"Probably one of the scariest moments I've ever had" - Kevin Harvick recalls terrifying first experience at COTA ahead of Sunday's Cup race

Former NASCAR driver Kevin Harvick spoke about one of his scariest moments while racing, which occurred during the initial NASCAR race at the Circuit of The Americas in 2021.

That season marked the first time NASCAR was set to race on the track and the EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix was held. The weather was not in favor of the drivers as heavy rains poured down in Texas, creating menace.

Speaking on Harvick's Happy Hour podcast, Harvick revealed that the visibility was extremely low, and it became one of his scariest moments in a race car:

"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."

Kevin Harvick further talked about the crash that occurred on the track. It happened when Cole Custer collided with the #19 car on a straight, which caused him to hit the barricade. This set his car on fire and was a hazard on the track for other drivers as well.

"I'm looking to the left going down the back straightway and that's when they all checked up in front of me. I ran over Bubba Wallace and remember that's when Cole Custer crashed, his car was on fire and the cars were still going," Harvick said.

However, Kevin Harvick feels that this year, the track will be dry, which will give drivers a better perspective.

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Kevin Harvick suggests engine tests to end NASCAR horsepower debate

The horsepower debate with the Next Gen cars has become a blazing hot topic in the sport. Some drivers have asked the authorities to allow more power, while some stand against it. Kyle Larson even went out to say that the current engines are capable of being tuned up to at least a thousand horsepower.

Speaking on the same, Kevin Harvick suggested that one of the engine suppliers should build an engine with higher power and NASCAR should allow to conduct a test. He further stated that if the test turned out to be negative, he would not speak on the topic anymore.

Harvick said on his podcast:

"Well, the first thing we need to do is to put the freaking horsepower in the car at one of these damn tests and let’s see if it’s better."

"Please build me an engine and just tell me it’s better. If it’s not, I will shut up. And if it is better, let’s give the engine departments a runway to get there next year so we can have more horsepower," he added.

Denny Hamlin, the race winner of the Food City 500, outlined an interesting issue with the increase in power. The race at Bristol marked extreme tire issues. At the end of the race, he told the media that the current demand for the tires was too high, and asking for more power would make the situation worse.