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WATCH: Chase Elliott, Kyle Busch and Others Get a Taste of Rain in COTA NASCAR Practice

Published 05/23/2021, 10:33 AM EDT

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USA Today via Reuters

The NASCAR Cup Series weekend has officially gotten underway at the Circuit of The Americas. This is a brand new racetrack, so all drivers were entering unknown territory.

Then, things became even more complicated when the heavens opened and there was a heavy downpour. Needless to say, many drivers like Chase Elliott, Kyle Busch, and others, were caught out by the heavy showers.

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Sometime during the practice session, Kyle Busch used every ounce of his experience. In fact, his car was behaving as if it was a rally car.

Nevertheless, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver handled the car like a pro and was able to rescue it from disaster. However, there were plenty of other drivers who were not so lucky.

USA Today via Reuters

Aside from Kyle Busch, who else got caught out?

Another victim was reigning Cup Series champion, Chase Elliott. The #9 Hendrick Motorsports driver was following his teammate, William Byron, when the incident occurred.

Byron exited the last corner and over-steered a little, but Elliott went a step further when he nearly speared off the track and spun.

Meanwhile, there was a close call involving Daniel Suarez as he was a bit unsighted due to fogged up windows. As he drove, he did not notice that he was approaching James Davison a little too fast. Suddenly, from the foggy windshield, Suarez caught sight of the looming rear end and jinked to avoid a collision.

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Needless to say, both drivers survived to race once again. However, the Mexican driver nearly wound up in the gravel and had to extricate himself. Undaunted, the two drivers continued on their way without further incidents.

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It just goes to show how treacherous the conditions. Luckily, there were very few major incidents and everyone got away scot-free.

Will Rain Affect the NASCAR Race at COTA? What Will Happen if it Rains Mid Qualifying?

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Written by:

Dhruv George

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Dhruv George is a senior Formula One and NASCAR analyst for EssentiallySports, having authored nearly 12000 articles spanning different sports like F1, NASCAR, Tennis, NFL, and eSports. He graduated with a PG Diploma in Journalism from the Xavier Institute of Communications. Dhruv has also conducted interviews with F1 driver Pierre Gasly and Moto2 rider Tony Arbolino.
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