The Cup Series race in the Circuit of the Americas last Sunday was an entertaining affair thanks to the changes that were made to the layout. A one-mile distance was removed from it, and more laps were added to balance the shortcoming. Dale Earnhardt Jr. was one of the many who were left impressed with the result of the transition.
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On Dale Jr. Download, the icon pointed out how the track was now more memorable for fans throughout the race. They were able to keep better track of where drivers were and what crucial moments were coming up. “That was something that I wasn’t really experiencing before with COTA because there were just too many turns,” he quipped.
There were no changes through the first six turns of the course. But instead of racing down Turns 7-11, the cars took a hard turn around into the tire barrier that was named 6a.
Through 6a, a straightaway took them to another hard turn called 6b and then into the main course towards Turn 12. So, in essence, 6a and 6b were crucial points in a shortcut from Turn 6 to Turn 12.
This new format made it easy for viewers to follow the action live. Junior added, “I thought that was kind of an insignificant thing to some people, but shortening up the course to make it easier to digest and, therefore… Especially when you have these badass races at the end. It was so much fun to watch play out.”
The hard left in 6a was positioned in a tricky manner. This enabled drivers to show their skills. Some made great passes while others wrecked, trying to do the same. Junior noted how the addition of this turn created anticipation among fans to see how drivers would handle things when they got to the position again.
Dale Jr. praises Goodyear for the tires it provided in COTA
The icon gave credit to Goodyear for the tires that it supplied. He said, “I thought the Goodyear tire was fantastic. We had a tire that kind of gave up, you could hurt them [drivers]… that makes the racing so much better.”
He also showered praise on those who suggested and executed the changes and stated that COTA was now a massive road course on the Cup Series calendar.
A matter of concern is that 2025 is the last year in NASCAR’s contract with the road course. A renewal hasn’t been confirmed yet, but all parties, including SMI CEO Marcus Smith, have expressed an intent to return.
Notably, officials stressed that whether the track will return depends on the audience feedback following the Cup Series race. Safe to say that the feedback has been tremendously positive. So, in all likelihood, the Circuit of the Americas will be back to host NASCAR again soon.
