Monday, May 24
4:30 a.m., NASCAR Cup Series: EchoPark Texas Grand Prix at COTA (re-air), FS1
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1
7 p.m., NASCAR Cup Series: EchoPark Texas Grand Prix at COTA (re-air), FS1
10:30 p.m., NASCAR Cup Series: EchoPark Texas Grand Prix at COTA (re-air), FS2
Tuesday, May 25
1:30 a.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Series: Toyota Tundra 225 at COTA (re-air), FS2
2:30 p.m., IMSA: Prototype Challenge at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course (tape delay), NBCSN
3:30 p.m., IMSA: Mazda MX-5 Cup at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course (tape delay), NBCSN
4:30 p.m., IMSA: Michelin Pilot Challenge at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course (re-air), NBCSN
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1
Wednesday, May 26
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1
7 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub: Best of Radioactive — Charlotte, FS1
Thursday, May 27
6 a.m., NASCAR Race Hub: Best of Radioactive — Charlotte (re-air), FS2
5:30 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub: Best of Radioactive — Charlotte (re-air), FS1
5:30 p.m., Dale Jr. Download, NBCSN
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub: 2000th Episode, FS1
Friday, May 28
10:30 a.m., NASCAR Race Hub: Best of Radioactive — Charlotte (re-air), FS2
11:30 a.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Series: Practice, FS2
4 p.m., NASCAR Xfinity Series: Practice, FS1
5:30 p.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Series: Qualifying, FS1
6:30 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub: Weekend Edition, FS1
7 p.m., NASCAR Cup Series: Practice, FS1
8 p.m., NASCAR RaceDay: Camping World Truck Series at Charlotte, FS1
8:30 p.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Series: North Carolina Education Lottery 200 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, FS1
On MRN:
8 p.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Series: North Carolina Education Lottery 200 at Charlotte Motor Speedway
Saturday, May 29
1 a.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Series: North Carolina Education Lottery 200 at Charlotte Motor Speedway (re-air), FS1
7 a.m., The 600: History of NASCAR’s Toughest Race (re-air), FS1
8 a.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Series: North Carolina Education Lottery 200 at Charlotte Motor Speedway (re-air), FS1
10 a.m., NASCAR Xfinity Series: Qualifying, FS1
11 a.m., NASCAR Cup Series: Qualifying, FS1
Noon, NASCAR RaceDay: Xfinity Series at Charlotte, FS1
1 p.m., NASCAR Xfinity Series: Alsco Uniforms 300 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, FS1 (Canada: TSN 5)
4 p.m., Renegades: The Bad Boys of NASCAR, FS1
5 p.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Series: North Carolina Education Lottery 200 at Charlotte Motor Speedway (re-air), FS1
7 p.m., ARCA Menards Series: General Tire 150, FS1
OnPRN:
11 a.m., NASCAR Cup Series: Qualifying
12:30 p.m., NASCAR Xfinity Series: Alsco Uniforms 300 at Charlotte Motor Speedway
On MRN:
7 p.m., ARCA Menards Series: General Tire 150 at Charlotte Motor Speedway
Sunday, May 30
Midnight, NASCAR Xfinity Series: Alsco Uniforms 300 at Charlotte Motor Speedway (re-air), FS1
7:30 a.m., Renegades: The Bad Boys of NASCAR (re-air), FS2
9 a.m., Renegades: The Bad Boys of NASCAR (re-air), FS1
10 a.m., NASCAR Race Hub: Best of Radioactive — Charlotte, FS1
10:30 a.m., NASCAR Xfinity Series: Alsco Uniforms 300 at Charlotte Motor Speedway (re-air), FS1
4:30 p.m., NASCAR RaceDay: Cup Series at Charlotte, FS1
5:30 p.m., NASCAR RaceDay: Cup Series at Charlotte, FOX
6 p.m., NASCAR Cup Series: Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, FOX (Canada: TSN 5)
OnPRN:
5 p.m., NASCAR Cup Series: Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway
NASCAR Cup Series points leader Denny Hamlin will be among several cars dropping to the rear prior to the start of Sunday’s EchoPark Texas Grand Prix at Circuit of The Americas (2:30 p.m. ET on FS1, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
Hamlin’s No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota will drop to the rear for unapproved adjustments. He had battled some power steering issues in qualifying earlier on Sunday. He was slated to start 19th.
Also dropping to the rear for unapproved adjustments:
Aric Almirola (No. 10 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford, was set to start 26th)
Chase Briscoe (No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford, was set to start 27th)
James Davison (No. 15 Rick Ware Racing Chevrolet, was set to start 32nd)
Chris Buescher (No. 17 Roush Fenway Racing Ford, was set to start 28th)
Anthony Alfredo (No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford, was set to start 37th)
Erik Jones (No. 43 Richard Petty Motorsports Chevrolet, was set to start 29th)
Cody Ware (No. 51 Petty Ware Racing Chevrolet, was set to start 35th)
Daniel Suarez (No. 99 Trackhouse Racing Team Chevrolet, was set to start 15th)
Tyler Reddick topped the leaderboard in Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series qualifying at Circuit of The Americas, earning the Busch Pole at 92.363 mph in the No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet.
Right behind him was Kyle Larson in the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet at 92.293 mph.
Rounding out the top five were Austin Cindric in the No. 33 Team Penske Ford, Saturday’s Xfinity Series winner Kyle Busch in the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota and William Byron in the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet. AJ Allmendinger, who led the first round of qualifying, will start seventh in the No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet.
Series points leader Denny Hamlin was 19th fastest with a speed of 90.579 mph in the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota. He reported some power steering issues during his Round 1 lap, necessitating his crew to work on his car during the session. He’ll start right behind a pair of Toyota teammates in Martin Truex Jr. and Bubba Wallace, in 17th and 18th, respectively.
Reddick’s pole was RCR’s first on a road course since Dale Earnhardt grabbed the pole position for the 1996 race at Watkins Glen. At the time of RCR’s last road course pole, Reddick was seven months old.
“This pole is a huge testament to all the hard work everyone does at RCR, ECR, and Chevrolet, ” Reddick said. “Road racing has been a big challenge in my career and I’ve worked really hard to get better at it. Running yesterday’s Xfinity race helped me with some valuable seat time, so it’s great to see all that hard work come together with a pole.”
The EchoPark Texas Grand Prix will get underway at 2:30 p.m. ET (FS1, PRN, Sirius XM NASCAR Radio).
AUSTIN, Texas — Kevin Harvick called himself a 45-year-old rookie in the NASCAR Xfinity Series.
That’d normally be seen as a stretch — considering his 2006 title, 47 career wins and 347 overall starts in the Xfinity Series — but perhaps not this weekend at the Circuit of The Americas. Harvick had never stepped foot on the 3.41-mile road course based in Austin, Texas, before Friday’s practice. He then competed in his first race Saturday, the Pit Boss 250.
“I’m not top-end ready compared to some of those good guys,” Harvick said. “But I can survive and not make a fool of myself now.”
He’s talking about Sunday’s EchoPark Texas Grand Prix for the Cup Series, where he competes full-time — another reason the rookie comment is normally brushed off.
And Harvick was at least top-five ready in the Xfinity Series race, finishing fourth as fellow Cup Series regular Kyle Busch went on to take the checkered flag. The victory marked Busch’s series-best 98th.
Other Cup Series full-timers in the Xfinity Series field included Cole Custer (seventh), Tyler Reddick (eighth), Austin Dillon (13th) and Ross Chastain (30th).
AJ Allmendinger (second), Austin Cindric (fifth) and Justin Haley (ninth) are also entered into the Cup Series event.
“There were another couple of fast guys out there that will be a force to be reckoned with tomorrow,” Busch said. “But overall excited about today. Cool to win, and let’s see what tomorrow brings.”
Well, first, there’s qualifying at 11 a.m. ET. The race is then scheduled for 2:30 p.m. ET. Both will air live on FS1.
Sunday’s main event will be a 68-lap showdown for a total of 231 miles around the 20-turn circuit.
“Probably the most difficult part for me is Turn 2,” Harvick said, “and carrying enough speed from Turn 2 to Turn 3, knowing how fast you can go into Turn 3 and not screw up 4, 5, 6 and 7.”
Turn 2 goes downhill. Turn 3 then starts the three-turn esses portion of the circuit, which is basically a set of soft but quick left-right-left turns. Turn 6 is then sweeping right-hander, followed immediately by a left-hand corner for Turn 7.
Basically speed control off of Turn 2, like Harvick explained, dictates success through the following swivels.
Rain is in the forecast, but that may actually be something to not take seriously. It was supposed to rain during the Xfinity Series race, and didn’t.
“Doesn’t matter now,” Harvick said. “I practiced in the wet, qualified in the wet, so we’ll just go out there and sling it.”
Kyle Busch essentially went to school Saturday afternoon in the NASCAR Xfinity Series to learn the Circuit of The Americas road course in preparation for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race there. The result, however, was that Busch absolutely schooled the field — earning an 11-second victory in the Pit Boss 250, the series’ debut on the famed Austin circuit.
It marked the two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion’s record 98th win in the Xfinity Series. His No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota led a race-best 36 of 46 laps. No other driver led more than three laps at the 3.41-mile 20-turn circuit.
“It’s really, really cool to come here for the first race at a new track and to win,” Busch said. “Real proud of the effort.
“I think the biggest thing is just all the resources and stuff we have and being able to get laps on the track today, feel the tire, everything like that and then being able to get back out there tomorrow and do everything all over again tomorrow with the Cup car,” the Las Vegas native added. “Thanks to Toyota and TRD, we’ve got some really cool tools we’ve been able to use and I feel like it was a plus for us today.”
NASCAR Xfinity Series championship contender AJ Allmendinger — one of NASCAR’s best on road courses — finished second to Busch. Justin Allgaier placed third. Another NASCAR Cup Series champion, Kevin Harvick was fourth, also getting some laps in preparation for Sunday’s race. Xfinity Series championship leader Austin Cindric was fifth.
Harrison Burton, Cup regulars Cole Custer and Tyler Reddick and Allmendinger’s Kaulig Racing teammates Justin Haley and Jeb Burton rounded out the top 10.
Allmendinger and Haley won Stage 1 and Stage 2, respectively. Championship contenders, they opted to stay on track and earn the points rather than join in Busch’s strategy of pitting just before the stage breaks. What he conceded in points, he made up for winning the inaugural trophy.
The only laps Busch, 36, didn’t lead were when he pitted or when he made a brief rally after stage breaks. Following the first stage break, for example, he restarted fourth and was leading the field two laps later.
“It’s shocking, Kyle Busch is actually pretty good,” Allmendinger said smiling. “It’s always fun to race Kyle. Did everything we could, got a stage win, got a lot of points and finished second. That was as good as we were going to do.”
The victory marked the 17th season Busch has won an Xfinity Series race and the 27th different NASCAR track where he has hoisted a trophy.
While the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race, held hours earlier, had some light rain and was run on rain tires, the weather had cleared nicely by the drop of the Xfinity Series green flag. The vast majority of the field opted to pit for slicks (dry tires) during the parade laps and by the race’s midpoint, it was a sunny afternoon.
Note: Following Xfinity Series post-race inspections, Busch was confirmed as the winner of the race. The No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet of AJ Allmendinger was found to have one lug nut not safe and secure.
AUSTIN, Texas — After practicing under the sun and qualifying amid a downpour, the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series ultimately raced on a dry and wet Circuit of The Americas track.
Rain soaked all 3.41 miles of the Austin, Texas-based road course Saturday morning. By the time the Toyota Tundra 225 went green in the early afternoon, the weather settled down to a slight drizzle that soon enough died out. There was little to no moisture remaining when the checkered flag waved.
“I really believe if it would have just kept on raining, I would have won the race,” Tyler Ankrum said. “… I sound arrogant, I know that. But I was just so much faster, it’s true.
“It sucks because usually you never say, ‘Hey, keep on raining.’ You say, ‘Please stop raining.’ ”
To his credit, Ankrum did start on the pole after clocking the fastest qualifying lap (75.041 mph) in the rain. The average race speed was 70.79 mph.
Todd Gilliland won, though, while Kaz Grala came in second. Ankrum actually finished third, with Grant Enfinger and Sheldon Creed fourth and fifth, respectively.
It was a 41-lap event around the 20-turn layout, which — on top of the less-than-ideal conditions — was brand new to NASCAR.
“I thought we were going to have a caution in the first two laps,” Creed said. “I was like, ‘Someone is going to overdrive (Turns) 1 or 12.’ But everyone must have done a good job.”
Shockingly so, COTA featured the cleanest race of 2021 — and it really can’t get any cleaner. There were only two cautions, and those were solely because of the required stage breaks.
There has been one other event that can be considered just as clean, and it was the fourth race back in March at Atlanta Motor Speedway. There were three cautions, and that additional yellow was a competition caution. It had nothing to do with the on-track action.
“I don’t even guess anymore,” said Grant Enfinger. “The first race out after the (pandemic) last year at Charlotte, I thought it was going to be a wreck fest with no practice, and it wasn’t, it was clean.”
When the Camping World Truck Series did return from NASCAR’s three-month pause due to the COVID-19 outbreak, its first race was at Charlotte Motor Speedway. There were seven cautions for 37 laps. That’s not abnormal for the 1.5-mile oval. There have been seven cautions in the last three Camping World Truck Series races there.
New tracks, however, tend to be where the variance shows.
For instance, the Camping World Truck Series’ first race on Daytona International Speedway’s road course in 2020 saw five cautions for seven laps. This past February, there were double the cautions at the 3.61-mile circuit for more than double the laps (20).
Ankrum has another theory.
“Every track that we’ve gone to this year that we didn’t have practice at last year, we’re all way more comfortable driving way over our heads,” he said. “Now, we come to a place we’ve never been to before and practice. Well, everyone is still unsure since we’ve never raced on it, so we all behave ourselves.
“Just wait for next year. It’ll be a (expletive) show again.”
EchoPark Texas Grand Prix at Circuit of The Americas (⏰ 2:30 p.m. ET | 📺 FS1 | 📻 PRN, SiriusXM)
Everything you need to know for Sunday’s race, the 14th points-paying NASCAR Cup Series event of the 2021 season.
Where: Circuit of The Americas, a 3.41-mile, 20-turn course located in Austin, Texas Qualifying: 11 a.m. ET on FS1 Green flag: 2:43 p.m. ET TV/Radio: FS1, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Forecast: Showers and possibly a thunderstorm. High near 76. East southeast wind 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%, according to NOAA.gov Grand Marshal: Matthew McConaughey Race Distance: 68 laps, 231 miles Stages: 15 | 32 | 68 Pit-road speed: 40 mph Caution car speed: 50 mph COTA 101: Get the full lowdown
Entry list: See who’s in the field Pit-stall assignments: See who is pitting where| Expert breaks down pit selections
Five to watch
Here are five big story lines we’ll be following at Circuit of The Americas.
1. With an 80 percent chance of rain for Sunday’s Cup Series race, it sounds likely that drivers and teams will make use of Goodyear rain tires. Fortunately, drivers’ first laps on the Circuit of The Americas course were under wet-weather conditions during the series’ lone practice session Saturday morning. The Cup Series raced on rain tires for a good portion of last year’s race at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval. The Cup Series will also qualify on Sunday at 11 a.m. ET on FS1.
2. Speaking of the Charlotte Roval, defending Cup Series champion Chase Elliott was the winner of that race last year and it’s no surprise that he’s the odds-on favorite to win Sunday’s race. Elliott has won five of the last eight road-course races and has led the most laps in four of the past five. The No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports driver also leads all drivers with six stage wins on road courses. Elliott posted the fifth-fastest time in Saturday’s practice session. He’s still winless so far this year, but COTA very well could be where he turns it all around.
3. Right behind Elliott on the favorites list is Martin Truex Jr., who owns four career road-course victories, second behind Elliott among active drivers. The No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing driver has earned three wins in the past 10 road-course events. He earned eight top-10 finishes in that stretch, with a worst finish of 14th. Truex has emerged as an early championship favorite with three victories so far this year at Phoenix Raceway, Martinsville Speedway and Darlington Raceway.
4. Another driver who is staking his claim as a threat for more race victories is Alex Bowman. The No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports driver won last weekend at Dover International Speedway, his second win of the 2021 season. Bowman and Truex are the only two drivers with multiple victories in the first 13 races. Bowman’s road-course performance is underrated, finishing in the top 10 in three of the last four road-course races. His worst road-course result since joining Hendrick is 14th. Don’t be shocked if Bowman is around at the end to gain his third win of the year.
5. A number of Cup Series drivers used Saturday’s Xfinity Series race to gain extra experience on Circuit of The Americas ahead of Sunday’s event. Full-time drivers Kyle Busch, Ross Chastain, Cole Custer, Austin Dillon, Kevin Harvick and Tyler Reddick all found rides. Xfinity Series regulars AJ Allmendinger, Austin Cindric and Justin Haley will also start in the Texas Grand Prix. Prior to the Xfinity race, Harvick said it was a steep, steep learning curve in the rain on a new track in Cup Series practice on Saturday. More track time can never hurt and we’ll see how they benefit from it.
Race-day staples
Our biggest pieces of the week — get covered for race day from all angles.
•Power Rankings: Daniel Suarez turning heads | Scope the ranks •Paint Scheme Preview: Check out the designs taking on COTA | See the schemes •Fantasy Fastlane: See which drivers to use, avoid | Full Fantasy advice |Set your roster •Preview Show: Jonathan Merryman and Alex Weaver preview the race | Watch the show
Get in on the action
Think you know NASCAR? Put your mettle to the test with gaming, fantasy.
• Betting odds for COTA race | See the odds
• COTA betting: Chase Elliott is priced as big favorite | Find out why • How legal betting is helping NASCAR grow the sport | Read more • Take a shot at winning cash prizes with the free-to-play Jackpot Races app | Hit the jackpot
• Full guide to 2021 NASCAR Fantasy Live game | Get the FAQ
Learn the new track
It’s NASCAR’s inaugural weekend at Circuit of The Americas. Get familiar with the track.
•20 times the turns: Turn-by-turn breakdown of COTA | Learn every corner •Mystery box: Unraveling NASCAR’s newest road course | Full analysis
• A majestic place: Explore Circuit of The Americas | Get a tour in photos
• Good tips: F1 superstar Daniel Ricciardo offers Chase Elliott advice for COTA | Watch video
Fast facts
Hard-hitting, race-relevant statistics, brought to you by the experts at Racing Insights.
• Chase Elliott has won four of the last five road-course races and has finished sixth or better in seven of the last nine. • Fresh off his victory at Dover, Alex Bowman has finished in the top 10 in three of his last four road-course starts. • Ryan Blaney’s 2018 win at the Charlotte Roval is the only road course win for Ford in the last 10 races • The race winner started in the top 10 in eight of the last 10 road-course races. • Elliott (5) and Martin Truex Jr. (3) won eight of the last 10 road-course races.
Catch the pack
Read up on all the headlines from the week leading up to Sunday’s race.
• Byron tops the board: William Byron fastest in rain-soaked practice at COTA | See practice results
• Silly Season: Brad Keselowski reportedly has offer to move to Roush Fenway Racing with driver-ownership role | Read more
• Potential opportunity: Matt DiBenedetto could take advantage of Roush-Keselowski rumors | Read more
• Hanging up the helmet: Jeff Green officially retires from NASCAR | Read more
• A virtual victory: James Davison dominates en route to Pro Invitational Series win at COTA | Read more • Betting on Bubba: DraftKings partners with Bubba Wallace, 23XI Racing | Read more
• Cashing in: North Wilkesboro Speedway, Rockingham Speedway may get funding from North Carolina government | Read more
Say what?
• Drivers have plenty to say ahead of Sunday’s race at COTA | Read our quotebook
• Austin Dillon chats with NASCAR.com’s Terrin Waack in garage at COTA | Watch video
“It’s always fun going to a new race track, so I’m looking forward to something new. It’s a doubleheader weekend for us, so it’s going to be busy. I’m excited to be back in the Cup car after a really fun race at the Daytona Road Course earlier this year. Overall, I think it’s a technical race track – weather is going to be a factor, so there will be a lot of challenges that we will have to face. I’m confident that Kaulig Racing will have a solid weekend.” — AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet
Chris Graythen | Getty Images
“I don’t even know how much practice we do or don’t have. It’s the same for everybody. We just got to go there and try to hit it off the bat. Chase (Elliott, teammate) has been there. That’s a big help. It will be crucial to learn from him. It’s crucial to learn from him any time we go to a road course, he’s so good at them. Just trying to improve. I feel like our weak point is going to be me as a race car driver. I feel if I do my job, do a good job for the team, we’ll have a good, solid day.” — Alex Bowman, No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
“I laugh a little bit when I think about going to COTA. That track was designed for Formula 1 cars, cars that can cut around tight apexes like Turn 1, Turn 11 and 12. Our big heavy stock cars are going to struggle with that; but it’s a new challenge and I’m looking forward it. With the asphalt being abrasive at COTA, it’s going to wear out the tires, so your strategy is going to have to evolve on the fly. It’s going to be quick movements that you make and commit to, so with all that being said, I’m ready to attack course, find the right rhythm with the lap time but also find the right tire strategy bring us to Victory Lane. It’s a cool place with 20 corners; lots of action coming.” — Kurt Busch, No. 1 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet
“It’s a very technical track and a little bit awkward. Not a ton of flow because there are long straightaways and how tight the corners are and every single corner is different. It’s a very hard track – I can see some people doing really well in parts of it and struggling in others. There will be a lot of passing zones, I think, and it’s going to be racy as hell.” — Cole Custer, No. 41 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
Todd Gilliland was so fast and so determined out front in Saturday’s Toyota Tundra 225 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race his own team had to remind him to slow down and take care of his tires in the closing laps of the series’ debut at the Circuit of The Americas (COTA) race.
Despite receiving the cautionary advice, Gilliland, 21, did not ease off and raced to a hefty 7.941-second margin of victory to earn his second career series win and first since 2019. His No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford set the fastest lap of the race with two laps remaining.
“I definitely did a lot of stuff wrong but that’s what I love about road course racing, there’s 20 turns here, 20 opportunities to pass but also make mistakes,’’ Gilliland said, thanking his Front Row Motorsports team.
“Last year we didn’t quite have the season we knew we could and just to come out here and win early, we’ve been building momentum and for my team to get this win is just amazing.’’
Gilliland and the rest of the field ran wet tires flag-to-flag, so his team kept reminding him to be careful and look for wet spots on the track since the rain stopped mid-race. He hit his marks on the 3.41-mile, 20-turn circuit, and he hit the puddled water just enough to carry on to the victory — leading the final six laps and earning an extra $50,000 incentive in the second race of the series’ Triple Truck Challenge.
Kaz Grala finished runner-up, followed by pole-winner Tyler Ankrum, Grant Enfinger and Sheldon Creed, who led a race-best 14 of the 41 laps.
Seventeen-year-old driver Sam Mayer, rookie Carson Hocevar, Zane Smith, Austin Hill and Ben Rhodes rounded out the top 10. Championship points leader John Hunter Nemechek finished 12th.
Gilliland won Stage 1 and was first out during the ensuing pit stops during that caution period. But NASCAR ruled one of his pit crew members was over the wall too soon and Gilliland was penalized — sent to the rear of the field on the restart.
With Gilliland now forced to play catch-up, defending series champion Sheldon Creed led most of Stage 2, pitting just before it ended and allowing Ben Rhodes to instead take his first stage win of the year.
Creed and Ankrum battled one another up front — at one point passing each other three different times on one lap — before Gilliland — who methodically worked his way forward was able to take the lead for good with five laps remaining. Grala passed Ankrum with two laps remaining to tie his best ever series finish.
The victory marks Gilliland’s fourth top-10 showing in the last five races and as he told his team on the victory lap, “I know we can do this (win races) a lot.’’
Gilliland becomes the fourth full-time NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driver to win this season — joining two-race winners John Hunter Nemechek and Rhodes, and last week’s winner Creed.
The series races Friday night in the North Carolina Education Lottery 200 at Charlotte Motor Speedway (8:30 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), which is the final race of the Triple Truck Challenge.
Notes: The No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford cleared post-race inspection and Gilliland was confirmed as the winner. … Ankrum won the Cometic Gasket Pole Award. … Tanner Gray (engine change), Ryan Truex (engine change), Lawless Allen (transmission change), Austin Wayne Self (unapproved adjustments) and Chase Purdy (unapproved adjustments) were all sent to the rear of the field before green flag. … The race started under wet conditions, requiring all teams to begin on their wet-weather Goodyear tires.
AUSTIN, Texas — NASCAR Cup Series drivers are making a splash at the Circuit of The Americas.
Literally.
Rain fell throughout Saturday’s 55-minute practice. The entire 3.41-mile, 20-turn Austin, Texas-based road course was drenched.
Teams put on their wet-weather tires, though, and navigated the circuit for the first time in the sport’s history.
“I just had a blast a second ago, so I’m OK with it raining at this point,” said Joey Logano, driver of the No. 22 Team Penske Ford. “Before practice, the unknown and the uncertainty that you’re thinking about as a race-car driver saying, ‘I don’t know how hard to go in. I don’t know what to do. Am I gonna be awful at this? Am I gonna be decent? I don’t know. How is our car going to be? Do we even know how to work on the car?’
“I don’t think we’ve answered all those questions yet, but we have at least a general idea to where I feel more confident if we line up and race at this point.”
Logano logged the second-fastest lap at 77.558 mph, so practice was quite successful. William Byron’s No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet was the only car faster at 77.847 mph. Byron’s teammate, Kyle Larson, came in third with his No. 5 Chevy at 77.467 mph.
Kyle Busch piloted the fastest Toyota at 77.383 mph for fourth, followed by Chase Elliott in another HMS entry at 77.252 mph.
“Today was quite interesting just with the wet,” Busch said. “It’s been a while since we’ve been in the rain. I guess the Roval last year we had some race in the rain, but haven’t really ever practiced in the rain in order to get a better mindset for what it takes and get a better feel for what it takes. So far today, so good.”
The Cup Series will host qualifying Sunday at 11 a.m. ET to set the lineup for its main event, the EchoPark Texas Grand Prix, at 2:30 p.m. ET. Both on-track activities will air live on FS1. Rain remains in the forecast for Sunday.
“I hope it rains tomorrow,” Byron said. “It was really weird at first, just getting used to just where the best line was and getting used to the way you get around there. I’ve spent some time at the go-kart track in the rain, and honestly, you just try to adapt and learn.”
Saturday was the Cup Series’ first practice since Bristol Motor Speedway’s dirt weekend back in March. NASCAR chose to limit its at-track schedule for the 2021 schedule due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Like the Bristol Dirt Race, COTA’s race Sunday will be an inaugural event for NASCAR.
“Honestly, I put it in the same category as Bristol,” Logano said. “Bristol Dirt Race, we go in there and say, ‘Let’s just try to figure it out. We’ll have some fun figuring it out.’ We don’t know what the heck we’re doing, and it’s a very slick race track just like Bristol was very, very slick.
“Maybe that’s my wheelhouse and I don’t even know it.”
Logano did win the Bristol Dirt Race. The victory has locked him into the 2021 NASCAR Playoffs, eliminating some of the pressure at COTA.
Nine other drivers are in the same boat as Logano, including Byron. No pun intended there, but at least they’ll stay afloat in the postseason regardless of their COTA outcomes. Everyone else has to figure out how to slip and slide to the checkered flag.
“It’s entertaining, believe me,” Logano said. “I could have stayed out there making laps all day.”
William Byron topped the leaderboard in Saturday’s NASCAR Cup Series practice at Circuit of The Americas at 77.847 mph in the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet.
Right behind him was Joey Logano in the No. 22 Team Penske Ford at 77.558 mph.
Rounding out the top five were Kyle Larson in the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, Kyle Busch in the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota and Chase Elliott in the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet.
Series points leader Denny Hamlin was 16th fastest with a speed of 76.311 mph in the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota.
Byron comes into this race trying to extend his top-10 streak to 12 races and was pleased with how the No. 24 team’s practice went.
“I think Rudy (Fugle, crew chief) did a really good job of allowing me to run,” Byron said. “He knew it was going to take me all of practice to figure it out. Honestly, he does a really good job of just letting me run and just knowing he can change something on the car, but it’s probably just going to be better if I just run around and experience it.
“I think I got 15 laps in, which was awesome. I think we expected to get three runs in the dry, which is about 15 laps, and we got that in the rain so that’s awesome.”
The session was the first Cup Series practice since Bristol Motor Speedway’s dirt weekend earlier this year and the first laps for the premier series at the Austin, Texas-based facility. Heavy rainfall persisted throughout the practice, resulting in several drivers getting off the track.
Logano was one of the first off the track, spinning in Turn 11 early in the session. Hamlin, Austin Dillon, Brad Keselowski and Daniel Suarez were among others that ran into issues on the track.
The Cup Series qualifies on Sunday at 11 a.m. ET (FS1) before the EchoPark Texas Grand Prix gets underway at 2:30 p.m. ET (FS1).
Five to watch
