Welcome to FTW Explains: a guide to catching up on and better understanding stuff going on in the world. You may have heard that NASCAR has a big and very different weekend lined up at COTA in Austin, but you’re not really sure about all the details. That’s OK because we’re here to help.
Among the many novelties in the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series schedule are new tracks, and this weekend, NASCAR will compete at Circuit of The Americas, or COTA, for the first time ever. It’s one of seven road courses on the schedule this year.
The Austin road course famously has hosted Formula 1, IndyCar Series and MotoGP events, but this year, the track was added to the NASCAR schedule with a full weekend’s worth of competition lined up, culminating with the Cup Series’ EchoPark Texas Grand Prix on Sunday at 2:30 p.m. ET (FS1).
So ahead of NASCAR’s first race weekend at COTA, here are eight things to know.
Y’all, it’s race week!
ARE. YOU. READY?! 🤘#NASCARatCOTA pic.twitter.com/L1dXbwImkv
— NASCAR at COTA (@NASCARatCOTA) May 17, 2021
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