The inaugural weekend at Circuit of the Americas concludes with a qualifying run for the NASCAR Cup Series before taking to the track for 68 laps around the 3.41 mile track for the EchoPark Automotive Texas Grand Prix.

Due to the Covid protocols during the season, this is only the second race of the season where the drivers had the opportunity to make a qualifying run.

Nine drivers who ran in one of the two races on Saturday will be running in the race on Sunday.

While qualifying starts under dry weather conditions under very cloudy skies, rain is expected in the area and the drivers may be racing in the rain later in the day.

At 3.41 miles, the track is so large that it requires three spotters for each driver.

Denny Hamlin discovered trouble with his power steering. He is on pit road and the crew is making repairs. His qualifying lap was good enough to place him in the middle of the pack.

Five of the drivers in the top 12 ran in a race on Saturday. Half of the top 12 made only one lap around the track and have fresher tires.

After two rounds of qualifying, Tyler Reddick won the pole for his first ever pole win and will bring the field to green. Kyle Larson will start alongside on the front row. The top four drivers were in the Xfinity race on Saturday; including race winner Kyle Busch who will start in fourth place.

The last time a Richard Childress Racing driver put their car on the pole in a road course race was 1996 with Dale Earnhardt Sr. Current pole sitter Tyler Reddick was seven months old.

Chase Elliott has the most road course wins of current active drivers with a total of five – four in the last five road course races.

The starting lineup for the EchoPark Texas Grand Prix:
Tyler Reddick
Kyle Larson
Austin Cindric
Kyle Busch
William Byron
Joey Logano
AJ Allmendinger
Chase Elliott
Ryan Blaney
Christopher Bell
Kevin Harvick
Alex Bowman
Kurt Busch
Cole Custer
Daniel Suarez
Austin Dillon
Martin Truex Jr
Bubba Wallace
Denny Hamlin
Ross Chastain
Matt DiBenedetto
Ricky Stenhouse Jr
Michael McDowell
Brad Keselowski
Corey LaJoie
Aric Almirola
Chase Briscoe
Chris Buescher
Erik Jones
Justin Haley
Josh Bilicki
James Davison
Ty Dillon
Ryan Newman
Cody Ware
Ryan Preece
Anthony Alfredo
Garrett Smithley
Kyle Tilley
Quin Houff

During the qualifying event Denny Hamlin had some issues with his power steering which was repaired on pit road. Hamlin is among several drivers that will have to start the race from the back of the field. Hamlin, Aric Almirola, Chase Briscoe, James Davison, Chris Buescher, Anthony Alfredo, Erik Jones, and Cody Ware will have to move to the back of the field for unapproved adjustments to their cars. Daniel Suarez will also have to move to the back of the field after the crew made a transmission change.

Less than half an hour before start time, the rains begin to fall; meaning the race will begin under wet weather conditions. In a wet weather condition, the drivers have wet weather tires; the cars must also have a rear red blinking light for visibility, a defogger in the car, and a working windshield wiper. Some of the teams also use a rain resistant application to hep keep the windshield clear.

NASCAR is allowing the teams to choose whether they want to start the race on the wet weather tires or the racing slicks. Nearly all of the teams made a tire change from wet to slicks. Drivers will not lose their starting position for making the tire change.

During his pit stop for a tire change, Brad Keselowski and Ryan Blaney’s teams made a tape adjustment which was not allowed; as a result, Blaney and Keselowski will have to start the race from the back of the field. Only Bubba Wallace, Martin Treux Jr, Michael McDowell, Ryan Preece, and Ricky Stenhouse Jr did not make a tire change.

Stage one of the race is 15 laps long, stage two is 17 laps long with stage thee lasting 36 laps for a total of 68 laps.

Tyler Reddick brings the field down for the green flag start of the race before a packed house of fans. Drivers get four and five wide across the track going into turn one as Austin Cindric gets ut in front for the lead.

The top five are Austin Cinddric, William Byron, AJ Allmendinger, Joey Logano, and Tyler Reddick.

Lap one, William Byron is reporting that he needs different tires; he started the race on slicks. Byron, Alex Bowman, Joey Logano all come down pit road for a tire change to the wet weather tires. Much of the field follow for the rain tires.

Lap two, Austin Cindric, still on slicks, has pulled out to a two and a half second lead on AJ Allmendinger; Kyle Busch, Martin Truex Jr, and Kyle Larson round out the top five.

Lap three, AJ Allmendinger gives up a third place position to come down pit road for a tire change as the rain continues to fall.

Austin Cindric is running away from the field with a lead of over five and a half seconds on Kyle Busch; Kyle Larson, Martin Truex Jr, and Bubba Wallace round out the top five.

Lap three, Kyle Busch has closed the gap on leader Austin Cindric to just over four seconds.

Kyle Busch comes down pit road for a tire change; giving up a second place spot. Kyle Larson also makes a pit stop. Leader Austin Cindric remains on the track on slick tires.

Lap four, the top five are Austin Cindric, Martin Treux Jr, Bubba Wallace, Michael McDowell, and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. All of the drivers are on wet weather tires accept Austin Cindric who has a lead of over eight seconds.

Lap five, Austin Cindric continues to lead the race six seconds ahead of Martin Truex Jr; Michael McDowell, Bubba Wllace, and Ricky Stenhouse Jr round out the top five.

Austin Cindric gives up a six second lead to come down pit road for a change to wet weather tires; Martin Truex Jr is the new leader.

Lap six, Martin Truex Jr has a lead of over a second and a half on Michael McDowell; Bubba Wallace Ricky Stenhouse Jr, and Ryan Preece round out the top five. All of the top five drivers started the race on wet weather tires.

Austin Cindric returns to the track in ninth place.

Lap seven, pole sitter Tyler Reddick is in 18th place.

Lap seven, all 40 cars are on the track and on the lead lap.

The caution flag comes out on lap eight for Daniel Suarez who gets stalled on the track. Suarez reports that the car is locked in neutral. The crew made a transmission change prior to the race. Suarez can get his car repaired and turn to the race since the issue is mechanical and not crash releated.

Some of the drivers come down pit road for service including the leaders.

After staying out on the track, Michael McDowell brings the field down for the green flag restart with Bubba Wallace alongside. Driver spread out five wide across the track on the restart with Michael McDowell taking the lead.

Lap 10, the top five are Michael McDowell, Joey Logano, Austin Cindric, Ricky Stenhouse Jr, and Bubba Wallace.

Denny Hamlin gets off the track but gets going again and the track stays green.

Denny Hamlin reports visibility issues.

Lap eleven, Michael McDowell has a half second lead on Joey Logano; Austin Cindric, William Byron, and Kurt Busch round out the top five.

Joey Logano challenges Michael McDowell for the lead.

Lap eleven, Joey Logano passes Michael McDowell for the lead.

Lap 12, Joey Logano has pulled out to a lead of nearly a second on Michael McDowell; Austin Cindric, William Byron, and Kurt Busch round out the top five.

Kyle Busch gets loose on the track but recovers and the track stays green.

Garrett Smithley gets turned around on the track but gets the car going again.

Lap 12, Joey Logano has pulled out to a lead of over a second and a half on Michael McDowell; Austin Cindric, William Byron, and Kurt Busch round out the top five.

A few drivers short pit and come down pit road before it closes for the end of the stage.

Lap 13, Corey LaJoie gets turned around on the traci but recovers.

Kurt Busch has passed William Byron for fourth.

Matt DiBenedetto gets off the track but recovers after a three way battle for position involving William Byron and Kyle Larson.

Lap 14, Kurt Busch passes Austin Cincric for third.

William Byron makes a trip down pit road with a flat tire. Pit road is closed; Byron will have to restart the race from the back of the field.

With a lead of over two and a half seconds, Joey Logano wins stage one for his first road course stage win and his third of the season.

The top 10 at the endo of stage one:
Joey Logano
Michael McDowell
Kurt Busch
Kyle Larson
Austin Cindric
Chris Buescher
Chase Briscoe
Ross Chastain
Kyle Busch
Matt DiBenedetto

Some drivers come down pit road for service and fresh tires.

Joey Logano brings the field down for the green flag start of stage two on lap 19. Joey Logano gets out in front for the lead from the inside lane but is getting a challenge form Kurt Busch.

Daniel Suarez returns to the track 10 laps down.

Ryan Newman gets turned around on the track but recovers.

The top five are Joey Logano, Kurt Busch, Michael McDowell, Kyle Busch, Chris Buescher, and Kye Larson.

Joey Logano leads the race with the Busch brothers right behind.

Ryan Blaney gets turned around on the track but recovers with damage to the back of his car..

Christopher Bell brings out the caution flag for a wreck. Bubba Wallace is also out of his car after hitting the fence. Kevin Harvick has some heavy damage to his car. Harvick slowed down due to a lack of visibility and was rear ended by Bubba Wallace.

The skies are beginning to clear, but conditions are still bad for visibility on the track.

Christopher Bell’s car is on the tow truck and out of the race. Kevin Harvick’s car was pushed to pit road and is headed for the garage. Bubba Wallace is out of the race. Ryan Blaney is on the crash clock.

Some drivers come down pit road for service.

Martin Truex Jr had to make a pit stop to clear the windshield of oil.

Joey Logano brings the field down for the green flag restart with Kyle Busch alongside on the front row on lap 25. Ross Chastain makes it a three way battle for the lead on the restart.

The top five are Ross Chastain, Ryan Preece, Joey Logano, Kyle Busch, and Chase Elliott.

Ryan Preece and Ross Chastain battle for the lead with Preece taking the spot. Kyle Busch passes Joey Logano for third.

Austin Cindric enters the top five.

The caution flag comes out after Cole Custer slams into Martin Truex Jr from behind and puts Truex’s car on its front wheels. Custer’s car catches fire after hitting the fence. Truex hit Michael McDowell prior to being rear ended. Custer and Truex are out of their cars and walking away.

NASCAR has red flagged the race on lap 25.

The top five at the time of the red flag: Ross Chastain, Ryan Preece, Kyle Busch, Austin Cindric, and Chase Elliott.

The track drying equipment comes out on the track to remove some of the standing water that have been causing major rooster tails.

Cole Custer is out of the infield care center and is fine. Custer said that he could not see anything on the track. Custer noted that impacting the barrier was not as hard as he expected it to be.
Martin Truex Jr is also out of the care center and is fine. He also noted that he could not see anything on the track.

Martin Truex Jr, Cole Custer, Kevin Harvick, Christopher Bell, and Bubba Wallace are all out of the race.

After a red flag condition for around 20 minutes, NASCAR pulls the red flag and displays the yellow caution flag.

Once the car are moving again, NASCAR called for the cars to be brought down pit road where three crew members will be allowed to come out and clean the windshield and helmet visors only. Many of the crews are also armed with bottle of water repellent and defogger supplies to aid their drivers.

Once the cars are back out on the track, NASCAR open pit road for regular service.

The track PA system was playing “Car Wash” by Rolls Royce during the window cleaning process.

NASCAR has announced a procedure change; for the remainder of the race all restarts will be single file starts.

Some drivers come down pit road for service including leader Ross Chastain.

Lap 29, Ryan Preece brings the field down for the green flag restart and the drivers quickly get three wide going into turn one with Kyle Busch taking the lead followed by Austin Cindric.

Austin Dillon short cuts the esses and will have to serve a pass through penalty.

Kyle Busch and Austin Cindric battle for the lead, swapping it back and forth before Kyle Busch gets out in front.

The top five are Kyle Busch, Austin Cindric, Ryan Preece, Chase Elliott, and Tyler Reddick.

Ryan Newman gets into the gravel but gets back on the track after spraying gravel all over his car.

Erik Jones gets off into the grass but recovers.

The battle between Kyle Busch and Austin Cindric continues with Kyle Busch holding on to the lead with three laps remaining in stage two.

Quin Houff gets off the track after some on track contact but recovers

Austin Cindric and Chase Elliott battle for second with Kyle Busch over two seconds out in front.

Kyle Busch wins stage two for his second career road course stage win.

The top 10 at the end of stage two:
Kyle Busch
Chase Elliott
Tyler Reddick
Austin Cindric
Corey LaJoie
Kyle Larson
Ryan Preece
AJ Allmendinger
Chase Briscoe
Alex Bowman

Drivers come down pit road for service.

Kyle Busch brings the field down for the green flag start of stage three on lap 36 and holds on to the lead.

The top five are Kyle Busch, Austin Cindric, Tyler Reddick, Chase Briscoe, and Chase Elliott.

Brad Keselowski gets turned around on the track after some contact with Ryan Newman. He gets the car moving again and the track stays green.

Lap 37, Kyle Busch has pulled out to a three second lead on Austin Cindric; Chase Elliott, Kyle Larson, and Tyler Reddick round out the top five.

Lap 38, Kyle Busch continues to increase his lead and is now nearly five seconds ahead of Austin Cindric Austin Cindric and Chase Elliott battle for second.

Kyle Larson gets around Chase Elliott for third.

James Davison is off the track but gets it going again. Ricky Stenhouse Jr gets turned around but gets going again.

The top five are Kyle Busch, Chase Elliott, Austin Cindric, Kyle Larson, and Joey Logano.

Drivers are getting three wide all through the field battling for position.

Lap 39, Austin Cindric has dropped to 10th. Kyle Larson, Chase Elliott, and Joey Logano continue the battle for second.

Tyler Reddick gets turned around and finally gets moving again after getting stuck in the slick paint.

Lap 40, the top five are Kyle Busch, Kyle Larson, Joey Logano, Chase Elliott, and AJ Allmendinger.

Lap 41, Kyle Busch has a three second lead on Kyle Larson; Joey Logano, Chase Elliott, and AJ Allmendinger round out the top five.

Ross Chastain and Kurt Busch make contact in a racing incident but the track stays green.

Lap 42, low on fuel, leader Kyle Busch a nd Chase Elliott come down pit road for service.

Kyle Larson is the new leader.

The top five are Kyle Larson, Joey Logano, Ross Chastain, Kurt Busch, and Michael McDowell.

Kyle Busch returns to the track in 25th place.

Lap 43, Kyle Larson has pulled out to a three second lead on Joey Logano; Ross Chastain, Kurt Busch, and Michael McDowell round out the top five.

Kyle Busch’s team reports that he is two laps short of fuel to make it to the end of the race.

Ross Chastain takes second from Joey Logano.

With 25 laps remaining in the race, Kyle Larson has a three second lead on Ross Chastain; Joey Logano, Kurt Busch, and AJ Allmendinger round out the top five.

AJ Allmendinger gives up fifth place to make a pit stop. Tyler Reddick also makes a pit stop.

The rain has picked up again.

Kyle Larson has a two second lead on Ross Chastain; Kurt Busch, Joey Logano, and Chase Briscoe round out the top five.

Quin Houff is out of the race.

Leader Kyle Larson comes down pit road for service. Ross Chastain is the new leader. Joey Logano and Kurt Busch also make their pit stops.

With 23 laps to go, the top five are Ross Chastain, Alex Bowman, Denny Hamlin, William Byron, and Ryan Preece.

The skies have gotten very dark due to the weather and the rains have increased.

Lap 45, there are 32 cars on the lead lap. Daniel Suarez seven laps down is the only car on the track not on the lead lap.

Lap 46, Ross Chastain has a 13 second lead on Alex Bowman. Chastain is throwing a very big rooster tail as he works his way around the course.

With 22 laps to go, Kyle Busch has worked his way back into the top five after pit stops have cycled through.

Ross Chastain comes down pit road and gives the lead over to Alex Bowman.

Lap 47, the top fiveare Alex Bowman, Kyle Busch, Chase Elliott, Denny Hamlin, and Kyle Larson.

Twenty to go, Alex Bowman leads the race with team mate Chase Elliott in second; Kyle Busch, Kyle Larson, and Denny Hamlin round out the top five.

With 19 laps to go, the drivers have gotten spread out through the couse. Alex Bowman has a two second lead on Chase Elliott; Kyle Busch and Kyle Larson battle for third; Denny Hamlin and Joey Logano round out the top five.

Leader Alex Bowman comes down pit road for service; giving the lead over to Chase Elliott who has a six second lead on Kyle Larson; Kyle Busch, Joey Logano, and Denny Hamlin round out the top five.

With 18 laps to go, Chase Elliott has an eight second lead on Kyle Larson.

Chase Elliott’s team reports that they too are two laps short of making it to the end of the race on fuel.

Visibility has once again gotten bad and there are no light at COTA.

Kyle Busch reports that he has no tread and is hydroplaning badly. His team calls him down pit road for fresh tires and fuel.

With 16 laps to go, Chase Elliott has pulled out to a lead of nearly 12 seconds on Kyle Larson.

Tyler Reddick, Austin Dillon, nd Kyle Busch are in a battle for ninth.

Kurt Busch gets off the track and into the dirt but keeps it moving and gets back out on the track. Busch just missed brother Kyle and Austin Dillon on his way to an off road excursion.

Moe drivers are coming down pit road for fuel and tires.

The caution flag comes out with 15 laps remaining in the race for standing water on the track.

Austin Cindric spun out just before the caution flag came out.

NASCAR brings the drivers down pit road and puts out the second red flag of the race due to rain, visibility, and standing water.

The drivers have exited their cars.

The track drying equipment is back out on the track and the teams have covered their cars.

NASCAR has called the race after 54 laps. With the win, Elliott helps Hendrick Motor Sports tie the record for most wins by an organization with Petty Enterprises with 268. The win also give Chevrolet 800 race wins.

This is Chase Elliott’s sixth road course race win – five of the last six road courses.

Chase Elliott becomes the eleventh different race winner of the season.

The unofficial results of the EchoPark Texas Grand Prix:
Chase Elliott
Kyle Larson
Joey Logano
Ross Chastain
AJ Allmendinger
Chase Briscoe
Michael McDowell
Alex Bowman
Tyler Reddick
Kyle Busch
William Byron
Austin Dillon
Chris Buescher
Demmy Hamlin
Ryan Preece
Erik Jones
Ryan Blaney
Anthony Alfredo
Brad Keselowski
Corey LaJoie
Ty Dillon
Ricky Stenhouse Jr
Matt DiBenedetto
Ryan Newman
Austin Cindric
Aric Almirola
Kurt Busch
Garrett Smithley
James Davison
Josh Bilicki
Kyle Tille
Cody Ware
Daniel Suarez
Quin Houf
Martin Truex Jr
Cole Custer
Kevin Harvick
Christopher Bell
Bubba Wallace
Justin Haley