What to Watch Out for in the NASCAR Cup Series Race at COTA

by Cody Williams

What’s Happening?

For the third round of the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season, the greatest drivers in the world head down to the Lone Star state of Austin, Texas, to take on the renowned road course of Circuit of the Americas (COTA). 23XI Racing and Tyler Reddick are riding a wave of momentum heading into the third race of the season. No team has ever gone three in a row to start the year. Can they get it done? Well, a certain driver named Shane van Gisbergen might have something to say about that. Here’s what you need to keep an eye on in today’s race at Circuit of the Americas.

Let’s go road-course racing in Austin, Texas!

COTA – Sunday at 2:30 ET on FOX and streaming live on @WatchFOXOne » https://t.co/kIpAkwpvNQ pic.twitter.com/LUmh7rVeav

— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) February 25, 2026

• 23XI is having a strong start to the year. All four of their cars were in contention at some point in the season-opening Daytona 500, with the No. 45 of Tyler Reddick taking the win. They followed that up at Atlanta with more strong runs and Reddick going two in a row. Today, Team No. 45 tries to do what has never been done before–win the first three races to start the season. They got a great chance to do it. Tyler Reddick starts today’s race from the Busch Light Pole.
• When it comes to road courses in the NASCAR Cup Series, everyone in the room turns to look at Shane van Gisbergen. He won 5 of the 6 last year and had a modest Playoff run because of it. Win and you’re in is now gone but SVG will be looking to collect trophies nonetheless. He has some work to do, though. SVG is rolling off 13th at COTA today.
• Speaking of road course specialists, there are a number in the field today looking to dethrone SVG. One of them is his teammate, Connor Zilisch. SVG got the best of him in yesterday’s O’Reilly Series race. Can he bounce back? Other road course ringers looking to take down SVG are Michael McDowell, Daniel Suarez, and A. J. Allmendinger.
• Kyle Busch nearly won this race last year. He went winless the last two seasons. Is today the day that he finally snaps that extremely long winless streak?
• Coverage for today’s race in Austin, Texas begins at 3:00 PM EST on FOX. The stage breakdown is 20-45-95.

Startin Lineup

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Tyler Reddick Further Extends Track Record With This Feat at COTA

by Bryan Aguiar

What’s Happening?

Tyler Reddick won the pole on Saturday’s qualifying session at Circuit of the Americas, his 3rd at the track in just the 6th race there, extending his record of most poles at the road course, as no one else has won more than one, in a pretty straightforward session, in which there were no major incidents, crashes, or huge surprises.

Practice Results

Cup practice results: @NASCARONFOX pic.twitter.com/qK2CZX3NMc

— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) February 28, 2026

• Fastest Lap: Michael McDowell [99.023s]
• Best Overall Average: Ryan Blaney [100.156s]
• Best 5-Lap Average: Ryan Blaney [99.456s]
• Best 10-Lap Average: Ryan Blaney [99.926s]
• Best 15-Lap Average: N/A
• Best 20-Lap Average: N/A
• Best 25-Lap Average: N/A
• Best 30-Lap Average: N/A

Starting Lineup

Note

• Tire wear looked like a much bigger factor compared to previous years, and most specialists are attributing that to the horsepower increase

Ones to Watch

• Shane van Gisbergen: Mr. Road Course himself, SVG is looking to tie Jeff Gordon’s record of 6 consecutive road-course wins. His qualifying session was not what most thought it would be, but there’s no doubt he will be a threat for the race win
• Tyler Reddick: Reddick is starting on pole, his 3rd at the track in just 6 races there. Besides, he has the best average finish at the track, with an incredible 4.6. Reddick is also known for being an excellent road racer, and on top of that, he is fresh off 2 consecutive wins at Daytona and Atlanta, two very different track types compared to COTA, but with his pole, he’s proved he can contend too.
• Christopher Bell: You can’t count out the defending winner of a race, and Christopher Bell is just that. His numbers on road courses may not be as convincing as the others’ in this list, but with Toyota’s program improving, and Bell’s most recent road course result being a 3rd place finish, and his starting position inside the top 10, it looks promising.
• Ross Chastain: Chastain starts 2nd, but if you watched qualifying, you know his lap was likely pole-worthy if not for a single mistake. Still, he qualified 2nd, and his 5.6 average finish at the track proves he is a contender in nearly every race.
• Chase Elliott: The dominant name on road courses in the Gen 6 era, Elliott has yet to win one in the Gen 7. Last year, Elliott arguably had the fastest car, but an incident with Chastain forced him to climb the field, and he still finished inside the top 5. Without incidents, it’s very likely he’ll be in contention for the win.

Honorable Mentions:

• Ryan Blaney, William Byron, Michael McDowell, Connor Zilisch, Chris Buescher

Pit Stall Selections

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O’Reilly: SVG Wins at COTA

by Cody Williams

What’s Happening?

The checkered flag is out for the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series competitors at COTA, and it was Shane van Gisbergen who was left standing tall at the end of the race. His 5th career O’Reilly Auto Parts Series victory, it was his first at the track.

The King of the Road 👑@shanevg97 earns another road course victory at COTA! pic.twitter.com/6qcyEQJFZn

— The CW Sports (@TheCW_Sports) February 28, 2026

• The opening stage was dominated by the JRM duo of Connor Zilisch and Shane van Gisbergen with the No. 1 of Zilisch looking to be the stronger of the two early on. Prior to the end of the stage, both short-pitted, making a long-term play for the win. SVG still managed to end the stage in 10th.
• Austin Hill stayed out after a disappointing showing in Atlanta last week to collect some stage points. Also running strong in the first stage were Justin Allgaier, Sam Mayer, Brandon Jones, and Jesse Love.
• Despite not being in his usual ride, Carson Kvapil was very competitive in his DGM No. 91 Chevy. Granted, the car was prepared by JR Motorsports ahead of this race, but it was DGM guys running the show. They did an admirable job, bringing the car home in the 19th position after falling off late. He’ll have 5 more starts in the car later this year to fill out the remainder of his schedule.
• The second stage belonged to Sam Mayer. Finishing 2nd in the first stage and winning Stage 2, he had a mighty good points day today. Meanwhile, his former teammate Justin Allgaier also had a strong finish in stage 2. That’s a promising sign, considering his heartbreaks in Daytona and Atlanta, respectively.
• Connor Zilisch had far from a perfect race today. Sure, he led a bulk of the opening stage, but mechanical issues plagued him later in the race. Extra time on pit road making repairs put him behind the 8 ball in Stage 2. This put the race firmly in the hands of SVG. He did manage to battle back to the top 5 before he was dumped by Corey Day and the controversy around that driver continues to build. Zilisch brought it home in 21st with significant damage.
• With Connor Zilisch’s issues, it was more or less a cakewalk for Shane van Gisbergen in the JRM No. 9. He went on to win, scoring his 5th career win in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series. He has an opportunity to sweep the weekend. He starts tomorrow’s Cup race in the 13th position.

Race Results

Connor Zilisch spins off the track during a late push for the front. pic.twitter.com/95ukfAlBaV

— The CW Sports (@TheCW_Sports) February 28, 2026

Caution Tracker

• Lap 20: End of Stage 1
• Lap 35: Baltazar Leguizamon spins
• Lap 40: End of Stage 2
• Lap 57: Sage Karam

Points Standings

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