Posted on by Holly Cain

AUSTIN, Texas — AJ Allmendinger started on the pole position and won the NASCAR Xfinity Series Pit Boss 250 presented by USA Today on Saturday at the world-renowned Circuit of The Americas road course.

The 46 laps between the green and checkered flags, however, were dramatic and full of emotional highs and lows for the veteran Allmendinger, who led 14 laps to start the race and the final 14 laps to close it out. The series’ all-time road course winner earned his 11th road course trophy (and 16th career Xfinity Series victory) despite having to navigate through the field after falling back to 25th place during mid-race green flag pit stops.

RELATED: Official results | At-track photos: COTA

It was a major league road course lesson for the rest of the field as the 41-year-old Californian diced and sliced his way forward in the No. 10 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet to win this race for the second consecutive year. He ultimately took a 0.853-second victory over relentless Hendrick Motorsports driver William Byron in the No. 17 Chevrolet.

“William Byron put his best foot forward, you’ve seen all the Cup races he’s winning,” Allmendinger said of the season’s two-race winner Byron. “I knew it was going to be tough just trying to fight to get back up to the front there. Hate that I had contact with Sheldon [Creed], he got under me, I was trying to stay off him, so I hate that happened but so proud of everyone at Kaulig Racing. The Celsius Chevy was really hooked up, and with all the damage we had, it didn’t hurt the car.”

“I spent a lot of years not winning anything, so I’m going to celebrate every one of them like it’s my last one,” Allmendinger added. “You never know. As much pressure as I put on myself, I’m always going to try to live up to it. The pit crew was awesome, and I’m so proud of everyone.”

NASCAR Cup Series rookie Ty Gibbs — the 2022 NASCAR Xfinity Series champion — finished third in the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 19 Toyota, just ahead of his JGR teammate Sammy Smith and veteran JR Motorsports driver Justin Allgaier.

The 3.41-mile, 20-turn COTA track is regarded as one of the more challenging stops on the NASCAR schedule, and Allmendinger certainly had his work cut out for him on Saturday. He led early but was shuffled back after winning Stage 1 and gambling on a pit stop later than the other frontrunners.

Forced to line up for a restart toward the back of the field — and miscommunication from the team to driver regarding the exact position he should take — left him 25th near the race’s midpoint. He answered by reeling off one pass after another and made his way into the top 10 with 15 laps remaining — making a dramatic push forward on that final restart to go from sixth to first with 14 laps remaining. He took the lead after a spirited battle with Sheldon Creed, who spun out after contact between the two.

Allmendinger then drove off to more than a 1-second gap on the field but was doggedly chased by Byron, who will start Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at COTA from the pole position.

“I was getting one final run at him, but obviously, they were really good all day, just great at these road courses,” Byron said. “Just a little bit to gain and then made a mistake [navigating the esses].

“It was a great effort, just need to clean it up in the cars … but had a lot of fun racing,” Byron added.

Kaulig Racing’s Daniel Hemric, JR Motorsports teammates Sam Mayer and Josh Berry, Creed and Stewart-Haas Racing’s Riley Herbst rounded out the top 10.

MORE: Dash 4 Cash explained

Austin Hill, a three-race winner in 2023 who was leading the championship standings by nearly 50 points coming into Austin, suffered mechanical problems in his No. 21 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet and took a DNF. He still holds a 15-point advantage over Herbst atop the championship standings, however.

This was a Dash 4 Cash qualifying race, with the four top-finishing full-time NASCAR Xfinity Series competitors now eligible for a $100,000 bonus next week at Richmond Raceway; the top finisher among the four will earn the big paycheck and is eligible for another the following race on April 15 at Martinsville.

With their showings on Saturday, Sammy Smith, Justin Allgaier, Daniel Hemric and Sam Mayer are the four drivers who will race for the Xfinity Dash 4 Cash $100,000 in next week’s Call811 Before You Dig 250 at Richmond Raceway (1 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Posted on by Zack Albert

AUSTIN, Texas — When former Formula 1 champion Kimi Räikkönen signed on for a NASCAR Cup Series one-off last year, his addition to the field stoked a bit of extra wattage for Watkins Glen and a level of added intrigue from other motorsports realms. He certainly wasn’t the first to bring international flair to the stateside stock-car crowd, but his appearance wound up opening some doors.

Räikkönen is back this weekend at the Circuit of The Americas as part of one of the strongest fields of extracurricular racers in the Cup Series in recent memory. He’ll be mixing it up with another F1 champ in Jenson Button, a sports-car ace in Jordan Taylor, IndyCar regular Conor Daly and a returning seven-time Cup Series champ, the moonlighting Jimmie Johnson, when Sunday’s EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix (3:30 p.m. ET, FOX, PRN, SiriusXM) goes green.

RELATED: Weekend schedule | COTA 101 preview

Button, Johnson and Taylor form three-quarters of the driver lineup — along with German sports-car vet Mike Rockenfeller — for the Garage 56 effort that will tackle the 24 Hours of Le Mans in June. This weekend, the trio are all in close proximity in separate stalls in the COTA paddock.

“It’s going to be fun. We’ve been talking trash like crazy on text so it’s been a lot of fun already,” Johnson said with a laugh. “If we could just have (Rockenfeller) out there somewhere, it would be nice having all four of us bouncing around.”

Taylor, the 31-year-old IMSA champion, managed the best starting spot of the group, putting the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet fourth on the starting lineup for his Cup Series debut. Taylor was actually in COTA for Garage 56 testing when he got the call from Hendrick’s Jeff Gordon, asking him to sub in for the injured Chase Elliott. He jumped at the chance and has so far made good on the opportunity.

“I mean, it’s a relief, to be honest,” said Taylor, who was also a respectable 10th in Friday’s practice. “I think coming in here, everyone knows it’s a winning car, a winning team. So if the car’s not out front, there’s one different variable, which is the driver that’s not doing the job. So I knew there’s a lot of eyes on it to perform, and I’m just glad to make everyone proud, to be honest.”

Jenson Button covers his ears in the NASCAR Cup Series garage at the Circuit of The Americas
Chris Graythen | Getty Images

Button’s Cup Series debut also comes Sunday, marking his first race in nearly three years as his post-retirement tour continues. The 2009 F1 world champ placed the No. 15 Rick Ware Racing Ford in the 24th spot — just one row behind Räikkönen in 22nd.

Button came to NASCAR at the urging of Johnson, and Sunday’s start is scheduled to be the first of three for the 43-year-old driver this season.

“Jimmie has pushed me to race in the Cup Series. So you know, if I’m slow, I blame him,” Button cracked. “But no, he said, ‘you’re gonna have a lot of fun,’ and Jordan is, he’s getting to grips with it as well. So, you know, we’re sharing a bit of information here and there, and it’s a lot of laughing in a good way. Very positive. And driving the car makes us smile; it’s scary at moments, but it also makes us smile, and I think that’s what it’s all about, and I think that’s why we’re enjoying it so much.”

Räikkönen’s entry is the second Cup Series effort both for him and Trackhouse Racing’s Project 91 initiative, which started last year as an avenue for racing standouts on the global stage to give NASCAR a try. Team co-owner Justin Marks reiterated Saturday that Trackhouse’s No. 91 Chevrolet is set to make multiple starts this year, with driver and partner announcements still to come.

Both team and driver have a recent history of success at COTA. Trackhouse’s Ross Chastain broke through for his first Cup Series victory last year, and Räikkönen’s final triumph of his F1 career came here in 2018.

“At least I know that most of the things how it goes,” said Räikkönen, who finished a crash-shortened 37th last year in his Cup Series debut at Watkins Glen. “Is it going to get any better results? We’ll find out. But I know the track, so that helps, but as I said before it’s a lot different track with a NASCAR car than an F1 car. I feel more ready for sure on that side now that I know how the race goes and how everything else goes.”

MORE: Byron wins COTA pole | At-track photos

So far, a mutual embrace seems to exist among the Cup Series regulars and this race’s part-time entrants. The welcoming attitude may evaporate once fender meets fender in Sunday’s main event.

“It’s very exciting for sure. I’m glad that they’re wanting to step in and feel out these heavy stock cars,” said Tyler Reddick, who qualified second for 23XI Racing. “Certainly forever jealous and envious of what they’ve been able to do — Jordan, Kimi, Button — the things they’ve been able to do in their life is really remarkable. I’m glad that they’re excited enough to come compete with us and race with us.”

It’s also been a long-running dream for Taylor, who has maintained his stock-car fandom and Rodney Sandstorm alter-ego while excelling for Chevrolet’s Corvette Racing sports-car team.

“I mean, these are guys that I’ve been watching my whole life,” Taylor said after his qualifying effort. “You know, we (in IMSA) only race 11 times a year, so we have all those off-weekends to watch these guys. So yeah, it’s surreal to come out of the pits and hear, ‘You’ve got (Kevin) Harvick coming up behind you, (William) Byron’s in front of you, (Kyle) Larson’s up ahead.’ So hearing those names on the radio still doesn’t kind of feel like that’s actually that guy in that car.

“But yeah, it’s still kind of surreal, and tomorrow when we’re kind of door to door, I’m sure I’ll figure out what those guys are really like on the race track.”

Posted on by Holly Cain

AUSTIN, Texas — Zane Smith became the first repeat NASCAR winner at the famed Circuit of The Americas road course, the reigning series champion holding off veteran Kyle Busch to claim his second straight victory in Saturday’s XPEL 225 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race.

The 23-year-old Californian’s No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford led the final 15 laps — a race best 16 of the 42 laps in all — and crossed the finish line 5.451 seconds ahead of the two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Busch. The win makes Smith’s Front Row Motorsports team a perfect 3-for-3 in Craftsman Truck Series races at COTA. Todd Gilliland won the 2021 inaugural event here.

RELATED: Official results | At-track photos: COTA

Ford driver Ty Majeski, Toyota’s Tyler Ankrum and last year’s NASCAR Cup Series COTA winner, Ross Chastain, in a Chevrolet rounded out the top five.

It’s the second victory of the year for Smith, who won the season-opener at Daytona, too — the same first two victories he earned in his 2022 championship season as well.

“Shout out to Chris Lawson for an amazing strategy,” said Smith, whose Ford F-150 had a small fire under it extinguished after his burnout.

“So cool for [sponsors] Speedco, Peak and all our partners. It was fast when it mattered. I just enjoy coming to all the road courses, especially here. So cool. Just a true testament to this team.”

“Once we got to that eight-to-go point and I was told Kyle [Busch] was in second, my heart rate went up a little bit, just because he’s so good at managing his stuff when it mattered,” Smith continued. “So, I just tried not to make any mistakes.”

The polesitter Chastain and Busch exchanged the lead for much of the early race — combining to lead 22 laps between them. Smith was able to take the lead after pitting just before the final caution and getting track position. Chastain’s truck actually fell back to 28th for the final restart and Busch’s was 17th yet they both rallied to top-five finishes.

But both of the NASCAR Cup Series full-timers wasted no time navigating upward through the field. On just the single restart lap, Busch had moved up 10 spots and ran seventh. He moved into second place with six laps to go, but by that point Smith had already opened up more than a five-second advantage.

“Played the long game and unfortunately the long game didn’t work, they got lucky and beat us,” Busch said of gambling with a pit strategy that took the No. 51 Kyle Busch Motorsports Chevrolet into the pits two laps — and a caution flag — after Smith made his final stop.

Corey Heim, rookie Nick Sanchez, Tanner Gray, Kaz Grala and Ben Rhodes rounded out the top 10. NASCAR has eliminated stage breaks at most road courses for the Truck and Xfinity Series in 2023, but both Christian Eckes — who ultimately finished 30th after mechanical problems — won Stage 1 (his third stage win of the year) and Busch won Stage 2.

The win Saturday was Smith’s ninth in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and puts him in the driver standings lead by two points on ThorSport Racing’s Majeski heading into the next race, the SpeedyCash.com 250 next Saturday at Texas Motor Speedway (4:30 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Note: Post-race inspection concluded without issue, confirming Smith and the No. 38 team as the winner of Saturday’s race.

Posted on by Holly Cain

Hendrick Motorsports driver William Byron won his first pole position of the season Saturday and will start out front for Sunday’s EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix (3:30 p.m. ET on FOX, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) at Circuit of The Americas.

Byron, the 25-year-old North Carolinian, earned the top starting spot for the NASCAR Cup Series race with a lap of 93.882 mph in the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet – bettering the field by a slight .138-seconds on the 20-turn 3.41-mile road course in Texas hill country. For his efforts, Byron becomes the first driver in NASCAR history to win pole positions at four different road course venues – Charlotte Roval (2019), Road America (2021), Indianapolis Road Course (2021) and COTA (2022). This is his ninth career pole position.

RELATED: Full starting lineup | COTA schedule

23XI Racing’s Tyler Reddick will start his No. 45 Toyota alongside Byron on the front row, missing out on the pole in the final qualifying round. However, he set a new qualifying lap record at COTA with a speed of 94.210 mph in the opening round.

“It’s good, it’s been an up and down weekend,” said Byron, who is also competing in Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series race, but ironically had his potential Xfinity Series pole-winning time disallowed during Friday Xfinity Series qualifying for exceeding track limits. “In the Cup car, we had a little bit of work to do yesterday, just on overall balance, and we corrected some areas and some areas for me as a driver.

“Good to get the pole, but really tomorrow is what matters.”

Austin Cindric will start third in the No. 2 Team Penske Ford alongside IMSA star Jordan Taylor, who qualified the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet fourth fastest in his NASCAR debut, subbing for the injured Hendrick driver Chase Elliott.

Elliott immediately responded to Taylor’s effort on social media, saying, “I see you @jordan10taylor. .. killer lap,” – congratulating the 31-year-old sports car star.

“It was honestly a full new experience, and yesterday [in practice], I felt like I was out of control 90 percent of the time,” said Taylor, who has two wins and a runner-up in four sports car starts at COTA. “Today, I felt like I knew what the car was doing. We made good set-up changes to help with that and give me a better sense of where the grip was. … Today felt super smooth, and it felt like I was driving my [sports] car, something super familiar for me.

“The Hendrick guys have done an amazing job,” Taylor added.

MORE: Taylor calls debut ‘a dream come true’

Trackhouse Racing’s Daniel Suárez, Hendrick Motorsport’s Alex Bowman and Kaulig Racing’s A.J. Allmendinger – the winner of last year’s NASCAR Xfinity Series race at COTA – also advanced to the final qualifying round and will start fifth, sixth and seventh, respectively.

Legacy Motor Club driver Erik Jones, who was quickest in Group A during the first round of qualifying, will start eighth – ahead of Richard Childress Racing’s Kyle Busch and his Legacy Motor Club teammate, rookie contender Noah Gragson.

Defending race winner Ross Chastain – who on Friday commemorated his winning “watermelon toss” from last year’s first career victory celebration at COTA – will start 12th. NASCAR Cup Series championship leader Joey Logano will start 15th.

Former Formula One drivers Kimi Räikkönen and Jenson Button also contributed solid qualifying efforts. Räikkönen, who has one other NASCAR Cup Series start (at Watkins Glen International last year), will start 22nd in the No. 91 Project 91 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet. Button will roll off 24th in his NASCAR debut, driving the No. 15 Rick Ware Racing Ford.

Seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion and new team owner Jimmie Johnson – making only his second start of the year in the No. 84 Legacy Motor Club Chevrolet – will start 31st, and popular IndyCar driver Conor Daly will roll off 35th in the 39-car field.

Posted on by Staff Report

NASCAR officials have announced the appeal dates for three penalties issued following the March 12 race at Phoenix Raceway.

The sanctioning body confirmed Kaulig Racing will have its appeal of the No. 31 team’s penalty heard on Wednesday, April 5, while Denny Hamlin will have his appeal heard on Thursday, April 6.

Hendrick Motorsports’ appeal of penalties handed to all four of its Cup Series race teams was heard Wednesday, March 29. The National Motorsports Appeals Panel upheld the penalty itself, but amended the punishment and removed the points penalties.

RELATED: More on Hendrick, Kaulig penalties | Details on penalty issues to Hamlin

Originally, NASCAR penalized each of Hendrick Motorsports’ four Cup Series teams — as well as the No. 31 team of Kaulig Racing and driver Justin Haley — with L2-level penalties for unapproved parts modifications. Each crew chief was fined $100,000 and suspended for four races, and each team was further penalized with the loss of 100 team and driver points and 10 playoff points (with the exception of the No. 9, which did not lose driver points because it had a substitute driver who earns Xfinity Series points).

The penalties occurred after NASCAR confiscated the hood louvers from all five cars before the Cup race at Phoenix Raceway. The Hendrick teams involved were the No. 5 Chevrolet driven by Kyle Larson, the No. 9 of Josh Berry (subbing for the injured Chase Elliott), the No. 24 of William Byron and the No. 48 of Alex Bowman. The respective crew chiefs fined and receiving suspensions were Cliff Daniels, Alan Gustafson, Rudy Fugle and Blake Harris. Trent Owens was suspended for Kaulig.

The NASCAR Rule Book section specifically referenced for the penalties was Section 14.5.4.2.A, which deals with how the radiator duct is assembled. The teams were found with unapproved modification of a single-source vendor-supplied part.

MORE: Current standings

Hamlin was fined $50,000 and issued a 25-point penalty for intentional contact with Ross Chastain in the closing laps of the contest. The section of the NASCAR Rule Book specifically mentioned in the penalty report was Sections 4.4: NASCAR Member Code of Conduct. Within that section, these items were detailed: B. Attempting to manipulate the outcome of the race or championship and wrecking or spinning another vehicle, whether or not that vehicle is removed from competition as a result. D. Actions NASCAR finds to be detrimental to stock racing or NASCAR.

Hamlin admitted his intent, triggering competition officials to further evaluate the situation.

Posted on by Zack Albert

AUSTIN, Texas – The Circuit of The Americas and the surrounding Austin area hold a special place for Daniel Suárez, who recalls making frequent trips to Texas as he grew up in Monterrey, Mexico. It’s a vibe, from the eclectic mix of the music scene, to the blend of cultures, the paradise for foodies and the gleaming road-racing circuit just south of town that’s a relative newcomer to the stock-car schedule.

“Austin just feels in a couple of different ways, it feels very close to home,” Suárez said Friday morning from the No. 99 Trackhouse Racing hauler in the NASCAR Cup Series garage. He was set later in the day to welcome his mother, sister and a dear friend making the 385-mile drive from his hometown. His own welcome by the track was a little less friendly — Suárez was still drying out in the team’s transporter after the drenching rainstorm that caught him during the morning track walk.

Suárez aims to capitalize on the right-at-home feel in Sunday’s EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix (3:30 p.m. ET, FOX, PRN, SiriusXM), the first road-course race of the 2023 season. He’s also striving to find a measure of redemption from the events of last year’s COTA race, when his early dominance went awry in a Stage 2 spin and an arm-buckling loss of power steering.

RELATED: COTA 101 preview | Weekend schedule

At roughly the same time last year that Suárez exited his No. 99 Chevrolet physically and emotionally spent, his Trackhouse Racing team exploded in jubilation. Teammate Ross Chastain made a triumphant charge through last-lap chaos to notch the first Cup Series win for himself and the still-growing organization, with hugs, high-fives and watermelon shrapnel all around. It was complicated.

“For me, it was one of the most mixed feelings I have had, probably in my racing career ever,” Suárez said. “The most mixed feelings I’ve had because I was so heartbroken for myself because we had such a dominant car, and then we had mechanical issues and all those things. At the same time, I was very happy for Ross and for Trackhouse because it was the first win for Trackhouse, and I was exhausted physically because I didn’t have steering in Stage 3. So I had very mixed feelings after that race, but at the end of the day, I always try to see the positive, the positives that Trackhouse won, the positives that I was very, very fast, and there’s always another chance.”

Daniel Suárez loads in for practice in his No. 99 Chevrolet at Las Vegas Motor Speedway
Meg Oliphant | Getty Images

The plusses that tempered the heartache from last year included a front-row starting spot, 15 laps led and a cruise to the second stage win of his Cup Series career. He entered as a pre-race favorite, and the event proved to be a bellwether for Trackhouse’s power on road courses in the first year with the Next Gen car.

Suárez made good on that performance with his own celebration of a first-time win at Sonoma Raceway later that year. But making his return to COTA has been a sticking point.

“I think that he was proud of the team, but I certainly think that he felt like it was one that got away from him, because he was so fast in qualifying and the first part of the race and felt like he really had control of it,” said Trackhouse founder Justin Marks. “This one has been circled on his calendar ever since then. I don’t need to do much to get him pumped up because he does it himself. But I mean, he’s been really strong on all the road courses, and I think he’s just got a lot of confidence here just because of the speed he’s had here, so I think that was one for him that got away regardless of who won, and he’s pretty motivated to finish the job this weekend.”

Trackhouse prevailed in the first two road-course races of the year last season, and Chevrolet teams won five of the six road races on the Cup Series schedule. The two Trackhouse drivers kept their form in Friday’s practice at COTA, with Chastain third and Suárez fifth on the early speed chart.

MORE: At-track photos: COTA | Full practice recap

Sunday will show if that trend holds for the third-year Cup Series operation, but Suárez says he expects the competition across the field to be even tighter.

“I think we’re going to be strong, but I also believe that there is going to be more players,” Suárez said. “I feel like everyone’s looking to get better from when we were here last year for the first road-course race for this car, and I felt like we just hit it better than everyone else, and I felt like we were ahead of the group for a little while, but then eventually everyone started catching up. I feel like right now, we’re at the point where I know we’re going to be strong. The question is how strong and who else is going to be in the mix. So I’m not expecting to be the fastest and just manage my gap like I was here in Stage 1, just trying to be smart. I don’t think it’s going to be that way.

“I think the competition is already tougher. I think there’s going to be more players in the mix, and I’m excited for that. I’m excited to compete.”

Suárez said he learned lessons from last year’s trip to COTA, including how much physical fortitude he possessed in managing a 20-turn circuit, lap after lap, with a partial power-steering failure. But he also returns to Austin with more experience and a team that’s grown monumentally since Trackhouse launched as a single-car outfit in 2021.

A win here Sunday would mean a return to the Cup Series Playoffs for the 31-year-old driver, who is in his seventh season in NASCAR’s top division. It would also check one of the prime goals that the No. 99 group set before the season started.

“You know, we have goals and we want to win races and we want to be able to compete for a championship. Everyone’s gonna say that, right? How real is that? I think that’s the question,” Suárez says. “I think the 99 team is faster than last year. We have shown that there is room for improvement still. We continue to get better, we have had a few mistakes here and there. I have had a few mistakes here and there as well, but my team for this 2023 season is just better, stronger, faster, smarter, with more experience. So I’m very, very excited to see what we can do this year.”

Posted on by Staff Report

Tyler Reddick was quickest in NASCAR Cup Series practice at Circuit of The Americas on Friday afternoon.

Reddick, driving the No. 45 Toyota for 23XI Racing, posted the fastest average speed at 92.989 mph. Kyle Larson in the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet was second at 92.618 mph, ahead of defending race winner Ross Chastain’s No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet in third at 92.520 mph. In the No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet, Kyle Busch was fourth-fastest (92.498 mph) and Daniel Suárez in the No. 99 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet was fifth (92.461 mph).

RELATED: Practice results | Weekend schedule: COTA

Completing the top 10 were Michael McDowell in the No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford (92.458 mph), Austin Cindric in the No. 2 Team Penske Ford (92.441 mph), Bubba Wallace in the No. 23 Toyota for 23XI Racing (42.434 mph), Joey Logano in the No. 22 Team Penske Ford (92.407 mph) and Jordan Taylor (92.404 mph), driving the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet in relief of the injured Chase Elliott.

Taylor, the three-time IMSA champion, proved quickest of this weekend’s newest faces to stock-car racing. Jenson Button, the 2009 Formula One champion, was 28th on the leaderboard (91.758 mph) in his inaugural session behind the wheel of a NASCAR Cup Series vehicle. Button is piloting the No. 15 Rick Ware Racing Ford sponsored by Mobil 1. Another former F1 title winner, Kimi Räikkönen returns to the No. 91 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet this weekend and was 32nd at 91.413 mph.

Seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson makes his return to the series in the No. 84 Legacy Motor Club Chevrolet and was 36th in practice at 91.072 mph.

Posted on by Sean Montgomery

EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix at Circuit of The Americas (COTA)
(⏰ 3:30 p.m. ET | 📺 FOX, FOX Sports App | 📻 PRN, SiriusXM)

Everything you need to know for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race in Texas, the first road-course race of the 2023 Cup Series campaign.

Weekend schedule | TV schedule | Weather tracker | COTA 101

📍 Location: Austin, Texas
📐 Track length: 3.41 miles
🎟️ Buy tickets: Three races this weekend
💰 Cup Series race purse: $9,294,829
📏 Race distance: 68 laps | 231.88 miles
🔢 Stages: 15 | 30 | 68 — No stage cautions, points still awarded
—
🚪 Entry list: Stars are out in Texas
📋 Starting lineup: Where drivers will start on Sunday
🚗 Pit stall assignments: Where drivers will pit on Sunday
📦 Rules package: New rules for short tracks, road courses
🏆 Most recent winner: Ross Chastain

Key things to watch 🔑

Top story line

Revamped road-course racing. Sunday’s race at Circuit of The Americas will be the debut of the new low-downforce package on road courses after Cup Series drivers got a first taste at Phoenix Raceway. Also for the first time, the choose rule will be in effect before each restart and while stage points will still be awarded, there will be zero stage cautions. Strategy will be important throughout the race for teams looking to make up ground on the track or maximize their points day — it will be a fine line and a big test when it comes down to racing for the win during the Final Stage.

Need more details? Watch Steve Letarte and Todd Gordon break it down

💰 Xfinity Series: Dash 4 Cash qualifier is Saturday

History tells us…

Ross Chastain will be in the mix. Chastain is one of just two drivers with a pair of top-five finishes since COTA debuted on the schedule in 2021. His 2022 victory at the track solidified him as the all-time leader in laps led (35) and average finish (2.5). While yes, it is a small sample size, the chaotic finish to last year’s Texas showdown showed that the No. 1 driver is willing to do anything to win — even going door-to-door on the final lap with Alex Bowman and AJ Allmendinger. Aside from Tyler Reddick’s RCR Chevrolet in 2022, Trackhouse Racing arguably had the best road-course resume, so don’t expect any less from them this weekend.

🎙️: Allmendinger has ‘no ill feelings’ after 2022 finish

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

Alex Bowman. Bowman doesn’t get the road-course credit that some of his Hendrick Motorsports teammates get and that’s fair given he’s never actually won a left-and-right-circuit race. But his performances at COTA specifically have been exceptional with a pair of top 10s and a dramatic runner-up result a year ago. He has also had a hot start to this season in general, reeling off top 10s in every race this season except for last week at Atlanta Motor Speedway. With all the other story lines, Bowman will be overlooked this weekend, but that doesn’t mean he can’t win.

👀 Honorable mention: Road-course ringer, Jordan Taylor

Practice and qualifying

Tyler Reddick is flying this weekend. The driver of the No. 45 Toyota for 23XI Racing paced the 50-minute practice session on Friday afternoon and backed that up Saturday in qualifying. Reddick laid down a lap at 94.210 mph in the opening round of time trials, setting a new track record. But in the final round, it was William Byron nabbing the pole at 93.882 mph. Byron became the first driver in NASCAR history to score poles at four different road courses. | Recap Friday’s practice | Full breakdown of qualifying

Familiar favorites ⭐️

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

• Paint Scheme Preview: New paint schemes for Texas tripleheader | Pick a favorite
• Power Rankings: Is Christopher Bell set to break through at COTA? | Latest driver rankings
• Fantasy Fastlane: Expect an AJ Allmendinger rebound this weekend | Best plays, lineup advice | Update after practice/qualifying
• Betting odds: Which driver is the favorite to win Sunday? | Top bets, underdog picks (updated Sunday)
• Stacking Pennies: Corey LaJoie riding high after career-best finish | Listen to the podcast
• At-track photos: See all the best photos fresh from Circuit of The Americas | See the full photo gallery

💎 NASCAR 75: Check out exclusive NASCAR content throughout the anniversary season | Learn more, explore

Hot off the press 📰

Key stories and breaking news from the week leading up to the race.

• Eager for more: Daniel Suárez confident in COTA return after ‘mixed emotions’ last year | Read more
• Penalty appeal: Appeal dates scheduled for Hendrick, Kaulig, Hamlin | Read more
• Chase Elliott: Will join FOX Sports booth during Sunday’s race | Read more
• Flashback to 2022: AJ Allmendinger reflects on wild finish last year at COTA | Read more
• Atlanta penalty report: Josh Williams suspended one race, other penalties | Read more
• Jordan Taylor: Shows off Jeff Gordon-inspired helmet for NASCAR debut | Read more
• Tyler Reddick: 23XI Racing driver finding his form before Sunday’s race | Read more
• Trackhouse Racing: Project91 will feature multiple drivers in 2023 | Read more

Get in on the action 💰

Think you know NASCAR? Put your mettle to the test with gaming, fantasy and Fan Rewards.

• Fan Rewards: New in 2023, get rewarded for your participation | Learn more
• Fantasy Live: Still time to get on the leaderboard and win big this season | Tips for 2023
• NASCAR BetCenter: Don’t miss your chance to make picks each week | Visit the BetCenter
• Going the distance: 2023 Cup Series championship odds | See them here

Coming back to COTA 🔙

Road courses have been an integral part of the sport’s history, and in just two races, COTA has lived up to the hype. 

• Winner, winner: All-time winners on road courses | See who has the most
• Road-course ringers: Active drivers with road-course wins | View the full list
• On the rise: Road-course racing in NASCAR continues to grow, flourish | Read more
• GIFs are great: Key moments from most recent COTA race in GIFs | See them here
• Final Laps: Ross Chastain, Alex Bowman and AJ Allmendinger race to the finish | Highlights from 2022

Take some notes 📝

Five hard-hitting, race-relevant statistics, brought to you by the experts at Racing Insights.

• On Sunday, the choose cone will be used at COTA for the first time on a road course.
• The last three drivers to score their first Cup win did it on a road course (Ross Chastain, Daniel Suárez, Tyler Reddick).
• Chris Buescher finished in the top 10 in the last five road-course races, the longest active streak by any driver.
• AJ Allmendinger is making his 400th Cup start at COTA this weekend; six drivers have won in their 400th start.
• Chevrolet drivers won 11 of the last 12 races on road courses but Christopher Bell (Toyota) won the most recent.

🔮 Predicting the winner: Using data to set a projected finishing order (updated Sunday)

Posted on by Staff Report

The guest list for Sunday’s Cup Series race at Circuit of the Americas (3:30 p.m. ET, FOX, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) continues to be chock-full of surprises as Chase Elliott will join the FOX Sports broadcast for the event.

He will do so remotely as he continues to recover from a fractured tibia suffered earlier this month. Hendrick Motorsports announced that Elliott underwent successful surgery and in a team release on March 7, said that he would miss approximately six weeks.

RELATED: Full COTA schedule | Active road-course winners

Elliott won the inaugural race at COTA in 2021 in a rain-shortened event and is the leader among active drivers to win at road courses on the Cup level with seven.

Josh Berry has filled in for the 2020 Cup champion since his injury but this weekend, IMSA driver Jordan Taylor will pilot the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet around the 20-turn, 3.41-mile Texas road course in his Cup Series debut.

MORE: Taylor gets the call for Cup debut

On-track action at COTA begins with Cup practice Friday at 2:05 p.m. ET (tape delay 8 p.m. ET on FS1).