NASCAR at COTA Tripleheader Weekend Fact Sheet
May 23, 2021; Austin, Texas, USA; Tyler Reddick and Kyle Larson during the Inaugural EchoPark Automotive Texas Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas. Photo by Michael C. Johnson
Courtesy of NASCAR at COTA PR
WHAT: All three of NASCAR‘s national series – Cup Series (NCS), Xfinity Series (NXS) and Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) – make their second appearance at Circuit of The Americas (COTA) in Austin, Texas. This will be the Cup Series debut of the new Next Gen car on a road course layout and the first non-oval event of the season for all three series. The NASCAR tripleheader will be highlighted by the NCS EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix, one of six road courses on the 2022 schedule. The weekend will also feature the NXS Pit Boss 250 and the NCWTS XPEL 225.
WHERE: Circuit of The Americas (COTA), located just south of Austin, Texas, near the town of Elroy, is a 3.41-mile purpose-built road course with 20 turns and an elevation change of 133 feet. COTA has hosted many of the other most prestigious racing circuits in the world, including Formula 1, MotoGP and INDYCAR.
WHEN: Friday – Sunday, March 25-27, 2022
TV AND RADIO:
EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix NASCAR Cup Series race (TV: FOX | Radio: PRN, SiriusXM | 2:30 p.m. CT Sunday)
Pit Boss 250 NASCAR Xfinity Series race (TV: FS1 | Radio: PRN, SiriusXM | 3:30 p.m. CT Saturday)
XPEL 225 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race (TV: FS1 | Radio: MRN, SiriusXM | 12 p.m. CT Saturday)
RACE LENGTH AND STAGES:
The NCS EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix is a 68-lap event that covers a race distance of 231.88 miles. Under NASCAR’s race stages competition format, the EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix will feature three stages: 15 laps (stage one), 15 laps (stage two) and 38 laps (stage three).
The NXS Pit Boss 250 will have three stages of 14, 16 and 16 laps for a 46-lap race of 156.86 miles.
The NCWTS XPEL 225 will have three stages of 12, 14 and 16 laps for a 42-lap race of 143.22 miles.
ENTRY LISTS:
NCS EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix
RACE COURSE: COTA is the only FIA-certified Grade 1 track in the United States. NASCAR’s three national series will use the full 3.41-mile race course for their respective races. The 20-turn course, which features an elevation change of 133 feet, runs counterclockwise across the rolling hills of Texas. The course begins with a steep uphill climb into the iconic turn one that finishes with a hairpin left turn. The field then descends from the turn one hill to navigate a series of fast, sweeping esses in turns three through six into a blind corner at turn 10, taking them to the far end of the circuit and another hairpin at turn 11. The course then offers a more than half-mile straightaway back toward the pit and paddock area before entering the final technical section of the track, where drivers will weave through a series of corner turns in 12-15. That section is followed by a downhill, multi-apex corner with limited run-off before the final two corners of the circuit, a pair of left-hand bends that return the field to the main straightaway. Click here for a course layout map.
WEEKEND SCHEDULE AT A GLANCE (all times Central/local):
Friday, March 25
9 a.m. NASCAR Camping World Truck Series garage open
11 a.m. NASCAR Xfinity Series garage open
2-2:30 p.m. NASCAR Camping World Truck Series practice
2:30-3:30 p.m. NASCAR Camping World Truck Series qualifying
4-4:30 p.m. NASCAR Xfinity Series practice
4:30-5:30 p.m. NASCAR Xfinity Series qualifying
Saturday, March 26
6:30 a.m. NASCAR Cup Series garage open
9 a.m. NASCAR Camping World Truck Series garage open
9-10 a.m. NASCAR Cup Series practice
10-11 a.m. NASCAR Cup Series qualifying
11:30 a.m. NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driver introductions
12 p.m. XPEL 225 NCWTS race (Stages 12/26/42 laps = 143.22 total miles)
12:30 p.m. NASCAR Xfinity Series garage open
3 p.m. NASCAR Xfinity Series driver introductions
3:30 p.m. Pit Boss 250 NXS race (Stages 14/30/46 laps = 156.86 total miles)
Sunday, March 27
11:30 a.m. NASCAR Cup Series garage open
2 p.m. NASCAR Cup Series driver introductions
2:30 p.m. EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix NCS race (Stages 15/30/68 laps = 231.88 total miles)
2021 NASCAR AT COTA RACE WINNERS:
NASCAR Cup Series – Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports
NASCAR Xfinity Series – Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series – Todd Gilliland | Front Row Motorsports
2021 NASCAR AT COTA POLE WINNERS:
NASCAR Cup Series – Tyler Reddick* | Richard Childress Racing
NASCAR Xfinity Series – Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series – Tyler Ankrum* | GMS Racing
* – First career series pole
MOST ROAD COURSE WINS (CUP SERIES):
9 – Jeff Gordon
8 – Tony Stewart
7 – Chase Elliott
6 – Ricky Rudd and Rusty Wallace
5 – Bobby Allison and Darrell Waltrip
4 – Tim Richmond, Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr.
2022 NASCAR CUP SERIES RACE WINNERS:
Austin Cindric – Daytona
Kyle Larson – Auto Club
Alex Bowman – Las Vegas
Chase Briscoe – Phoenix
William Byron – Atlanta
2022 NASCAR XFINITY SERIES RACE WINNERS:
Austin Hill – Daytona
Cole Custer – Auto Club
Ty Gibbs – Las Vegas
Noah Gragson – Phoenix
Ty Gibbs – Atlanta
2022 NASCAR CAMPING WORLD TRUCK SERIES RACE WINNERS:
Zane Smith – Daytona
Chandler Smith – Las Vegas
Corey Heim – Atlanta
NOTEWORTHY:
NASCAR CUP SERIES:
●Chase Elliott won last year’s rain-shortened inaugural EchoPark Automotive Texas Grand Prix last year for his first win of the season and sixth career road course win. Elliott led once for five laps, and it turned out to be the final five of the race. Due to heavy rain and visibility issues, race was red flagged and discontinued after 54 of the 68 laps were completed before being deemed official and Elliott the winner. Kyle Larson was second, Joey Logano third, Ross Chastain fourth and A.J. Allmendinger fifth. Elliott added another road course win at Road America later in the season for his seventh road course victory, giving him sole possession of third on the all-time list.
●The EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix at COTA will serve as the road course debut of the Next Gen Cup car. It should set the tone and provide some insight on which drivers/teams could perform well on the remaining five road courses (Sonoma, Road America, Indianapolis road course, Watkins Glen and the Charlotte ROVAL™).
●Last season, the Daytona International Speedway road course served as the first road course of the season and second race overall. The EchoPark Automotive Texas Grand Prix, which was run May 23 last year, was the second road course race of the season and 14th overall on the schedule.
●COTA hired consultants to review asphalt designs and diagnose the parts of the track in need of resurfacing. Ground penetration radar and laser mapping equipment and software was used to map the track and identify the different repairs needed. From there, COTA worked to repave turns 12-16 and build a concrete pad to reinforce the areas at turn two and 10. Additionally, COTA worked with contractors to ensure the new asphalt and concrete foundations were even and flush, creating an ideal track for upcoming races and events. The work was done in January of this year.
●Of Larson’s series-high 10 victories last season, he also had the most road course wins in the series with three. He won at Sonoma, Watkins Glen and the Charlotte ROVAL™, and they were the first three road course victories of his Cup career.
●With Elliott and Larson combining for five of the seven wins on road courses in the 2021 season, the other two were won by Christopher Bell (Daytona) and Allmendinger (Indianapolis).
●RFK Racing driver Chris Buescher is the only fulltime Cup competitor from Texas. Buescher grew up in Prosper, which is about 34 miles north of Dallas.
●William Byron won Sunday at Atlanta Motor Speedway to become the fifth different winner in five races this season. Of the five, three have been Hendrick Motorsports drivers with Byron, Larson (Auto Club) and Alex Bowman (Las Vegas).
●Two of the first four victors of the Cup Series season are first-time winners: Austin Cindric in the season-opening Daytona 500 and Chase Briscoe at Phoenix. Briscoe’s win was a milestone for the sport, as he became the 200th different winner in the NASCAR Cup Series.
●By finishing sixth at Atlanta on Sunday, Elliott moved atop the Cup Series points standings and unseated Joey Logano. Logano, who finished ninth at Atlanta, fell to second (-7) and Briscoe is third (-15).
NASCAR XFINITY SERIES:
●NASCAR Cup Series regular Kyle Busch dominated last year’s Pit Boss 250 Xfinity Series race, leading 35 of the 46 laps en route to an 11.024-second margin of victory over runner-up A.J. Allmendinger. Justin Allgaier finished third, Kevin Harvick fourth and Austin Cindric fifth.
●The Xfinity Series ran seven road course events in 2021, with Busch (COTA, Road America), Ty Gibbs (Daytona, Watkins Glen) and Allmendinger (Mid-Ohio, Charlotte ROVAL™) winning two each. The other 2021 road course winner was Cindric (Indianapolis road course).
●The Pit Boss 250 at COTA will be the first of six road course races this season. The others are Portland, Road America, Indianapolis road course, Watkins Glen and the Charlotte ROVAL™.
●Austin Hill, running his first fulltime Xfinity Series season with Richard Childress Racing, got off to a great start with his first series victory in the season opener at Daytona.
●There were three different winners in the first three races before Gibbs became the first multiple winner of the season. The 19-year-old grandson of NASCAR Hall of Famer and Pro Football Hall of Famer Joe Gibbs won at Las Vegas and added a second this past weekend at Atlanta.
●Noah Gragson leads the Xfinity Series points standings and is followed by Gibbs (-19) and Allmendinger (-19).
NASCAR CAMPING WORLD TRUCK SERIES:
●Todd Gilliland took the lead from polesitter Tyler Ankrum with six laps remaining in the 2021 NCWTS race at COTA and coasted to a 7.941-second margin of victory over runner-up Kaz Grala. It was the second career NCWTS win for Gilliland. Ankrum finished third while Grant Enfinger was fourth and Sheldon Creed fifth.
●The 2021 season yielded three different road course winners with Gilliland, Ben Rhodes (Daytona) and Austin Hill (Watkins Glen).
●The XPEL 225 is the first of three NCWTS road course races on the 2022 schedule. The others are Sonoma and Mid-Ohio.
●Creed didn’t win last year, but he has been victorious at COTA previously. He won a gold medal in Stadium Super Trucks at the 2015 X Games held at the venue. At the 2014 X Games, the then-16-year-old Creed won a silver medal to become the youngest car or truck driver to medal in the event’s history.
●The series has had three different winners in the first three races, including Corey Heim securing his first career NCWTS win last weekend at Atlanta.
●Chandler Smith leads the NCWTS points standings over Tanner Gray (-13) and Ty Majeski (-17)
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