When the NASCAR Cup Series races at Circuit of the Americas (COTA) this Sunday in Austin, Texas, the road course will look different than in years past.
That’s because NASCAR has chosen to utilize COTA’s shorter, “National” layout for this year’s Xfinity Series and Cup Series races at the Texas road course. The National course’s 20-turn layout is 2.3 miles in length, compared to the Full Course layout’s length of 3.41 miles.
The change will bring the length of Sunday’s EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix (3:30 p.m. ET, FOX) from 68 laps to 95, and bring the length of Saturday’s Focused Health 250 (2:30 p.m. ET, CW) from 50 laps to 65.
The change in course layout, of course, will affect the drivers. Ahead of Sunday’s race, here are the drivers that the new COTA layout — and the trip to COTA in general — will benefit the most.
Kyle Larson, No. 5 Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports
COTA’s National course doesn’t explicitly mirror any other road course on the schedule, which could make Larson a favorite to win on Sunday. Since joining Hendrick, Larson has become an elite road racer, boasting two wins apiece at Sonoma, Watkins Glen and the Charlotte Roval. The high-speed frontstretch and faster portions of the track lean more towards Watkins Glen, while the slower, tighter and more technical portions of the circuit more closely mirror Sonoma and the Charlotte Roval, where Larson won last October. Larson’s ability to win at various styles of road courses should play right into his hands on Sunday.
Connor Zilisch, No. 87 Chevrolet, Trackhouse Racing
Zilisch is making his Cup Series debut on Sunday, but he’ll have the benefit of running Saturday’s Xfinity Series race beforehand. As a road course ace, Zilisch will be one of the favorites in the Xfinity race, and he has a chance to turn heads the following day as well. His resume includes wins in the 12 Hours of Sebring and the Rolex 24 at Daytona, as well as an Xfinity Series win at Watkins Glen in his debut. A year ago at COTA, Zilisch won the pole for the Truck race and earned a fourth-place finish. Regardless of layout, Zilisch will almost always be a force on road courses.
Shane van Gisbergen, No. 88 Chevrolet, Trackhouse Racing
The same can be said for Zilisch’s teammate in van Gisbergen, who is well-suited to compete at any road course NASCAR travels to. The New Zealand native showed he can win at any road course on the schedule when he captured the checkered flag in his Cup Series debut at the Chicago Street Course in 2023. His ability to learn on the fly will come in handy as he experiences the new COTA layout for the first time along with the rest of the field.
Christopher Bell, No. 20 Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing
Bell is one of the more underrated road course racers in the field — he was runner-up to William Byron at COTA in 2024 — but he has one big advantage favoring him this weekend: momentum. Besides, he has nothing to lose. Bell’s victory at Atlanta on Feb. 23 locked him into the playoffs, meaning he’s free to use whatever strategy necessary to go for the win on Sunday. The layout will throw a new wrinkle into strategy, especially for teams racing for stage points, but Bell and crew chief Adam Stevens should be able to have more strategy options and race more freely with a postseason berth locked up.
–Samuel Stubbs, Field Level Media
