NASCAR Driver Brad Keselowski Details First Trip to Circuit of the Americas: ‘Heck of a Ride’

The NASCAR season will feature some major changes considering that Bristol will host a dirt track race and the top series will head to Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, for the first time ever. Prior to the race on May 23, three of the drivers took part in a Goodyear Tires test at COTA. Brad Keselowski, the driver of the No. 2 Ford Mustang, spoke about his experience and called it a “heck of a ride.”

“It’s different than a lot of the road courses that we go to,” Keselowski said on Tuesday. “Very high speeds. This section right over here, we’re at about 185 miles per hour, which is pretty fast, and then you slow down to about 30. 185 down to 30, it’s a heck of a ride. I know that it would make my wife sick if she was riding with me.”

The Team Penske driver was only one of the three drivers testing out the new course on Tuesday. He represented Ford Mustang while Chase Elliott piloted a Chevrolet Camaro. Martin Truex Jr. rounded the group with his Toyota Camry. The three different manufacturers provided Goodyear Tires with a variety of data, which will help the various NASCAR teams prepare for the late-spring race.

Keselowski and his peers have experience in road course racing, whether it is on the Charlotte Roval or the Daytona Road Course. However, COTA is a different experience considering the hairpin turns and sizable hills. Completing a lap requires finesse and precise handling, which stock cars are not exactly known for possessing.

“Stock cars are, quite honestly, the worst-driving race vehicles there are,” Keselowski added. “That’s part of what makes these races fun because the cars drive so god-awful bad that you have to really really finesse them around the track and make something happen.” He explained that it’s really easy to make a mistake, creating fun experiences.

With the tire test behind him, Keselowski will now prepare for the upcoming trip to Austin that counts in the points standings. First, however, he will head to Las Vegas with his peers for Sunday’s Pennzoil 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. He will start the day in the 10th position while Elliott will line up one row in front of him. Truex will start the race in the fourth position, joining Kyle Larson on the second row.