After two weeks of super speedway racing, NASCAR travels to Austin, Texas for some road course racing at Circuit of the Americas on a track that was originally designed for Formula One racing.
Running the “shorter” version of the track, the course is a 2.4 mile 17 turn route.
A hot weekend, the weather could affect the handling of the cars…and drivers.
The teams get one set of tires for practice and one set for qualifying.
Thirty-seven teams have brought cars to COTA for 40 starting spots.
The drivers have been divided into two groups for a 25 minute practice session before making a group qualifying run.
This is the first race where the drivers have more horsepower – 750m.
Track workers had to go out on the course to rescue a slow moving vehicle – a turtle!
NASCAR has added some tire packs at some of the turns to help keep the cars from jumping the curves and on the course.
After Group one practice, Michael McDowell topped the leaderboard with Connor Zilisch in second.
Brad Keselowski has clearance to run the race but has road course ace Joey Hand on standby in case Keselowski cannot complete the race. Brad broke his right leg (femur) during the off-season and is still recovering from the injury and the multiple right/left turns may be a difficult task.
New Zealand born racer Shane van Gisbergen has won seven races in just 53 race starts. So far, all of his wins have been on road courses.
Second overall, Ryan Blaney tops the leaderboard in Group two practice
The drivers maintain their groups for 20 minute qualifying runs.
At the end of Group one qualifying Michael McDowell topped the leaderboard with a time of 98.147 seconds around the 2.4 mile course.
The track temperature has risen over 15 degrees since the start of practice.
Posting a time of 97.760 seconds, Tyler Reddick has put his number 45 car on the pole with the Melon Man Ross Chastain alongside on the front row.
The starting lineup for Circuit of the Americas Duramx Grand Prix race:
Tyler Reddick
Ross Chastain
Chase Briscoe
Ryan Blaney
Chase Elliott
Michael McDowell
AJ Allmendinger
Christopher Bell
Ty Gibbs
William Byron
Zane Smith
Carson Hocevar
Shane van Gisbergen
Chris Buescher
Kyle Larson
Alex Bowman
Todd Gilliland
Cole Custer
Denny Hamlin
Joey Logano
Ty Dillon
Josh Berry
Daniel Suarez
Bubba Wallace
Connor Zilisch
Brad Keselowski
Jesse Love
Austin Cindric
Ryan Preece
Kyle Busch
John Hunter Nemechek
Riley Herbst
Austin Dillon
Ricky Stenhouse Jr
Noah Gragson
Erik Jones
Cody Ware
Stage one of the race is 20 laps, stage two is 25 laps, and stage three is 50 laps for a total of 95 laps round the 2.4 mile course. The drivers can run 34 to 36 laps on a single load of fuel but are expected to short pit the end of the stages to obtain track position.
With his wife due to deliver the couple’s second child this month, Bubba Wallace is on baby watch.
This could be a historic race today…Tyler Reddick is going for three in a row in the win column to start the season – something that has never been done – and Shane van Gisbergen has won five road course races in a row and is going for his sixth. If he does, he will tie Jeff Gordon for the most consecutive road course wins.
Any driver who short cuts the course must make a complete stop in the “safe zone” before continuing on in the race.
Tyler Reddick brings the field down for the green flag start of the race with Ross Chastain alongside on the front row. Drivers go three wide into turn one with Chase Briscoe leading the race.
Tyler Reddick and Ross Chastain battle for second.
The top five are Chase Briscoe, Ross Chastain, Tyler Reddick, Ryan Blaney, and Chase Elliott..
After starting in 13th, Shane van Gisbergen has entered the top 10 on lap two.
Lap three, Chase Briscoe leads the race with Ross Chastain in second; Tyler Reddick, Ryan Blaney, and Christopher Bell round out the top five.
Lap four, Chase Briscoe has pulled out to a near one second lead on Ross Chastain; Ryan Blaney, Tyler Reddick, and Christopher Bell round out the top five. Shane van Gisbergen is nearly four seconds back in ninth.
Lap six, Ryan Blaney has passed Ross Chastain for second with Chase Briscoe one second out in front. Shane van Gisbergen is now in seventh.
Starting back in the field, Kyle Busch has moved up eight spots since the race start.
Lap seven, Ryan Blaney has closed the gap on leader Chase Briscoe who is now just half a second back.
Lap eight, Ryan Blaney has caught leader Chase Briscoe and is beginning to challenge for the lead.
Shane van Gisbergen has moved up to sixth and pole sitter Tyler Reddick has dropped to eighth place.
Lap times have fallen off a second to a second and a half since race start.
Lap nine, Ryan Blaney battles with Chase Briscoe and takes the lead.
The top five are Ryan Blaney, Chase Briscoe, Ross Chastain, Christopher Bell, and Michael McDowell.
Just outside the top five, Shane van Gisbergen has run the fastest lap of the race so far.
Shane van Gisbergen passes Michael McDowell for fifth.
Shane van Gisbergen reports that his “car is crap” but notes from what he is seeing, other drivers are worse.
Kevin Harvick called van Gisbergen “slicker than a greased pig” in practice, not showing his hand at what he has. All of the teams see the data and know what each other are doing.
Lap 12, Ryan Blaney has a two second lead on Chase Briscoe; Ross Chastain, Christopher Bell, and Shane van Gisbergen round out the top five.
Lap 13, ross Chastain passes Chase Briscoe for second and Shane van Gisbergen has passed Christopher Bell for fourth.
Michael McDowell passes Christopher Bell for fifth.
Lap 14, Shane van Gisbergen has passed Chase Briscoe for third.
Ryan Blaney has pulled out to a near five second lead on Ross Chastain; Shane van Gisbergen, Chase Briscoe, and Michael McDowell round out the top five.
With five laps remaining in stage one, short pitting has begun with Austin Dillon coming down pit road for service.
Tyler Reddick is back up to fifth place.
After leading eight laps, Ryan Blaney has fallen to sixth place.
With four laps to go in stage one, more drivers are making their pit stops.
Ryan Blaney continues to expand his lead and is now over six seconds out in front.
With three laps to go in stage one, more drivers are coming down pit road – about one third of the field.
With a seven second lead, Ryan Blaney makes his pit stop with two laps remaining in stage one. Ross Chastain takes the lead with Shane van Gisbergen in second nearly four seconds back.
Ross Chastain wins stage one.
The top 10 at the end of stage one:
Ross Chastain
Shane van Gisbergen
Michael McDowell
Chris Buescher
AJ Allmendinger
Ty Gibbs
Alex Bowman
Chase Elliott
Carson Hocevar
Denny Hamlin
The 21 drivers who did not short pit come down pit road for service with Shane van Gisbergen winning the race off of pit road.
Brad Keselowski has a slow pit stop.
Riley Herbst and Ryan Preece were caught speeding on pit road and will have to restart from the back of the field.
As the drivers prepare to choose for the start of stage two, Brad Keselowski and Chase Elliott are still on pit road.
Tyler Reddick brings the field down for the green flag start of stage two on lap 25. Drivers are three and four wide going into turn one. Connor Zilisch got loose on turn one after contact from Daniel Suarez and dropped through the field.
Tyler Reddick reports that he may have a loose tire and might have to come back down pit road.
Lap 25, the top five are Tyler Reddick, Ryan Blaney, William Byron, Kyle Larson, and Daniel Suarez.
Shane van Gisbergen restarts the race in eleventh.
Lap 26, Tyler Reddick has not come down pit road for a possible loose wheel and holds on to the lead. He reports that it feels better.
Shane van Gisbergen has moved up inside the top 10 in ninth.
Noah Gragson gets into the wall but gets the car moving again and the track stays green.
Lap 28, Tyler Reddick continues to lead the race with Ryan Blaney in second; William Byron, Daniel Suarez, and Kyle Larson round out the top five.
An 80 plus degree day with track temperatures over 100; Kyle Larson reports that his cool suit is not working.
Lap 31, Tyler Reddick continues to lead the race with Ryan Blaney in second; William Byron, Daniel Suarez, and Kyle Larson round out the top five. Shane van Gisbergen is in eighth place – the highest ranking driver to make a pit stop at the end of stage one.
Brad Keselowski had a long pit stop for multiple adjustments. Keselowski said that he intends to run the entire race.
Chase Elliott also had a very long pit stop but the crew gave no information about why they had the long stop.
Ten laps remain in stage two, Tyler Reddick has a half second lead on Ryan Blaney with William Byron, Daniel Suarez, and Kyle Larson rounding out the top five. Shane van Gisbergen has moved up to sixth place.
Lap 36, Shane van Gisbergen passes Kyle Larson for fifth place.
Lap 37, Shane van Gisbergen passes Daniel Suarez for fourth. Tyler Reddick has pulled out to a lead of over a second on Ryan Blaney.
Five laps remain in stage two with Tyler Reddick leading Ryan Blaney by over a second; William Byron, Shane van Gisbergen, and Daniel Suarez round out the top five.
Unable to move through the field after winning stage one, Ross Chastain is reporting multiple handling issues with his car.
Zane Smith and Brad Keselowski short pit the end of stage two and come down pit road for service.
Lap 42, more drivers short pit the end of stage two and make a pit stop.
Alex Bowman had an uncontrolled tire on his pit stop and has to serve a passthrough penalty.
Lap 42, leader Tyler Reddick short pits the end of the stage and makes a pit stop. Ryan Blaney is the new leader.
Pit road has become very busy just two laps remaining in stage two.
Shane van Gisbergen passes William Byron for second.
Just before the closure of pit road, leaders come down for service. Ty Gibbs leads the race.
Nine drivers stay out on the course to end the stage without a pit stop.
Ty Gibbs wins stage two for his first stage win on a road course.
The top 10 at the end of stage two:
Ty Gibbs
AJ Allmendinger
Daniel Suarez
Todd Gilliland
Tyler Reddick
Bubba Wallace
Ryan Blaney
Cole Custer
William Byron
Shane van Gisbergen
Somebody hit one of the tire packs and track workers have to go out and put it back where it belongs. While out on the course, track workers are cleaning up the track.
Austin Dillon is on pit road with shifter issues.
Drivers come down pit road for service.
AJ Allmendinger reports that his cool suit is not working and his head hose is blowing hot air.
Bubba Wallace and Josh Berry make contact on pit road.
Tyler Reddick retakes the lead of the race with Ryan Blaney is second. Shane van Gisbergen is in fourth.
Austin Dillon was charged with pitting before pit road was open and will have to restart the race from the back of the field.
Tyler Reddick brings the field down for the green flag start of stage three on lap 51 with Ryan Blaney alongside. Van Gisbergen is behind Blaney. Drivers get four wide going into turn one with Tyler Reddick holding on to the lead.
The top five are Tyler Reddick, Ryan Blaney, Chase Briscoe, Willaim Byron, and Shane van Gisbergen.
Erik Jones gets turned around and off the course after making contact with Carson Hocevar but he gets moving again and the track stays green.
Lap 53, Tyler Reddick has a lead of just under half a second on Ryan Blaney; Chase Briscoe, William Byron, and Shane van Gisbergen round out the top five.
Tyler Reddick has led 23 laps in today’s race so far.
Lap 55, Ryan Blaney has caught leader Tyler Reddick and is battling for the lead.
Lap 57, Connor Zilisch is moving through the field and has entered the top 10.
Lap 58, the top five remains Tyler Reddick, Ryan Blaney, Chase Briscoe, William Byron, and Shane van Gisbergen.
Shane van Gisbergen passes William Byron for fourth.
Connor Zilisch has moved up to eighth.
Lap 60, back in the middle of the field, things are getting very busy with drivers looking to pounce, beating and banging, and getting aggressive.
Kyle Busch passes Christopher Bell to enter the top 10.
All 37 cars are on the track and on the lead lap with 35 laps remaining in the race.
There have been 10 lead changes with Tyler Reddick leading 31 laps so far.
The drivers cannot finish the race without making a pit stop.
With 33 laps remaining in the race, the drivers are in their fuel window now. Christopher Bell is the first driver to make a pit stop.
Chase Briscoe reports some gear issues; a possible transaxel problem and comes down pit road.
Shane van Gisbergen has passed William Byron for third.
Chase Briscoe takes his car to the garage.
Lap 65, more drivers make their green flag pit stops; leaders still out on the track.
Thirty laps to go, more drivers come down pit road; leaders stay out.
Lap 67, Tyler Reddick has pulled out to a lead of over a second on Ryan Blaney; Shane van Gisbergen, William Byron, and Connor Zilisch round out the top five. Zilisch is running the fastest laps in the field.
Connor Zilisch is the only candidate for the Sunoco Rookie of the Year award this year.
Lap 69, Tyler Reddick continues to extend his lead and is now a second and a half in front of Ryan Blaney; Shane van Gisbergen is four and a half seconds back in third.
Lap 69, Tyler Reddick and Ryan Blaney make their green flag pit stops. Shane van Gisbergen is the new leader.
Lap 70, leader Shane van Gisbergen comes down pit road for service with Connor Zilisch following. William Byron is the new leader.
The first four drivers have yet to make a pit stop.
The top five are Michael McDowell, William Byron, Ross Chastain, Austin Cindric, and Tyler Reddick.
Michael McDowell is the only driver yet to make his pit stop. His crew chief said they will come to pit road in seven or eight laps.
Lap 72, the top five are Michael McDowell, Tyler Reddick, Ryan Blaney, Christopher Bell, and Shane van Gisbergen.
Lap 75, the first caution flag for an on track incident comes out when Ross Chastain makes a run through the gravel and loses a tire. He makes it out of the gravel and down pit road.
Alex Bowman has been reporting that he does not feel well. Jamie Little’s spotter Myatt Snyder is getting in the car to finish the race.
Chase Briscoe out of the race and Alex Bowman’s car on pit road for a driver change are the only cars not on the lead lap. Much of the field comes down pit road for service.
Tyler Reddick stayed out on the track and leads the field with Ryan Blaney in second; Shane van Gisberen, Connor Zilisch, and William Byron round out the top five.
Ryan Blaney has been behind Tyler Reddick for over 20 laps…and he is not a happy driver.
Tyler Reddick brings the field down for the green flag restart with 17 laps remaining in the race. Drivers get four wide in turn one with two drivers spinning out. Shane van Gisbergen passes Ryan Blaney for second with Tyler Reddick in the lead.
Zane Smith is missing a tire after getting turned around in trun one on the restart. Connor Zilisch also got turned around.
The top five are Tyler Reddick, Shane van Gisbergen, Ryan Blaneyu, William Byron, and Denny Hamlin.
Austin Cindric and Erik Jones make an unscheduled trip down pit road.
Fifteen laps to go, Tyler Reddick has a one second lead on Shane van Gisbergen with Ryan Blaney, William Byron, and Christopher Bell rounding out the top five.
Chris Buescher gets off the track after some on track contact but he gets moving again and the track stays green.
With 13 laps remaining in the race, Tyler Reddick has less than half a second lead on Shane van Gisbergen; Ryan Blaney, Christopher Bell, and William Byron round out the top five.
Just 10 laps to go, Shane van Gisbergen is on leader Tyler Reddick’s bumper and challenging for the lead.
Christopher Bell passes Ryan Blaney for third.
Ty Gibbs passes William Byron for fifth.
Nine laps to go, the top five are Tyler Reddick, Shane van Gisbergen, Christopher Bell, Ryan Blaney, and Ty Gibbs.
Six laps to go, Tyler Reddick has a lead of over a second on Shane van Gisbergen; Christopher Bell, Ty Gibbs, and Michael McDowell round out the top five.
Three to go, Tyler Reddick has a lead of over two seconds on Shane van Gisbergen who reports a loss of grip; Christopher Bell, Ty Gibbs, and Michael McDowell round out the top five.
Tyler Reddick takes the white flag. Carson Hocevar gets into the wall but gets it going and the track stays green.
And history is made!!!!!!!
Tyler Reddick becomes the first driver in the history of NASCAR to win the first three races of the season!
Michael Jordan said that he is proud of the team he put together; adding that co-owner Denny Hamlin has done a great job putting the team together.
After an impressive burnout, son Beau is there to help with the celebration.
Tyler said that it means the world to make history; adding that it was incredible to hold off Shane van Gisbergen.
AJ Allmendinger needed some assistance getting out of his car.
Shane van Gisbergen said that Tyler’s driving was immaculate.
The unofficial results of the Duramax Grand Prix:
Tyler Reddick
Shane van Gisbergen
Christopher Bell
Ty Gibbs
Michael McDowell
Kyle Larson
Chase Elliott
Ryan Blaney
AJ Allmendinger
Denny Hamlin
Bubba Wallace
Kyle Busch
William Byron
Connor Zilisch
Joey Logano
Ty Dillon
John Hunter Nemechek
Ryan Preece
Austin Dillon
Brad Keselowski
Todd Gilliland
Noah Gragson
Riley Herbst
Chris Buescher
Daniel Suarez
Josh Berry
Jesse Love
Rickly Stenhouse Jr
Cole Custer
Cody Ware
Carson Hocevar
Austin Cindric
Zane Smith
Erik Jones
Ross Chastain
Alex Bowman
Chase Briscoe