Former driver Kevin Harvick urged NASCAR to enforce track limits on road courses to make racing more competitive.
Currently, the track limits in NASCAR are rather loose depending on what type of track the cars are racing on. For Circuit of the Americas, for example, the track limits are enforced only on the starting few corners, sometimes called the 'esses'.
This leniency on track limits can prove to be an unfair advantage as some drivers might sometimes jump an entire curb to gain on the car ahead. While the authorities are reviewing the track limit enforcements, Kevin Harvick feels the need to make the process faster, as he spoke on the Harvick’s Happy Hour podcast:
"I think you know from a from a purist road racing standard um I just believe that we need to race on the track. I think that COTA would actually race better if we had track limits."
"NASCAR's point is 'hey we're not to the point of being able to officiate it yet.' They need to hurry up."
He further explained how having track limits would be better for racing:
"We need to officiate every corner on a road course like it needs to be officiated and I think that track limits will make every road course a better racetrack."
Kevin Harvick reminisces the "scariest" moments of NASCAR's first race at COTA
2021 was the first time NASCAR stepped into COTA for the EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix. The first race was filled with excitement and terror for Kevin Harvick, as he drove with almost no visibility.
The overcast weather made it difficult for drivers on the track, and the loss of grip in the rain did not help. Speaking on his podcast, Harvick stated how it was one of the "scariest" moments he had in racing.
"So that was probably one of the scariest moments that I've ever had in a race car. The first year there and the first year in the rain; you could not see anything. That was crazy and everybody was like we got to race in the rain and finally, I'm literally going down the back straightaway riding against the guardrails so I can find the next corner."
The race this year was not so dramatic. Although a couple of penalties were handed to the drivers, the race ended with William Byron at the top.