NASCAR Drivers React to Starting ‘Without Any Practice’ on Daytona Road Course

NASCAR heads to the acclaimed Daytona track this weekend. However, this time, they’ll be running on the street course, a track that is new to almost every single driver.

Another big issue for the drivers is that there will be no practice session for the NASCAR race at the Daytona Road Course.

NASCAR Cup Series leader Kevin Harvick says, “Me leading everyone into turn one at Daytona could be interesting because I have no freaking clue where I’m going,” NASCAR reports.

“The last time I only made a little bit of a 2002 24‑hour race, so it’s been a long time since I made any laps there. I’m a week‑of preparation guy, so I’ll start Monday and Tuesday on iRacing just to get acclimated with the track.”

Chase Elliott says: “I think this weekend’s going to be a big-time challenge for everyone,” Elliott said in a Monday video conference. “I think the one guy that I look at that really has a leg up is Kyle, having come off that 24-hour event this year.

“Heck, I think if we all knew that we were going to be doing this road course, you probably would have seen all of us trying to get in that 24-hour race this year to go and do it. You never know with things like that.”

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What the Daytona Circuit has in store for drivers

This is a 3.57 mile-long street course. It will use the Oval banking of the Dayton circuit. The course has likewise included a few chicanes, which will add to the trouble of the drivers.

Only a handful of drivers have any form of experience on the Daytona Road course during the Rolex 24 hours of Daytona.

There will be no more random draws to set the lineup all through the 14 races of the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series season. NASCAR as of late reported that the starting lineup will be set using a new formula that includes three components:

Finishing position from the previous race (weighted 50%)
Ranking in team owner points standings (35%)
Fastest lap from the previous race (15%)

Subsequently, Stewart-Haas Racing’s Kevin Harvick is set to begin Sunday evening’s Go Bowling 235. It is the debut race at the Daytona International Speedway road course.

The Road Course has 14-turns. It incorporates a great part of the track’s high-banked four-turn, 2.5-mile oval just as two chicanes and a whale tail-like segment of the infield.