Following an eventful race at the newly repaved Bristol Motor Speedway, the NASCAR bandwagon is headed straight to the longest circuit of the schedule, the 3.41-mile long technical road course at Austin – Circuit of The Americas. With the Xfinity Series coming back to the track after a week off at Bristol, the fandom has got themselves a massive clash between Kaulig Racing teammates and renowned road racing specialists.

The upcoming NXS race will feature a showdown between the Chicago Street race winner, Shane van Gisbergen, and his veteran teammate, AJ Allmendinger. Fans are touting this as a mano a mano between the Chevy racers in a race with a star-studded lineup which will also include the “once in a generation talent” Kyle Larson.

Multiple Cup Series regulars set to show up for the Xfinity COTA weekend too

Just after the season’s first short track race went down at the Bristol Motor Speedway, the NASCAR bandwagon is speeding towards the season’s first road course in the internationally acclaimed COTA track in Austin, Texas. The 3.41-mile long track is almost certain to treat the fandom with a spectacular race as they anticipate an epic showdown between road racing aficionados.

But what makes next week’s race all the more special is the battle between Supercars champion SVG and his Kaulig Racing teammate, Allmendinger. For the first time, the two road racing maestros will go head-to-head in their elements on equal terms and in similar equipment. Above all, the race will also feature heavy competition from drivers coming from the Cup side with the likes of Kyle Larson, Ty Gibbs John Hunter Nemechek, Ed Jones, Sage Karam, Kaz Grala and Ty Dillon among several others. All in all, a total of 41 teams are on the entry list with multiple teams yet to announce their drivers and sponsors.

Even SVG himself seems to be aware of the pressure that is going to build up at COTA. The Kiwi recently opened up about how he struggled to race at COTA in the past.

SVG’s COTA struggles date back a decade

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For the first time ever, inaugural Chicago race winner SVG will be on a road course after his transition into NASCAR, taking up a full-time responsibility in the organization’s second tier faction. Unlike most other venues, COTA is not a walk in the park even for a seasoned road racer like SVG. In fact, being a modern Formula 1 track, COTA has expansive bitumen run-off areas and tight technical turns and flowing chicanes that will test even the best of the best.

Speaking to Kevin Harvick on his ‘Happy Hour’ podcast, van Gisbergen revealed his thoughts about the upcoming race, also mentioning that he had raced at the track previously in 2013 when the Aussie Supercar promotion got to US. He said, “I’ve done some laps there, and I actually raced there 10 years ago in a Supercar – we did half the track – but I’ve struggled on the sim there, to be honest, with the track limits. Except for the esses; it’s the only part they police. The rest of it, it seems like everyone just takes the piss and cuts all the corners, goes out wide. So it’s taken me a lot of adjusting to get to mid-corner and just gas it up and aim off the track. I’ve spent all my life trying to stay on it and it’s very different, the way the rules are, but it looks pretty fun.”

Despite the facility being a technical course that will reward the patient and advanced drivers, the field pace and competitiveness is certain to get some dirt onto the tarmac. And, in a high stakes race like the one we’re about to witness, this can have adverse effects. Reflecting on this, SVG said, “The track ends up just covered in [dirt]; off-line, it’ll be pretty difficult, the way the racing is looks crazy, and that first corner, how everyone just fans out and uses each other as a brake, it looks interesting.” 

Kyle Larson Concedes Defeat to Superior Denny Hamlin After a Confusing Bristol Run

While SVG is yet to become fully confident of the upcoming venue, do you think, he’ll be able to make it work? Let us know in the comments below!