As the NASCAR season shifts gears towards its first road course, all eyes are on the Circuit of The Americas (COTA) track, which has undergone a significant revamp. The course, once a 3.41-mile, 20-turn meandering beast, has been transformed into a 2.3-mile, 20-turn National Course. This change poses a new set of challenges for drivers, none more so than Hendrick Motorsports’ Chase Elliott, the winner of the inaugural Cup Series race on the original layout in 2021.
The once-dubbed ‘King of the Road’, Chase Elliott, is facing a tough ride since the debut of the Next-Gen car ended his winning streak. Now, the COTA race of 2025 looms large, with Elliott meticulously studying every aspect of the upcoming challenge.
The revamped COTA track has done away with the section from Turn 7 to the Turn 11 hairpin, a significant alteration to the course’s original layout. NASCAR has also introduced changes to its penalty system. Last year, Elliott was handed a pass-through penalty for cutting the course at Turn 3. This year, NASCAR has opted for stricter enforcement of track limits at the esses, even going so far as to install 400-lb barriers – a decision that was later reversed due to drivers’ fears of being unintentionally pushed into these obstacles.
In a recent interview, Elliott delved into the penalty issue, stating, “That’s the tough thing when you have to start policing that. Like in my situation last year, and other guys that are in the same boat…I was going to spin out if I had to correct the car and ended up off the road.”
Elliott also shared his thoughts on the new track configuration, noting that the original COTA layout was more suited to Formula 1 racing. He believes the changes have been made with NASCAR drivers in mind, and are beneficial for their cars. Elliott is optimistic that the revised course will better accommodate the weightier NASCAR vehicles, as opposed to the long straightaways of F1 tracks.
Despite his critical evaluation of the revamped course, odds-makers aren’t favoring Elliott. Shane van Gisbergen and Connor Zilisch, the new faces in NASCAR, are leading the pack with odds of +450 and +650, respectively. Elliott, with his seven road course victories from August 2018 to July 2021 seeming like distant memories, is trailing behind at +1000 odds.
As the EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix on Sunday approaches, Elliott finds himself in a challenging position. His 19-race winless streak on road courses, including the two Chicago Street Races, is a hurdle he must overcome. Therefore, a detailed examination of the revamped COTA track is essential for Elliott if he is to reclaim his ‘King of the Road’ title.
