Kevin Harvick is embracing the ‘refreshing’ challenge of NASCAR’s first trip to Circuit of the Americas

In July of 2001, the christening of the Chicagoland Speedway ended with a younger Kevin Harvick profitable the first-ever NASCAR Cup Sequence race on the model new observe in Illinois. Alongside Kansas Speedway, Chicagoland was considered one of two model new tracks on the 2001 NASCAR schedule.

However earlier than lengthy, they steadily grew to become the final of their sort.

After a growth interval of constructing new racetracks in main markets, NASCAR’s schedule grew to become an immovable object for a few years, with just one main addition to the schedule – Kentucky Speedway in 2011 – interrupting what grew to become an in any other case gradual settling of worn-out faces into worn-out locations. As NASCAR went by way of lean years by way of relevance, the schedule grew to become a serious sore level.

Even, Harvick — 14 years after that win at Chicagoland — known as the Cup Sequence schedule the “most stagnant factor” in NASCAR. However now, that’s all modified.

As a part of the realignment of the 2023 schedule, NASCAR will go to a model new observe for the primary time in a decade on Friday when it travels to Circuit of the Americas (COTA) in Austin, Texas. Opened in 2012, this weekend will mark COTA’s first-ever NASCAR races after beforehand having hosted Components 1’s United States Grand Prix, in addition to different street racing and sportscar occasions.

And it additionally marks a refreshing problem for Harvick, who has mastered all different tracks as a Cup veteran of twenty years.

“I believe for me, it’s truly been loads of enjoyable,” Harvick instructed CBS Sports activities of making ready for COTA. “I believe as I take a look at our street race stuff up to now, and actually simply going to Sonoma and Watkins Glen for various years, you sort of simply took that with no consideration and simply ready on what you probably did final yr within the simulator one time and know the racetracks just like the again of my hand.”

The 2023 schedule has introduced with it an unprecedented emphasis on street racing in NASCAR, as a complete of seven street programs have been positioned on the Cup Sequence schedule. Circuit of the Americas joined Highway America in Wisconsin, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Daytona Worldwide Speedway street programs as outright new additions to a schedule that additionally included Sonoma Raceway, Watkins Glen Worldwide and the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval.

These adjustments, in addition to different additions to the schedule, have made for brand spanking new — and in Harvick’s thoughts, overdue — challenges to be embraced by opponents.

“I believe as you take a look at the schedule, we may have been approach forward if (NASCAR) would have simply listened 5 – 6 years in the past, proper?” Harvick stated. “I believe it’s very refreshing to see the change within the schedule. I believe as you take a look at immediately’s world from my perspective, everyone likes one thing totally different, one thing new, one thing recent.

“We’re going to a brand new market, we’re going to an ideal racetrack that’s clearly already constructing its personal racing legacy. And nevertheless the race seems this weekend — It issues, but it surely doesn’t. I believe the occasion is the story this weekend due to the truth that we’re going to an ideal facility in an enormous market. And we’re gonna go there and compete.”

When Harvick was a Cup Sequence rookie in 2001, the tradition surrounding street course racing with inventory vehicles was distinctly totally different than what it’s now. Whereas a choose few drivers made some extent to be good street racers, others merely tried to outlive the weekends, and a few even stepped out of their vehicles to permit street racing specialists — “Ringers” like Boris Mentioned, Ron Fellows, and extra — to offer their groups a greater probability of competing for wins.

However over time, street racing grew to become extra in style with followers and different stakeholders. As Harvick defined it, Sonoma Raceway in California’s wine nation grew to become a “vacation spot level” for sponsors, whereas Watkins Glen in upstate New York grew to become a “fan hit” with sellout crowds.

In the meantime, drivers started to place extra effort and time into street racing because it took on better significance in direction of figuring out the Cup Sequence Playoff grid and Championship. And with seven street races now on the schedule — and maybe extra to come back as NASCAR grows and expands — street racing has turn into extra vital than ever.

“… I believe street racing on the whole has turn into part of what we do,” Harvick stated. “With a purpose to develop, you’re gonna have to have the ability to go to street races, particularly if you wish to return to Canada or again to Mexico Metropolis (each markets the place the NASCAR Busch Sequence raced within the mid-2000s) and do all of the issues that we should be doing that we’ve finished up to now, and actually opens up a complete new outlet of racetracks for us to have the ability to go to.”

Sunday’s race at Circuit of the Americas has added significance for Harvick and his staff: it’s going to mark the primary race of the Mobil 1 Thousand promotion, which can award $1,000 or extra to a fan if a driver utilizing Mobil 1 wins a Cup race this season. The jackpot begins at $7,000, with Harvick operating a gold, greenback bill-laden paint scheme aboard his No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford this weekend.

“Clearly Mobil could be very concerned from the efficiency aspect of what we do with the racecar, an enormous a part of the event course of with the engine store at Roush Yates and making an attempt to all the time create one thing extra sturdy, one thing that creates extra energy, whether or not it’s within the engine or the transmission or the rear finish,” Harvick stated. “No matter that lubricant is, Mobil desires it to be one of the best … these individuals at Mobil which can be growing these merchandise to make our vehicles run quicker are very a lot part of what we do.”

By means of 13 races, Harvick at the moment sits eighth in factors with 4 Prime 5 and 10 Prime 10 finishes, His greatest end was coming in second at Kansas. Nevertheless, Harvick’s season to this point has been framed extra across the concept of shock that he’s but to go to Victory Lane — a shock provided that Harvick received a career-high 9 races in 2023.

Harvick acknowledged that he has a troublesome act to comply with, however he’s nonetheless happy with what he and his staff have finished as far as they work to re-capture their dominant velocity from final season.

“I believe our staff has finished an ideal job of dotting the Is and crossing the Ts and actually ensuring that we’re getting essentially the most out of our vehicles on a weekend,” Harvick stated. “… Yearly there’s adjustments to the vehicles. I believe evaluating final yr to any yr in my profession, it’d seem like an actual bummer, proper? Due to the truth that final yr was so profitable.

“There’s all the time gonna be critics whether or not it’s good or dangerous. You’re by no means ok, and that’s why we simply sort of maintain our head down and take note of the issues that we are able to management and maintain grinding away.”