What’s Happening?

All three National Touring Series descend on Circuit of the Americas (COTA) this weekend for the first road course race weekend of the season. Some drivers in the lower series specialize in road course racing, and these are the 5 best current road course racers in the lower series.

Every COTA Road Course Ringer Revealed (So Far)

• This list will focus solely on full-time Xfinity and/or Truck Series drivers. “Ringers” making a one-off start this weekend, and full-time Cup Series drivers are ineligible.
• Being a good road course racer is incredibly valuable with this “Win and You’re In” format. With a win equalling a Playoff spot, drivers with incredible prowess on road courses have some extra pressure on this weekend.
• Fans are excited to see road course racing this weekend. Some drivers who are not always threats to win become immediate threats to win at tracks like this.

Xfinity: A.J. Allmendinger

A.J. Allmendinger has more than established himself as the “Road Course Ace” of the Xfinity Series. He has 11 wins on road courses in his Xfinity Series career, which comes before mentioning his 3 road course wins in the Cup Series. Simply put, he’s the best out there currently.

Whether it’s Xfinity or Cup, Allmendinger is a threat, and it doesn’t matter which road course either. He’s won races at COTA, Watkins Glen, Portland, Indianapolis, Road America, and Mid-Ohio. While someone later on this list has a stronger pedigree on road courses in other series, Allmendinger has the deepest in the Xfinity Series specifically.

Trucks: Corey Heim

Corey Heim is the defending Truck Series road course race winner, and that win came after a 6th-place finish at COTA earlier in the season. While not nearly as experienced as other drivers in the series, putting a truck into victory lane vaults any driver up the list of road course racers.

Heim continues to show the same consistency shown throughout his Truck Series career. Road courses are just another avenue to show off his incredible raw talent.

Xfinity: Shane Van Gisbergen

Australian Supercars star Shane Van Gisbergen burst onto the NASCAR scene in 2023 by winning the Chicago Street Race, his first NASCAR start. Now, he’s full-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series in arguably the best road course equipment at Kaulig Racing. He and Allmendinger form a dynamic road course duo.

SVG’s 80 career wins in Supercars show just how good he is on road courses. Those skills translate incredibly well to stock cars, and he will be a threat to win any road course race.

Trucks: Ben Rhodes

Ben Rhodes had some competition for the second Truck Series slot on this list, but he has a win on road courses which drivers like Tyler Ankrum and Stewart Friesen cannot say. That win came at the Daytona Road Course in 2021, and it was by no means a fluke. Rhodes has 7 top-10 and 4 top-5 finishes in 14 career road course races.

His performance in 2023 was quite impressive as well. With two top-10 finishes in both races including 19 laps led at Mid-Ohio, Rhodes continues to race well on road courses.

Xfinity: Sam Mayer

While not as dominant as other drivers on this list Sam Mayer pulled off 3 clutch road course wins in 2023 in the Xfinity Series. Regardless of how these wins came about, he put himself in that position to win races, and that took some serious skill.

Mayer is a driver in need of a boost at COTA as he currently sits 24th in points. Could COTA be where he gets his boost?

These are the best road course racers in the lower series. Will they dominate both at COTA and for the rest of the season?