AUSTIN, TEXAS - MARCH 27: A general view of racing during the NASCAR Cup Series Echopark Automotive Grand Prix at Circuit of The Americas on March 27, 2022 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Logan Riely/Getty Images) | Getty Images
AUSTIN, TEXAS - MARCH 27: A general view of racing during the NASCAR Cup Series Echopark Automotive Grand Prix at Circuit of The Americas on March 27, 2022 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Logan Riely/Getty Images) | Getty Images

Statistical Advance: Analyzing the EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix

Below is a look at some of the top statistical performers at the Circuit of The Americas in Austin, Texas, going into the EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix this Sunday, March 26 at 3:30 p.m. ET on FOX, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. 

2023 NASCAR Cup Series Driver Playoff Outlook Following Race No. 5
Rank Drivers Points Starts Wins Stages Playoff Pts Points From Cutoff
1 Joey Logano 177 5 1 1 6 In On Wins
2 Kyle Busch 153 5 1 0 5
3 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 124 5 1 0 5
4 William Byron 55 5 2 3 3
5 Christopher Bell 176 5 0 0 0 74
6 Ross Chastain 172 5 0 3 3 70
7 Ryan Blaney 161 5 0 0 0 59
8 Brad Keselowski 160 5 0 1 1 58
9 Kevin Harvick 155 5 0 0 0 53
10 Martin Truex Jr. 145 5 0 0 0 43
11 Denny Hamlin 140 5 0 0 0 38
12 Daniel Suarez 129 5 0 0 0 27
13 Austin Cindric 126 5 0 1 1 24
14 Chris Buescher 122 5 0 0 0 20
15 Corey LaJoie 113 5 0 0 0 11
16 Tyler Reddick 111 5 0 0 0 9
17 Bubba Wallace 102 5 0 0 0 -9
18 AJ Allmendinger 92 5 0 0 0 -19
19 Michael McDowell 92 5 0 0 0 -19
20 Ty Gibbs # 90 5 0 0 0 -21
21 Alex Bowman 85 5 0 0 -10 -26
22 Erik Jones 82 5 0 0 0 -29
23 Austin Dillon 80 5 0 0 0 -31
24 Chase Briscoe 72 5 0 0 0 -39
25 Noah Gragson # 68 5 0 0 0 -43
26 Todd Gilliland 68 5 0 0 0 -43
27 Ryan Preece 63 5 0 0 0 -48
28 Aric Almirola 63 5 0 0 0 -48
29 Harrison Burton 51 5 0 0 0 -60
30 Cody Ware 50 5 0 0 0 -61
31 Kyle Larson 43 5 0 1 -9 -68
32 Ty Dillon 31 5 0 0 0 -80
33 BJ McLeod 27 5 0 0 0 -84
34 Justin Haley -25 5 0 0 -10 -136
Note: Must compete in every race of the season to be eligible for the Playoffs or be granted a waiver by NASCAR.

COTA DRIVER-SPECIFIC STATISTICS

(Driver stats below are from 2005 – Present)

  • AJ Allmendinger (No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet)
  • One top five, one top 10
  • Average Finish of 19.000, 12th-best
  • Average Running Position of 10.577, sixth-best
  • Driver Rating of 93.9, eighth-best
  • 4 Fastest Laps Run, seventh-best
  • 86 Laps in the Top 15 (69.9%), eighth-most
  • 63 Quality Passes, sixth-most
  • Ryan Blaney (No. 12 Team Penske Ford)
  • One top 10, one pole
  • Average Finish of 11.500, sixth-best
  • Average Running Position of 15.705, 13th-best
  • Driver Rating of 85.5, 10th-best
  • 4 Fastest Laps Run, eighth-best
  • 72 Laps in the Top 15 (58.5%), 12th-most
  • 40 Quality Passes, 16th-most
  • Alex Bowman (No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet)
  • One top five, two top 10s
  • Average Finish of 5.000, third-best
  • Average Running Position of 11.893, ninth-best
  • Driver Rating of 99.7, third-best
  • 4 Fastest Laps Run, sixth-best
  • 88 Laps in the Top 15 (71.5%), sixth-most
  • 55 Quality Passes, seventh-most
  • Chase Briscoe (No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford)
  • One top 10
  • Average Finish of 18.000, 11th-best
  • Average Running Position of 12.878, 11th-best
  • Driver Rating of 83.2, 11th-best
  • 3 Fastest Laps Run, 11th-best
  • 84 Laps in the Top 15 (68.3%), ninth-most
  • 71 Quality Passes, fifth-most
  • Kyle Busch (No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet)
  • One top 10
  • Average Finish of 19.000, 13th-best
  • Average Running Position of 9.065, second-best
  • Driver Rating of 92.4, ninth-best
  • 9 Fastest Laps Run, third-best
  • 102 Laps in the Top 15 (82.9%), second-most
  • 80 Quality Passes, second-most
  • William Byron (No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet)
  • Two top 15s
  • Average Finish of 11.500, seventh-best
  • Average Running Position of 17.192, 15th-best
  • Driver Rating of 83.0, 12th-best
  • Zero Fastest Laps Run
  • 60 Laps in the Top 15 (48.8%), 13th-most
  • 45 Quality Passes, 13th-most
  • Ross Chastain (No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet)
  • One win, two top fives, two top 10s
  • Average Finish of 2.500, series-best
  • Average Running Position of 6.785, series-best
  • Driver Rating of 125.8, series-best
  • 20 Fastest Laps Run, series-best
  • 112 Laps in the Top 15 (91.1%), series-most
  • 75 Quality Passes, third-most
  • Austin Cindric (No. 2 Team Penske Ford)
  • One top 10
  • Average Finish of 16.500, ninth-best
  • Average Running Position of 10.562, fifth-best
  • Driver Rating of 96.1, sixth-best
  • 8 Fastest Laps Run, fourth-best
  • 89 Laps in the Top 15 (72.4%), fifth-most
  • 47 Quality Passes, 12th-most
  • Kyle Larson (No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet)
  • One top five, one top 10
  • Average Finish of 15.500, eighth-best
  • Average Running Position of 12.436, 10th-best
  • Driver Rating of 97.5, fourth-best
  • 5 Fastest Laps Run, fifth-best
  • 87 Laps in the Top 15 (70.7%), seventh-most
  • 80 Quality Passes, series-most
  • Joey Logano (No. 22 Team Penske Ford)
  • One top five, one top 10
  • Average Finish of 17.000, 10th-best
  • Average Running Position of 11.890, eighth-best
  • Driver Rating of 97.4, fifth-best
  • 3 Fastest Laps Run, 10th-best
  • 76 Laps in the Top 15 (61.8%), 11th-most
  • 47 Quality Passes, 11th-most
  • Michael McDowell (No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford)
  • One top 10
  • Average Finish of 10.000, fifth-best
  • Average Running Position of 16.360, 14th-best
  • Driver Rating of 82.2, 13th-best
  • 2 Fastest Laps Run, 12th-best
  • 54 Laps in the Top 15 (43.9%), 15th-most
  • 52 Quality Passes, eighth-most
  • Tyler Reddick (No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota)
  • One top five, two top 10s, one pole
  • Average Finish of 7.000, fourth-best
  • Average Running Position of 9.521, fourth-best
  • Driver Rating of 95.8, seventh-best
  • Zero Fastest Laps Run
  • 95 Laps in the Top 15 (77.2%), fourth-most
  • 50 Quality Passes, 10th-most

NASCAR Cup Series 2023 Top 16 in the Driver Standings at Circuit of The Americas

Rank Driver Races Poles Wins Top Fives Top 10s DNFs Average Finish Driver Rating
1 Joey Logano 2 0 0 1 1 0 17 97.4
2 Christopher Bell 2 0 0 1 1 1 20.5 71.3
3 Ross Chastain 2 0 1 2 2 0 2.5 125.8
4 Ryan Blaney 2 1 0 0 1 0 11.5 85.5
5 Brad Keselowski 2 0 0 0 0 0 16.5 54.5
6 Kevin Harvick 2 0 0 0 0 1 24 54.8
7 Kyle Busch 2 0 0 0 1 0 19 92.4
8 Martin Truex Jr 2 0 0 0 1 1 21 81.7
9 Denny Hamlin 2 0 0 0 0 0 16 79.9
10 Daniel Suárez 2 0 0 0 0 0 28.5 64.6
11 Austin Cindric 2 0 0 0 1 0 16.5 96.1
12 Ricky Stenhouse Jr 2 0 0 0 0 1 29.5 52.3
13 Chris Buescher 2 0 0 0 0 0 17 71.1
14 Corey Lajoie 2 0 0 0 0 1 28 47.9
15 Tyler Reddick 2 1 0 1 2 0 7 95.8
16 Bubba Wallace 2 0 0 0 0 2 38.5 61.7

* – Based on two races at the Circuit of The Americas (2005 – 2022).

 Circuit of The Americas Track Data

 Season Race #: 6 of 36 (03-26-23)

Track Size: 3.41-miles

Track Type: Multi-Elevational Counterclockwise Road Course

Number of Turns: 20

Race Length: 68 laps (231.88-miles)

Stage 1 and 2 Length: 15 laps (each)

Final Stage Length: 38 laps

Circuit of The Americas Qualifying & Race Record Data

 Track Qualifying Record:

Ryan Blaney, Ford, 92.759 mph, 132.343 seconds, May 26, 2022

 2022 COTA Pole Winner:

Ryan Blaney, Ford, 92.759 mph, 132.343 seconds, May 26, 2022

 2021 COTA Pole Winner:

Tyler Reddick, Chevrolet, 91.363 mph, 132.911 seconds, May 23, 2021

 Track Race Record:

Ross Chastain, Chevrolet, 70.253 mph, (3:20:57), May 27, 2022

 2022 COTA Race Winner:

Ross Chastain, Chevrolet, 70.253 mph, (3:20:57), May 27, 2022

 2021 COTA Race Winner:

Chase Elliott, Chevrolet, 59.024 mph, (3:07:11), May 23, 2021

Circuit of The Americas Stats & Tidbits:

HISTORY

  • Construction began in 2010 on the Circuit of The Americas on 1,500 acres of land just outside of Austin, Texas.
  • The 20-turn, 3.41-mile counterclockwise circuit takes advantage of the naturally undulating 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 first race the Circuit of The Americas hosted was a Formula 1 race on November 18, 2012. The event was won by Lewis Hamilton.
  • The first NASCAR Cup Series race held at the Circuit of The Americas was on May 23, 2021 and the event was shortened due to weather and was won by Hendrick Motorsports driver Chase Elliott.
  • In total, Circuit of The Americas has hosted two NASCAR Cup Series races (2021-2022).

STARTS

  • A total of 47 different drivers have competed in at least one NASCAR Cup Series points-paying race at the Circuit of The Americas, and 32 different drivers have competed in two Cup races at COTA.
  • Two drivers have made their first career NASCAR Cup Series start at the Circuit of The Americas – Kyle Tilley in 2021 – he started 39th and finished 31st. And Loris Hezemans in 2022 – he started 36th and finished 34th.
  • Tyler Reddick leads the NASCAR Cup Series in average starting position at the Circuit of The Americas with a 2.5 in two starts.

 

Rank All-Time Drivers Avg. Start Races
1 Tyler Reddick 2.500 2
2 Ryan Blaney 5.000 2
3 Joey Logano 6.000 2
4 Austin Cindric 6.500 2
5 Kyle Larson 7.500 2
6 Alex Bowman 8.500 2
7 Christopher Bell 8.500 2
8 Cole Custer 8.500 2
9 Daniel Suárez 8.500 2
10 Kyle Busch 9.500 2

POLES

  • Two drivers have won a NASCAR Cup Series pole at Circuit of The Americas:

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

  • One driver has won his first career pole at the Circuit of The Americas in the NASCAR Cup Series – Tyler Reddick on May 23, 2021.
  • Youngest Cup pole winner at the Circuit of The Americas: Tyler Reddick (May 23, 2021 – 25 years, 5 months and 25 days).
  • Oldest Cup pole winner at the Circuit of The Americas: Ryan Blaney (March 26, 2022 – 28 years, 1 months and 54 days).
  • Two organizations have won a pole at the Circuit of The Americas in the NASCAR Cup Series – Richard Childress Racing (Tyler Reddick, 2021) and Team Penske (Ryan Blaney, 2022).
  • Two manufacturers have won the pole in the NASCAR Cup Series at COTA – Chevrolet (2021) and Ford (2022).

 WINS

  • Two drivers have won in the NASCAR Cup Series at Circuit of The Americas: Chase Elliott (2021) and Ross Chastain (2022).

o   Hendrick Motorsport’s Chase Elliott won the inaugural NASCAR Cup Series race at the Circuit of The Americas on May 23, 2021 – he started from the eighth position.

o   Trackhouse Racing’s Ross Chastain the NASCAR Cup Series race at the Circuit of The Americas on March 27, 2022 – he started from the 16th position.

  •    A total of 57 different drivers have won on a road course in the NASCAR Cup Series, led by NASCAR Hall of FamerJeff Gordon with nine (Sonoma, five; Watkins Glen, four) road course victories.
  • NASCAR Hall of Famer Tony Stewart has the second most road course wins all-time in the series with eight (Watkins Glen, five; Sonoma, three).
  • NASCAR Hall of Famer Bobby Allison holds the NASCAR Cup Series record for the most wins at a single road course track with six victories at Riverside International Raceway (1971, 1973, 1975, 1979, 1981 sweep).
  • A total of 12 active NASCAR Cup Series road course winners are entered this weekend at COTA.

Active Road Course Winners in the NASCAR Cup Series

Active Road Course Winners (12) Total Wins Sonoma WGI Charlotte Daytona Indy COTA Road America
Kyle Busch 4 2 2 0 0 0 0 0
Martin Truex Jr 4 3 1 0 0 0 0 0
Kyle Larson 4 1 2 1 0 0 0 0
Kevin Harvick 2 1 1 0 0 0 0 0
AJ Allmendinger 2 0 1 0 0 1 0 0
Christopher Bell 2 0 0 1 1 0 0 0
Tyler Reddick 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 1
Joey Logano 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0
Ryan Blaney 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0
Denny Hamlin 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0
Daniel Suárez 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0
Jimmie Johnson 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0
Ross Chastain 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0

 

  • Youngest Cup race winner at the Circuit of The Americas: Chase Elliott (May 23, 2021 – 25 years, 5 months and 25 days).
  • Oldest Cup race winner at the Circuit of The Americas: Ross Chastain (March 27, 2022 – 29 years, 3 months and 23 days).
  • Two organizations have won in the NASCAR Cup Series at the Circuit of The Americas – Hendrick Motorsports (Chase Elliott, 2021) and Trackhouse Racing (Ross Chastain, 2022).
  • One manufacturer has won in the NASCAR Cup Series at the Circuit of The Americas – Chevrolet in 2021 and 2022.

 ADDITIONAL FINISHING POSITIONS

Runner-Up Finishes:

  • Two drivers have finished runner-up in the NASCAR Cup Series at the Circuit of The Americas – Kyle Larson in 2021 and Alex Bowman in 2022.

Top-Five Finishes:

  • A total of eight different drivers have finished in the top-five in the NASCAR Cup Series at the Circuit of the Americas:

o   2021 – 1. Chase Elliott, 2. Kyle Larson, 3. Joey Logano, 4. Ross Chastain, 5. A.J. Allmendinger.

o   2022 – 1. Ross Chastain, 2. Alex Bowman, 3. Christopher Bell, 4. Chase Elliott, 5. Tyler Reddick.

Top-10 Finishes:

  • A total of 16 different drivers have finished in the top-10 in the NASCAR Cup Series at the Circuit of The Americas:

o   2021 – 1. Chase Elliott, 2. Kyle Larson, 3. Joey Logano, 4. Ross Chastain, 5. A.J. Allmendinger, 6. Chase Briscoe, 7. Michael McDowell, 8. Alex Bowman, 9. Tyler Reddick, 10. Kyle Busch.

o   2022 – 1. Ross Chastain, 2. Alex Bowman, 3. Christopher Bell, 4. Chase Elliott, 5. Tyler Reddick, 6. Ryan Blaney, 7. Martin Truex Jr., 8. Austin Cindric, 9. Erik Jones, 10. Austin Dillon.

 Average Finishes:

  • Ross Chastain and Chase Elliott lead the NASCAR Cup Series in average starting position at the Circuit of The Americas with a 2.5 in two starts each.

 

Rank All-Time Drivers Avg. Finish Races
1 Chase Elliott 2.500 2
2 Ross Chastain 2.500 2
3 Alex Bowman 5.000 2
4 Tyler Reddick 7.000 2
5 Michael McDowell 10.000 2
6 Austin Dillon 11.000 2
7 Ryan Blaney 11.500 2
8 William Byron 11.500 2
9 Erik Jones 12.500 2
10 Kyle Larson 15.500 2

 LAP LEADERS

  • A total of 16 different NASCAR Cup Series drivers have led at least one lap at the Circuit of The Americas.
  • Ross Chastain leads the NASCAR Cup Series in laps led at the Circuit of The Americas with 35 laps led (28% of his laps completed).
  • The most laps led by the race winner in a single NASCAR Cup Series race at the Circuit of The Americas was 31 laps led by Ross Chastain on March 27, 2022.
  • The fewest laps led by the race winner in a single NASCAR Cup Series race at the Circuit of The Americas was five laps led by Chase Elliott on May 23, 2021.
  • The most laps led in a single NASCAR Cup Series race at the Circuit of The Americas by a driver that did not win the race was 15 laps led by Daniel Suárez – he started second and ultimately finished 24th in the race.

All-Time Cup Lap Leaders at the Circuit of The Americas Road Course 

Rank Lap Leaders Races Led Completed % Led
1 Ross Chastain 2 35 123 28%
2 Joey Logano 2 16 123 13%
3 Austin Cindric 2 15 123 12%
4 Daniel Suárez 2 15 115 13%
5 Kyle Busch 2 12 123 10%
6 Chase Elliott 2 5 123 4%
7 Kyle Larson 2 4 123 3%
8 Alex Bowman 2 3 123 2%
9 Denny Hamlin 2 3 123 2%
10 Martin Truex Jr 2 3 93 3%
11 Michael McDowell 2 3 123 2%
12 AJ Allmendinger 2 2 122 2%
13 Chase Briscoe 2 2 123 2%
14 Ryan Preece 1 2 54 4%
15 Tyler Reddick 2 2 123 2%
16 Ryan Blaney 2 1 123 1%

 TRACK / EVENT STATS

  • The closest Margin of Victory in the NASCAR Cup Series at Circuit of The Americas was 1.331 seconds in the March 27, 2022 race.
  • One of the two NASCAR Cup Series races at the Circuit of The Americas was shortened and ended under caution due to weather:
Scheduled Actual Fewer Laps Winner Date
68 54 14 Chase Elliott Sunday, May 23, 2021

Additional NASCAR Cup Series COTA Event Stats

Categories Last Race Most/Largest Fewest/Smallest
Cars: 39 40 (05/23/2021) 39 (03/27/2022)
Lead Changes: 13 13 (03/27/2022) 11 (05/23/2021)
Leaders: 9 10 (05/23/2021) 9 (03/27/2022)
Cautions: 9 9 (03/27/2022) 6 (05/23/2021)
Caution Laps: 13 14 (05/23/2021) 13 (03/27/2022)
Lead Lap Finish: 32 32 (03/27/2022) 31 (05/23/2021)
Running at Finish: 33 33 – 2 Times (03/27/2022) 33 – 2 Times (03/27/2022)
  • The final lead change of the NASCAR Cup Series May 23, 2021 race took place with five laps to go – Chase Elliott passed Alex Bowman for the lead.
  • The final lead change of the NASCAR Cup Series March 27, 2022 race took place with two laps to go – Ross Chastain passed Tyler Reddick for the lead.

NASCAR IN TEXAS

  • There have been 149 NASCAR national series races among four tracks in the state of Texas.
Track Name City Cup Xfinity Truck Combined First Year
Texas Motor Speedway Fort Worth 42 44 48 134 1995
Texas World Speedway College Station 8 0 0 8 1969
Circuit of The Americas Austin 2 2 2 6 2021
Meyer Speedway Houston 1 0 0 1 1971
Totals 53 46 50 149

 

  • The first NASCAR national series race held in the state of Texas was a NASCAR Cup Series race at Texas World Speedway in College Station, Texas. The event was held on December 7, 1969 and it was won by Bobby Isaac (Dodge).   

TEXANS IN NASCAR

  • A total of 96 different drivers in NASCAR national series history have their home state recorded as Texas.
  • A total of 10 different drivers from Texas have won at least one race in NASCAR’s three national series.
  • NASCAR Hall of Famer Terry Labonte leads all Texas drivers with 34 NASCAR national series wins.

Winners from Texas:

Texan Race Winners Cup Xfinity Truck Combined
Terry Labonte 22 11 1 34
Bobby Labonte 21 10 1 32
A.J. Foyt 7 0 0 7
Billy Wade 4 0 0 4
Chris Buescher 2 3 0 5
Bobby Hillin Jr 1 2 0 3
Johnny Rutherford 1 0 0 1
James Buescher 0 1 6 7
David Starr 0 0 4 4
Colin Braun 0 0 1 1
Totals 58 27 13 98

— NASCAR–