This Week in Motorsports: March 21-27, 2022
· NCS/NXS/NCWTS: Circuit of the Americas (Austin, Texas) – March 26-27
PLANO, Texas (March 23, 2022) – NASCAR goes left and right for the first time this season as it makes its second-ever stop at the Circuit of the Americas road course, just outside of Austin, Texas.
NASCAR National Series – NCS | NXS | NCWTS
Stellar on the Road… Martin Truex Jr. is always one to watch on the road courses. He earned his second career victory in Sonoma in 2013 and since has added additional road course wins at Watkins Glen in 2017 and Sonoma in 2019.
Busch looks to add two more COTA wins… Kyle Busch is the defending winner of the Xfinity Series race at the Circuit of the Americas. He will not defend that title; however, he has two more chances to add Austin hardware this weekend as he competes in his second Truck Series race of the season aboard the No. 51 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro, which went to victory lane on Saturday with Toyota development driver Corey Heim behind the wheel. Busch will also pilot his No. 18 Toyota Camry TRD in the Cup Series race on Sunday.
Bubba goes for two… Bubba Wallace will get extended time on track this weekend as he returns to the Xfinity Series for Joe Gibbs Racing for the first time in nearly a decade. Wallace will pilot the No. 18 Toyota GR Supra. The Alabama-native made his first six career Xfinity Series starts for the team and earned his first pole and top-10 finish in 2012 and 2013. Wallace made one Xfinity Series start last season, guiding the No. 61 Hattori Racing Enterprises Toyota GR Supra to a top-10 finish in Michigan.
Gibbs continues to impress… Last season’s rookie of the year, Ty Gibbs, continues to impress in his first full-time season in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. Gibbs led just one lap in Atlanta, but it was the most important one, as he made a bold last lap move to score his second win of the season and sixth in just 23 career starts. He will make his track debut at COTA this weekend.
Chase debuts… Sam Hunt Racing (SHR) will introduce drivers to the Xfinity Series for two consecutive race weekends. In COTA, Texas-native Parker Chase will make his series debut. The road-course ace ran at COTA last season for Kyle Busch Motorsports in the Truck Series, where he qualified in the top-10. He will compete for a team that has been impressive to start the season, as they sit inside the top-10 in the owner point standings.
Smith continues to lead… Chandler Smith continues to lead the overall NASCAR Camping World Truck Series point standings after another top-five finish in Atlanta. The Las Vegas winner leads the overall standings by 13 points. Seven of the top-10 drivers in the current point standings drive Toyota Tundra TRD Pros.
Majeski coming off career-best… Ty Majeski is coming off a career-best third place run in the Truck Series race at Atlanta. The Wisconsin-native is one of two drivers with top-10 finishes in the first three races and sits third in the overall point standings. The ThorSport Racing driver will make his track debut in Austin this weekend.
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