All hail Mother Nature! NASCAR drivers and fans alike would never espouse this slogan. The rain-washed races at Daytona or Charlotte are still painful memories for many. However, the same slogan may be uttered with zest at one racetrack – Circuit of the Americas. When the Cup Series embarked on its second trip to Austin, Texas, the heavens opened. Instead of long faces, drivers looked pumped. The sanctioning body has introduced a few changes in terms of track layout and Goodyear tires. And Mother Nature has done so as well. But first, let’s take a look a the track’s bouts with nature.

Back in 2021, our favorite Cup Series champions had a lot of fun at COTA. During the 55-minute practice ahead of the main race, a heavy downpour drenched the 3.41-mile racetrack. Teams put on wet-weather tires and navigated the circuit for the first time, making a splash. Joey Logano, the 2024 Cup Series champion, was ecstatic: “I just had a blast a second ago, so I’m OK with it raining at this point.” Even two-time Cup Series champion Kyle Busch said that “it was quite interesting with the wet.”

In 2025 as well, a ripple of excitement may have hit the NASCAR public. Initial forecasts indicated that Mother Nature will visit the EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix. Race Weather wrote: “Friday and Saturday look clear, but Sunday is up in the air.” But it was conditional: “Right now there’s a slight chance of showers, but that can change as we get closer.” As it turns out, the latter prediction turned into reality.

Race Weather shared the updated forecast on its website. The rain clouds have decided to move away from NASCAR’s schedule: “From Thursday into Sunday, forecast guidance is showing weak upper-level ridging over Texas. This, along with a high-pressure system located over the Gulf Coast, should lead to mostly clear skies throughout that time frame.” Consequently, drivers like Joey Logano or Kyle Busch would not be too excited.

With sunny skies on the horizon, drivers will be able to navigate through the revamped track. Last November, race promoters announced shifting from a 3.41-mile full layout to a shorter 2.3-mile “national” circuit. The new shape of the course has removed the section from Turn 7 through the Turn 11 hairpin on the full layout. In accordance with the track adjustments, NASCAR has provided an extended practice schedule for COTA on Saturday.

The changed track layout is one reason why a sunny sky is an added benefit. Although a few drivers enjoyed a rain-drenched COTA race in 2021, one veteran strongly opposed it.

Upholding safety is the norm

In 2021, NASCAR held its proper rain race at COTA. A few teams enjoyed using the wet-weather tires for the first time. But during the Cup Series race, the circuit’s 20 turns were still slippery given the amount of water sustained. Visibility issues plagued drivers as the windshield wiper could not do much to help. Officials threw the red flag on lap 54 for drying the track. But the race was called not long after the water was deemed too much to continue – Chase Elliott was declared the winner. Some drivers were disappointed as they could not continue the fun.

However, Kevin Harvick announced his strong verdict – the rainy conditions made it extremely unsafe. There were five cautions within 13 laps. On lap 19, Christopher Bell ran into the rear of Ryan Blaney, and Bubba Wallace crashed into the back of Kevin Harvick. A lap 25 accident saw Martin Truex Jr.’s car get lifted and Cole Custer’s car set fire. So Harvick said post-race, “We don’t have any business being out in the rain, period. All I can say is this is the worst decision that we’ve ever made in our sport that I’ve been a part of, and I’ve never felt more unsafe in my whole racing career, period.”

Even Joey Logano agreed with Harvick at the end of the race. “You can’t see and you crash, it becomes dangerous, yes. … Just like your superspeedway stuff. There is no difference, right? There’s moments where it’s just dangerous, and we need to continue to look to find ways to be better at it.”

So maybe not all hopes are too dampened as the rains cleared out. Most drivers will be looking forward to a sunny, safe, and enjoyable race weekend at COTA!