Posted on by John Crane

The third NASCAR Cup Series race of the season brought just as much excitement as the first two, with Christopher Bell going back-to-back following a down-to-the-wire road-course finish at Circuit of The Americas.

RELATED: Race results | At-track photos 

Several drivers delivered solid performances on the new-look road course, while others found themselves in a deficit following the conclusion of the Austin, Texas, contest. Here are three drivers on the upswing — and three more on the opposite end of the spectrum — heading to Phoenix Raceway next Sunday (3:30 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

THREE UP ⬆️

1. Noah Gragson, No. 4 Front Row Motorsports Ford

Started: 17th

Finished: 8th

What happened: Non-eventful Stages 1 and 2 for the 26-year-old Nevada native — which saw finishes of 33rd and 31st, respectively — were effectively erased during a busy final stage, where the No. 4 driver worked his way into the top five before settling for his first top-10 finish of the season. Such late-race speed will play, and it did as such for Gragson in what amounts to a nice building block to work upon during the early juncture of the season.

What’s next: Phoenix Raceway is next on the docket for Gragson, where the Las Vegas, Nevada, native has three career Cup Series starts, with his previous two resulting in 12th-place finishes. Gragson has yet to lead a lap at the 1-mile Arizona facility.

Noah Gragson drives his No. 4 Front Row Motorsports Ford at Circuit of The Americas.
Meg Oliphant | Getty Images

2. Chris Buescher, No. 17 RFK Racing Ford

Started: 24th

Finished: 7th

What happened: Buescher continued to put on a road-course clinic within the Ford camp, and the Prosper, Texas, native didn’t disappoint at Austin. Despite finishing outside the top 15 in Stages 1 and 2 (with 18th-place results in both), the 32-year-old driver strategically worked his way inside the top 10 during the race’s final stage, resulting in another top 10 on a left-and-right track. Buescher’s 15th road-course top 10 in 18 Next Gen road-course contests leads all drivers.

What’s next: In 18 career Cup starts at Phoenix, Buescher possesses only four top 10s and 20 laps led. However, there are positives: Buescher has three consecutive finishes inside the top 10 in the desert dating back to November 2023, and 18 of his 20 laps led have come during that span as well (November 2023).

Chris Buescher drives his No. 17 RFK Racing Ford at Circuit of The Americas.
Meg Oliphant | Getty Images

3. Alex Bowman, No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

Started: 21st

Finished: 9th

What happened: It was a grind-it-out performance from Bowman, with the No. 48 Chevrolet spinning from 30th in Turn 12 on Lap 56. Additionally, Bowman was also penalized on two separate occasions for shortcutting turns on the 2.4-mile layout (Laps 51, 72). Instead, Bowman and the No. 48 camp capitalized on a handful of late-race cautions to finish the day with a top 10.

What’s next: It’s been a difficult showing for Bowman at Phoenix, with the 31-year-old tallying only two top-10 finishes in 19 career Cup Series races at his hometown short track. His lone two finishes inside the top 10 came in 2016 and 2023, so the No. 48 team will have its work cut out next weekend. Then again, after COTA’s performance, perhaps momentum once again shifts in the No. 48’s favor.

Alex Bowman drives his No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet at Circuit of The Americas.
James Gilbert | Getty Images

THREE DOWN ⬇️

1. Kyle Larson, No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

Started: 7th

Finished: 32nd

What happened: Issue after issue plagued Larson and the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports team Sunday. A penalty for shortcutting Turn 3 while running 8th on Lap 33 was just the start, with the No. 5 machine later losing its right-front wheel, forcing Larson to pit road and resulting in a two-lap penalty. A Turn 20 spin on Lap 85 only added to the litany of issues Larson and the No. 5 team dealt with during the 95-lap affair.

What’s next: Larson next treks out west to Phoenix, where the desert has netted an oasis of positive finishes for the 32-year-old over the years. In 21 career Cup starts at Phoenix, Larson possesses one win, nine top fives, 13 top 10s and 395 laps led, with only two finishes outside the top 10 in the last 12 Cup races there.

Kyle Larson races his No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet at Circuit of The Americas, with the right-front tire removed.
Meg Oliphant | Getty Images

2. Daniel Suárez, No. 99 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet

Started: 5th

Finished: 36th

What happened: Suárez has put together solid performances on road courses in the past — his first career Cup victory came in 2022 at Sonoma Raceway. COTA in 2025, however, did not yield a similar result as Suárez was involved in a Lap 50 incident, with a Turn 19 spin and contact with Trackhouse Racing teammate Connor Zilisch eventually ending the No. 99’s day.

What’s next: Phoenix is next for Suárez and the No. 99 team, where the Mexico native has four career top-10 finishes among 16 Cup Series starts. Suárez finished 11th (fall, 2023), 13th (spring, 2024) and 10th (fall, 2024) in the last three Phoenix Cup contests.

Daniel Suárez races in the No. 99 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet at Circuit of The Americas.
Meg Oliphant | Getty Images

3. AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet

Started: 12th

Finished: 30th

What happened: At first glance, it looked like Allmendinger was in contention for a possible race victory following 10th- and sixth-place finishes in Stages 1 and 2, respectively. However, after pitting from second on Lap 71, Allmendinger’s No. 16 Chevrolet couldn’t make up the difference, resulting in a top-30 result — a far cry from what looked like a machine with plenty of capability of finding Victory Lane.

What’s next: Allmendinger holds only two top-10 finishes at Phoenix among 23 Cup starts at the track, with both coming in 2011. Allmendinger will perhaps lean on his Xfinity Series track record at the course for a dose of positive momentum; in eight career Xfinity Series starts at Phoenix, Allmendinger has four career top 10s, including a ninth-place result in the 2024 season finale.

AJ Allmendinger races in the No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet at Circuit of The Americas.
James Gilbert | Getty Images
Posted on by Staff Report

Team owner/driver Brad Keselowski was treated and released at the infield care center after his cooling system failed during Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Circuit of The Americas.

Keselowski finished 15th in the EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix. After exiting his RFK Racing No. 6 Ford, the 41-year-old driver was carried from pit road on a stretcher.

RELATED: Official race results | At-track photos: COTA

NASCAR officials confirmed that Keselowski was treated and later released from the track’s infield care center. Team officials said on social media that Keselowski’s cool suit had failed, but that his condition had improved after he received intravenous fluids post-race.

Keselowski sits in 26th place in the Cup Series standings. His COTA result was his best of the season after finishes of 26th (Daytona) and 39th (Atlanta) to start the 2025 campaign.

Posted on by Dustin Albino

AUSTIN, Texas. — Kyle Busch was in position to snap the longest winless drought of his 21-year Cup Series career. The two-time Cup Series champion was doing everything he could to hold off a hard-charging Christopher Bell during Sunday’s EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix at Circuit of The Americas.

It wasn’t enough.

Busch led six times for a race-high 42 laps, but Bell was breathing down his neck in the waning laps. Randall Burnett, crew chief of the No. 8 Chevrolet, called Busch to pit road for the final time on Lap 69. Joe Gibbs Racing crew chief Adam Stevens played the long game with Christopher Bell, leaving the No. 20 Toyota on the track for two additional circuits.

RELATED: Official results | At-track photos 

Upon exiting the pits, Busch gapped Bell by over six seconds, gaining some four seconds of coveted track time with the fresher rubber. The No. 20 car was steadily making progress on the No. 8 car, with Daytona 500 champion William Byron in between the two drivers. The game-changing moment of the race came on Lap 78, when Denny Hamlin locked up his tires and plowed into Austin Dillon. The No. 3 car was stuck in the gravel pit, bringing out a caution flag.

“We were in a tough spot being the leader because the [No.] 20 can gauge off, ‘OK, he’s going to pit, I can go a couple extra laps, put better tires on. Yeah, I’m giving up some time, but I’m going to be running faster,’” Burnett told NASCAR.com “When the caution comes out, it gives him a free pass to erase a four- or five-second gap for no penalty on his tires.

“Maybe I should have stayed out longer, but if I stayed out longer, I come out behind [Byron] and then I burn my stuff up to pass him. It’s one of those deals where you’re kind of a sitting duck. Definitely didn’t need that caution. That hurt our chances.”

Without the caution, Burnett believes Bell would have run down Busch. In a hypothetical situation, that would have slowed the pace of the No. 20 car when Bell caught Busch, rather than having fresher tires immediately.

Busch was wheeling his No. 8 machine for all it was worth. He used a defensive line to slow Bell’s closing rate. Bell had a strong run off Turn 20 with less than 10 laps remaining and aborted on the corner exit coming off Turn 1. Otherwise, he would have taken out Busch.

“I’m sure everyone saw it, getting into [Turn] 1, I’m like, ‘Alright, I got him now, I got him,’” Bell said. “I drove in there and locked the rears up, and I’m sliding. I had to go right to try and miss him. Thankfully, I did miss him.”

Calm, cool and collected, Bell used the fresher tires to his advantage, passing Busch for the lead with six laps remaining. Bell held Byron and a closing Tyler Reddick for his second straight win.

Contact with Bell hindered Busch’s performance. He sank to fifth when the checkered flag waved, as Chase Elliott also got around him on the final lap.

“[Bell] was faster than me and was able to do a good job of biding his time and waiting for me to make a couple of mistakes in a row,” Busch said. “Once I made two mistakes in a row, then it was over.

“I was making it incredibly difficult on him and certainly there were some times where he could have done it again, but he did a better job of that. At that point, he had better tires; I don’t know that he had a better race car. Just was a tick faster than I was.”

Without the victory, Busch’s winless streak is now at 60 races, dating back to June 2023 at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway. Burnett boils this loss down to circumstances, and the duo is pleased with rebounding from a poor start to the weekend on Saturday.

“Good piece. I was really scared when we unloaded; we were not where we wanted to be,” Busch said. “The guys made really good adjustments to the race car, got it a lot better and put it where we needed it to be to go out there and have a contending car for the race today.”

With a seventh-place finish last weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway, it’s the first time Busch has pieced together consecutive top 10s since last September, when he had four in a row between Michigan International Speedway and Atlanta.

Posted on by Reid Spencer

AUSTIN, Texas — Christopher Bell was prophetic.

After winning at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Feb. 23, Bell said 2.4-mile, 17-turn Circuit of The Americas was a track he had circled for another potential victory.

Sure enough, after passing Kyle Busch for the lead and staving off defending race winner William Byron over the last five laps at COTA, Bell was a back-to-back winner in the NASCAR Cup Series for the first time in his career, having claimed victory in Sunday’s EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix.

Bell beat Byron to the finish line by 0.433 seconds, as the reigning Daytona 500 winner raced Bell cleanly over the closing laps. Polesitter Tyler Reddick was third, followed by Chase Elliott, who made a miraculous recovery from a Lap 1 spin in Turn 1 that resulted in a broken toe link.

RELATED: Race results | At-track photos: COTA 

Busch fell to fifth on the final lap after side-to-side contact with Bell’s No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota during the battle for the lead, which took all the juice out of Busch’s No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet.

The victory was Bell’s first at the Texas road course and the 11th of his career.

“Whenever Kyle was leading, I was just trying to be so cautious,” said Bell, who spun Busch’s car in Turn 1 in the 2024 race. “Obviously, we know what happened last year. I didn’t want that to happen. I wanted to pass him clean. He was just doing such a good job at running his race, and he could get off the corners just good enough that I couldn’t get inside of him.

“But there I started peeking a nose, and he bobbled and allowed me to get out front. Whenever I did, I’m, like, ‘OK, just don’t beat yourself.’ Those were about the five or six sloppiest laps I’ve ever run.

“Just super proud for everyone on this DeWalt No. 20 team. We didn’t count (on) last week. Last week was a speedway. We didn’t have that one circled. We definitely had this one circled. I’m ready to keep adding to it.”

SHOP: Race winner gear

Having pitted two laps earlier than Bell during the final cycle of green-flag stops, Busch, who led a race-high 42 laps, held a 2.6-second margin over Byron and a 4.0-second advantage over Bell on Lap 78 when Denny Hamlin locked his brakes into Turn 6A and knocked Austin Dillon’s Chevrolet into a gravel trap to cause the fourth and final caution.

Busch took command on the restart on Lap 83, but Bell had superior tires and an arguably superior car. With a run off Turn 20 on Lap 90, Bell had the lead before the cars reached the start/finish line. At the top of the hill in Turn 1 on Lap 91, Byron followed into second place, and Reddick soon had third.

“Yeah, it was really close,” Byron said of his attempt to challenge Bell in the late going. “I felt like the battle between (Bell) and Kyle was just kind of sitting there waiting for one of them to bobble or slide their tires. Bell got by him. I felt like once he got clear, his car was super loose, and it kind of gave me a couple of shots at him, and I just couldn’t ever get beside him.

“We’ve always raced really well together, so I didn’t want to, like, move him blatantly and all that kind of stuff. Just sliding around a ton at the end. … So just sucks to be so damn close, right? You can be on the bumper of the guy coming to the line, and that sucks. A lot of races ahead, and hopefully we can just keep bringing the speed.”

Busch rued both the inopportune caution and the effect of the tire disparity after the final restart.

“I wish we could have had a little bit more there at the end,” Busch said. “I feel like maybe the two-lap fresher tires the 20 had was the difference. … But I also hated to see that yellow that came out. I felt like we had a little bit of a gap there that I was protecting my tires, and I could run the lines I wanted to run. I didn’t have to run defensive lines and use up my stuff even more so (which I did) when the 20 was right on me.

“I’ll give Christopher credit, though, where credit’s due. He ran me really hard, and I was a complete butthead. But he did a great job working me over and just doing it the right way and being able to get by.”

Elliott fell to the back of the field when contact from Ross Chastain’s Chevrolet sent him spinning in the first corner of the first lap. When the majority of the field came to pit road before the end of the first stage, Elliott stayed on track to collect fifth-place stage points.

Pitting during the stage break to repair the toe link broken in the accident, Elliott restarted 36th and worked his way forward. Crew chief Alan Gustafson’s call for fresh tires during the final caution allowed Elliott to charge to fourth place.

“Yeah, it was just a crazy day, really,” Elliott said. “I got run over, I felt like, there in the first corner. I’m curious to see it. I still haven’t seen it to know whether or not I did something wrong. I’m happy to own it, if I did. I just felt like it was the first corner of the first lap, and it’s just a bummer to get behind, and then we had damage.

“Alan and the guys did a great job fixing it and getting it that close. We got behind on a restart there and just had to play major catch-up there. Alan made a great call there at the end to put tires on it. We were rolling up through there really good at the end.

“Obviously, when you have a good car like that, I would have liked to have been in the fight with those guys, but it was a great recovery from where we were at during the end of the second stage.”

Shane van Gisbergen, Chris Buescher, Noah Gragson, Alex Bowman and Todd Gilliland completed the top 10.

ZILISCH: No. 87 driver, Suárez sidelined at COTA

The Cup debut of 18-year-old road course phenom Connor Zilisch came to an early end in a violent collision with Trackhouse Racing teammate Daniel Suárez on Lap 50.

Charging through Turn 19, Suárez’s Chevrolet bounced off the curbing and spun wildly as cars behind him scattered to avoid calamity. As Zilisch steered to the right, Suarez’s car spun into his path, and Zilisch plowed into his teammate and careened into the outside SAFER barrier.

Both cars were too badly damaged to continue. The wreck ended a valiant rally by Zilisch, who was collateral damage when Chastain dive-bombed into Turn 1 and turned Elliott on the first lap.

Zilisch pitted with a flat tire and fell back to 33rd, but by the end of the second stage, he had worked his way back to 14th, his original starting position. On the restart lap after the second stage break, however, Zilisch’s race ended against the fence.

“All I saw was a cloud of smoke, and by the time I saw him (Suárez), it was way too late to do anything,” said Zilisch, who won Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series race at COTA. “I saw him spinning off to the left, and I thought he was going to keep going in that direction or stay there.

“I guess he flipped back right, and he started coming towards me. Really unfortunate way to end my Cup Series debut. We were one of the top five fastest cars in the second stage there. I went from outside the top 30 to 14th, and I felt really good about our Chevy. We made a lot of gains from practice and qualifying. It’s just an unfortunate way to end it.”

MORE: Cup Series standings | Cup Series schedule

The Cup Series’ next race is the Shriners Children’s 500, scheduled for next Sunday (3:30 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) at Phoenix Raceway.

NOTE: Post-race inspection in the Cup Series garage was completed without issue, confirming Bell as the race winner. Competition officials indicated that two cars would return to the NASCAR Research & Development Center in Concord, North Carolina for further inspection this week — the No. 4 Front Row Motorsports Ford and the No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota.

Contributing: Staff reports

Posted on by Staff Report

Rookie Connor Zilisch found midrace trouble in his NASCAR Cup Series debut Sunday, crashing after a collision with Trackhouse Racing teammate Daniel Suárez at Circuit of The Americas.

Zilisch started 14th in the 37-car field in Sunday’s EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix and rallied after sustaining damage in a Turn 1, Lap 1 fray after the green flag. The 18-year-old driver, however, could not avoid Suarez’s spinning No. 99 Chevrolet on the 50th of 95 scheduled laps, and his No. 87 Trackhouse Chevrolet veered into a tire barrier in Turn 19.

RELATED: Official results | At-track photos 

Both cars were sidelined, with Suárez scored 36th — one spot ahead of Zilisch, who wound up with a last-place result. Both drivers were evaluated and released after mandatory trips to the infield care center.

“Yeah, all I saw was a cloud of smoke, and by the time I saw him, it was way too late to do anything,” Zilisch said. “I saw him spinning off to the left, and I thought he was going to keep going in that direction or stay there. And I guess he flipped back right and started coming towards me. So, yeah, really unfortunate way to end, you know, my Cup Series debut. We were one of the top five fastest cars in the second stage there, I went from outside the top 30 to 14th, and felt really good about our car. We made a lot of gains from practice and qualifying and just unfortunate way to end it.”

Suárez has failed to finish in two consecutive Cup Series races. He ended up 33rd after a crash the previous weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway, and he said a misstep in one of the 2.3-mile track’s final turns caused the melee.

“I just hit the curb, hit the ground and then it spun me out,” Suárez said. “When you have low air pressure, that’s very easy to do because the car is lower to the ground. I wish I could say it was a big mistake, but it wasn’t. It was just maybe a tire width too far to the left, and I hit the curb and I spun out.”

Zilisch was the victor in Saturday’s Xfinity Series race at COTA, notching his second win in that tour. His much-anticipated Cup Series debut was announced back in January, the next step of his rapid progression that includes a full Xfinity campaign this year with JR Motorsports.

Zilisch said the biggest thing he learned was getting a feel for competing against more experienced competition.

“Just how to race against veterans,” Zilisch said. “You know, these guys all are very calculated and smart with the things they’re doing. And I had a lot of fun getting to kind of experience that and learn from a lot of those guys. So definitely a lot to take away from it. But frustrated that it ended this early. I felt really good. I was one of the fastest cars. I felt like I never saw a person that I didn’t think I was better than. So it was really frustrating to end that, and I was still learning, even throughout the race, and really wish I could have gotten to the end of the race to see what we had for those guys.”

Posted on by Nick Giffen

The NASCAR Cup Series heads to its first road course of the 2025 season as drivers will contest 95 laps on the revamped Circuit of The Americas (COTA) layout for the EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix (3:30 p.m. ET, FOX, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Practice and qualifying on Saturday should give us a fair bit of information to work with, especially in regard to tire falloff and car adjustments. That’s because there were two mini-sessions for each of the two groups, giving teams time to receive feedback and make changes to the car if necessary.

With that, we can see which drivers improved from their first to the second set of tires relative to the field, which is where I’m looking at with my biggest edge.

Follow me in the Action App to see all of my NASCAR picks.

NASCAR at COTA Predictions, Picks

*Odds as of Saturday evening

Justin Haley

FanDuel released top-10 lines on Saturday night, and Justin Haley’s +2700 odds immediately jumped out to me.

Haley is a very capable road-course racer who has three top-10 finishes on road courses in his Cup career. While he didn’t have any last year, he was driving for Rick Ware Racing for all the road courses except the Charlotte Roval, and his move back to Spire Motorsports should provide him with a step-up in equipment.

That equipment is capable of some fast speeds at COTA, especially as teammate Carson Hocevar is set to start fourth after a fantastic qualifying effort.

Haley’s qualifying run didn’t go as well, with him firing off 29th, but that’s not the end of the world. COTA is a track that can produce chaos and might do so with more frequency given the shorter layout.

Haley also showed plenty of improvement in practice. Using my FLAGS metric, Haley jumped from 31st in FLAGS in the first session to 21st in the second session. If that’s how he truly runs, that’s a car capable of a midpack run that could find his way inside the top 10 if things get hectic at the end, as they have in the past on the full track layout.

It’s not a bet that’s likely to win — I have Haley’s top-10 odds at just 8.5% — but that’s far above the 3.6% implied odds we’re getting at 27-1.

The Bet: Justin Haley Top-10 Finish (+2700, FanDuel) | Bet to: +1600

Chase Briscoe

Tyler Reddick put Toyota on the pole with a blistering qualifying lap, while his 23XI Racing teammate Bubba Wallace starts alongside him in second. Reddick should rightly be among the race favorites, as well as the favorite to finish as the top Toyota.

However, things can happen at COTA and should Reddick get caught up in a mess or have a mechanical issue or penalty, there’s a whole host of Toyotas that could step in as top Toyota.

My model has Chase Briscoe right among that group of Toyotas that are in a cluster behind Reddick, along with Christopher Bell, Ty Gibbs and less so Denny Hamlin and Wallace.

Bell is listed at +400, while Gibbs is listed at +1000, and while Bell and Gibbs should have shorter odds than Briscoe, it should be much closer, especially considering Briscoe was just a fraction of a percentage point behind Bell in pace according to practice FLAGS and ranked one spot ahead of Gibbs.

This is Briscoe’s best road course, and I wouldn’t be shocked to see him finish as the top Toyota even if Reddick didn’t have any major issues given the randomness this track can produce.

The Bet: Chase Briscoe Top Toyota (+1600, ESPN BET) | Bet to: +1000

Posted on by Alex Cadavid

Editor’s note: Projected finish has been updated after Saturday’s practice and qualifying sessions.

Christopher Bell punched his ticket to the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs after emerging late at Atlanta Motor Speedway to win a thriller last week. The No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing driver has had ups and downs on drafting tracks, but an early win allows him to stack more victories and playoff points before the regular season concludes.

Bell could do just that today at Circuit of The Americas (3:30 p.m. ET, FOX, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) as the 20-turn, 2.4-mile road course in Austin, Texas, is a track that’s without a doubt in the driver’s wheelhouse.

RELATED: Weekend schedule

Looking at COTA in particular, Bell has two top-five finishes in four Cup races there, including a runner-up finish last year. Bell’s average start at COTA is 8.8, which is important given that in 15 of the last 17 road-course races with the Next Gen car, the eventual race winner started in the top eight. On road courses in general, Bell has two wins out of 26 starts, and last season, he scored 141 points via road courses (tied for sixth-most). Finally, he’s also in a three-way tie with Denny Hamlin and Tyler Reddick for the most stage wins on road courses since the start of 2022 (4).

Even after a career year in 2024, Bell still felt the No. 20 team “left a ton on the table.” This season, he’s already won earlier than he did last year, and aside from a slight dip in 2023, his numbers across the board have improved every year since his rookie season. 2025 could be the year where Bell erupts for multiple wins and has a dominant performance all around.

FANTASY: Set your lineup | Make 36 for 36 pick

OTHER DRIVERS TO WATCH

TYLER REDDICK: Three of Reddick’s eight Cup Series wins have come at road courses. Last season, he led all drivers in points scored on road courses with 160. In the Next Gen car, Reddick has the second most top fives (7), top 10s (12) and led the most laps (197) on road courses. He’ll start P1 after landing the Busch Light Pole Award.

KYLE LARSON: Listing all of Hendrick Motorsports is tempting given how much the organization excels on road courses. But Larson has been the best out of the quartet in recent years; he won twice on road courses last year and was right behind Reddick in points scored on road courses last season (151).

ROSS CHASTAIN: Chastain played spoiler last year in the Cup Series Playoffs, but Sunday is a golden opportunity for the driver of the No. 1 to lock in early. Chastain has an average finish of fourth at COTA — the best out of anyone. Plus, he and Alex Bowman are the only two drivers to net top 10s in all four Cup events at the track.

AUSTIN CINDRIC: Cindric put himself in a position to win each of the last two Cup Series races, and in both races, he’s gone home with a torn-up race car. With a sportscar racing background, he’s a bit of a road-course ringer — earning two top 10s at COTA with a best finish of sixth in 2023.

CONNOR ZILISCH: The 18-year-old phenom is making his highly anticipated Cup Series debut, and he could easily be a threat. For starters, in both his Craftsman Truck Series and Xfinity Series debuts, Zilisch made a quick impression. His truck debut was at COTA and he won the pole before later wheeling to a fourth-place finish. As for Xfinity, he won the pole and went to Victory Lane at Watkins Glen International — then did the same this weekend in Austin. It’s hard to imagine he could have similar success amongst the sport’s best, but certainly not impossible.

SHOP: Connor Zilisch gear

RACING INSIGHTS’ PROJECTIONS FOR THE ECHOPARK AUTOMOTIVE GRAND PRIX 

Racing Insights’ advanced statistical formula includes current track, current track type, recent performance, team data and pit-crew data to arrive at a projected winner and full race results. Updated on raceday with practice and qualifying factored in.

FinishCar NumberDriver
15Kyle Larson
288Shane van Gisbergen
39Chase Elliott
41Ross Chastain
545Tyler Reddick
624William Byron
720Christopher Bell
816AJ Allmendinger
917Chris Buescher
1054Ty Gibbs
1148Alex Bowman
1271Michael McDowell
138Kyle Busch
1412Ryan Blaney
1511Denny Hamlin
162Austin Cindric
1777Carson Hocevar
1822Joey Logano
1919Chase Briscoe
2099Daniel Suárez
2134Todd Gilliland
2223Bubba Wallace
2338Zane Smith
2460Ryan Preece
2547Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
266Brad Keselowski
274Noah Gragson
283Austin Dillon
297Justin Haley
3042John H. Nemechek
3143Erik Jones
3221Josh Berry
3310Ty Dillon
3451Cody Ware
3541Cole Custer
3687Connor Zilisch
3735Riley Herbst
Posted on by Alex Cadavid

AUSTIN, Texas — All week at Circuit of The Americas, the hype and media focus has centered around Connor Zilisch making his NASCAR Cup Series debut on Sunday. But beforehand, the No. 88 JR Motorsports driver went on to win the NASCAR Xfinity Series race at COTA. However, his teammate Carson Kvapil, driver of the No. 1 Chevrolet, wasn’t going down without a fight.

The two rising stars shared an epic battle from the final stage restart to Lap 61 when Kvapil had a right-front tire go down. The JRM teammates didn’t mind having an aggressive battle for the win, but Kvapil will keep a long memory of how Zilisch raced him in closing moments on Saturday.

RELATED: Race results | At-track photos: COTA

“I might have felt a little slighted there,” Kvapil said post-race. “Just seemed like every corner we would just get blasted out of the way. And I mean, it is what it is. All these guys are super aggressive whenever you get to this level, but at the same time, it’s a little bit of a ‘What the heck, man,’ so definitely gonna put that in the back pocket and remember that for next time.”

Kvapil led the field to green on the final stage restart with Zilisch lined up right behind him. Both drivers had a victory on the mind going into Turn 1 as Zilisch pushed the No. 1 Chevy wide into the corner and both JRM drivers lost out on the lead to Austin Hill on Lap 46.

It was not much longer until Kvapil returned to the top spot. On Lap 52, the No. 21 of Hill wheel-hopped heading into Turn 12, which also allowed Zilisch to take second exiting the next corner.

The next two laps, Zilisch hounded Kvapil, roughing him up the very next lap and then finally got past the No. 1 Chevy on Lap 57 when Kvapil locked up his right-front tire, creating a flat spot.

Kvapil gave it one more shot the next lap, throwing a divebomb at Zilisch into Turn 6A, leading to the teammates trading paint. Zilisch held on and Kvapil’s tire went flat a few laps later, sealing his fate with a 23rd-place finish when a possible top-five was attainable.

The Mooresville, North Carolina native didn’t have any hurt feelings with how his teammate raced him. But it was a great measure of how to race each other and battle for wins going forward.

“I would have probably liked it a little better if we didn’t get knocked out of the way a few times,” Kvapil said. “But at the same time, we’re all going for the win and kind of sets the precedent for how we’re gonna race, and we’re all battling hard trying to go for the win here.”

Kvapil made his name as an aggressive short-track racer in late models, which ultimately led him to JRM in the first place. The fact he could take his first Xfinity Series win — in his first road-course appearance nonetheless — would show how much he’s grown as a driver through 13 starts at the national series level.

“It was a hard battle,” Kvapil added. “Though I knew through the esses we were better and I was able to get back to him that one time, but he just, he was able to get away from us.”

Kvapil’s crew chief, Andy Overstreet, praised his driver for unlocking a new level in during their prep for COTA.

“He’s excelled everywhere,” Overstreet told NASCAR.com “But on road courses, like he’ll be the first say ‘I don’t really know what I’m doing,’ but he was consistent. Getting ready for this race, Connor Zilisch was struggling and visually upset because he couldn’t go as fast as Carson through the esses and stuff in our prep. So he showed there that he had to speed, and he just took it and kept getting better and better through practice.

“It’s pretty cool to see the late model driver be up there racing with the kid that’s got millions of laps around road courses.”

Kvapil and the rest of the Xfinity Series stars return to action on Saturday, March 8 (5 p.m. ET, The CW, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) at Phoenix Raceway.

Posted on by Alex Cadavid

Track: Circuit of The Americas
Location: Austin, Texas
Track length: 2.3 miles
When: Sunday, 3:30 p.m. ET
Where to tune in: FOX, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Race purse: $11,055,250
Race distance: 95 laps | 228 miles
Stages: 20 | 45 | 95
Defending winner: William Byron, March 2024
Starting lineup: Tyler Reddick wins Busch Light Pole

New track layout adds a twist for drivers

With two superspeedways in the books, Circuit of The Americas presents its own wild-card nature to some of the biggest Cup Series stars aiming for a playoff bid. But different ages of asphalt throughout the track and a shortened layout that ups the lap count from 68 to 95 might be the biggest twist. The first four races at COTA were run on the full 3.4-mile circuit and specific changes come in Turns 6A-B, where drivers expect it to be a tough passing zone with possible chances for dive bombs.

The new section will affect how drivers approach their racing line on exit out of the esses (Turns 3-5) and their entry into Turn 6, making it a challenge for how they attack restarts and defend cars from charging through the field. During Saturday’s practice session, drivers were gaining aggressiveness through Turns 6A-B, gauging the best ways to find speed on corner exit, leading to a few locking up their tires. That could ultimately result in less grip during the race.

Last week’s Atlanta winner, Christopher Bell, finished runner-up in this race last year and saw some familiarity in that new section during his Saturday morning track walk.

“We don’t know how 6B and 6A are going to race yet,” Bell said. “It kind of reminds me of that section of Chicago like, maybe [Turn] 5, where it’s really tight there, and we saw a bunch of pile-ups and the track get blocked. So maybe that could happen.

“I went around there the pace car yesterday, like you’re coming off of Turn 6, and whenever you leave Turn 6, like you’re basically center punching this tire barrier. So you have to, like, awkwardly, make the car want to get back right to get your angle right for 6A to get around the tire barrier.”

MORE: Cup standings | Full 2025 schedule

That tire barrier was added to Turn 6A to essentially serve as a reference point for Cup drivers in the apex of the corner, but an addition came after Friday’s Xfinity Series practice and qualifying sessions when several drivers took notice that it would be possible to roll through the gravel and off the race track.

“I mean, it’s just really a super narrow corner,” Hendrick Motorsports driver Alex Bowman added. “So when there was nothing there, it’s just gravel on the inside, and we all would have jumped through the gravel, and there’d be gravel all over the race track on exit there. So certainly something needed to be there.”

Along with the new section, there have been several repaved sections on the circuit, especially through Turns 2-8, which adds another element in finding grip.

“They’ve repaved some sections of this track, but it’s not like repaves that we face on ovals or other tracks that we race at,” 23XI Racing driver Tyler Reddick said. “A lot of racing takes place on this track throughout the year, even though the surface is new for us. It’s pretty well-worn already.”

Graphic of Tyler Reddick and Alex Bowman looking on.

Both Bowman and Reddick sit top 10 in points and are usual suspects to watch at COTA, as both have average finishes of fifth or better in four previous events. Reddick has a win on the old layout in 2023, which stands as his most recent road-course triumph. As for Bowman, he’s still searching for a win in Austin after finishing second, third and fourth in the last three years at COTA, respectively.

From atop the pit box…

What do crew chiefs have in focus to win Sunday’s race?

The new course layout won’t just affect the drivers — it also adds a wrinkle to crew chiefs’ plans for formulating a winning strategy, requiring them to rethink when to pit. More importantly, the race features a new tire compound that is similar to the Goodyear Eagles used in last year’s playoff race at Watkins Glen International. However, with variously aged asphalt across the course, tire wear could be a key element in the race.

View of pit road at Circuit of the Americas.
Chris Graythen | Getty Images

Reddick’s crew chief, Billy Scott, expects that race strategy and decision-making will diverge slightly compared to last year’s notebook.

“I think it’s going to play out differently,” Scott told NASCAR.com on Friday. “More because of the new tire and how the fall-off is, more so than the number of laps changing. I think that part of it is fairly consistent with what it was before. We’re still having stage breaks and all that and a one-stop in Stage 3. So I think it’s just a matter of getting an idea of where the fall-off is and how tires are.

“We’ve got some repaved sections of this track, and, you know the new layout, it’s likely going to be a little bit different than it was at Watkins Glen, but hopefully more fall-off than what we had before.”

The shortened road course and tire wear might just be the recipe that stirs up chaos throughout the field, a change in pace from a race that ran caution-free a year ago — aside from scheduled stage breaks.

Rudy Fugle, crew chief of William Byron’s No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, thinks most teams will play it safe with a three-stop strategy, but the gamble for a possible two-stopper is on the table. The main factor between two or three stops will be where the cautions fall, Fugle mentioned that the redesign in Turns 6A and 6B could either lead to bent fenders or showcase a driver’s brilliance behind the wheel.

“I think that it could go two ways,” Fugle told NASCAR.com. “You know, it could be a trigger spot for some accidents, or it could be a spot where it singles it out and makes for some good racing. So time will tell. I probably give a little bit of both. There’ll be some times where urgency makes some wrecks that shouldn’t be there. And there’ll be some riding time where it kind of makes it a little technical and spread out a little bit.”

RELATED: See where drivers will pit for Sunday’s race

History tells us…

Get out front quickly and stay there. According to Racing Insights, the driver who led the most laps has won all three COTA races in the Next Gen era. This emphasizes why qualifying is extremely important when it comes to road courses: the fewer cars you have to overtake, the better your chances are of winning.

He may not be the favorite to win, but watch out for …

CHRIS BUESCHER. The No. 17 RFK Racing driver has finished eighth in the last two COTA races and has 13 top 10s on road courses since the start of 2022, which leads all drivers during that span. He has a road course win on the résumé (Watkins Glen, 2024) too, and after missing out on a playoff bid last year, this could be a good chance for Buescher to lock in early.

Fantasy update

Most of the elite road course drivers in the Cup Series stepped up during a pair of practice sessions at COTA. Shane van Gisbergen is an absolute must for your lineup, sweeping the practice sessions by nearly three-tenths of a second in first practice and more than a half second in final practice. The only changes in my lineup were dropping Ty Gibbs and William Byron in favor of AJ Allmendinger and Daniel Suárez. (Dustin Albino)

Speed reads

Our biggest pieces of the week — get covered for race day from all angles.

• Racing Insights: Full finishing order projections for Sunday’s EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix | Read more
• The greatest thing since ‘Sliced Bread?’: What to expect from Connor Zilisch’s Cup Series debut | Read more
• Dialing up road-course ringers: Drivers share mixed feelings on Allmendinger, SVG | Read more
• Feeling hot, hot, hot: Fatherhood brings new mentality for Bubba Wallace’s strong start | Read more
• NASCAR Classics: Rewind the tape on every Cup race at COTA | Watch races
• Paint Scheme Preview: These hot-rods are bigger and bolder, deep in the heart of Texas | View gallery

Posted on by Reid Spencer

AUSTIN, Texas — It’s hard to put Connor Zilisch off his game as the 18-year-old road-course prodigy proved once again in winning Saturday’s Focused Health 250 NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Circuit of The Americas.

A commitment line violation couldn’t do it. Sent to the rear for pitting when pit road closed suddenly for the race’s second caution, Zilisch restarted 32nd after the first stage break and drove through the field, taking the lead from Carson Kvapil on Lap 56 of 65 at the 2.4-mile, 17-turn circuit.

RELATED: Race results | At-track photos: COTA

Hard contact with the Toyota of Corey Heim couldn’t do it. Fighting for position in the final stage, Zilisch slammed into Heim, knocking him off course. The wheel-to-wheel contact damaged the right-front fender of Zilisch’s No. 88 JR Motorsports Chevrolet and caused a serious tire rub under hard braking.

Hot pursuit from Carson Kvapil couldn’t do it. After making what proved to be the winning pass, Zilisch had to fend off his teammate until Kvapil’s right front tire went flat on Lap 60. That gave Zilisch all the breathing room he needed as he nursed his car to the finish line.

Runner-up finisher William Byron trimmed a four-second lead to 1.639 seconds at the finish but couldn’t mount a challenge over the closing laps.

As a result, the pole winner had his second career Xfinity Series victory, adding to his maiden win in his first start in the series last summer at Watkins Glen International.

“That was way harder than I wanted it to be,” said Zilisch, who scored the much-needed victory after respective finishes of 27th and 34th in the first two races of the season at Daytona and Atlanta. “I did not drive a clean race at all … I was kind of mentally fogged halfway through that race.

“I made way too many mistakes … I was glad we were able to fight back.”

WATCH: Connor Zilisch talks managing aggression after on-track incidents

Byron was driving the No. 17 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet that won last year’s Xfinity race at COTA with Kyle Larson behind the wheel.

“My car was just kind of floppy in the short run, and I had to try to take care of it,” said Byron, who will defend his win in the NASCAR Cup Series race on Sunday. “I just tried to stay with it there in the long run … I had fun. It was a good workout.

“It was good to get back into the rhythm of things, pushing the car. I think it’ll help me for (Sunday).”

Zilisch is looking forward to Sunday, too. He’ll make his Cup Series debut in the EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix (3:30 p.m. ET, FOX, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

“It’s been a fun weekend, but we’ve got a big race tomorrow, so I’m looking forward to that as well,” said Zilisch, who will start 14th.

SHOP: Connor Zilisch gear

Sam Mayer ran third on Saturday, with Austin Hill, last week’s Atlanta winner, finishing fourth. Hill charged from fourth to first after a Lap 46 restart when Zilisch and Kvapil ran wide into Turn 1.

But Hill’s lead was short-lived. When he overdrove Turn 6a on Lap 52, Kvapil shot past him into the lead, and Zilisch followed into second.

Four laps later, Zilisch had the lead for good, though Kvapil made it a contest until his tire deflated.

Christian Eckes finished fifth. Jesse Love, Taylor Gray, Ross Chastain, William Sawalich and Blaine Perkins completed the top 10.

MORE: Xfinity Series standings | Xfinity Series schedule

The Xfinity Series returns to action next Saturday, March 8, for the GOVX 200 at Phoenix Raceway (5 p.m. ET, The CW, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

NOTE: Post-race inspection in the Xfinity Series garage concluded without issue, confirming Zilisch as the race winner.