If you haven’t seen NASCAR drivers trying to draw road courses… well, you need to see it. Because these guys are not artists. And, they don’t seem to have very good memories of these courses. F1 drivers, they are not. However, NASCAR had some Cup Series drivers try their hand at drafting off of the race track and on some paper. The results? Hilarious.
Most of the time, NASCAR drivers don’t have to worry about the shape of a course. They aren’t all exactly the same, but a circle, oval, or whatever rounded shape you find at traditional tracks is pretty easy to recall. Now, that is not the same with these road courses. COTA might be the most difficult to remember with 20 turns or so. However, that’s where these drivers will compete this week!
Check out this video and see some of your favorite drivers take a shot at this little memory exercise.
Kevin Harvick, Cole Custer, Denny Hamlin, Joey Logano, Austin Cindric…that’s a good mix of vets and younger guys. And, none of them were able to make a coherent map. In fact, none of the drivers made two attempts that looked even remotely the same. It is impressive when you think about it.
You gotta love Hamlin giving up midway and turning his COTA course into a rhinoceros, moose…thing. I had a teacher always ask that we never left an answer blank and if anything, draw something to make them laugh or smile when they see it. Hamlin’s drawing is a perfect example of that.
So, can NASCAR drivers draw the road courses from memory? No. Can they draw Texas? Well, if it’s Joey Logano… that’s a big no.
NASCAR Drivers Can’t Draw Road Courses, But They Can Drive Them
Now, these guys don’t need to know the course from memory. When they get out there, they will be running on instincts, information from their spotters, and won’t be thinking about how to memorize the track for later. However, there is going to be a ton of racing at COTA this weekend. Bubba Wallace and Kyle Busch are pulling double duty for the weekend.
Wallace is set to compete for JGR once again in the Xfinity Series. He will also race the Indy road course. This gives him some more laps on the newest road courses in NASCAR. He will be racing against some strong, young talent, and it should be very interesting.
Meanwhile, Busch is going back to the Truck Series. He raced a truck back in Las Vegas this season and finished 3rd. His own KBM driver Chandler Smith is leading the Xfinity Series this season so far. The two have a friendly bet on who will finish best in the Truck Series race. The master and the apprentice. Who will come out on top?
