Statistical Advance: Analyzing the DuraMAX Texas 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 DuraMAX Texas Grand Prix Powered by RelaDyne this Sunday, March 1 at 3:30 p.m. ET on FOX, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90).

Circuit of The Americas – Stats & Tidbits
Track Configuration & Race Data
Season Race #: 3 of 36 (March 1, 2026)
Race Name: DuraMAX Texas Grand Prix Powered by RelaDyne
Race Purse: $11,233,037
Track Size: 2.40 Miles
Track Type: Multi-Elevational Counterclockwise Road Course
Number of Turns: 20
Race Length: 95 laps (228 Miles)
Stage 1 Length: 20 laps
Stage 2 Length: 25 laps (End on Lap 45)
Final Stage Length: 50 laps (Ends on Lap 95)

Qualifying & Race – Record Data 

Track Qualifying Records (By Track Length):
Tyler Reddick, 23XI Racing Toyota, 88.095 mph, 98.076 seconds, March 1, 2025 – (2.40 Miles)
William Byron, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, 94.696 mph, 129.636 seconds, March 23, 2024 – (3.41 Miles) 

2025 COTA Pole Winner (Track Length – 2.40 Miles):
Tyler Reddick, 23XI Racing Toyota, 88.095 mph, 98.076 seconds, March 1, 2025

Track Race Records (By Track Length):
Christopher Bell, Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, 73.025 mph, (3:07:20), March 2, 2025 – (2.40 miles/95 Laps)
William Byron, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, 85.224 mph, (2:43:15), March 24, 2024 – (3.41 Miles/68 Laps) 

2025 COTA Race Winner (Track Length – 2.40 Miles/95 Laps):
Christopher Bell, Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, 73.025 mph, (3:07:20), March 2, 2025

HISTORY

• Construction began in 2010 on the world class road course known as the Circuit of The Americas (COTA).
• The track is nestled on 1,500 acres of land just outside of Austin, Texas.
• Circuit of The Americas has two layout configurations:

o   The first is the longer 20-turn, 3.41-mile counterclockwise circuit that takes advantage of the naturally undulating landscape, including a 133-foot hill at Turn 1. From 2021–2024 the NASCAR national series that competed at COTA competed on this configuration.

o   The second is a shorter 20-turn, 2.40-mile counterclockwise circuit that also takes advantage of the naturally undulating landscape. The 2025 season marked the first time the NASCAR national series competed on this configuration at COTA. The series will compete on it again in 2026.

• In addition, the track 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 event on November 18, 2012. The race was won by Lewis Hamilton.
• The first NASCAR national series race held at the Circuit of The Americas was on May 22, 2021 and the event was NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series race and it was won by Todd Gilliland.
• 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 five NASCAR Cup Series races (2021-2025).

STARTS

• A total of 64 different drivers have competed in at least one NASCAR Cup Series points-paying race at the Circuit of The Americas.
• A total of 22 different drivers have made all five NASCAR Cup Series starts at COTA (2021-2025).
• Five drivers have made their first career NASCAR Cup Series start at the Circuit of The Americas:

• Of the five drivers that made their first start at Circuit of The Americas, Jenson Button posted the best finish with an 18th-place result.
• Tyler Reddick leads the NASCAR Cup Series in average starting position at the Circuit of The Americas with a 2.200 in five starts.

Top 10 in Average Starting Position at Circuit of The Americas

POLES

• The five NASCAR Cup Series races at the Circuit of The Americas has produced three different pole winners.
  • Tyler Reddick, Chevrolet, 91.363 mph, 132.911 seconds, May 23, 2021
  • Ryan Blaney, Ford, 92.759 mph, 132.343 seconds, May 26, 2022
  • William Byron, Chevrolet, 93.882 mph, 130.760 seconds, March 25, 2023
  • William Byron, Chevrolet, 94.696 mph, 129.636 seconds, March 23, 2024
  • Tyler Reddick, Toyota, 88.095 mph, 98.076 seconds, March 1, 2025
• William Byron (2023, 2024) and Tyler Reddick (2021, 2025) lead the NASCAR Cup Series in poles at Circuit of The Americas with two each.
• William Byron is the only NASCAR Cup Series driver to win consecutive poles at COTA (2023, 2024).
• 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: Tyler Reddick (March 2, 2025 – 29 years, 1 month and 19 days).
• Four organizations have won a pole at the Circuit of The Americas in the NASCAR Cup Series:
  • Richard Childress Racing (Tyler Reddick, 2021)
  • Team Penske (Ryan Blaney, 2022)
  • Hendrick Motorsports (William Byron, 2023 and 2024)
  • 23XI Racing (Tyler Reddick, 2025)

• Hendrick Motorsports leads the NASCAR Cup Series in poles at Circuit of The Americas with two, both from William Byron (2023, 2024).
• Tyler Reddick is the only driver to win a pole for two different organizations at COTA in the NASCAR Cup Series – Richard Childress Racing (2021) and 23XI Racing (2025).
• Three manufacturers have won the pole in the NASCAR Cup Series at COTA – Chevrolet (three: 2021, 2023, 2024), Ford (2022) and Toyota (2025).

WINS

• The five NASCAR Cup Series races (2021-2025) at the Circuit of The Americas have produced five different race winners:
  • Hendrick Motorsports’ 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • Hendrick Motorsports’ William Byron won the NASCAR Cup Series race at the Circuit of The Americas on March 24, 2024 – he started from the pole position.
  • Joe Gibbs Racing’s Christopher Bell won the NASCAR Cup Series race at the Circuit of The Americas on March 2, 2025 – he started from the 19th 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: Christopher Bell (March 2, 2025 – 30 years, 2 months and 14 days).
• Ross Chastain (2022) is the only driver to win his first career NASCAR Cup Series race at Circuit of The Americas.
• All five NASCAR Cup Series race winners at the Circuit of The Americas have been 30 or younger in age: Chase Elliott (25) in 2021, Ross Chastain (29) in 2022, Tyler Reddick (27) in 2023, William Byron (26) in 2024, Christopher Bell (30) in 2025.
• Five different starting positions on the grid have resulted in wins in the NASCAR Cup Series at Circuit of The Americas – 2021 (8th), 2022 (16th), 2023 (2nd), 2024 (1st), 2025 (19th).
• Only one of the five NASCAR Cup Series races at Circuit of The Americas has been won from the pole or first starting position, and it was the March 24, 2024 race, won by Hendrick Motorsports driver William Byron.
• The deepest in the field a Cup race winner has started at COTA is 19th, by Christopher Bell in 2025.
• Four organizations have won a race in the NASCAR Cup Series at the Circuit of The Americas road course:
  • Hendrick Motorsports (Chase Elliott, 2021 and William Byron, 2024)
  • Trackhouse Racing (Ross Chastain, 2022)
  • 23XI Racing (Tyler Reddick, 2023)
  • Joe Gibbs Racing (Christopher Bell, 2025)
• Two manufacturers have won in the NASCAR Cup Series at the Circuit of The Americas – Chevrolet (2021, 2022 and 2024) and Toyota (2023, 2025).

All-Time Road Course Winners

• • • 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).
    • Chase Elliott has the third-most road course wins all-time with seven victories (most among active drivers), and he accumulated those wins at five different NASCAR Cup Series road course tracks (Charlotte ROVAL, COTA, Daytona Road Course, Road America and Watkins Glen) – the most all-time.
    • 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).
    • 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.  Larson has six total road course Cup wins – tied with SVG for second-most among active drivers.
    • Shane van Gisbergen, during the 2025 season became the first driver in NASCAR Cup Series history to win at five different road course tracks in a single season – Mexico, Chicago, Sonoma, Watkins Glen and the Charlotte ROVAL.  Van Gisbergen has six total road course Cup wins – tied with Larson for second-most among active drivers.
    • A total of 16 active NASCAR Cup Series road course winners are entered this weekend at COTA.

ADDITIONAL FINISHING POSITIONS

Runner-Up Finishes:

• • • Five different drivers have finished runner-up in the five NASCAR Cup Series races at the Circuit of The Americas.

Top-Five Finishes:

• • • A total of 11 different drivers have finished in the top-five in the NASCAR Cup Series at the Circuit of The Americas.
    • Tyler Reddick leads the NASCAR Cup Series in top-five finishes at COTA with four (2022-2025).

Top-10 Finishes:

• • • A total of 23 different drivers have finished in the top-10 in the NASCAR Cup Series at the Circuit of The Americas.
    • Alex Bowman and Tyler Reddick lead the Cup Series in top 10s at COTA with five each (2021-2025).

Average Finishes:

• • • Tyler Reddick leads the NASCAR Cup Series in average finishing position at the Circuit of The Americas with a 4.6 in five starts.

LAP LEADERS & LEAD CHANGES

• • • A total of 22 different NASCAR Cup Series drivers have led at least one lap at the Circuit of The Americas.

• • • William Byron leads the NASCAR Cup Series in laps led at the Circuit of The Americas with 71 laps led (20% of his laps completed) in five races.
    • The most laps led by the race winner in a single NASCAR Cup Series race at the Circuit of The Americas is 42 of the scheduled 68 laps by William Byron on March 24, 2024. He led 61.7% 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.
    • Last season, Christopher Bell led just eight laps en route to his 2025 Circuit of The Americas NASCAR Cup Series win. Bell passed Kyle Busch with six laps to go at COTA last season and won.
    • 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 42 laps led by Kyle Busch on March 2, 2025 – he started from eighth 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 and 2025 COTA races produced nine different leaders.
      • The 2023 and the 2024 COTA races each had seven different leaders.
    • The largest number of lap leaders in a single NASCAR Cup Series road course race is 11 different leaders and it has occurred four different times: 2001 (Watkins Glen), 2006 (Watkins Glen), 2020 (Charlotte ROVAL) and 2021 (Indianapolis Road Course).
    • The largest number of lead changes in a single NASCAR Cup Series race at the Circuit of The Americas is 20 lead changes set in 2025.
      • The 2021 COTA race produced 11 lead changes.
      • The 2022 COTA race produced 13 lead changes.
      • The 2023 COTA race produced 16 lead changes.
      • The 2024 COTA race produced 11 lead changes.
    • The largest number of lead changes in a single NASCAR Cup Series road course race is 20 lead changes, set in 2025 at the Circuit of The Americas.
    • 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.
    • The final lead change of the NASCAR Cup Series March 24, 2024 race took place with 18 laps to go – William Byron passed Martin Truex Jr. for the lead.
    • The final lead change in the March 2, 2025 race took place with six laps to go – Christopher Bell passed Kyle Busch for the lead.

TRACK / EVENT STATS

• • • The closest Margin of Victory in the NASCAR Cup Series at the Circuit of The Americas was set last season when Christopher Bell beat Willliam Byron to the finish line by 0.433 second.

• • • One of the five NASCAR Cup Series races at the Circuit of The Americas was shortened due to weather and ended under caution: 2021 race.

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

• • • The most cautions in a NASCAR Cup Series race at COTA is nine, set in 2022.
    • The most caution laps in a NASCAR Cup Series race at COTA is 17, set in 2023.
    • The fewest cautions in a NASCAR Cup Series race at COTA is two, set in 2024.
    • The fewest caution laps in a NASCAR Cup Series race at COTA is four, set in 2024.

NASCAR IN TEXAS

• • • There have been 166 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 driving a Dodge for car owner Nord Krauskopf.

TEXANS IN NASCAR

• • • A total of 98 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.

— NASCAR —