DuraMax Grand Prix Preview: Circuit of the Americas

This article is part of our Weekly Preview series.

DuraMax Grand Prix Preview

This weekend the NASCAR Cup Series returns to the Circuit of the Americas road course for their sixth visit after NASCAR's 2021 debut at the facility. This track is a 17-turn, 2.4-mile long road course that is located in Austin, Texas. The event is 95 laps, divided into three stages of 20 laps, 25 laps and 50 laps, which was increased over the 68 laps raced here previously on the full F1 circuit. Top speeds (94 mph pole) are limited by the highly-technical layout and 17 challenging turns. The circuit is very reminiscent of the many Formula One tracks that dot most of the landscape of Europe. In fact, the facility was created as a venue to specifically host F1 events. The track is really unlike any other road course that NASCAR races on with the possible exception of the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. F1 races regularly at COTA and IndyCar and IMSA have raced at the circuit in the recent past. NASCAR has spent the last few seasons making this facility a regular part of its annual Cup Series schedule.

We've had incredible racing action at this facility since the event's inception a few years ago. With now five COTA races in hand the data is beginning to accumulate and we're getting a feel for which drivers have started to master this challenging circuit. The usual road racing faces are among the elite here, but some of the oval track guys have found COTA to their liking as well, maybe more so than the average road course. We'll dive into the loop stats and take a look at who has experience early success at Circuit of the Americas. As an aide in driver determination for this event, the loop stats in the table below are from the last five DuraMax Grand Prix.

Five seasons ago we saw history made with NASCAR running their first-ever Cup Series event on the challenging COTA circuit. The event and weekend would be marred by bad weather, and the race would even be cut short of full distance, but the excitement and action would leave fans yelling for more. NASCAR renewed this event and for the last four seasons we have witnessed incredible racing action on the very technical Texas road course. This is the first road course event in the schedule and it will likely set the standard going forward for future road tracks that NASCAR will visit during the summer and fall.

Last season's Austin race would come down to tons of green-flag racing, pit strategy and a three-driver battle to the finish. Christopher Bell would overcome William Byron and Tyler Reddick in the closing laps and capture his first-career victory on the Texas circuit. The Joe Gibbs Racing star would cash in for Toyota's second win in the five total races in Austin. The theme has been established. The bowtie brand is currently at the top of the mountain at COTA but Toyota is quickly catching up. Ford is yet to win one of these races in Austin and looking for answers this weekend. We'll look at the track, drivers and some parts of last season's race in order to give you the drivers you need to succeed in your fantasy racing games for the DuraMax Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas.      

The Contenders – Drivers in the Hunt for the Win

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook as of 12:00 PM ET Wednesday

Tyler Reddick (+1500) – Reddick is one of the top road racing performers of the past few seasons. Since elevating to the Cup Series level, he's grabbed three wins, over 200 laps led and 19 Top-10 finishes for a stellar 11.9 average finish across his road racing career at NASCAR's top level. The 23XI Racing youngster won this event three years ago for his first COTA victory, in convincing fashion. Reddick now has two poles, 53 laps led, four Top-5 and five Top-10 finishes in his five starts at Circuit of the Americas. The average finish across those starts is a microscopic 4.6 average finish. We've come to expect the No. 45 Toyota racing up front and battling for the win in these events, and we're certain Reddick will do so again this Sunday in Austin. 

Shane van Gisbergen (+120) – The six-time Cup Series victor (road and street circuits) and four-time O'Reilly Series winner on road circuits comes to COTA this weekend for his third-career Cup start at the challenging track. Van Gisbergen was a somewhat disappointing 20th-place finisher in his debut at Circuit of the Americas in 2024. You could say that was an educational experience and he learned a lot from that performance. Van Gisbergen returned to COTA last season and led 23 laps while battling among the leaders for a good portion of the race. The Trackhouse Racing driver would eventually finish sixth-place that Sunday and tease the potential he has going forward. Van Gisbergen is the most talented road racer in NASCAR and it's just a matter of time before he wins at this facility.  

Christopher Bell (+900) – Bell grabbed the win in this event one year ago and that was redemption for finishing runner-up at COTA the season before. He now has 18 laps led and three Top-5 finishes in his five starts in Austion (60-percent). The Joe Gibbs Racing star prevailed in this event one year ago in a thrilling battle with William Byron and Tyler Reddick down the stretch. As the defending event champion, there will be a lot of eyeballs on Bell this week. He's been improving as a road racing driver and now has three road racing victories in his Cup Series resume. There are very few drivers in the field capable of upsetting Shane van Gisbergen this weekend in the DuraMAX Grand Prix and Bell is one of them.  

William Byron (+1000) – Byron is on a championship quest in 2026 and the key to making that happen is early-season success. He's a two-time victor on NASCAR road circuits and has shown dramatic improvement over the past couple seasons. The Hendrick Motorsports star has won two of the last three pole positions at the Austin road circuit and he won here in 2024 and finished runner-up last season. His 6.2 average finish across five starts in Austin speak to his consistency and improvement here. Considering how strong his last three outings were at Circuit of the Americas (71 combined laps led, all three Top-5 finishes) and how fast he's been to start this season, Byron seems like a very good fantasy play for the first road course battle of 2026.

Solid Plays – Near Locks for a Top 10 With an Outside Shot to Win

Ross Chastain (+2800) – Chastain has been a consistent performer on road courses since moving to Trackhouse Racing a few seasons ago, but no course better than the Circuit of the Americas. The driver of the No. 1 Chevrolet has been thick in the middle of the outcome in four of the five races at the Austin road course. Chastain broke through and took the victory in the 2022 installment after a thrilling last-lap battle with AJ Allmendinger and Alex Bowman. He's led 45 total laps at this facility and managed a stellar 5.6 average finish across his five starts at COTA. Chastain is an aggressive driver and this circuit awards aggressiveness behind the wheel. The Trackhouse Racing veteran is pretty good on typical road circuits, but he really elevates his game at COTA.          

Chase Elliott (+2200) – Despite being winless on road circuits the past couple seasons, we still have to pay major respect to Elliott and his road racing skills. He's a seven-time winner on NASCAR road circuits and carries an improbable 66-percent Top-10 rate on these style tracks. Last season alone, Elliott has managed three Top-5 and four Top-10 finishes (67-percent). He hasn't broken through to win, but Elliott has clearly been a major factor in these races the last couple seasons. The Hendrick Motorsports star won at COTA in 2021 and he managed a strong fourth-place finish at the track last year. Elliott now boasts a strong 6.3 average finish across four starts at the track in Austin.  

Alex Bowman (+3500) – Bowman is coming off a disappointing finish at Atlanta and looking to rebound this week in Austin. The Hendrick Motorsports star is not really known for his road racing skills as seven of his eight-career victories have come on ovals. However, COTA has been a special exception for the driver of the No. 48 Chevrolet. Bowman has three Top-5 and five Top-10 finishes in his prior starts at Circuit of the Americas for a very sharp 5.2 average finish. He's been battling for the win in the closing laps of each of the previous five races at COTA. While he's probably not as good odds of winning as the names in the contenders list, he's a great outside contender and he'll be racing among the leaders again Sunday at Circuit of the Americas.

Kyle Busch (+2800) – While road course racing isn't really his big niche, Busch has certain courses where he shines. The Richard Childress Racing star has performed well for years at the winding fast course at Watkins Glen, and COTA mimics many of those characteristics. He led 12 laps in the inaugural race at Austin to nab a Top 10 and returned three seasons ago to battle for the win and finish runner-up in the 2023 installment of the DuraMAX Grand Prix. After a fifth-place finish here last season, which brings his average finish to a strong 10.8 at this facility and shows that he's battled among the leaders in four of the five prior events at this track. While the sample size is small, the 80-percent Top-10 rate is a good mark of what to expect in the future for this driver and team.

Sleepers – Drivers With Good History of Road Course Racing & Solid Upside

Chase Briscoe (+2000) – Briscoe doesn't have the best statistics at Circuit of the Americas, but don't be fooled. He's a skilled road racer as his stats last season demonstrate. The driver of the No. 19 Toyota grabbed two Top-5 and three Top-10 finishes last year on the winding tracks. While he was a subpar 14th-place at COTA, that was Briscoe's floor last season on these stye tracks. The 8.4 average finish really tells the full story. In his O'Reilly Series career, Briscoe forged two victories and eight Top-10 finishes on these circuits (73-perent and 9.1 average finish) and that level of performance doesn't happen by accident. Briscoe has top potential to overperform in this event driving a Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota. 

Connor Zilisch (+350) – Zilisch didn't have the best Cup Series debut at COTA last year. He would crash mid-race and wind up a disappointing 37th-place in his first start at the Austin track. The young driver is poised to rebound this time around. Zilisch is a highly skilled road racer as his five O'Reilly Series road course victories attests. His only weakness and prime reason for inclusion in the sleepers list this week is his lack of experience (just four starts) in the Cup Series car. That was evident in his start at Circuit of the Americas last season. The Trackhouse Racing rookie should have learned a lot from that experience and avoid those mistakes this time around. He has Top-10 potential in the DuraMAX Grand Prix. 

Chris Buescher (+2500) – The driver of the No. 17 Ford has started the season reasonably well and now we come to a track to demonstrate his skill. Buescher was simply flawless on the road circuits last season. He piloted the RFK Ford very well on these tracks. Buescher would nab four Top 10's and post an impressive 8.0 average finish in the five road racing events of 2025. The Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing driver took some time to figure COTA out, but he did so in a big way over the last three seasons. Buescher rides a three-race Austin Top-10 streak into Sunday's race despite not qualifying well here. The No. 17 team will be focused Sunday in the DuraMAX Grand Prix.

Michael McDowell (+3500) – Aside from a mishap in 2024, McDowell has been a Top-15 finisher in four of his five starts at Circuit of the Americas. His average finish is a reasonable 16.2, but if you take out the "outlier" race, McDowell has a much sharper 10.8 average finish. We feel that figure best represents McDowell's true potential in this DuraMAX Grand Prix. The Spire Motorsports driver is a strong road racing performer. He managed three Top 5's last season and a razor sharp 8.8 average finish on the road circuits of 2025. One of McDowell's two-career Cup Series victories came on the winding Grand Prix Circuit in Indianapolis. He's not to be underestimated in this style of NASCAR racing.  

Austin Cindric (+8000) – The Penske Racing driver has had his struggles on ovals, but road racing has always been his true gift. Cindric has 27 Top-10 finishes to this point in his Cup Series career and nine (33-percent) of those have come on the various road and street courses of NASCAR. As it relates to Austin, the driver of the No. 2 Ford has led 17 total laps there and grabbed two Top-10 finishes in his five starts. The average finish is checking in at a respectable 16.4 over the span. Cindric is looking to rebound from a subpar performance at Circuit of the Americas last season. Given his success at COTA and in road racing generally speaking, we believe the No. 2 Ford team is a lock for success in Austin this Sunday.   

AJ Allmendinger (+3000) – The Kaulig Racing veteran gets the fantasy racing nod this weekend in the No. 16 Chevrolet. Allmendinger is an obvious choice. The veteran driver has a lot of experience and success in road course racing. His last two starts to close out last season were strong 11th- and ninth-place finishes at Watkins Glen and the Charlotte ROVAL. It only added to a strong career record for him in this style of racing. Allmendinger has three-career Cup Series victories on road circuits, and he also boasts 11-career trophies on Xfinity Series road courses. He has two Top-10 finishes in his prior starts at the Austin Circuit (40-percent) and has battle for the win here on more than one occasion.      

Slow Down – Drivers to Avoid This Week

Ryan Blaney (+4500) – The Penske Racing star was a hit-and-miss performer on the road circuits last season. Blaney would race to one Top 10 and a subpar 17.6 average finish on these style tracks in 2025. The driver of the No. 12 Ford has had his struggles at Circuit of the Americas. Blaney has nabbed just one Top-10 in his five starts here and a 15.0 average finish. His last two starts at Circuit of the Americas have led to disappointing qualifying efforts and distant 12th- and 19th-place finishes. The consistency needed to endorse fantasy racing deployment just simply isn't present with this driver and team. Among the A tier drivers, Blaney is one of the riskier propositions this weekend.

Joey Logano (+6000) – Logano is in much the same position as his teammate, Ryan Blaney, this weekend. He was a hit-or-miss performer on the road circuits last season with a similar one Top 10 in five starts (20-percent) for a 17.6 average finish. He also has his struggles at Circuit of the Americas. Logano's previous five starts at the Texas road circuit have yielded just one Top-10 finish and a subpar 19.4 average finish. The Penske Racing star is not a homerun threat in road racing, but he's a bigger threat to pull a disappearing act in this field of talented road racing performers. We believe it's best to bench Logano and the No. 22 Ford team this weekend and save their starts for upcoming short tracks and intermediate ovals.

Brad Keselowski (+30000) – The veteran driver's lack of road racing success was on display last season. Keselowski only nabbed a pair of Top 15's on the road circuits in 2025 and collected an average finish of 23.4. This has mainly been his NASCAR career on road circuits outside of some isolated success at Watkins Glen. In Keselowski's five prior starts at COTA, he's grabbed only two Top-15 finishes and accumulated an average finish of 23.2. He struggled to close out last season on these style tracks with disappointing 31st- and 35th-place finishes at Watkins Glen and the Charlotte ROVAL. Add to his resume the fact that Keselowski is still recovering from off-season leg surgery and may even be a toss-up to participate in this event. Joey Hand is on standby to be Keselowski's backup in case he can't go Sunday.  

Bubba Wallace (+10000) – Although Wallace has improved his road racing skills the past year or so, he's still clearly a fantasy racing downgrade this weekend at Circuit of the Americas. The 23XI Racing veteran is a much more skilled short track and superspeedway performer by the numbers. Wallace has DNF'd in three of his five starts at COTA and accumulated an average finish of 29.8. Despite racing reasonably well in this event one year ago, the history is still stacked against him in this race. When we look at Wallace's career numbers on road circuits, he has an 11-percent Top-10 rate and 21.9 average finish. Those numbers don't instill much confidence and indicate we should save his starts for the upcoming short tracks.