Austin Dillon and his RCR teammate Kyle Busch deliver unaligned verdict about COTA’s recent overhaul

Richard Childress Racing drivers Austin Dillon and Kyle Busch recently shared their thoughts on the upcoming NASCAR Cup Series race at Circuit of The Americas (COTA) and changes made to the track. While Dillon took an optimistic approach, Busch was more skeptical, pointing out concerns about losing important passing zones.

This year, NASCAR has made a major alteration to the COTA circuit. The Cup Series will no longer use the full 3.41-mile Formula One layout; instead, it’ll run on a shortened 2.40-mile version. The section from Turn 7 through the Turn 11 hairpin has been eliminated, reducing the number of turns but increasing the number of laps from 68 to 95.

Austin Dillon views the shorter course as an opportunity. He believes the changes will make the race more exciting and will place more focus on the pit strategy and clean racing. By removing some longer straightaways, he expects the field to remain closer together, making every decision more critical.

"COTA is an exciting and technically challenging track to race on. This year with the track configuration changing a little bit, it’s going to create excitement," Dillon said in the RCR press release (via Speedway Digest).

"The keys to the race will be having good pit stops and keeping our No. 3 Chevrolet clean. We’ll have to get through the chaos that Turn 1 has caused in the past," he added

Kyle Busch, on the other hand, sees more drawbacks than advantages. He believes the shorter course will limit passing opportunities, making it harder to gain track position. Without the long backstretch, drivers will have fewer chances to build momentum and set up overtakes.

"I don’t know, I think you will lose a couple passing zones. You lose Turn 11, all the way up at the top. You lose coming down into Turn 12 after the long straightaway," Busch shared (via Speedway Digest).

"It’s going to be more Martinsville-esque with cars staying closer together and probably a little bit more pushing and shoving. I’m sure that’s what the fans will certainly enjoy," he added.

Austin Dillon and the RCR team are set to tackle the COTA road course this weekend. The EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix will take place on Sunday, March 2, at 3:30 p.m. ET, airing live on FOX. Dillon will also participate in a fan meet-and-greet session at the track before the race.

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A look back to Austin Dillon’s harrowing Daytona crash

As the 2025 season gets underway, Austin Dillon recently talked about a terrifying moment from his past - his 2015 crash at Daytona International Speedway during the Coke Zero Sugar 400.

During the final moments of the race, Dillon’s No. 3 Chevrolet was sent airborne after contact with Denny Hamlin. His car flipped over Clint Bowyer’s, crashed into the catch fence at nearly 190 mph, and landed on its roof before being hit again by Brad Keselowski. The wreck destroyed the fence, sending debris flying into the grandstands. Speaking to Richard Childress Racing on YouTube, Dillon recalled the crash vividly.

"I just remember coming to the checkered flag and pushing the #24, and I see the #11 coming across, and then I just flip, and it happened very fast," Dillon said [4:55 onwards]. "But then in the air, as I'm traveling through it kinda slows down, so I just tuck everything up, hit the fence, tore it down, came back across and I'm like 'Okay. It's over.'"

"Then Brad Keselowski comes through, it feels like 30 seconds later and wipes me again. That was the shot that didn't feel great. We got through it, climbed out of there, it was upside down. And yeah, I got out of the car and waved at the crowd," Austin Dillon added

Even after the crash, Austin Dillon finished the race in the top 10. Another highlight factor of the race was that it was Jeff Gordon’s final Coke Zero Sugar 400 race before he retired from racing full-time.