Why Denny Hamlin Is Looking Forward to COTA Despite Weak Past Results

NASCAR drivers are in for a different type of challenge when they head to Austin this weekend. The upcoming race will be at the 3.41-mile Circuit of The Americas track. It is the longest course in the Cup Series and, presumably, the most technical. And that’s why the Bristol winner Denny Hamlin is happy that he will get to practice on it before turning up for qualifying.

He said to KXAN, “It’s a lot different for sure. With the extended practice next week, I definitely feel a little better about getting up to speed before qualifying goes. I’ll put the same to maybe a little more time on it simply because I’m not as familiar with how to make really good speed on that track quite yet.”

Hamlin’s past, as per Driver Averages, at the road course isn’t very colorful either. His best finish in the three races that have been held there is the 14th place that he secured in 2021. He finished in 16th place last year and in 14th the year before.

Denny Hamlin understands that he hasn’t yet figured out how to make speed on the track and believes that the practice sessions that are scheduled for Saturday will help him do that.

Extended practice sessions before particular Cup races is something that Hamlin has been advocating for some time now. While the sanctioning body isn’t quite there yet, with practice runs for all fixtures, it is welcome that the one before the COTA race hasn’t been tampered with.

What other drivers are saying about the upcoming race at COTA?

The Circuit of The Americas track first opened in 2012 and welcomed Formula 1 to it. Nine years later, it brought NASCAR to the field as well. The upcoming event will be the fourth Cup Series race at the track.

A.J. Allmendinger’s words to KXAN sum up the course’s nature. He said, “It’s a unique racetrack because I feel like a lot of road courses you have a type of racetrack where (there are) slow corners or fast corners or long straightaways with short straightaways. COTA has everything, so it’s a racetrack that is hard to get your car right in all aspects of the racetrack, but I thoroughly enjoy it.”

Ross Chastain, Tyler Reddick, and Chase Elliott each have one win at the track and hold the best averages over the last three years. Sunday’s race is scheduled to begin at 2:30 p.m. central time.