Daytona … Atlanta … Austin. Circuit of the Americas has got next.
Just three weeks into the season, NASCAR’s EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix weekend arrives. It will be a serious change of pace as the best stock car drivers in the world go from the high banks of Daytona to the Atlanta superspeedway, then downshift to the road course in Austin. A new course, at that.
“It’s the earliest road course ever for NASCAR,” race director Bryan Hammond said. “We don’t typically see those until June or July. You can’t race everywhere in February and March. It just made sense to come here right up front in the season.”
The weather should cooperate, with projected highs of 77, 82 and 79 this weekend, a far cry from a week ago when Central Texas was in the 30s — for highs. Ross Chastain, the 2022 Cup Series winner here, visited on a promotional appearance last Thursday and was, well, freezing.
“Oh, man, I was starting to wonder,” Chastain told the American-Statesman. “So glad to hear it’s gonna warm up. Really cold weather like that would dampen everyone’s spirits.”
Hammond said the other reason for the early Austin appearance is to spread out the state’s two Cup events. Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth has its race May 4.
“We’re almost exactly two months apart,” he said. “This helps both of us for ticket sales, promotions, whatnot. In past years, the two Texas races have been as close as two weeks apart. At COTA we’re gonna capture the beginning wave of momentum you get with every season.”
Scott Cooper, Speedway Motorsports communications director, said there will be fans from all 50 states and 14 foreign countries, as far away as Brazil, Ireland and Australia.
While NASCAR does not disclose ticket sales and attendance, Hammond said the reaction to the early Austin race has been “overwhelimingly positive.” Several camping areas are sold out. “Austin has always been a last-minute market. This week’s weather will help our late gate.”
Switching from the high speeds of Daytona and Atlanta to the road course in Austin could be jarring for drivers and teams.
“The schedule is almost completely different than we’re used to,” said Ricky Steinhouse Jr., the 2023 Daytona 500 winner. “A big track change with completely different setups and strategy. We’re pretty good about adapting to challenges. I enjoy getting to Austin and COTA so early. Love Austin. Good food, good golf, good music, world-class race track.”
It will be a different layout as well. The first four NASCAR at COTA events were run on Formula One’s 3.4-mile, 20-turn design. This one will be on a 2.4-mile, 17-turn layout that will bring drivers around the track more quickly and and shorten the lengthy caution laps.
Triple coverage: The weekend also includes the NASCAR Xfinity Series and IMSA Sports Car Challenge, which will both be on the track Friday for practice and qualifying. IMSA is taking the place of the Craftsman truck series.
The Focused Health 250 Xfinity event includes Cup stars William Byron and Chastain. They are both former Cup winners at COTA, Byron totally dominating last year. Byron began the season with the Daytona 500 victory. Byron will drive the No. 17 for Hendrick Motorsports. Chastain will pilot the No. 9 Chevrolet for JR Motorsports, co-owned by Dale Earnhardt Jr.
IMSA, which has drivers from 26 countries, will hold two races Saturday after practice and qualifying Friday.
Young and restless: Connor Zilisch, all of 18 years old, will look to become the youngest driver to make a Cup start since Joey Logano made his 2008 debut.
Zilisch, from Charlotte, will drive the No. 78 Chevrolet for Trackhouse Racing. He is a road-course specialist who finished fourth in the truck race here last year. “Connor has more road course knowledge than I do,” teammate Chastain said. “He’s already been exposed to so much, raced all ove rthe world. We’re leaning on him as much as he’s leaning on us. He just has to get the experience. How do you ever learn to throw a football until you actually throw one?”
Off-track activity: The event has expanded its Fan Zone activiities to include America’s Got Talent performers Boogie Storm and Funkanometry, plus a high-fying aerial troupe, the Globe of Death motorcycle show and Swifty Swing Pig races (only in NASCAR, right?). Rising country star Corey Kent will do a 1-hour pre-race Cup concert Sunday.
NASCAR at COTA
Friday-Sunday, Circuit of the Americas, tickets — $91 weekend grounds pass, $241 weekend main grandstand, $25 and up Friday only, $50 and up Saturday only, $80 general admission Sunday, $120 and up grandstand Sunday
Friday — IMSA VP Sportscar Challenge practice 2-2:40 p.m.; NASCAR Xfinity Series practice 4-4:50 p.m. (The CW app); Xfinity Series qualifying 5-6 p.m. (The CW app); VP Sportscar Challenge qualifying 6:30-7:05 p.m.; Saturday — VP Sportscar Challenge 8:40-9:25 a.m.; NASCAR Cup Series practices 10 a.m.-11:30 a.m. (Prime Video); NASCAR Cup Series qualifying (Prime Video); Xfinity Series Focused Health 250 1:30-4 p.m. (The CW); VP Sportscar Challenge 5-5:45 p.m.; Sunday — Cory Kent concert 12:45-1:45 p.m.; NASCAR EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix 2:30 p.m. (Fox)
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: NASCAR EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix race set for Austin on Sunday
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