Cup: Mid-Race Report, Trackhouse Reigns Supreme at COTA Early

What’s Happening?

Two stages are now complete at Circuit of the Americas for the NASCAR Cup Series. In the first stage, the cream rose to the top in Austin, Texas as the entire top 5 finishers were all former winners in the Cup Series on road courses. Ross Chastain earned top honors in the opening stage with his Trackhouse teammate, Shane van Gisbergen, right behind him. The second stage crown went to Ty Gibbs. Here’s things to note as we gear up for the final stage through the finish.

• Points earners in the opening stage include Ross Chastain (10), Shane van Gisbergen (9), Michael McDowell (8), Chris Buescher (7), A. J. Allmendinger (6), Ty Gibbs (5), Alex Bowman (4), Chase Elliott (3), Carson Hocevar (2), and Denny Hamlin (1). Chastain led the final four laps of the stage while Ryan Blaney, who opted to short pit along with Christopher Bell, led the most laps of the stage at 10.
• Shane van Gisbergen was uncharacteristically mid-pack during yesterday’s qualifying session. Due to a Hail Mary of a lap in the closing moments of the session, he qualified his No. 97 Chevy in the 13th position. The team made adjustments to the car overnight and he methodically started to work his way through the field, rising all the way to second place.
• The 20-lap opening stage was a clean affair that went green all the way through. No major on-track incidents occurred. Other drivers who led laps early include Tyler Reddick, Case Briscoe, and Shane van Gisbergen.
• To start the second stage, Tyler Reddick was back out front. He led a handful of laps before turning the lead over to Ryan Blaney, who led a bulk of the stage. The leaders opted to short pit, making a play for the win of the race. This left Ty Gibbs out front to take the Stage 2 win. This earned him 10 points. Other points earners in the stage include A. J. Allmendinger (9), Daniel Suarez (8), Todd Gilliland (7), Tyler Reddick (6), Bubba Wallace (5), Ryan Blaney (4), Cole Custer (3), William Byron (2), and Shane van Gisbergen (1).
• The second stage, like the first was relatively clean. There were a couple of drivers who went for solo spins. They include Noah Gragson and Josh Berry. Otherwise, it was a clean first half of the race.

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