NASCAR at COTA – What to Know

On Sunday, the NASCAR Cup Series will race at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas. The race is the fifth Cup Series event at the track and the third race of the 2025 season. Here’s what you need to know before Sunday’s EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix.

23XI Racing paces the field

Ninety-five laps will decide Sunday’s race, but 23XI Racing made a statement during Saturday’s qualifying session. Tyler Reddick – who won at COTA in 2023 – won the pole, while Bubba Wallace qualified second. 23XI has traditionally been quick at road courses, but it’s an excellent sign that Wallace – traditionally an average road racer – had so much pace.

Trackhouse looks to make a statement

Trackhouse Racing will start Sunday’s race with the spotlight firmly on them. All four Trackhouse cars will start inside the top-14, with Daniel Suarez leading the team in fifth. Road course ace Shane van Gisbergen will start sixth, with 2022 COTA winner Ross Chastain starting ninth. The biggest storyline within the team and of the weekend is the team’s fourth entry: Connor Zilisch, who won the Xfinity Series race at COTA on Saturday. The 18-year-old phenom enters Sunday as one of the most hyped prospects in recent NASCAR history, and he’ll have a chance to turn millions of heads on Sunday.

How does Hocevar respond after controversial race at Atlanta?

Carson Hocevar’s runner-up finish at Atlanta on Feb. 23 was a major storyline, but not necessarily for the right reason. The second-year driver ruffled plenty of feathers en route to his career-best finish, but the outside noise surrounding Hocevar didn’t seem to affect him in Saturday’s qualifying session. Hocevar shot to the top of the board early in qualifying and ended up fourth on the speed chart when the session ended. Keep an eye on him as a dark horse on Sunday.

How does Hendrick stack up?

Hendrick Motorsports’ William Byron is the defending winner at COTA, and HMS has an excellent shot to add another COTA win on Sunday. Chase Elliott (third) and Kyle Larson (seventh) will both start inside the top-10, while William Byron (15th) and Alex Bowman (21st) will have a bit more work to do to find their way into victory lane. All four HMS drivers are either road course aces or historically good at COTA, which bodes well for the powerhouse organization on Sunday.

EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix schedule:

Sunday, March 2

Pre-Race Coverage: 2:30 p.m. ET, PRN

NASCAR Raceday: 2:30 p.m. ET, FOX

EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix: 3:30 p.m. ET, FOX, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix starting lineup:

1. Tyler Reddick
2. Bubba Wallace
3. Chase Elliott
4. Carson Hocevar
5. Daniel Suarez
6. Shane van Gisbergen
7. Kyle Larson
8. Kyle Busch
9. Ross Chastain
10. Todd Gilliland
11. Denny Hamlin
12. AJ Allmendinger
13. Ty Gibbs
14. Connor Zilisch
15. William Byron
16. Michael McDowell
17. Noah Gragson
18. Chase Briscoe
19. Christopher Bell
20. Zane Smith
21. Alex Bowman
22. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
23. Joey Logano
24. Chris Buescher
25. Ryan Blaney
26. Brad Keselowski
27. Austin Dillon
28. Ryan Preece
29. Justin Haley
30. Cole Custer
31. Riley Herbst
32. Erik Jones
33. John Hunter Nemechek
34. Ty Dillon
35. Josh Berry
36. Austin Cindric
37. Cody Ware

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