Rain and big wrecks were the talk during and after NASCAR's inaugural trip to Circuit Of The Americas in Texas this weekend. For those that might be confused, NASCAR usually does NOT run races in the rain or with a wet track. But they have recently started testing the idea on road courses, where the use of rain tires and windshield wipers is a little more reasonable.
Like most things NASCAR does, this was a lose lose situation. People have been begging for YEARS for them to figure out a way to run races on wet tracks. That would eliminate more time spent on rain delays and allow the drivers to be tested by the difficult conditions presented by a wet track. Well, they let the guys race it out in the rain, and almost immediately people started yelling on social media about how dangerous of an idea it was. That thought was really amplified after a scary collision between Cole Custer and Martin Truex Jr.
I'm not saying it isn't dangerous, but it's another classic case of asking for something, getting what you asked for and then being upset at the result. People really want NASCAR to be just like F1 or Indy Car, but there are SO many differences between the types of cars that it makes things like running in the rain so much more difficult no matter what they do. It wasn't just fans who were upset by the way...Kevin Harvick was very upset with the situation.
NASCAR really doubled down and then some on road courses this year too. Back in the day there were only 2 road courses on the schedule, and now there are SIX this season. This was the first ever visit to COTA in Texas, and I really would love to get that course another shot on a weekend where it isn't pouring down rain. Of course we can't predict that, but we can hope!
Chase Elliot was ultimately declared the winner of the race after NASCAR made the decision to red flag the race due to safety concerns.