After five points races on ovals, it’s time for the NASCAR Cup Series to return to one of the country’s premiere road courses, the Circuit of The Americas (COTA), for the EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix this Sunday, March 24 at 3:30 p.m. ET on FOX, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
This week the NASCAR Cup Series teams are preparing for the first of five road & street courses on the 2024 schedule – Circuit of The Americas (Mar. 24), Sonoma Raceway (June 9), Chicago Street Race (July 7), Watkins Glen International (Sept. 15) and the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL (Oct. 8).
Getting to know COTA
Construction began in 2010 on 1,500 acres of land just outside of Austin, Texas on what is now known as the Circuit of The Americas. The 20-turn, 3.41-mile, multi-elevational counterclockwise circuit takes advantage of the naturally rolling landscape, including a 133-foot hill at Turn 1. The track also has an amphitheater, the largest permanent outdoor amphitheater in Central Texas, and a 251-foot observation tower.
The sprawling Circuit of The Americas road course has hosted three NASCAR Cup Series races (2021-2023) producing three different pole winners and three different race winners.
Circuit of The Americas sets the stage for NASCAR Cup Series’ new road course package
Starting in 2024 the NASCAR Cup Series Next Gen cars will run a simplified diffuser at a majority of tracks measuring one-mile or shorter, as well as all road courses. (Note: Los Angeles, Bristol and Dover excluded.) This weekend at Circuit of The Americas will be the first event the new package will be used on a road course.
The details of the components updated:
- 2023 short track/road course splitter stuffers
- No engine panel strakes
- 3-inch spoiler
- Simplified Diffuser
- Simplified Diffuser Strakes
First road course qualifying of the Cup season
It’s time for the drivers to get their elbows up because this weekend the NASCAR Cup Series is taking on the 20-turn Circuit of The Americas this Sunday, March 24 at 3:30 p.m. ET on FOX, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. The first three Cup races at COTA have produced three different pole winners at the 3.41-mile course. Will we see a fourth?
o Tyler Reddick, Chevrolet, 91.363 mph, 132.911 seconds, May 23, 2021
o Ryan Blaney, Ford, 92.759 mph, 132.343 seconds, May 26, 2022
o William Byron, Chevrolet, 93.882 mph, 130.760 seconds, March 25, 2023
Interestingly, three different starting positions have led to victories in the NASCAR Cup Series at Circuit of The Americas, but none from the pole or first starting position – the 2021 race was won from the eighth starting position, the 2022 race was won from the 16th starting position and last year’s was won from the outside front row (second).
This weekend’s on-track activity for the NASCAR Cup Series will begin with practice on Saturday, March 23 at 9 a.m. ET followed by Busch Light Pole Qualifying at 10:30 a.m. ET. Both events will be televised on FS2, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
Hamlin becomes fifth different winner in first five races, keeps season streak alive
In arguably one of the greatest short track races ever last Sunday at Bristol Motor Speedway, Joe Gibbs Racing’s Denny Hamlin banked his first win of the 2024 season becoming the fifth different winner in the first five races of the year; joining William Byron (Daytona), Daniel Suarez (Atlanta), Kyle Larson (Las Vegas) and Christopher Bell (Phoenix). Now, the NASCAR Cup Series heads to Austin, Texas for a showdown at the Circuit of The Americas, which has produced three different winners in its last three races. All the ingredients are lining up, could the streak of different winners this season keep rolling and we see a sixth?
The Modern Era (1972-2024) record of different winners to start a NASCAR Cup Series season is 10, set back in 2000. That year, NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt Jr. snapped the different winners streak by winning his second race of the 2000 season at Richmond Raceway (Race No. 11 on the schedule).
None of the former COTA winners have won this season and are looking to get back to Victory Lane. Hendrick Motorsport’s Chase Elliott won the inaugural NASCAR Cup Series race at the Circuit of The Americas on May 23, 2021 after starting from the eighth position. Elliott leads all active drivers in road course wins with seven. If he were to win this weekend, he would tie NASCAR Hall of Famer Tony Stewart (eight road course wins) for second-most on the all-time NASCAR Cup Series road course wins list.
Trackhouse Racing’s Ross Chastain won the NASCAR Cup Series race at the Circuit of The Americas on March 27, 2022 after starting from the 16th position. The victory was extra special because it was the first career NASCAR Cup Series win for driver Ross Chastain. Chastain is also the only driver to finish in the top-five in all three previous Cup races at COTA.
Then last season, 23XI Racing’s Tyler Reddick won the NASCAR Cup Series race at the Circuit of The Americas on March 26, 2023 after starting from the second position. Interestingly, Reddick has won five career Cup races and three have come on road courses – Road America (2022), Indianapolis Road Course (2022) and COTA (2023).
Next Gen car is smashing records in 2024
It has been a strong start to the season statistically as the Next Gen car continues to put the NASCAR Cup Series at the top of the list in terms of the closest and most competitive racing on the planet. Below are just a few of the highlights the first five races of the 2024 season has delivered.
Record Average Lap Leaders – This season the NASCAR Cup Series has produced an average of 14.2 lap leaders per race in the first five races of the year – the series-most average number of lap leaders through the first five races of a season in the Modern Era (1972-2024).
Record Average Lead Changes – The NASCAR Cup Series is averaging 35.4 lead changes per race through the first five races of the 2024 season, the series-most in the Modern Era (1972-2024). The next highest is the 2011 season with 31.6.
Record Green Flag Passes For The Lead – The 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season has produced 487 Green Flag Passes for the Lead – the most through the first five races of the year since the inception of the stat in 2005, surpassing the previous record of 348 Green Flag Passes for the Lead through the first five races of a season set in 2022 & 2023 (tied at 348 each).
Record Total Green Flag Passes – The 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season has produced 29,429 Total Green Flag Passes – the series-most through the first five races of the year since the inception of the stat in 2005, surpassing the previous record of 27,341 Total Green Flag Passes through the first five races set last season.
Five Different Winners In First Five Races – This season is the 17th-time in the Modern Era (1972-2024) the NASCAR Cup Series has opened the year with five different winners in the first five races of the schedule.
NASCAR brings a bevy of road course aces to COTA
At one time in the NASCAR Cup Series being a road course specialist was an anomaly, but not anymore. Heading into this weekend at the Circuit of The Americas, the NASCAR Cup Series has 15 former road course winners entered in the EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix this Sunday, March 24 at 3:30 p.m. ET on FOX, PRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, and 10 of them are looking for their first win of the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season (all except William Byron, Daniel Suarez, Kyle Larson, Christopher Bell and Denny Hamlin).
