The early season is no time to slack off! With the NASCAR schedule being as unforgiving as it is, a rough start can spell trouble down the line. Picture this: you’re at the track, and those first few races set the tone for your entire season. When the superspeedways and road courses are somewhat of a stumbling block, it creates a hole from which crawling out feels too much of an undertaking, like being strapped with a boulder going up a mountain. With impending races, including the upcoming COTA, drivers need to get into their rhythm and adapt fast. Consistency is key, and those who can navigate the twists and turns of different track types will have a much better shot at playoff glory. So, let’s see who rises to the challenge and who gets left in the dust!
The first three races have already thrown some serious curveballs; Ryan Blaney is currently leading the pack after a stellar performance at Atlanta Motor Speedway, but don’t count out the rest just yet. Kevin Harvick has issued a warning to seasoned drivers hinting at the staggering standings.
Kevin Harvick’s standing list chills or undesired bliss?
This hinted caution comes at a critical moment when the NASCAR season is already showing signs of intense competition and unpredictable outcomes. The knowledge heightens the pressure to perform and a single misstep can send a team tumbling down the standings. And Harvick wasn’t playing around when he showed the mirror to some of the seasoned drivers like Brad Keselowski and Chase Briscoe.
On Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour podcast, he said, Can you imagine? I as a driver, I can’t imagine going to two superspeedway races and a road course to start this. The first three The point. Points of the point races of the season. I made some notes here, guys. Okay. When you look, I’m gonna get right off the track. There you go. Alright. just to spin cut it out. Can you read these? Ryan Blaney’s first into points. Let me read it again…Ricky Stenhouse is eighth. And then you look at the back of this point standing. You’ve got Brad Keselowski, thirty-third. Wow. Chase Briscoe, forty-fifth with his penalty. SVG, thirty-fourth. Noah Gregson, thirty-sixth. Josh Berry, thirty-first. Ty Gibbs, twenty-ninth. Wow.
The current standings illustrate challenges for veteran drivers and the dynamics of the track with the ongoing changes. Making it essential to adapt fast to the dynamism of the competition, veterans like Keselowski, now 41, is one of the older drivers in the field, and he’s no road course specialist by any means. In the Next Gen era, Keselowski has failed to register a single top 10 result at COTA, Watkins Glen is a similar story. So, you see there’s a huge possibility that the veteran driver might be playing catch-up against the rest of the pack after just three race weekends.
Mar 12, 2022; Avondale, Arizona, USA; NASCAR Cup Series driver Brad Keselowski (6) during qualifying for the Ruoff Mortgage 500 at Phoenix Raceway. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
“That’ll get worse as we go to the racetrack this week because there are gonna be some of those guys that just don’t run good at COTA as well. I mean, there’s gonna be some guys, you know, we expect Ty Gibbs to be good at the road course. He’s been good there in the past, but it’s, you can dig a hole.” Kevin Harvick stated further, “And when we get to race number four, the new season points start. And there is not a worse feeling in the world than unloading your car and having to push it all the way to the back of the back of the garage.”
Kevin Harvick’s insights reveal that the complexity of COTA is amplified by the different types of corners and huge elevation changes. The track demands utmost precision in braking and throttle input through the difficult sections. Variability in track surface and grip levels adds to the complexity. Overall, COTA demands a high level of adaptability and technical skill from drivers. Harvick’s comments typically highlight the need to avoid early setbacks, as starting from the back can significantly impact a team’s chances of success.
On the one hand, Kevin Harvick has alluded to the challenges drivers face in gearing up for a win at COTA. Whereas, some seasoned individuals stand a good chance to add to their good start of the 2025 campaign.
The best of the ‘Circuit of The Americas’
NASCAR drivers find COTA to be a difficult yet entertaining venue where several competitors have earned some respect over the years. Ross Chastain is one of the drivers really frenetic in their attacking style for driving down the technical corners of COTA, and he also bugged the race for the win in 2022 by making a dramatic last-lap pass at COTA. This victory highlighted his skill and adaptability on road courses, which are keys to winning at COTA.
Tyler Reddick is another driver sporting heavy form at COTA. Reddick scored his first win for the 23XI Racing team at the same circuit in 2023, surviving an overtime finish to take the victory. His performance accentuated his growing experience on the road course, which is increasingly needed in the NASCAR Cup Series. Chase Elliott, the veteran road course specialist, also has a memorable win at COTA. He scored the first-ever win at the track in NASCAR’s premier series, doing so in 2021, proving he can handle the tricky layout and ever-changing conditions presented by COTA.
Likewise, William Byron and Alex Bowman are among the top raiders performing at COTA. In the 2024 event, William Byron made quite an entrance with his second win of the year and first at COTA. These win parties underline the increasing consistency growing around and the ability on a road course for him. While Alex Bowman is yet to find victory lane at COTA, he has been finishing strong and still contending since he has adaptive and technical skills.
The driving performances at COTA thus underline how much experience and strategy matter on this tough track, where speed and finesse blend into one ultimately the requirement of success. The past performance makes them favorites in future races on this circuit. These tracks and other scheduled raceway tracks will impact the standing furthermore in favor of the ones who are striving to get better on them. Who do you think will take the COTA tag this year?
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