NASCAR expands Cup Series practice at COTA for first road course session of the

This weekend at COTA, the NASCAR Cup Series will have an expanded practice session, compared to the usual 20-minute session. With a new package for road courses this year, teams will have two 20-minute sessions in group practice to figure things out.

The move to allow everyone 40 minutes of practice time is a good one. In recent years NASCAR has cut back on practice sessions due to cost-cutting measures. However, when it comes to special circumstances like having a new package at the first road course race of the season, they can make exceptions.

A lot of teams and drivers would like to see more practice in general. So, this decision is more than likely a popular one for them. The way it will work is a 20-minute session for Group A and a 20-minute session for Group B. Then, they will alternate again for another set of 20-minute practices.

When practice is expanded, teams are able to dial in their cars better. If there is an issue off the hauler that is discovered in practice they can work on it, fix it, and get the car back out for more practice laps. In general, it just helps teams put the best car on the track.

Practice for the NASCAR Cup Series at COTA will begin at 9:00 AM EST. Qualifying is set to follow at 10:30 AM EST. You can watch the action on FS2.

NASCAR Cup Series at COTA full of surprises

This weekend is becoming one of my favorites on the schedule. COTA has attracted drivers from outside of stock car racing and it has been a relative success. Kimi Raikkonen, Jensen Button, Kamui Kobayashi, and even in the other two national series races there have been fun additions like Jack Hawksworth.

If you want to show a non-NASCAR fan just how different the sport can get from the usual oval race, this is the one. It attracts stars from other motorsports and gives them a crash course (literally) on NASCAR. These drivers have been tested greatly by this race in the last few years.

When it comes to the EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix pole award, no one in the Cup Series has repeated yet. Tyler Reddick, Ryan Blaney, and William Byron have all won the pole in the three prior races. Byron’s qualifying lap last year was a NASCAR record on this course, completing a lap in 2:10.760. No one has won from the pole yet, either.

Expanding practice this weekend is a good thing. Drivers and teams will have their best setups for this race and that should make for a great race. There is a stacked field in Cup, Xfinity, and the Truck Series. It’s a good time to watch some NASCAR racing at COTA.