KANSAS CITY, Mo. – If the start to the 2025 season wasn’t wild enough the NASCAR Cup Series rolls into Austin, Texas at the Circuit of The Americas road course.
Last November, race promoters announced that they would be shifting from the 3.41 mile full course to a shorter 2.3-mile circuit for both the Cup Series and the Xfinity Series this weekend.
The changes to the course will eliminate the section from turn 7 through turn 11 hairpin on the full layout. The lap count goes from 68 to 95 giving fans more action from their vantage points.
“I think shortening the track definitely changes quite a few things,” Team Penske’s Austin Cindric said. “The lap count, from a fan standpoint, I think that is more than anything else. How much do you prioritize the other corners that still exist on the racetrack? Past that, there are still plenty of elements to take away. It is a very unique circuit.”
This will also be the first race on the track’s new asphalt surface that was completed last September.
If you are looking for a favorite in this week’s road course, you don’t need to look any further than a Hendrick Motorsports driver. Last season Hendrick drivers won four out of five road course races. Kyle Larson picked up a pair of wins at Sonoma and the Charlotte Roval.
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Heading into the third race weekend Ryan Blaney is the points leader, followed by William Byron in second, Tyler Reddick in third, Austin Cindric and Bubba Wallace is in fifth.
You can catch the race this weekend right here on FOX4 at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday.
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