RICK WARE RACING
EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix
Date: March 24, 2024
Event: EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix (Round 6 of 36)
Series: NASCAR Cup Series
Location: Circuit of the Americas (COTA) in Austin, Texas (3.426-mile, 20-turn road course)
Format: 68 laps, broken into three stages (15 laps/15 laps/38 laps)
Race Winner: William Byron of Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet)
Stage 1 Winner: Christopher Bell of Joe Gibbs Racing (Ford)
Stage 2 Winner: William Byron of Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet)
RWR Race Finish:
● Justin Haley (Started 13th, Finished 17th/ Running, completed 68 of 68 laps)
● Kaz Grala (Started 23rd, Finished 28th/ Running, completed 68 of 68 laps)
RWR Points:
● Justin Haley (26th with 92 points, 128 out of first)
● Kaz Grala (33rd with 64 points, 156 out of first)
Haley Notes:
● Haley earned his second top-20 result in four career NASCAR Cup Series starts at COTA.
● This was Haley’s fourth career start at COTA. His best finish remains 15th, earned in March 2022.
● Haley’s 17th-place finish was a team-best for RWR at COTA. The previous best-result was Jenson Button’s 18th-place finish in March 2023.
Grala Notes:
● This was Grala’s second career start at COTA. His best finish remains 25th, earned in March 2022.
Race Notes:
● William Byron won the EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix to score his 12th career NASCAR Cup Series victory and his first at COTA. His margin of victory over second-place Bell was .692 of a second.
● There were two caution periods for a total of four laps.
● Thirty-four of the 39 drivers in the EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix finished on the lead lap.
● Martin Truex Jr. leaves COTA as the championship leader with a five-point advantage over second-place Ty Gibbs.
Sound Bites:
“We had an okay day. I thought we did everything right up until the end when we had a slow pit stop and kind of faded from there. I am really happy with the results we are getting. We have such a small team and we are trying as hard as we can. I appreciate everyone at Ford and RFK for giving us the information they give us, and I am glad we are starting to apply it.” – Justin Haley, driver of the No. 51 Fraternal Order of Eagles Ford Mustang Dark Horse
Next Up:
The next event on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the Richmond 400 on Sunday, March 31 at Richmond (Va.) Raceway. The race begins at 7:00 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by FOX and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
