NASCAR: Rain race at COTA – Good idea or wet blanket?
By Justin Jones
NASCAR’s inaugural Cup Series race at Circuit of the Americas left a lot to be desired, and not just from the perspective of the drivers.
NASCAR’s inaugural race weekend at Austin’s Circuit of the Americas (COTA) didn’t go quite as planned. Specifically, Mother Nature seemed to really be against it — which is a really big understatement.
Now, no one in NASCAR likes rain-outs, but this one was unique in that it actually became a rain-in.
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As a veteran of several rain-outs, including the famed jet-dryer-gate at the 2012 Daytona 500 as well other less notable wash-outs, I thought at first: “Yeah! The fans will get to see their race; it should be entertaining. What could go wrong?”
In one word, everything.
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Despite the weather “enhancements” for rain racing, there’s a really great reason that this isn’t done often: it’s very dangerous, not just for the drivers who have to navigate 20 turns at a track they have never raced at before, but for the fans as well.
The parking for the race at COTA was done across giant fields that basically turned into mud pits by the time everyone was leaving — definitely not a fun time for those not in a 4×4 monster truck. Additionally, depending on where you were forced to park, you could’ve had a very long and wet walk ahead of you.
Then there’s the issue of actually sitting in the rain and watching racing for four-plus hours. Maybe pack a wet-suit for next year, just in case? Oh, and you aren’t allowed to bring coolers into COTA either, so welcome to crappy stadium food at outrageous prices.
I just have hard time believing the Formula 1 fan experience would be this bad for the annual United States Grand Prix, but maybe?
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It’s certainly not NASCAR’s fault about the weather, but in addition to rethinking this from the driver’s perspective, they may want to consider the families who will go out and brave the elements to watch it. They could have and and should have done better by the fans who are still keeping the sport alive.