NASCAR
Stratta’s Six: Who Can Conquer Second NASCAR Race at COTA?
Sunday marks the second trek NASCAR will make to Austin, Texas, to race at Circuit of the Americas (COTA). 20 turns and 3.4 miles await the Cup Series on Sunday. Last year, a very wet and shortened COTA race led to road course ace Chase Elliott taking the inaugural victory. One year removed, can Elliott repeat, or will someone else take the Texas win? Here are some top contenders heading into round two at COTA.
Kyle Busch
A year ago at COTA, Kyle Busch took a dominant Xfinity win. He also backed that up with a top-10 in the Cup race. This time around, Busch is running double-duty again in Austin, but now in the Trucks. With added track time, Busch has to be seen as a heavy favorite for both victories. With strong runs on the Texas circuit last year, Busch is optimistic to return this year.
“They had a little bit of history there with Formula One, IndyCar and other racing series, but obviously the first time for NASCAR Cup Series cars there last year,” Busch said. “There are a lot of flat turns on that circuit and a little bit of elevation change, which make for some interesting moments. We have a whole new car, now, so it will be an even bigger challenge. We’ll have some simulator time, too, so hopefully we can be on top of things when we arrive there this weekend.”
“We won the Xfinity race there last year and, in the Cup race, we were competitive and just got bit by trying to pit and we never went back racing with the rain coming down too hard. Looking forward to getting back to COTA with our Skittles “Lime is Back” Camry TRD and see how things play out. Cool scheme this weekend. Everyone has been asking about bringing Lime back after eight years and they’ve been able to do it, and we get a good-looking car out of it. Looking forward to it.”
“It’s definitely something you have to work on,” Busch said on road course racing. “With rule changes and tire changes and now a new car, it’s something you work on every year. There’s always change that you have to work on to be competitive. When I was a kid back in Las Vegas in Legends cars, that’s where I was able to learn about shifting and turning left and turning right. I had the natural instincts for it and won a couple of championships in the winter series we had out there. We actually went out to Sonoma back then and ran the national championship races two years in a row and finished third both times, so I had a little bit of experience on road courses as I came up through the ranks.”
With four career road course wins, Busch is one of the most prolific active drivers when turning left and right. The 18 was among the best at COTA last season, being on the same pit strategy as Elliott. However, having to pit off-sequence kept Busch from a higher result than 10th. With low chances for rain in the forecast this time around, Busch may be gearing up for a weekend sweep.
Christopher Bell
Last season, Christopher Bell was one of the most consistent across all road course races. In addition to the Daytona Road Course win, the 20 had strong runs at Watkins Glen and Road America. Being buried at 30th in points currently, Bell needs another superb performance to turn his season around. The Oklahoma native is excited to enter Austin with a winning chance.
“COTA is an awesome venue,” Bell said. “Qualifying last year was the only time we touched the track when it was dry and there were high speed sections, low speed sections a little bit of everything. I was fortunate enough to test there in January last year in a Trans Am car and fell in love with the facility and racetrack. I think these Next Gen cars are going to do really well on the road course. There are a lot of high-speed straightaways into slow corners which is always a passing zone and a couple rhythm sections. It’s going to be interesting because we don’t have any race experience there in the dry but I think you are going to be able to pass if you are faster than the car in front of you.”
Very little has gone right for Christopher Bell and the 20 team so far this season. Their only bright spot to date was the Las Vegas pole and finishing 10th there. Aside from Vegas, Bell has had four finishes outside of the top 20. Bell must stop this points hemorrhaging if he is to make a Playoff run. Road courses were a strong point for the 20 a year ago, so Bell enters COTA with some added confidence.
Chase Elliott
Little needs to be said about Chase Elliott on road courses. The Hendrick 9 car has won six of the last 11 road course races, including last year at COTA. However, the first road course race with the Next Gen car will be an entirely different curveball thrown at every team. Not only will the car be different, but racing in the dry at COTA will be an almost-completely new challenge as well. However, with Elliott being the winningest active road course driver, he still expects nothing less than another win this weekend.
“COTA is our first road course race with this car,” Elliott said. “I don’t think anybody has really driven it a lot on road courses. We had the test at Charlotte there early on, but it seemed like every team was kind of rotating drivers through. So I don’t think any of us got a ton of time with it, but you know these cars, really a lot of the design pieces come from a road race background – some of the things they (NASCAR) see on the IMSA side of things. I really think they’re probably going to suit road racing well. I think they’ll be fine, and I don’t know that the race will look a ton different.”
“Honestly, I think the cars will drive fine. Certainly, getting used to those small things that are going to be a little bit different and the shifting and the brakes (will be important). Just how they act at some of those different style of corners. I think it will be fine.”
Many are wondering if the Next Gen car will eradicate Elliott’s road course advantage. Components like the larger brakes and the independent rear suspension may narrow the performance gap across the field. Elliott has a grade A chance to silence these doubters this weekend. Should Elliott win again at COTA, all four Hendrick teams would be locked into the Playoffs after only six weeks.
Kyle Larson
Had COTA ran the full distance last year, Kyle Larson likely would have ended up in victory lane. With the premature finish though, Larson was left in second behind Elliott. Aside from COTA though, Larson did pick up three road course wins a season ago. After being oh so close to the inaugural win, the 5 returns to Texas looking to take no prisoners.
“It will be like a new track for us,” Larson said of racing at COTA with no rain. “Last year, I felt like it was dry for only a couple laps during the entire weekend. We’re definitely looking forward to it because the Hendrick Motorsports road course program has been strong.”
“I drove it in a test the day after the (Charlotte) ROVAL,” Larson revealed about his time in the Next Gen car on road courses. “It was good to have an immediate comparison between the two generations of cars, but a lot of changes and updates (to the car) have occurred since then.”
New car or not, Larson has the adaptability to adjust ultra-fast to a new car in wildly different conditions. Twice in 2021, Larson beat Elliott heads-up on a road course, and Sunday could be a repeat of this duel.
Austin Cindric
After a few trying weeks since his Daytona 500 triumph, Austin Cindric looks to get back on track. The rookie and road-racing ace eyes COTA as a chance for another great result; he led laps here last year in his limited starts. While most of the field started on wet-weather tires, Cindric and the Penske No. 33 started on slicks and drove off from the pack. This opening stint alone opened many eyes to Cindric’s road racing ability. Many immediately pegged his Cup road racing talent right next to the likes of Elliott or Larson. A year removed and now a winner, COTA could be the site of Cindric’s second career victory.
Tyler Reddick
Last year at COTA was an all around great race for Tyler Reddick, as he earned his first career pole. After that, the Richard Childress Racing No. 8 finished ninth, showing off his road course prowess. Now returning to the site of one of his 2021 highlights, Reddick hopes to keep his consistency alive. The RCR team also wants to break into victory lane for the first time.
“COTA is a huge weekend for all of us on the No. 8 3CHI Chevrolet Camaro team,” Reddick said. “With a road course as diverse as COTA, you really have to bring your A-game. It’s exciting to come back to the place where I won my first pole, you don’t forget that and it’s definitely special. Especially with not having practice and qualifying most weekends last season, it was cool to be one of the guys that went out there and won the pole. I’m looking forward to this weekend’s race and adding another one for our team. Last year’s race was rough with the rain and it’s looking like we’re going to have good weather this weekend so that’s a game changer.”
“I think with the new car and no rain, you’re going to see different racing. I’m pumped for it. We’ve spent a lot of time working on our road course program and this is our chance to put it all to the test with the Next Gen car. With only having 20 minutes to acclimate to the new Next Gen car on the racetrack, every minute on track will be crucial. I feel very good about where we are as a team and how well the performance of our cars have been. This will certainly be a race that will test every aspect of the team and the driver. With that, we have a lot of excitement, and we are ready to take on the challenge head on. I’m excited for it, we could use a good result after last weekend at Atlanta.”
Among drivers searching for their first Cup win, Reddick is perhaps the favorite to achieve that at COTA. The 8 has brought great pace and performance over several weeks, do not expect that to change for COTA. If the car can stay under Reddick, he may end Sunday as a winner. Once Reddick gets that elusive maiden win, the floodgates may open for driver No. 8.
COTA will be the next big test for the Next Gen car and for all drivers in 2022. With a road-racing focus around its construction, expect the on-track product with this car to be excellent. While Elliott, Larson, and others are certainly favorites, 2022 has proven that just about anyone can win in the Cup Series. Be sure to tune into FOX on Sunday at 3:00 p.m. ET to see who takes the Texas victory.
Written by Peter Stratta
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Photo Credit to Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images for NASCAR
