The NASCAR Cup Series is headed to the storied Austin track, Circuit of the Americas, this week. The road course has plenty of drama on its own, but changes to the track this year, some bubbling beef in the garage and an 18-year-old phenom’s debut make this Sunday’s race a must-see event.
The NASCAR Cup Series race at the Circuit of The Americas brings a new day on a “new” track. For Trackhouse Racing driver Shane van Gisbergen, it brings a new and welcome opportunity. After less than satisfying finishes in drafting track races at Daytona and Atlanta (33rd and 23rd,
10. Ricky Stenhouse Jr, 80. 11. Austin Cindric, 80. 12. Chris Buescher, 77. 13. Joey Logano, 77. 14. John H. Nemechek, 76. 15. Carson Hocevar, 72. 16. Kyle Larson, 71. 17. Denny Hamlin, 67. 18. Shane Van Gisbergen, 63. 19. Todd Gilliland, 63. 20. Ross Chastain, 62. 21. Riley Herbst, 60. 22. Erik Jones, 56. 23. Justin Haley, 52. 24. Ty Dillon, 48. 25. AJ Allmendinger, 43. 26. Brad Keselowski, 43. 27. Noah Gragson, 42. 28. Austin Dillon, 41. 29. Daniel Suárez, 38. 30. Ryan Preece, 38. 31. Zane Smith, 35. 32. Jimmie Johnson, 34. 33. Josh Berry, 34. 34. Cole Custer, 31. 35. Ty Gibbs, 29. 36. Corey LaJoie, 21. 37. Cody Ware, 10. 38. JJ Yeley, 1. 39. Martin Truex Jr, 1. 44. Chase Briscoe, -28.
Chase Elliott rallied from a Lap 1 spin to finish fourth while Busch faded to fifth after leading a race-best 42 laps. Road course ace Shane van Gisbergen, Chris Buescher, Noah Gragson, Alex Bowman and Todd Gilliland completed the top 10.
Shane Van Gisbergen and Connor Zilisch of Trackhouse Racing opened as the favorites for the first road race of the NASCAR Cup Series season. Will these specialists overwhelm the competition? Check out our EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix analysis.
Shane van Gisbergen was fastest in NASCAR Cup Series practice Saturday at Circuit of The Americas, topping the board at 87.408mph (98.846s). William Byron was second fastest at 86.891mph and Carson Hocevar rounded out the top three at 86.
After a rough Daytona and Atlanta, Shane van Gisbergen will look to the road course in Austin to kickstart his season.