{"id":49903,"date":"2025-02-28T17:08:55","date_gmt":"2025-02-28T23:08:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/?p=49903"},"modified":"2025-02-28T17:12:56","modified_gmt":"2025-02-28T23:12:56","slug":"chastain-van-gisbergen-lead-media-on-cotas-new-national-course-tour","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/2025\/02\/28\/chastain-van-gisbergen-lead-media-on-cotas-new-national-course-tour\/","title":{"rendered":"Chastain, Van Gisbergen lead media on COTA\u2019s new National Course tour"},"content":{"rendered":"
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NASCAR Cup Series drivers Ross Chastain, Shane Van Gisbergen and Speedway Motorsports Senior VP of Operations and Development Steve Swift discuss the changes to the course for this weekend’s NASCAR EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas. Photo by Mike Haag\/Raceday San Antonio<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

By Mike Haag, Raceday San Antonio<\/em><\/p>\n

AUSTIN, Texas – NASCAR Cup Series drivers Ross Chastain and Shane Van Gisbergen welcomed media members for a unique tram tour of the newly introduced 17-turn, 2.4-mile National Course at The Circuit of the Americas on Friday. The event, held as a precursor to the highly anticipated EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix, allowed the Trackhouse Racing teammates to share their insights on the circuit\u2019s new configuration, which replaces the 20-turn, 3.41-mile Full Course used in the previous four editions of the race.<\/p>\n

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Speedway Motorsports Senior VP of Operations, along with NASCAR Cup Series drivers Shane Van Gisbergen and Ross Chastain take a tram ride around Circuit of The Americas track to discuss the changes to the course for this weekend’s NASCAR EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix. Photo by Mike Haag\/Raceday San Antonio<\/p><\/div>\n

Chastain, a five-time Cup Series winner and the 2022 race victor at COTA, broke down the changes for those in attendance. \u201cThis new layout is going to put a lot more action in front of the fans,\u201d Chastain said. \u201cWith tighter turns and a faster rhythm, drivers will have to be aggressive but precise.\u201d<\/p>\n

Van Gisbergen, the three-time Supercars champion from New Zealand, brought a unique perspective, having previously competed on the National Course during his Supercars days in 2013. \u201cIt\u2019s a familiar layout for me,\u201d he said. \u201cIt rewards drivers who can manage their braking zones and set up clean exits. It\u2019ll be interesting to see how the Cup cars handle it.\u201d<\/p>\n

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NASCAR Cup Series drivers Shane Van Gisbergen, Ross Chastain and Speedway Motorsports Senior VP of Operations and Development Steve Swift discuss the changes to the course for this weekend’s NASCAR EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas. Photo by Mike Haag\/Raceday San Antonio<\/p><\/div>\n

As the tram wound its way around the circuit, Speedway Motorsports Senior VP of Operations and Development Steve Swift chimed in with details on the modifications. \u201cThe adjustments were made to enhance the racing experience, both for competitors and fans,\u201d Swift explained. \u201cBy condensing the track, we\u2019re keeping more of the action within sightlines and ensuring more wheel-to-wheel moments.\u201d<\/p>\n

Chastain has had great success at COTA. With a win and three top-five finishes in four appearances, the Floridian has been a dominant force at the Texas road course. However, with the new layout, he admitted it was a fresh challenge. \u201cI can\u2019t rely on my past notes too much. It\u2019s going to take a new approach, but that\u2019s what makes it exciting.\u201d<\/p>\n

Van Gisbergen, competing for Rookie of the Year honors against 23XI Racing\u2019s Riley Herbst, has limited Cup experience at COTA, finishing 20th last year. Still, his street and road course expertise remain an asset. \u201cI\u2019ve always enjoyed technical circuits, and this one demands respect,\u201d he said. \u201cAdapting quickly in practice will be key.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Members of the media listen to NASCAR Cup Series drivers Ross Chastain, Shane Van Gisbergen and Speedway Motorsports Senior VP of Operations and Development Steve Swift discuss the changes to the course for this weekend’s NASCAR EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas. Photo by Mike Haag\/Raceday San Antonio<\/p><\/div>\n

As the tram approached Turn 1\u2014COTA\u2019s iconic uphill left-hander\u2014Chastain pointed out how the entry dynamics would change. \u201cYou\u2019ll see more passing attempts here since we won\u2019t be carrying as much speed as we did on the Full Course. That means more opportunities to set up a move.\u201d<\/p>\n

Media members fired off questions about tire strategy, given the increased lap count from 68 to 95. Chastain acknowledged the challenge. \u201cTire falloff is going to be a factor, especially in longer runs. Managing your equipment over nearly 230 miles will be critical.\u201d<\/p>\n

Van Gisbergen added, \u201cCup cars are heavy, so maintaining rear grip is going to be tricky. Drivers who can conserve their tires early will have a big advantage late in the race.\u201d<\/p>\n

As the tram neared the final set of turns, the drivers reflected on the significance of the weekend. With the EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix now slotted as the third race of the season, momentum was on the line. \u201cWe\u2019re all still settling into our rhythm,\u201d Chastain said. \u201cA strong run here can set the tone for the next stretch of races.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Van Gisbergen, it\u2019s another opportunity to prove himself in NASCAR\u2019s top series. \u201cEvery race is a learning experience,\u201d he said. \u201cThe goal is to get faster, smarter, and closer to the front.\u201d<\/p>\n

The EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix will be held Sunday at The Circuit of the Americas. The race begins at 2:30 p.m. CT and will broadcast live on FOX.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

  By Mike Haag, Raceday San Antonio AUSTIN, Texas – NASCAR Cup Series drivers Ross Chastain and Shane Van Gisbergen welcomed media members for a unique tram tour of the newly introduced 17-turn, 2.4-mile National Course at The Circuit of the Americas on Friday. The event, held as a precursor to the highly anticipated EchoPark […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":49899,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[38,11],"tags":[39,830,16,655,941],"class_list":["post-49903","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-circuit-of-the-americas","category-nascar","tag-circuit-of-the-americas","tag-echopark-automotive-texas-grand-prix","tag-nascar","tag-ross-chastain","tag-shane-van-gisbergen"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/image1.jpeg?fit=2016%2C1512","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7hzTZ-cYT","jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49903","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=49903"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49903\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":49909,"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49903\/revisions\/49909"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/49899"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=49903"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=49903"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=49903"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}