Good news, bad news for NASCAR Cup teams heading into COTA weekend
Today at 11:31 AM
NASCAR heads to Circuit of the Americas for the first Cup race of the season on a road course Sunday.
The driver leading the most laps has won all three Cup races at COTA in the Next Gen car.
Here is a look at the good news and bad news for Cup teams heading to COTA.
23XI Racing —Good news: Bubba Wallace is tied with Joey Logano for second in the series with 28 stage points through the first two points races. … Tyler Reddick is one of three drivers (Alex Bowman and Ross Chastain are the other two) to finish in the top 10 in all four COTA races. … Reddick scored 160 points, most of any driver, on road courses last year. … Rookie Riley Herbst has finished 17th in both races this year. Bad news: Wallace has failed to finish three of his four races at COTA. … Wallace has three top-10 finishes in 32 road course starts.
Front Row Motorsports — Good news: Todd Gilliland has finished in the top 10 in two of the last four road course events. … Zane Smith won two Craftsman Truck races in three starts at COTA. Bad news: Noah Gragson has started the season 28th (Daytona 500) and 34th (Atlanta) due to accidents.
Haas Factory Team — Good news: Cole Custer's best finish on a road course is ninth, which he has accomplished twice in 16 career Cup road course starts. Bad News: Custer has not finished better than 23rd in two Cup starts at COTA.
Hendrick Motorsports — Good news: Hendrick Motorsports has won five of the last six road course races. … William Byron has won the pole for the last two races at COTA. … Byron won last year's COTA race. … Alex Bowman's average finish at COTA is 4.25, his best at all tracks. … Kyle Larson has six road course wins, tied for fourth on the all-time list. … Chase Elliott has seven road course wins in Cup, to rank third on the all-time list and lead all active drivers. … Elliott has the best average finish on road courses (9.14) among active Cup drivers. Bad news: Elliott is the only current Hendrick driver not to have won a road course race in the Next Gen car (since 2022).
Hyak Motorsports — Good news: Ricky Stenhouse Jr. finished fifth last weekend at Atlanta. Bad news: Stenhouse has finished 22nd or worse in three of his four Cup starts at COTA.
Joe Gibbs Racing — Good news: Christopher Bell's Atlanta win was his first and the organization's first since New Hampshire last June. … Bell has two top-three finishes at COTA, including a runner-up result last year. … The appeal of penalties to Chase Briscoe and his team from Daytona will be March 5. … Ty Gibbs has four top-five finishes in his last seven road course starts. Bad news: Bell has two finishes of 30th or worse at COTA. … Denny Hamlin has one top 10 finish in the last 17 road course races. … Briscoe has one top 10 in his last seven road course starts.
Kaulig Racing — Good news: All three of AJ Allmendinger's Cup wins have come at road courses. … Allmendinger has two top 10s in four COTA starts. … Allmendinger has five top 10s in his last seven Cup road course starts. Bad news: Ty Dillon has never finished better than 15th in 25 Cup road course starts.
Legacy Motor Club — Good news: John Hunter Nemechek is one of two drivers to finish in the top 10 in both races this season (Ryan Blaney is the other). … Nemechek ranks seventh in points. Bad news: Nemechek has never finished better than 21st in seven career Cup road course starts. … Erik Jones has no top 10s in his last 12 road course starts.
Richard Childress Racing — Good news: Kyle Busch has finished in the top 10 in three of the four COTA races, including a runner-up result in 2023. Bad news: Austin Dillon has never finished better than 10th in a road course race in 39 starts.
Rick Ware Racing — Good news: Cody Ware's best finish at COTA is 25th in 2023. Bad news: Ware is one of only two drivers (Josh Berry is the other) who has failed to finish both races this year.
RFK Racing — Good news: Chris Buescher has 13 top-10 finishes on road courses in the Next Gen era to lead all drivers. … Buescher has finished eighth in each of the last two races at COTA. … Ryan Preece's best finish in three starts at COTA is 15th. Bad news: Brad Keselowski is winless in 48 career Cup road course starts. … Keselowski enters the weekend 33rd in points after finishes of 26th (Daytona 500) and 39th (Atlanta).
Spire Motorsports — Good news: Carson Hocevar finished a Cup career-best second last weekend at Atlanta. … Michael McDowell is the only driver not to be listed as involved in an accident in the first two races of the season. … McDowell lost six laps for repairs at Atlanta but got a record-tying six free passes and went on to finish 13th. … Justin Haley's best finish at a road course was second in 2023 at Chicago. Bad news: McDowell has finished no better than 12th in the last three COTA races.
Team Penske — Good news: Austin Cindric ranks first in the series with 30 stage points through the first two points events of the season. … Cindric has eight top 10s on road courses in the Next Gen era, most among the Team Penske drivers. … Joey Logano has led a series-high 126 laps this season. … Ryan Blaney is one of two drivers to finish in the top 10 in both races this season (John Hunter Nemechek is the other). Bad news: Blaney has one top 10 in four starts at COTA. … Joey Logano has one win in 50 career Cup road course starts and that victory came in 2015 at Watkins Glen.
Trackhouse Racing — Good news: Ross Chastain, who won the 2022 race at COTA, has an average finish of 4.0 at this road course, best of all drivers. … Connor Zilisch, who is 18 years old, makes his Cup debut. … Shane van Gisbergen won three road course races last year in the Xfinity Series and won his Cup debut in 2023 at the Chicago Street Race. Bad news: Daniel Suarez has not finished better than 24th in four COTA starts.
Wood Brothers Racing — Good news: Josh Berry led 56 laps at Atlanta, the most laps he's led in a Cup race in his career. Bad news: Berry finished 35th at COTA last year in his only Cup start there.
