Cup Series drivers prepare to race in treacherous rain at COTA on Sunday
By Bob Pockrass
FOX Sports NASCAR Writer
AUSTIN, Texas – Drivers typically don't have fun when they can’t see where they are going.
But for the drivers who were at least fast in NASCAR Cup Series practice in a steady rain Saturday, they seemed ready to race, despite being temporarily blinded by the spray coming off the tires in front of them at the Circuit of the Americas.
Cup practice in the rain at COTA
This is NASCAR’s first trip to the 3.41-mile road course, and it was one of the first times that Cup drivers had a full practice using wet tires in rainy conditions.
"The first time it scares you, and then really, the third and fourth time, it still scares you," said Joey Logano, who was second-fastest in the sole practice session for the race on Sunday. "But you kind of catch yourself really quickly."
NASCAR's two development series, trucks and Xfinity, and the trucks raced mostly on a wet, rainy track Saturday, while the Xfinity drivers had a dry event later in the afternoon.
The National Weather Service predicts an 80% chance of rain for Sunday.
As long as there is no lightning within 8 miles, the track is not puddling and drivers can reasonably see (at NASCAR’s discretion), NASCAR will attempt to hold the race.
"I wish there was a better way of us being able to see through the spray," said Kyle Busch, who was fourth in the session. "Our cars put up such a spray. I don’t even run a windshield wiper because I know it doesn’t do anything."
The drivers had the most difficulty on a long straightaway on the "backstretch" of the course.
"Visually, down that long straightaway between [turns] 11 and 12, the spray off the back of a car you can’t see," Logano said. "You just straight-up can’t see, and you’re going really, really fast, and the car is hydroplaning through that section.
"It’s newer asphalt there or something. The water sits on top more, and the car is just jumping out of nowhere on you."
Busch predicted chaos in that area.
"I was just looking at the guard rails trying to figure out where I was," Busch said. "I could kind of see where the race track was, but your reference for where your braking zones are is washed out. You can’t see any of that stuff."
Drivers have three spotters around the track to alert them to issues. William Byron, who was fastest in the practice session, hopes his spotters tell him what he needs to know.
"I just try to trust my spotter, and if he said somebody was checking up or something or if there was a slow car in front, I’d try to plan for that," Byron said. "But honestly, I kind of just sent it and tried to put it in the right spot and hope that nobody was stopped in front of me."
Former Cup champion Kevin Harvick joked about how well he could see in that practice.
"I can’t see well anyway, so when it’s trying to figure out where you’re going by two tire tracks in the ground on the straightaway, that’s new for me," he said.
In some ways, as the saying goes, it is what it is.
"You watch an F1 race or sports cars race in the rain, and those guys can’t see, either, and somehow they do it, so we’ll figure it out," Logano said.
"It’s sketchy, for sure. It feels very uncomfortable, but I think as you do it, maybe just because it’s new, we’ll get a hold of it a little better. ... 90 percent of the racetrack is not bad. It just gets really bad in the faster sections of the track."
Bob Pockrass has spent decades covering motorsports, including the past 30 Daytona 500s. He joined FOX Sports in 2019 following stints at ESPN, Sporting News, NASCAR Scene magazine and The (Daytona Beach) News-Journal. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram @bobpockrass. Looking for more NASCAR content? Sign up for the FOX Sports NASCAR Newsletter with Bob Pockrass!
