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 24 at 3:30 p.m. ET on FOX, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

COTA DRIVER-SPECIFIC STATISTICS

(Driver stats below are from 2005 – Present)

AJ Allmendinger (No. 13 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet)

• One top five, one top 10
• Average Finish of 24.000, 13th-best
• Average Running Position of 11.225, seventh-best
• Driver Rating of 93.1, eighth-best
• 141 Laps in the Top 15 (71.2%), sixth-most

Alex Bowman (No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet)

• Two top fives, three top 10s
• Average Finish of 4.333, third-best
• Average Running Position of 10.346, fifth-best
• Driver Rating of 102.6, fourth-best
• 155 Laps in the Top 15 (78.3%), fifth-most

Chase Briscoe (No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford)

• One top 10
• Average Finish of 17.000, 10th-best
• Average Running Position of 14.132, 10th-best
• Driver Rating of 79.3, 13th-best
• 122 Laps in the Top 15 (61.6%), ninth-most

Kyle Busch (No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet)

• One top five, two top 10s
• Average Finish of 13.333, eighth-best
• Average Running Position of 9.728, fourth-best
• Driver Rating of 95.3, seventh-best
• 158 Laps in the Top 15 (79.8%), fourth-most

William Byron (No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet)

• One top five, one top 10; one pole
• Average Finish of 9.333, fifth-best
• Average Running Position of 12.466, eighth-best
• Driver Rating of 98.3, fifth-best
• 135 Laps in the Top 15 (68.2%), eighth-most

Ross Chastain (No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet)

• One win, three top fives, three top 10s
• Average Finish of 3.000, second-best
• Average Running Position of 7.555, series-best
• Driver Rating of 119.6, series-best
• 176 Laps in the Top 15 (88.9%), series-most

Austin Cindric (No. 2 Team Penske Ford)

• Two top 10s
• Average Finish of 13.000, seventh-best
• Average Running Position of 10.930, sixth-best
• Driver Rating of 96.1, sixth-best
• 141 Laps in the Top 15 (71.2%), seventh-most

Chase Elliott (No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet)

• One win, two top fives, two top 10s
• Average Finish of 2.500, series-best
• Average Running Position of 9.519, third-best
• Driver Rating of 109.3, third-best
• 100 Laps in the Top 15 (81.3%), third-most

Kyle Larson (No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet)

• One top five, one top 10
• Average Finish of 15.000, ninth-best
• Average Running Position of 15.926, 12th-best
• Driver Rating of 92.3, ninth-best
• 113 Laps in the Top 15 (57.1%), 11th-most

Joey Logano (No. 22 Team Penske Ford)

• One top five, one top 10
• Average Finish of 20.667, 12th-best
• Average Running Position of 12.945, ninth-best
• Driver Rating of 86.8, 10th-best
• 122 Laps in the Top 15 (61.6%), 10th-most

Michael McDowell (No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford)

• One top 10
• Average Finish of 10.667, sixth-best
• Average Running Position of 15.822, 11th-best
• Driver Rating of 85.5, 11th-best
• 105 Laps in the Top 15 (53.0%), 13th-most

Tyler Reddick (No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota)

• One win, two top fives, three top 10s; one pole
• Average Finish of 5.000, fourth-best
• Average Running Position of 7.583, second-best
• Driver Rating of 111.2, second-best
• 165 Laps in the Top 15 (83.3%), second-most

Martin Truex Jr. (No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota)

• One top 10
• Average Finish of 19.667, 11th-best
• Average Running Position of 17.754, 13th-best
• Driver Rating of 80.2, 12th-best
• 106 Laps in the Top 15 (53.5%), 12th-most

NASCAR Cup Series 2024 Top 16 in the Driver Standings at Circuit of The Americas

* – Based on three races at the Circuit of The Americas (2005 – 2023).

Circuit of The Americas – Track Configuration Data

Track Size: 3.41-miles

Track Type: Multi-Elevational Counterclockwise Road Course

Number of Turns: 20

Season Race #: 6 of 36 (03-24-24)

Race Purse: $9,740,789

Race Length: 68 laps (231.88 Miles)

Stage 1 and 2 Length: 15 laps (each)

Final Stage Length: 38 laps

Qualifying & Race Record Data

 Track Qualifying Record:

William Byron, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, 93.882 mph, 130.760 seconds, March 25, 2023

 2023 COTA Pole Winner:

William Byron, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, 93.882 mph, 130.760 seconds, March 25, 2023

 Track Race Record:

Tyler Reddick, 23XI Racing Toyota, 72.886 mph, (3:30:32), March 26, 2023

 2023 COTA Race Winner:

Tyler Reddick, 23XI Racing Toyota, 72.886 mph, (3:30:32), March 26, 2023

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 One 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 three NASCAR Cup Series races (2021-2023).

STARTS

• A total of 54 different drivers have competed in at least one NASCAR Cup Series points-paying race at the Circuit of The Americas, and 35 different drivers have competed in two Cup races at COTA.
• A total of 29 different drivers have made all three NASCAR Cup Series starts at COTA (2021-2023).
• Four drivers have made their first career NASCAR Cup Series start at the Circuit of The Americas:

• Of the four drivers that made their first start at Circuit of The Americas, Jenson Button posted the best finish of the four with an 18th-place finish.
• Tyler Reddick leads the NASCAR Cup Series in average starting position at the Circuit of The Americas with a 2.333 in three starts.

 POLES

• The three NASCAR Cup Series races at the Circuit of The Americas has produced three different pole winners.

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

• Only one driver has won his first career pole in the NASCAR Cup Series at COTA – Tyler Reddick (May 23, 2021).
• Youngest Cup pole winner at the COTA: William Byron (March 25, 2023 – 25 years, 2 months and 56 days).
• Oldest Cup pole winner at the COTA: Ryan Blaney (March 26, 2022 – 28 years, 1 months and 55 days).
• Three organizations have won a pole at the Circuit of The Americas in the NASCAR Cup Series:

o   Richard Childress Racing (Tyler Reddick, 2021)

o   Team Penske (Ryan Blaney, 2022)

o   Hendrick Motorsports (William Byron, 2023)

• Two manufacturers have won the pole in the NASCAR Cup Series at COTA – Chevrolet (2021 and 2023) and Ford (2022).

 WINS

• The three NASCAR Cup Series races (2021-2023) at the Circuit of The Americas have produced three different race winners:

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 won the NASCAR Cup Series race at the Circuit of The Americas on March 27, 2022 – he started from the 16th position.

o   23XI Racing’s Tyler Reddick won the NASCAR Cup Series race at the Circuit of The Americas on March 26, 2023 – he started from the second position.

• 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).
• Three organizations have won in the NASCAR Cup Series at the Circuit of The Americas:

o   Hendrick Motorsports (Chase Elliott, 2021)

o   Trackhouse Racing (Ross Chastain, 2022)

o   23XI Racing (Tyler Reddick, 2023)

• Two manufacturers have won in the NASCAR Cup Series at the Circuit of The Americas – Chevrolet (2021 and 2022) and Toyota (2023).

All-Time Road Course Winners

• A total of 59 different drivers have won on a road course in the NASCAR Cup Series (all-time), and 31 drivers have won multiple times on a road course in the series.
• NASCAR Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon leads the NASCAR Cup Series in road course wins with nine victories at two tracks (Sonoma, five wins; Watkins Glen, four wins).
• NASCAR Hall of Famer Tony Stewart has the second most road course wins all-time in the NASCAR Cup Series with eight victories at two tracks (Watkins Glen, five wins; Sonoma, three wins).
• 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).
• Chase Elliott has won at five different NASCAR Cup Series road course tracks (Charlotte ROVAL, COTA, Daytona Road Course, Road America and Watkins Glen) – the most all-time.
• Kyle Larson, during the 2021 season, became the first driver in NASCAR Cup Series history to win at three road course tracks in a single season – Sonoma, Watkins Glen and the Charlotte ROVAL.
• A total of 15 active NASCAR Cup Series road course winners are entered this weekend at COTA.

Active Road Course Winners in the NASCAR Cup Series

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, Alex Bowman in 2022 and Kyle Busch in 2023.

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.
• Trackhouse Racing’s Ross Chastain leads the Cup Series in top-five finishes at COTA with three. Chastain is the only driver to post top fives in all three races at Austin track.

Top-10 Finishes:

• A total of 21 different drivers have finished in the top-10 in the NASCAR Cup Series at the Circuit of The Americas.
• Alex Bowman, Ross Chastain and Tyler Reddick lead the series in top 10s at COTA with three each.

Average Finishes:

• Chase Elliott leads the NASCAR Cup Series in average starting position at the Circuit of The Americas with a 2.5 in two starts.

LAP LEADERS / LEAD CHANGES

• A total of 19 different NASCAR Cup Series drivers have led at least one lap at the Circuit of The Americas.

• Tyler Reddick leads the NASCAR Cup Series in laps led at the Circuit of The Americas with 43 laps led (21.7% of his laps completed) in three races.
• The most laps led by the race winner in a single NASCAR Cup Series race at the Circuit of The Americas was 41 of the scheduled 75 laps by Tyler Reddick on March 26, 2023. He led 54.7% of the race.
• 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 28 laps led by William Byron on March 26, 2023 – he started from the pole and ultimately finished fifth in the race.
• The largest number of lap leaders in a single NASCAR Cup Series race at the Circuit of The Americas is 10 different leaders set in 2021. The 2022 COTA race produced nine different leaders and the 2023 race had seven different leaders.
• The largest number of lead changes in a single NASCAR Cup Series race at the Circuit of The Americas is 16 lead changes set in 2023. The 2021 COTA race produced 11 lead changes and the 2022 race had 13 lead changes.
• 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.
• The final lead change of the NASCAR Cup Series March 26, 2023 race took place with 12 laps to go – Tyler Reddick passed William Byron for the lead.

 TRACK / EVENT STATS

• The closest Margin of Victory in the NASCAR Cup Series at the Circuit of The Americas was set in the March 27, 2022 race when Ross Chastain beat Alex Bowman to the finish line by 1.331 seconds.

• One of the three NASCAR Cup Series races at the Circuit of The Americas was shortened due to weather and ended under caution:

• Two of the three Cup Series races at COTA have resulted in Overtime finishes:

NASCAR IN TEXAS

• There have been 155 NASCAR national series races among four tracks in the state of Texas.

• 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 97 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:

— NASCAR —