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Tag: Circuit of The Americas-COTA

  • NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: COTA

    NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: COTA

    Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.

    1. William Byron: Byron assumed the lead on Lap 51 when Martin Truex Jr. pitted from the lead. Byron led the final 17 laps and cruised to the win in the EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix, his second win of the season.

    “I started on the pole,” Byron said, “and my Chevy was clearly the best on the track all day. Therefore, the outcome of the race was a ‘24-gone conclusion.’”

    2. Christopher Bell: Bell won Stage 1 at COTA and tried his best to chase down William Byron for the lead late, but couldn’t catch the Hendrick driver and settled for the runner-up spot.

    “Congratulations to William,” Bell said. “His road course acumen really showed and he was clearly the best driver on the track on Sunday. So, at least for a day, he was the ‘GOAT-A’ at COTA.”

    3. Ty Gibbs: Gibbs took third in the EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix at Circuit Of The Americas. Gibbs has top-10 or better finishes in five of six races this season.

    “I can’t believe we went a whole race without a caution for cause,” Gibbs said. “What’s even more unbelievable is that NASCAR allowed it to happen. If there was ever the right time to throw a ‘phantom caution,’ the end of that race was the time. What this race lacked in excitement, it made up for in boredom.”

    4. Martin Truex Jr.: Truex finished 10th in the EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix, posting his fourth top 10 of the season.

    “I had to make a much too early pit stop for a tire situation,” Truex said. “It seemed I had a shattered tire rim. And that pit stop was punctuated by a ‘rim shot’ on the drums.”

    5. Ryan Blaney: Blaney overcame a late spin to finish 12th in the EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix.

    “Road course racing may not be my cup of tea,” Blaney said. “But like most NASCAR fans, I don’t drink my tea from a cup, I drink it from a bong.

    “I’m still winless this season, but I’m posting solid results on every type of track we race on. And I’m thinking big picture. In other words, the Playoffs, and everybody knows what happened in the Playoffs last year: ‘The Menards were separated from the boys.’”

    6. Denny Hamlin: Hamlin led three laps and finished 14th at COTA.

    “My car featured the colors and scheme of Interstate Batteries,” Hamlin said.”Interstate Battery” is also known as what Ross Chastain does when he goes state to state to NASCAR tracks and drives into various cars.

    7. Ross Chastain: Chastain led 10 laps on his way to a seventh-place finish in the EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix.

    “Road course races are like buffets,” Chastain said. “That’s because they have an international flavor. And that’s what makes them so popular. Ask any NASCAR fan; they can definitely relate to a buffet.”

    8. Tyler Reddick: Reddick was strong all day at Austin and finished fifth in the EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix.

    “I was lucky enough to be a part of Michael Waltrip’s ‘Grid Walk,’” Reddick said. “And, I am unlucky enough to be nearly a foot shorter than Waltrip and ‘Grid Walk’ guest, University Of Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian.”

    9. Kyle Larson: Larson finished 18th at COTA.

    “I suffered a spin during Stage 2 that really cost me a lot of track position,” Larson said. “By ‘suffered,’ I mean ‘Christopher Bell did it.’ Bell also did the same to Kyle Busch. So that’s two of us he spun. That left us saying, ‘What the Hells, Bell?’”

    10. Alex Bowman: Bowman took fourth at COTA as Hendrick Motorsports teammate William Byron snagged the win.

    “The story of the day was the battle between Toyota and Chevrolet,” Bowman said. “So, I guess the only notable part of the Fords was the back seat.”

  • Kyle Larson wins Xfinity race in chaotic double-overtime finish at COTA

    Kyle Larson wins Xfinity race in chaotic double-overtime finish at COTA

    Kyle Larson was in the right place at the right time in the final laps of the Xfinity Series race to capture the win at Circuit of The Americas amid the late race chaos.

    The Focused Health 250 finished in double overtime as Shane van Gisbergen battled with Austin Hill for the top spot. As the two drivers made contact, Larson made his move and passed them both to lead the final lap in his No. 17 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet and collect the checkered flag for his 15th Xfinity Series career win.

    “It feels really special because seems like every time we’ve run the 17 car, any of us four drivers, we’re always fast on track and somehow give it away,” Larson said. “Today I was definitely not the fastest, but we were patient. I knew the 21 (Hill) had shoved SVG through (Turn) 1 and if he got to him it could get dicey.

    “I was just trying to be patient. I was thinking when to make my move and when I saw him shoving him through 15 and 16, I thought this could get good and thankfully I cleared them off in that corner. Pretty crazy. Just wild there, really cool, just awesome to win here at COTA.”

    Van Gisbergen led 20 laps in the No. 97 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet and finished second but was assessed a 30-second post-race penalty for shortcutting the course on the final laps, relegating him to 27th place.

    “It was a crazy race and the car got better and better,” van Gisbergen said. “On that last restart, he (Hill) just drove through me in (turn) one. I guess I stood up for myself. But it was pretty awesome racing with (teammate) AJ (Allmendinger) and in the end just turned into a mess. That’s how it is.”

    Allmendinger led 20 laps during the race but was caught up in a crash during a battle for the lead and finished in 10th place.

    “Not the ending we wanted,” Allmendinger said. “We had a really solid day, I’m proud of everyone on the 16 car for digging and trying to make it better after practice and qualifying yesterday. I was really happy with the speed we had, we missed the last run there by a little bit which was going to cost us winning the race, but we were going to finish second and it was going to be a Kaulig one-two.

    “With these late race restarts, you have to prepare for the worst and hope for the best. We came out on the wrong end, but we fought hard and happy to restart at the back on the last restart and come back to a 10th-place finish.”

    John Hunter Nemechek finished third, followed by Cole Custer in fourth and Parker Kligerman in fifth place. Jesse Love, Austin Green, Chandler Smith, Sam Mayer and Allmendinger rounded out the top 10.

    The NASCAR Xfinity Series heads to Richmond Raceway next Saturday for the ToyotaCare 250 at 1:30 p.m. ET on FS1 with radio coverage provided by MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

    Results:

  • Heim wins the XPEL 225 at Circuit of The Americas

    Heim wins the XPEL 225 at Circuit of The Americas

    Corey Heim has enough fuel to capture his first NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (NCTS) win of the season on Saturday in the XPEL 225 at Circuit of The Americas (COTA).  Heim and the Tricon Garage No. 11 Toyota led a race-high of 31 laps for his win at the 3.41-mile road course and the sixth of his NCTS career.

    “On the last lap of the last restart, I stuttered a little bit on the right-handers because the fuel pick up is on the other side. The whole fuel load would go to the other side. I thought I was going to be out by the time I came around, but luckily I had a couple of left-handers at the end of the course, and I had fuel, but regardless of that, I’m super thankful for everyone at TRICON Garage, Toyota Racing.” Heim said. 

    “I worked my butt off for this one. With the one (road course) race a year for the Truck Series, I felt like it was just so important for me to prove my road course ability. I knew I needed to capitalize on today, and I did. After it was done with all of the late cautions, I was glad it was over, and it was time to celebrate. It definitely means a lot,” Heim added.

    Teammate Taylor Gray recovered from an early penalty and stretched his fuel mileage to finish second in the Tricon’s No. 17 Toyota.  The second-place finish ties his career-best with a runner-up finish and also gives TRICON Garage their first 1-2 finish.

    “I can’t thank everyone at TRICON Garage enough for bringing me a really good JBL Toyota Tundra TRD Pro. I thought I ruined our race at the beginning of the race by getting that penalty, but just can’t thank all of our guys enough. We put ourselves in position and Jeff (Hensley, crew chief) did a great job with the strategy, just couldn’t attack on those last couple of laps. Something to figure out on how to give him a little bit of a tougher race at the end, but those guys executed all day long, and we have to keep executing ourselves,” said Gray.

    Ty Majeski finished third. Polesitter and rookie Connor Zilisch recovered from a lap down and finished fourth after overshooting the first turn on the first lap, and NASCAR Cup Series regular Ross Chastain rounded out the top five.

    The rear-end housing broke off the No. 04 Roper Racing Chevrolet driven by Marco Andretti, bringing out the red flag and extending the race by four laps.

    Heim leads the series standings by 10 points over Majeski, Tyler Ankrum is third, Gray fourth, and Rajah Caruth rounds out the top-5 in the standings after five races.

    The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series heads to Martinsville Speedway for the Long John Silver’s 200 on April 5th for the sixth race of the season at 7:30 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

    NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Race – XPEL 225
    Circuit of The Americas
    Austin, Texas
    Saturday, March 23, 2024
    (Pos, Driver, Make, Laps)

    1. Corey Heim, Toyota, 46.
    2. Taylor Gray, Toyota, 46.
    3. Ty Majeski, Ford, 46.
    4. Connor Zilisch, Chevrolet, 46.
    5. Ross Chastain(i), Chevrolet, 46.
    6. Jack Hawksworth, Toyota, 46.
    7. Ben Rhodes, Ford, 46.
    8. Christian Eckes, Chevrolet, 46.
    9. Dean Thompson, Toyota, 46.
    10. Tanner Gray, Toyota, 46.
    11. Ty Dillon, Chevrolet, 46.
    12. Grant Enfinger, Chevrolet, 46.
    13. Jack Wood, Chevrolet, 46.
    14. Jake Garcia, Ford, 46.
    15. Rajah Caruth, Chevrolet, 46.
    16. Bayley Currey, Chevrolet, 46.
    17. Timmy Hill, Toyota, 46.
    18. Nick Sanchez, Chevrolet, 46.
    19. Stefan Parsons, Chevrolet, 46.
    20. Stewart Friesen, Toyota, 46.
    21. Carter Fartuch, Ford, 46.
    22. Chase Purdy, Chevrolet, 46.
    23. Matt Crafton, Ford, 46.
    24. Matt Mills, Chevrolet, 46.
    25. Tyler Ankrum, Chevrolet, 46.
    26. Dale Quarterley, Toyota, 45.
    27. Layne Riggs #, Ford, 43.
    28. Daniel Dye, Chevrolet, 42.
    29. Bret Holmes, Chevrolet, 42.
    30. Spencer Boyd, Chevrolet, 42.
    31. Marco Andretti, Chevrolet, Suspension, 40.
    32. Thad Moffitt #, Chevrolet, 39.
    33. Lawless Alan, Ford, Rear Gear, 34.
    34. Vicente Salas, Chevrolet, Transmission, 33.
    35. Mason Massey, Chevrolet, Brakes, 32.
  • William Byron captures Cup Series Pole at Circuit of the Americas

    William Byron captures Cup Series Pole at Circuit of the Americas

    William Byron won the Busch Light Pole at Circuit of the Americas and will lead the field to green Sunday afternoon in the Cup Series EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix. It’s his first pole this season, his 13th career pole and his second-straight pole at the 3.426-mile track.

    “I feel really happy with the way the week’s gone and I feel very fresh going into this race,” Byron said. “We’ve just got to go through the process of the race. Just manage the runs, have enough long-run speed. I feel we got a good balance with our car. We’ve been struggling to have smooth races, so this is a good start.”

    The Hendrick Motorsports driver was fastest overall in his No. 24 Chevrolet during practice Saturday and he carried that momentum over to earn the top spot in the qualifying session with a lap of 94.696 mph.

    Ty Gibbs will join him on the front row in the No. 54 Toyota as 23XI Racing’s Tyler Reddick will start third in the No. 45 Toyota. Joe Gibbs Racing’s Christopher Bell (No. 20 Toyota) and Spire Motorsports’ Corey LaJoie (No. 7 Chevrolet) claimed the remaining top five starting spots. It will be LaJoie’s best Cup Series career starting position.

    Ross Chastain, Martin Truex Jr., Denny Hamlin, Chase Elliott and Bubba Wallace rounded out the top 10.

    The highest qualifying Ford was the No. 2 Team Penske Ford driven by Austin Cindric who will start 11th. Rookie Shane van Gisbergen will start 12th in the No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet.
    You can tune into the EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix on Sunday at 3:30 p.m. ET on FOX with radio coverage provided by PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

    Notes:

    Kyle Larson was late to the qualifying session as the Hendrick Motorsports team had to change a rotor. Larson will start Sunday’s race in 15th.

    Japanese driver Kamui Kobayashi, who will be making his second NASCAR start, qualified 25th in the No. 50 23XI Racing Toyota.

    1.   William Byron
    2.   Ty Gibbs
    3.   Tyler Reddick
    4.   Christopher Bell
    5.   Corey LaJoie
    6.   Ross Chastain
    7.   Martin Truex Jr.
    8.   Denny Hamlin
    9.   Chase Elliott
    10. Bubba Wallace
    11. Austin Cindric
    12. Shane Van Gisbergen
    13. Justin Haley
    14. A.J. Allmendinger
    15. Kyle Larson
    16. Kyle Busch
    17. Alex Bowman
    18. Carson Hocevar (R)
    19. Daniel Suarez
    20. Chris Buescher
    21. Austin Dillon
    22. John Hunter Nemechek
    23. Kaz Grala (R)
    24. Ryan Preece
    25. Kamui Kobayashi
    26. Todd Gilliland
    27. Michael McDowell
    28. Ryan Blaney
    29. Harrison Burton
    30. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
    31. Josh Berry (R)
    32. Chase Briscoe
    33. Daniel Hemric
    34. Zane Smith (R)
    35. Joey Logano
    36. Brad Keselowski
    37. Timmy Hill
    38. Erik Jones
    39. Noah Gragson
  • Kyle Larson wins Xfinity Series pole at Circuit of the Americas

    Kyle Larson wins Xfinity Series pole at Circuit of the Americas

    Kyle Larson set a track record during qualifying at Circuit of the Americas and won the pole for Saturday’s Xfinity Series Focused Health 250 with a lap speed of 92.946 mph in the No. 17 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet.

    “I think I’ve gotten the pole every time I’ve run the (No.) 17 car,” Larson said following qualifying. “It hasn’t translated to a win yet. I’m still trying to get a grasp of things. It’s going to be tough. SVG (Shane van Gisbergen), he’s still got a lot to learn about the car and he’s already second quick.”

    Rookie Shane van Gisbergen will start beside Larson on the front row after a qualifying lap of 92.65 mph. He will also compete in Sunday’s Cup Series EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix.

    Ty Gibbs (92.537 mph), Chandler Smith (92.211 mph) and AJ Allmendinger (92.188 mph) rounded out the top five. Sage Karam, Sheldon Creed, Cole Custer, Daniel Hemric and Sam Mayer completed the top 10 fastest drivers in the qualifying session.

    Notes:
    Daniel Hemric filled in for Josh Williams, awaiting his child’s birth.
    Preston Pardus and Kaz Grala did not qualify for Saturday’s race at COTA.

    The Xfinity Series Focused Health 250 will be broadcast on Saturday at 5 p.m. ET on FS1 with radio coverage provided by PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

  • Connor Zilisch claims pole at COTA in Truck Series debut

    Connor Zilisch claims pole at COTA in Truck Series debut

    Connor Zilisch won the Pole Award Friday afternoon at Circuit of the Americas in his NASCAR Truck Series debut. He topped the speed chart in the No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet with a fast lap at 93.012 mph in 131.983 seconds and he also set a track record average lap speed of 92.941 mph.

    “It’s truly a testament to all the people around me,” Zilisch said after qualifying. “This Spire Motorsports team, (crew chief) Brian Pattie, everybody back at the shop, killer, killer job. This thing was basically driving itself. I don’t even want to take any of the credit for it. It’s awesome to come here in my first race and be on the pole. Thank you to everybody who supported me along the way. It’s super cool to have Austin Hatcher Foundation on the truck.”

    He concluded by saying, “It’s an honor to be on the pole in my first race but we still have a lot of work to do tomorrow.”

    The pole is one of several highlights this year for the seventeen-year-old beginning with the Rolex 24 at Daytona International Speedway in January where he won a LMP2 class victory in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. He also scored a class win in the 12 Hours of Sebring one week ago.

    Corey Heim will start beside Zilisch on the front row after posting a qualifying lap of 92.512 mph in the No. 11 TRICON Garage entry. Heim’s teammate, Taylor Gray, will start third in the No. 17 Chevrolet followed by Nick Sanchez in the No. 2 Rev Racing Chevrolet. Ross Chastain will round out the top five in the No. 45 Niece Motorsports Chevrolet.

    Jack Hawksworth, Tanner Gray, Layne Riggs, Ty Majeski and Christian Eckes completed the top-10 fastest drivers in the qualifying session.

    The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series XPEL 225 will be broadcast on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. ET on FS1 with radio coverage provided by MRN and SiriusXM Radio.

  • Weekend schedule for Circuit of the Americas

    Weekend schedule for Circuit of the Americas

    NASCAR travels to Circuit of the Americas this weekend where all three national series will compete at the 3.41-mile track for the third consecutive year.

    There have been three different Cup Series race winners at COTA – Hendrick Motorsport’s Chase Elliott (2021), Trackhouse Racing’s Ross Chastain (2022) and defending race winner, 23XI Racing’s Tyler Reddick.
    Kyle Busch won the Xfinity Series race at COTA in 2021 and AJ Allmendinger has won the last two events, in 2022 and 2023.

    Todd Gilliland won the inaugural Truck Series race in the Front Row Motorsports No. 38. Zane Smith drove to victory lane in the next two races at COTA in 2022 and 2023, also driving the No. 38.

    Shane van Gisbergen, currently driving full-time in the Kaulig Racing No. 97 entry in the Xfinity Series, will also compete in the Cup Series race this weekend in the No. 16 Chevrolet.

    NASCAR PressPass will be available post-qualifying and post-race for all series.

    All times are Eastern.

    Friday, March 22
    3:30 p.m.: Truck Series Practice (Timed–20 minutes) All entries – FS1
    4 p.m.: Truck Series Qualifying (Impound) Group A & B/Multi-Vehicle/2 Rounds – FS1
    5 p.m.: NASCAR Race Hub – FS1
    5:30 p.m.: Xfinity Series Practice (Timed-20 Minutes) All entries – FS1
    6 p.m.: Xfinity Series Qualifying, Impound, Group A & B/Multi-Vehicle/2 Rounds – FS1

    Saturday, March 23
    10 a.m.: Cup Series Practice (Timed-2 Rounds) Groups A & B, 20 Minutes each FS2/PRN/SiriusXM
    11:30 a.m.: Cup Series Qualifying (Impound) Group A & B/Multi-Vehicle/2 Rounds FS1/PRN/SiriusXM

    12:30 p.m.: NASCAR RaceDay – FS1
    1:30 p.m.: Truck Series XPEL 225 – Stages 12/26/42 Laps=143.22 Miles
    FS1/MRN/SiriusXM
    Purse: $794,098

    4 p.m.: NASCAR RaceDay – FS1
    5 p.m.: Xfinity Series Focused Health 250 – Stages 14/30/46 Laps=156.86 Miles FS1/PRN/SiriusXM
    Purse: $1,778,948

    Sunday, March 24
    2 p.m.: NASCAR RaceDay – FS1
    3 p.m.: NASCAR RaceDay – FOX
    3:30 p.m.: Cup Series EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix Stages 15/30/68 Laps=231.88 Miles
    FOX/PRN/SiriusXM
    Purse: $9,740,789

  • NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: COTA

    NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: COTA

    Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.

    1. Ross Chastain: A slow pit stop on a late caution cost Chastain track position. Things soon got worse, as Chastain’s No. 1 car suffered damage after contact on the Lap 59 restart. But a remarkable recovery, helped by numerous restarts, allowed Chastain to recover and salvage a fourth.

    “You probably saw the video of me dropping a watermelon off the COTA tower,” Chastain said. “It was fun, but could have been way more satisfying if only Denny Hamlin had been down there to catch it.”

    2. William Byron: Byron started on the pole at the Circuit Of The Americas and took the lead with eight laps to go with a pass of Tyler Reddick. But Reddick later got back by and held on for the win, while Byron took fifth.

    “NASCAR may penalize us, fine us, and suspend us,” Byron said, “but this team just keeps persevering. Call us ‘cheaters,’ but we don’t care. We deflect criticism better than our modified car part deflects air.”

    3. Joey Logano: Logano was caught up in a late crash on a restart and finished 29th in the EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix.

    “When you have 30 plus cars barreling into Turn 1 at COTA,” Logano said, “there’s bound to be chaos. When that many cars try to navigate a turn with a width that can accommodate maybe four of them, it’s like opening Pandora’s Box or Kyle Busch’s luggage.”

    4. Kyle Busch: Busch charged late and finished second at COTA, as Tyler Reddick pulled away for the victory.

    “I’ve got nothing but good things to say about COTA,” Busch said. “And Austin is a great city, except for one small issue that really frightens me: it’s over 225 miles from the Mexican border, which is way too close for my liking.”

    5. Tyler Reddick: Reddick overtook William Byron with five laps to go and held the lead on several restarts, winning the EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix.

    “My racing with William Byron was quite exciting,” Reddick said. “If you won a group bet with your friends by wagering that I would win the race over the driver in the Liberty University car, then Jerry Falwell, Jr. would like to tell you that you won the ‘pool, boy.’”

    6. Alex Bowman: Bowman ran in the top five for much of the day at COTA and came home third, recording his third top-5 of the season.

    “I think drivers and fans alike enjoy road course racing,” Bowman said. “As a Hendrick Motorsports driver, it’s a lot like getting a massive penalty from NASCAR, because I find it very ‘appealing.’”

    7. Kevin Harvick: Harvick finished 13th in the EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix.

    “It was a grueling race,” Harvick said. “And I think the ‘Echo’ in the race name had to refer to all these restarts that keep repeating themselves. When people say NASCAR racing is repetitive, this is what they are talking about.”

    8. Ryan Blaney: Blaney was a victim of a spin in the first overtime restart at COTA, and limped home to a 21st-place finish once the race was settled after two more overtime restarts. He is sixth in the points standings, 34 out of first.

    “With that much contact on the many restarts,” Blaney said, “tempers were bound to flare. And they did. Daniel Suarez was upset with his own teammate, Ross Chastain. You know what they say about Ross: ‘With teammates like Ross Chastain, who needs enemies?’

    9. Christopher Bell: Bell was knocked out of the race with two laps remaining at COTA and finished with his worst result of the season, a 31st.

    “The race had quite the Formula 1 flavor,” Bell said. “Former world champions Jenson Button and Kimi Räikkönen were in the race. That symbol over the ‘a’ and ‘o’ in ‘Räikkönen’ is called an ‘umlaut.’ For all of you NASCAR fans not familiar with that word, it doesn’t come with bacon and a side of hash browns.”

    10. Denny Hamlin: Hamlin finished 16th at COTA.

    “Hey,” Hamlin said, “let’s give it up for Tyler Reddick. That dude’s got ‘Monster Energy’ on his car and in his body. You need ‘monster energy’ just to survive the number of restarts caused by NASCAR’s idiotic restart rules. Reddick may have set a record, by winning the same race three times in one day.”

  • Weekend schedule for Circuit of the Americas

    Weekend schedule for Circuit of the Americas

    This weekend all three NASCAR national series head to Circuit of the Americas (COTA) for a full schedule of on-track activity. The 20-turn, 3.41-mile road course track presents a unique challenge for all of the competitors. As an added bonus, Formula One champions Jenson Button and Kimi Räikkönen, along with IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar champion Jordan Taylor, will join the Cup Series regulars on Sunday in the EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix.

    GRAMMY® Award-winner Darius Rucker will be the honorary starter and also perform in a pre-race concert before the Cup Series race Sunday afternoon.

    Notes:
    Kaulig Racing’s A.J. Allmendinger will be making his 400th career Cup Series career start this weekend.
    Ross Chastain is the defending Cup Series race winner. AJ Allmendinger won the Xfinity Series event last year and Zane Smith was victorious in the Truck Series at COTA in 2022.

    All times are Eastern.

    Friday, March 24

    2:35 p.m.: Cup Series Practice – No TV – Tape Delay 8 p.m. on FS1
    4:30 p.m.: Truck Series Practice – No TV – Tape Delay 9 p.m. on FS1
    5 p.m.: Truck Series Qualifying – No TV – Tape Delay 9 p.m. on FS1
    Post Truck Series Qualifying – Watch live on Press Pass
    6:30 p.m.: Xfinity Series Practice – FS1
    7 p.m.: Xfinity Series Qualifying – FS1
    Post Xfinity Series Qualifying – Watch live on Press Pass

    Saturday, March 25

    11:30 a.m.: Cup Series Qualifying – FS1/PRN/SiriusXM

    1:30 p.m.: CRAFTSMAN Truck Series XPEL 225
    Distance: 143.22 miles (42 Laps)
    Stage 1 ends on Lap 12, Stage 2 ends on Lap 26, final Stage ends on Lap 42
    FS1/MRN/SiriusXM
    The Purse: $740,517
    Post Truck Series Race: Watch live on Press Pass

    5 p.m.: Xfinity Series Pit Boss 250 presented by USA Today
    Distance: 156.86 miles (46 Laps)
    Stage 1 ends on Lap 14, Stage 2 ends on Lap 30, Final Stage ends on Lap 46
    FS1/PRN/SiriusXM
    The Purse: $1,695,270
    Post Xfinity Series Race: Watch live on Press Pass

    Sunday, March 26

    3:30 p.m.: Cup Series EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix
    Distance: 231.88 miles (68 laps)
    Stage 1 ends on Lap 15, Stage 2 ends on Lap 30, Final Stage ends on Lap 68
    FOX/PRN/SiriusXM
    The Purse: $9,294,829
    Post Cup Series Race: Watch live on Press Pass

  • NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: COTA

    NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: COTA

    Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.

    1. Chase Elliott: Elliott was a factor at COTA for most of the day and finished 4th.

    “I’d like to apologize to Kyle Busch for spinning him early in the race,” Elliott said. “Hopefully, I’ll set a good example for Kyle. Probably won’t work though. What’s even less likely than Kyle apologizing for something? Him accepting an apology.”

    2. Ross Chastain: Chastain came out on top in a thrilling final two laps at COTA, bumping A.J. Allmendinger into Alex Bowman to take the lead and secure the win.

    “That was my first win in the NASCAR Cup series,” Chastain said. “There was also another first: it was the first time an indoor skydiving sponsor appeared on any NASCAR ride. It’s called ‘iFly,’ and is for those who think real skydiving is ‘iffy.’

    “But if anyone has a problem with the way I won, they can enjoy, on my dime, an outdoor skydiving adventure, without a parachute.”

    3. Ryan Blaney: Blaney started on the pole and finished 6th in the EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix at COTA, posting his 3rd top 10 of the season.

    “Congratulations to Ross Chastain,” Blaney said. “I was impressed by his driving, and even more impressed by his victory celebration, which was spiking a watermelon from atop his car. Apparently, that watermelon is the only thing he treats worse than the cars in front of him.”

    4. Alex Bowman: Bowman briefly led on a wild final lap at COTA before he was bumped out of the front when Ross Chastain slapped A.J. Allmendinger into Bowman. Bowman recovered to finish second.

    “Chastain really did a number on A.J. and myself,” Bowman said. “As Denny Hamlin might say, he ‘absolutely hacked’ us.

    “And speaking of Denny Hamlin, he’s 24th in the points standings. So basically, he needs a win to get into the playoffs. And I have no doubt he’ll get it, as long as it’s not the last race of the season.”

    5. Joey Logano: Logano struggled in the EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix at COTA, suffering three spins and limping home with a 31st-place finish.

    “My former teammate Brad Keselowski’s team received a huge penalty for a rules violation,” Logano said. “They ‘modified a single-source supply part.’ Those five words sound a little technical, so here is another five words that says the same thing: ‘You cheated and got caught.’”

    6. William Byron: Byron came home 12th at COTA as Hendrick Motorsports placed three drivers in the top 12.

    “There were quite a few ‘road course ringers’ in the race,” Byron said. “One of them was a driver named ‘Joey Hand’ in the race. That’s ‘Joey Hand,’ not to be confused with the late Mafia capo ‘Joey Hands,’ a name which is as Mafia as it gets, much like ‘Dick Trickle’ is a name which is as NASCAR as it gets.”

    7. Chase Briscoe: Briscoe was challenging for the win late at COTA, but was shuffled back on a restart and then fell further back when he pitted for fresh tires. He finished 30th.

    “Sure I’m disappointed,” Briscoe said. “But at least my hero and car owner Tony Stewart was in the Fox broadcasting booth. I know Tony has to get fidgety standing in a booth for four hours. For one thing, he’s not sitting in a car, but what’s even worse for Tony is he has to go that long without cursing.”

    8. Martin Truex Jr.: Truex took new tires late and surged through the field to place a solid 7th-place finish.

    “Fresh tires mean everything in the sport of NASCAR,” Truex said. “And, with each winner this year being under 30, fresh faces mean everything in this sport.

    9. Aric Almirola: Almirola finished 19th at COTA, and after three straight top 10’s to begin the season, has failed to crack the top 10 in his last three races.

    “Wrestling great ‘The Undertaker’ rode along in the pace car,” Almirola said. “That had to be frightening for the pace car driver. You don’t want to be stuck in a car with a ‘dead man,’ and certainly not if he ‘R.I.P.’s‘ a fart.”

    10. Tyler Reddick: Reddick started 4th and finished 5th at COTA, and is 10the in the points standings.

    “It’s a good finish,” Reddick said, “but I feel like I had a car good enough to win. Of course, having 3CHI as my primary sponsor means I feel like I should always finish higher.

    “And speaking of ‘3CHI,’ I think they’re expanding to the edible food market, with a delicious product called ‘3CHI’s Pizza.’”