This has been the weekend fans have wanted for a very long time. The wait is finally over as the NASCAR Cup Series will head to the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas. This is a road course that was built in 2012 and it is one of the most amazing road courses you will ever see.
It was announced that it would be built in 2021 and this track has not disappointed. This track has hosted some of the best racing in the world and now NASCAR can finally be added to the list. The long wait is officially over as finally, NASCAR will take the green flag at COTA.
Practice & Qualifying Returns
For the first time since Speedweeks practice and qualifying will return. The NASCAR Cup Series only had one practice session. This took place early Saturday morning. It was a rainy morning in Austin which made practice tough. Once it was said and done William Byron finished fastest. His fastest lap time was 157.694 and his top speed coming to the line was 77.847.
Qualifying will return tomorrow morning shortly before the race. Qualifying will begin at 11 am ET, 10 am CT. The qualifying session will be seen on Fox Sports 1. It can also be heard on the Performance Racing Network and of course on SiriusXM NASCAR channel 90.
Odds for COTA
As of now, the road course ringer Chase Elliott leads the odds to win at COTA at +225. Behind him will be Martin Truex Jr at +450. The third-best odds to win at COTA will go to Denny Hamlin at +800. The fourth-best odds to win at COTA will be Kyle Larson at +1000. Rounding out the top 5 Kyle Busch has the fifth-best odds at +1400.
COTA Track Information
Circuit of the Americas is a very big road course as it is 3.41 miles. The NASCAR Cup Series announced that they will use the long version of the track which will make strategy very interesting. This 20 turn course is a very challenging course. No turn is more difficult than turn one. It is a sharp left-handed corner which is a very heavy-breaking zone.
EchoPark Texas Grand Prix Information
Due to the long track format, this race will not have a lot of laps. Stage 1 will be 15 laps. The second stage will end on lap 32. Then the face will finish completing the full 68 laps. Rain is also a huge factor for the Texas Grand Prix as there is a 90% chance of rain all day. Thankfully NASCAR has brought the rain tires to COTA so this race will run as scheduled. Tomorrow’s race will begin at 2:30 pm ET 1:30 Local. This race will be seen on Fox Sports 1. The race can also be heard on the Performance Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio channel 90.
