Chase Elliott got his first with at the Texas Grand Prix in 2021. He hopes to do the same in 2022.
NASCAR will head to Circuit of the Americas — commonly known as COTA — for the Echopark Automobile Grand Prix on Sunday afternoon. It will be the sixth race of the NASCAR season and the sport will be looking for its sixth different winner to date.
The Texas Grand Prix has only been held once in NASCAR history as it was a new addition to the racing schedule in 2021. Elliott won the race’s first race after 54 of the 68 laps covered; the race was canceled due to bad weather. He currently leads the NASCAR Cup Series standings with 171 points thanks to three top-10 finishes, but he’d like to pick up a win to give himself a head start in the playoff race.
Elliott is one of NASCAR’s top road drivers, winning six of the 12 road races he’s entered since 2019. As such, Elliott has a chance to repeat the feat at COTA’s 3.426-mile track. which contains 20 bends.
That said, Elliott will face challenges from other road course mavens like Kyle Larson (three wins in 10 races), Denny Hamlin (seven top-5s in 12 races) and Martin Truex Jr. (five top-5s in 12 races). ). AJ Allmendinger, Loris Hezemans, Boris Said, Joey Hand and Andy Lally are other road course specialists in the field.
Sporting News follows the latest updates, highlights and top news from Sunday’s Echopark Motor Grand Prix. Follow below for all the COTA action in Austin, Texas.
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NASCAR at COTA Live Updates, Echopark Auto Grand Prix Highlights
(All times Eastern)
4:16 p.m. — Kyle Busch had a small problem on the track before turn 11. He was pushed slightly from behind and spun. He managed to get back on track, but he fell to 30th place because of the spin.
4:14 p.m. — Daniel Suarez continues to lead Ryan Blaney for nine laps. Blaney is about a second behind Suarez while the rest of the field, led by Tyler Reddick, is 3.9 seconds behind Suarez.
4:12 p.m. — In case you’re wondering how tight some of these corners are between the track space and the surrounding cars, this clip from NASCAR should give you a good idea.
Just a Texas cattle drive.@NASCARatCOTA | FOX pic.twitter.com/l5BfIBptB9
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) March 27, 2022
4:10 p.m. — AJ Allmendinger, who won the Xfinity Cup Series race at COTA on Saturday, is in 21st place after starting in 30th. He’s a road racing maven, so he’s one of those watching the last 60 laps of this race.
4:04 p.m. — Daniel Suarez led each of the first four laps of the race after passing Ryan Blaney a few corners into the race. Suarez will look to keep doing that at least until the end of Stage 1, which will come at the 15 lap mark.
No. 99 LEAD! @CocaColaRacingit’s @Daniel_SuarezG is ahead early in Austin.#CocaColaRacing | @COTA pic.twitter.com/KRTWVRGRa9
— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) March 27, 2022
4:01 p.m. — Chase Briscoe lost control of his car a bit, and it skidded around one of the corners. He managed to stabilize the car, but some cars overtook him due to the bend. Fox’s Regan Smith reports that Briscoe said his shifter was stuck, which might be something to watch out for during this run.r
3:56 p.m. — We did a lap of 68. Daniel Suarez is in front, with Ryan Blaney hot on his heels.
3:54 p.m. — Daniel Suarez went way away in the first round. He managed to position himself back on the track, but if this corner is any indication, Suarez is going to be aggressive at the front of the pack.
3:53 p.m. — The green flag was waved. We start at COTA Ryan Blaney and Daniel Suarez in the lead on the 20-turn track.
GREEN FLAG IN COTA. Retweet if you’re watching the NASCAR Cup Series action from Austin, TX on FOX, https://t.co/kL92FRtslr or the FOX Sports app” https://t.co/U4a0xtukwL pic.twitter.com/TqyTXbkNR1
— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) March 27, 2022
3:49 p.m. — NASCAR’s race at COTA in 2021 was a washout that ended early due to bad weather. Today, the weather is fine — at least at the start of the race.
3:45 p.m. — The cars are now on the track, with poleman Ryan Blaney ahead. They’re behind the pace car and we’re about four minutes from the green flag.
3:38 p.m. — The drivers started their engines after a great call from Michael Waltrip and Rocky Forrester. The Grand Prix will start soon.
Everything is bigger in Texas… Especially the command!@NASCARatCOTA | FOX pic.twitter.com/eti5lnP4Kk
—NASCAR (@NASCAR) March 27, 2022
3:33 p.m. — Hannah Dasher has just completed her rendition of the national anthem. From now on, drivers will position their cars for the race. The green flag is expected to be waved around 3:49 p.m. ET.
3:20 p.m. — Many recognizable celebrities attend COTA. Among them, none other than The Undertaker. He will be the grand marshal and drive the pilot car to start the race.
COTA IS BROKEN IN HALF pic.twitter.com/alFWWRZnvO
—NASCAR (@NASCAR) March 27, 2022
3:01 p.m. — Ahead of NASCAR’s start at COTA, here’s a look at the NASCAR Cup Series standings.
- Chase Elliott, 171 points
- Joey Logano, 164 points
- Chase Briscoe, 156 points
- William Byron, 150 points
- Kurt Busch, 146 points
- Ryan Blaney, 148 points
- Aric Almirola, 144 points
- Martin Truex Jr, 142 points
- Alex Bowman, 140 points
- Ross Chastain, 137 points
2:47 p.m. — The race at COTA will start in about an hour, when the green flag is waved. The road course is difficult with 20 bends. And the first corner is among the biggest difference makers on the track.
𝘽𝙚𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙆𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝘾𝙊𝙏𝘼: Round 1
It’s a monster. It’s treacherous. This can be a difference maker. @benrhodes explains Round 1 to @NASCARatCOTA. pic.twitter.com/S7uDW16omx
—NASCAR (@NASCAR) March 27, 2022
NASCAR start time today
- Race: EchoPark Texas Auto Grand Prix
- Dated Sunday March 27
- Time 3:30 p.m. ET
Coverage of the NASCAR Cup Series race at Circuit of the Americas is scheduled to begin at 3:30 p.m. ET. The green flag is expected to be waved at 3:49 p.m. ET at the end of the pre-race ceremonies.
What channel is NASCAR on today?
- TV channel Fox (US)
- Direct Fox Sports Go, fuboTV
Fox will continue to be the primary NASCAR racing broadcaster at this early stage of the season. During the second half of the season, the races will move to NBC, but for now, Fox will broadcast the races.
Mike Joy will serve as play-by-play analyst for Sunday’s Texas Grand Prix while Clint Bowyer and Larry McReynolds will provide color commentary for the broadcast. Fox also had a guest broadcaster as the third color commentator this season, with runners like Tony Stewart, Danica Patrick and Jeff Gordon entering the pit. It is unclear whether they will have a guest for Sunday’s race.
Streamers can also view the race on the Fox Sports Go app or by streaming Fox’s broadcast using fuboTV.
NASCAR starting lineup at COTA
Below is the full NASCAR starting lineup for the Texas Grand Prix. Qualifying took place on Saturday morning with Team Penske driver Ryan Blaney taking pole after posting a speed of 92.759 mph.
pos. departure | Driver | car number | Team |
1 | ryan blaney | 12 | Team Penske |
2 | Daniel Suarez | 99 | TrackHouse Racing |
3 | Cole Custer | 41 | Stewart Haas Racing |
4 | Tyler Red Dick | 8 | Richard Childress Racing |
5 | Alex Bowman | 48 | Hendrick Motorsports |
6 | Joey Logan | 22 | Team Penske |
7 | Christopher Bell | 20 | Joe Gibbs Race |
8 | Denny Hamlin | 11 | Joe Gibbs Race |
9 | Justin Haley | 31 | Kaulig Race |
ten | Austin Cindric | 2 | Team Penske |
11 | Kurt Busch | 45 | 23XI Race |
12 | Chase Elliot | 9 | Hendrick Motorsports |
13 | Kyle Larson | 5 | Hendrick Motorsports |
14 | Chasing Briscoe | 14 | Stewart Haas Racing |
15 | Kyle Busch | 18 | Joe Gibbs Race |
16 | Ross Chestnut | 1 | TrackHouse Racing |
17 | Martin Truex Jr. | 19 | Joe Gibbs Race |
18 | Kevin Harvick | 4 | Stewart Haas Racing |
19 | Harrison Burton | 21 | Race of the Wood Brothers |
20 | AJ Allmendinger | 16 | Kaulig Race |
21 | Austin Dillon | 3 | Richard Childress Racing |
22 | Chris Buescher | 17 | Roush Fenway Keselowski Race |
23 | Bubba Wallace | 23 | 23XI Race |
24 | William Byron | 24 | Hendrick Motorsports |
25 | Aric Almirola | ten | Stewart Haas Racing |
26 | Brad Keselowski | 6 | Roush Fenway Keselowski Race |
27 | Michael McDowell | 34 | Motorsports in the front row |
28 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | 47 | JTG Daugherty Racing |
29 | Todd Gilliland | 38 | Motorsports in the front row |
30 | Erik Jones | 43 | Small GMS Motorsports |
31 | Kaz Grala | 50 | TMT Races |
32 | Corey Joy | 7 | Spire Motorsports |
33 | Ty Dillon | 42 | Small GMS Motorsports |
34 | Josh Bilicki | 77 | Spire Motorsports |
35 | Cody Ware | 51 | Rick Ware Racing |
36 | Loris Hezemans | 27 | Hezeberg Team |
37 | Boris Said | 66 | Motorsport business management |
38 | Joey’s hand | 15 | Rick Ware Racing |
39 | Andy Laly | 78 | Fast motorsport live |