2021 EchoPark Texas Grand Prix
| Race details[1][2][3][4][5][6] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 14 of 36 in the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series | |||
 | |||
| Date | May 23, 2021 | ||
| Location | Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 3.426 mi (5.514 km) | ||
| Distance | 54 laps, 185 mi (298 km) | ||
| Scheduled Distance | 68 laps, 231 mi (372 km) | ||
| Average speed | 59.024 miles per hour (94.990 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Richard Childress Racing | ||
| Time | 2:12.911 | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Joey Logano | Team Penske | |
| Laps | 14 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | FS1 | ||
| Announcers | Mike Joy, Jeff Gordon and Clint Bowyer | ||
| Radio in the United States | |||
| Radio | PRN | ||
| Booth Announcers | Doug Rice and Mark Garrow | ||
| Turn Announcers | Rob Albright (1), Brett McMillan (2 to Becketts), Doug Turnbull (Chapel to S do Senna), Ralph Sheheen (To Sepang Hairpin), Pat Patterson (Motodrom) and Brad Gillie (Istanbul 8 to Turn 20) | ||
The 2021 EchoPark Texas Grand Prix was a NASCAR Cup Series race that was held on May 23, 2021, at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas. Originally scheduled for 68 laps on the 3.426-mile (5.514 km) road course, the race was shortened to 54 laps by heavy rain. It was the 14th race of the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series season.
Report
Background
Circuit of the Americas (COTA) is a grade 1 FIA-specification motorsports facility located within the extraterritorial jurisdiction of Austin, Texas. It features a 3.426-mile (5.514 km) road racing circuit. The facility is home to the Formula One United States Grand Prix, and the Motorcycle Grand Prix of the Americas, a round of the FIM Road Racing World Championship. It previously hosted the Supercars Championship, the FIA World Endurance Championship, the IMSA SportsCar Championship, and IndyCar Series.
On September 30, 2020, it was announced that COTA would host a NASCAR Cup Series event for the first time on May 23, 2021.[7] The lower Xfinity and Camping World Truck Series were also added as support events.[8] On December 11, 2020, it was announced that NASCAR would run the full 3.41 mile course.[9]
British IMSA driver Kyle Tilley made his NASCAR debut, replacing B. J. McLeod for Live Fast Motorsports.[10]
Entry list
- (R) denotes rookie driver.
- (i) denotes driver who are ineligible for series driver points.
Practice
In a wet practice session, William Byron was the fastest in the practice session with a time of 2:37.694 with an average speed of 77.847 mph (125.283 km/h).[11]
Practice results
| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 2:37.694 | 77.847 |
| 2 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 2:38.281 | 77.558 |
| 3 | 5 | Kyle Larson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 2:38.468 | 77.467 |
| Official practice results | ||||||
Qualifying
In a dry track, Tyler Reddick scored the pole for the race with a time of 2:12.911 and a speed of 92.363 mph (148.644 km/h).[12]
NASCAR also implemented a new rule for qualifying. For road course qualifying, a timing loop marked on the circuit, not the start-finish line, will set official time. The rule is similar to that used by INDYCAR, which also uses knockout qualifying. At this circuit, the exit of Istanbul 8 will be used as the timing line.
Qualifying results
Race
Tyler Reddick won his first career pole in qualifying. It began to rain on the first lap and all drivers pitted to change from slick tires to treaded rain tires. Kevin Harvick got heavy damage after making contact with Ryan Blaney, which also collected Christopher Bell and Bubba Wallace. Joey Logano won the first stage. In the second stage, the rain picked up, and the ensuing spray created visibility issues. In one incident, Martin Truex Jr. got into the back of Michael McDowell and then was rammed into by Cole Custer, severely damaging both cars, and causing Custer's car to catch on fire. Kyle Busch won the second stage. On a round of green flag pit stops, Kyle Larson passed Busch for the lead. Alex Bowman took the lead from Larson and was then passed by Chase Elliott. The race was red flagged again due to heavier rain and was called official with 14 laps to go. Elliott was awarded the win, giving Chevrolet its 800th win in NASCAR and Hendrick Motorsports its 268th win, tying Petty Enterprises for the most wins by team in NASCAR history.
Stage Results
Stage One Laps: 15
| Pos | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 10 |
| 2 | 34 | Michael McDowell | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 9 |
| 3 | 1 | Kurt Busch | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 8 |
| 4 | 5 | Kyle Larson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 7 |
| 5 | 33 | Austin Cindric (i) | Team Penske | Ford | 0 |
| 6 | 17 | Chris Buescher | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 5 |
| 7 | 14 | Chase Briscoe (R) | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 4 |
| 8 | 42 | Ross Chastain | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 3 |
| 9 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 2 |
| 10 | 21 | Matt DiBenedetto | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 1 |
| Official stage one results | |||||
Stage Two Laps: 17
| Pos | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 10 |
| 2 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 9 |
| 3 | 8 | Tyler Reddick | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 8 |
| 4 | 33 | Austin Cindric (i) | Team Penske | Ford | 0 |
| 5 | 7 | Corey LaJoie | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet | 6 |
| 6 | 5 | Kyle Larson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 5 |
| 7 | 37 | Ryan Preece | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 4 |
| 8 | 16 | A. J. Allmendinger (i) | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 0 |
| 9 | 14 | Chase Briscoe (R) | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 2 |
| 10 | 48 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 1 |
| Official stage two results | |||||
Final Stage Results
Stage Three Laps: 36
| Pos | Grid | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Laps | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 54 | 49 |
| 2 | 2 | 5 | Kyle Larson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 54 | 47 |
| 3 | 6 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 54 | 44 |
| 4 | 20 | 42 | Ross Chastain | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 54 | 36 |
| 5 | 7 | 16 | A. J. Allmendinger (i) | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 54 | 0 |
| 6 | 27 | 14 | Chase Briscoe (R) | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 54 | 37 |
| 7 | 23 | 34 | Michael McDowell | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 54 | 39 |
| 8 | 12 | 48 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 54 | 30 |
| 9 | 1 | 8 | Tyler Reddick | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 54 | 36 |
| 10 | 4 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 54 | 39 |
| 11 | 5 | 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 54 | 26 |
| 12 | 16 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 54 | 25 |
| 13 | 28 | 17 | Chris Buescher | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 54 | 29 |
| 14 | 19 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 54 | 23 |
| 15 | 36 | 37 | Ryan Preece | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 54 | 26 |
| 16 | 29 | 43 | Erik Jones | Richard Petty Motorsports | Chevrolet | 54 | 21 |
| 17 | 9 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 54 | 20 |
| 18 | 37 | 38 | Anthony Alfredo (R) | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 54 | 19 |
| 19 | 24 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 54 | 18 |
| 20 | 25 | 7 | Corey LaJoie | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet | 54 | 23 |
| 21 | 33 | 96 | Ty Dillon (i) | Gaunt Brothers Racing | Toyota | 54 | 0 |
| 22 | 22 | 47 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 54 | 15 |
| 23 | 21 | 21 | Matt DiBenedetto | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 54 | 15 |
| 24 | 34 | 6 | Ryan Newman | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 54 | 13 |
| 25 | 3 | 33 | Austin Cindric (i) | Team Penske | Ford | 54 | 0 |
| 26 | 26 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 54 | 11 |
| 27 | 13 | 1 | Kurt Busch | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 54 | 18 |
| 28 | 38 | 53 | Garrett Smithley (i) | Rick Ware Racing | Ford | 54 | 0 |
| 29 | 32 | 15 | James Davison | Rick Ware Racing | Chevrolet | 54 | 8 |
| 30 | 31 | 52 | Josh Bilicki | Rick Ware Racing | Ford | 54 | 7 |
| 31 | 39 | 78 | Kyle Tilley | Live Fast Motorsports | Ford | 54 | 6 |
| 32 | 35 | 51 | Cody Ware (i) | Petty Ware Racing | Chevrolet | 53 | 0 |
| 33 | 15 | 99 | Daniel Suárez | Trackhouse Racing Team | Chevrolet | 46 | 4 |
| 34 | 40 | 00 | Quin Houff | StarCom Racing | Chevrolet | 38 | 3 |
| 35 | 17 | 19 | Martin Truex Jr. | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 24 | 2 |
| 36 | 14 | 41 | Cole Custer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 24 | 1 |
| 37 | 11 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 19 | 1 |
| 38 | 10 | 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 18 | 1 |
| 39 | 18 | 23 | Bubba Wallace | 23XI Racing | Toyota | 18 | 1 |
| 40 | 30 | 77 | Justin Haley (i) | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet | 12 | 0 |
| Official race results | |||||||
Race statistics
- Lead changes: 11 among 10 different drivers
- Cautions/Laps: 6 for 41
- Red flags: 2 (1 for weather, 1 for 20 minutes and 54 seconds)
- Time of race: 3 hours, 7 minutes and 11 seconds
- Average speed: 59.024 miles per hour (94.990 km/h)
Media
Television
Fox Sports covered the race on the television side. Mike Joy, Jeff Gordon and Clint Bowyer called the race from the broadcast booth. Jamie Little and Regan Smith handled pit road for the television side. Larry McReynolds provided insight from the Fox Sports studio in Charlotte.
| FS1 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Booth announcers | Pit reporters | In-race analyst |
| Lap-by-lap: Mike Joy Color-commentator: Jeff Gordon Color-commentator: Clint Bowyer |
Jamie Little Regan Smith |
Larry McReynolds |
Radio
PRN had the radio call for the race which was simulcasted on Sirius XM NASCAR Radio.
| PRN | ||
|---|---|---|
| Booth announcers | Turn announcers | Pit reporters |
| Lead announcer: Doug Rice Announcer: Mark Garrow |
Turn 1: Rob Albright Turns 2 to Becketts: Brett McMillan Chapel to S do Senna: Doug Turnbull To Sepang Hairpin: Ralph Sheheen Motodrom: Pat Patterson Istanbul 8 to Turn 20: Brad Gillie |
Wendy Venturini Alan Cavanna Heather DeBeaux |
Standings after the race
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References
- ^ "2021 schedule". Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. Retrieved April 14, 2021.
- ^ "Entry List" (PDF). Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. May 17, 2021. Retrieved May 17, 2021.
- ^ "Practice Results". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Media Group, LLC. May 22, 2021. Retrieved May 22, 2021.
- ^ "Qualifying Results". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Media Group, LLC. May 23, 2021. Retrieved May 23, 2021.
- ^ "Texas Grand Prix Results". NASCAR.com. NASCAR. May 23, 2021. Retrieved May 23, 2021.
- ^ "Points standings" (PDF). Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. May 23, 2021. Retrieved May 23, 2021.
- ^ Long, Dustin. "Circuit of the Americas to host Cup for first time in 2021". Retrieved September 30, 2020.
- ^ Crandall, Kelly (October 24, 2020). "Xfinity and Trucks to join Cup Series at COTA". Racer. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
- ^ Utter, Jim (December 11, 2020). "NASCAR opts for F1 track layout for Circuit of the Americas round". Racer. Retrieved January 3, 2021.
- ^ "Kyle Tilley to run four Cup races for Live Fast Motorsports". Jayski's Silly Season Site. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. May 11, 2021.
- ^ Utter, Jim (May 22, 2021). "William Byron tops wild and wet NASCAR Cup practice at COTA". Motorsport.com. Austin, Texas: Motorsport Network. Retrieved May 22, 2021.
- ^ Utter, Jim (May 23, 2021). "Tyler Reddick takes surprise NASCAR Cup Series pole at COTA". Motorsport.com. Austin, Texas: Motorsport Network. Retrieved May 23, 2021.