked.

“You can really get down a certain path and think it’s the right way, but once you go somewhere else, I feel like you can broaden your horizons a lot. Between Zane and me, it was awkward at times. But we kind of knew it wasn’t really between us personally. It took a couple of months, but we got past it.”

Gilliland’s last two seasons with the team have been considerably better. He is looking forward to turning his P17 start into a points finish after some disappointing finishes in the first two races of the season.