It rained Saturday throughout the NASCAR Cup Series’ first and only practice of the weekend ahead of its first race ever at Circuit of The Americas on Sunday.
But drivers embraced the track conditions and said they still had so much fun on the 3.41-mile, 20-turn course, which includes a wild, 133-foot climb going into the hairpin-style Turn 1.
An entertaining rarity in NASCAR, drivers turned laps with their rain tires around the Austin track, which is known more for hosting a Formula 1 race. And that led William Byron — who finished practice at the top of the leaderboard — to hope Mother Nature makes an appearance Sunday for the Cup Series’ EchoPark Texas Grand Prix (2:30 p.m. ET, FS1).
“I hope it rains tomorrow,” Byron said Saturday after practice. “It was really weird at first, just getting used to just where the best line was and getting used to the way you get around there. …
“It was fun. It was a blast. I don’t know how it was to watch, but it’s so much fun driving.”
With COTA being a new track for NASCAR, this race weekend features both practice and qualifying, unlike most races this season because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Qualifying is set for Sunday at 11 a.m. ET (FS1) before the race.
Despite not yet knowing from what position he’ll start, Joey Logano echoed Byron’s enthusiasm. The Team Penske driver said he’s embracing the challenging road course with a “fun attitude” because “we don’t know what the heck we’re doing” — similar to how he approached the novel Bristol Motor Speedway dirt race in March, which he won.
When asked how he felt after the rainy, 55-minute practice where he was second behind Bryon and the fastest Ford, Logano:
“It was a lot of fun out there. I had a blast. I was having a great time trying to find lap time, trying to push yourself. The whole thing is a head game. It’s a mental strain out there of how hard you can push, how hard can you drive in the corner and being able to see behind cars.
“That’s probably the hardest part, is visually down that long straightaway between [Turns] 11 and 12. The spray off the back of a car you can’t see. You just straight-up can’t see, and you’re going really, really fast, and the car is hydroplaning through that section. …
“The first time, it scares you, and then really the third and fourth time, it still scares you, but you kind of catch yourself really quickly. It’s entertaining, believe me. I could have stayed out there making laps all day. I was having a good time.”
Kyle Busch — the fourth-fastest driver in practice and the fastest Toyota driver — said the wet practice was “interesting,” but he welcomed the laps under those rare track conditions, adding that he “felt pretty good out there.”
The Joe Gibbs Racing driver also could have a slight advantage in Sunday’s Cup Series race because he’s one of several top-tier drivers competing in the Xfinity Series race Saturday afternoon.
When asked Saturday if COTA is fun, challenging or ridiculous, Busch said:
“It’s all of the above, really. Is it optimum conditions? No, certainly not, but it’s the same for everyone. Obviously if you are the guy out front, you have the cleanest track, but you’ve earned that. I … wish there was a better way to see through the spray.
“Our cars put up such a spray, and the windshield — I haven’t even run a windshield wiper because I know it doesn’t do anything. So you are just trying to keep your windshield as clean as you can and find your way without being able to see around everything.
“The slower sections – the 30-, 40-, 50-mile per hour sections – those aren’t bad. The spray really doesn’t kick up too terrible. It stays pretty low that you have a good sense of being able to see where you are at.”
The NASCAR Cup Series’ EchoPark Texas Grand Prix is Sunday at 2:30 p.m. ET on FS1, and even without qualifying yet, Byron, Logano and Busch are among the favorites to win.
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