THE UNITED STATES GRAND PRIX IS GETTING A BIZARRE NEW ATTRACTION

Circuit of the Americas is installing a 75-foot fiberglass cowboy hat with a bar inside. A Guinness World Records official will inspect it Thursday before the United States Grand Prix, and if verified, COTA would create the category—no existing record tracks the world's largest cowboy hat.

Track president Bobby Epstein wanted a landmark people would recognize year-round, not just during race weekends. The hat anchors Lone Star Land, COTA's Western-themed fan zone that features line dancing and rope demonstrations. "Instead of a regular tent, why not build a 75-foot cowboy hat?" Epstein told The Athletic.

The structure would tower over San Antonio's 35-foot cowboy boot sculpture at roughly double the height. It's pure Texas maximalism, the kind of thing that makes F1's European fixtures look understated. Whether it draws tourists between race dates or becomes the paddock's most photographed background remains to be seen, but COTA's betting bigger is better when competing for attention in a state that invented that philosophy.