COTA Cup Event Info:
Date: Sunday, March 2
Time: 3:30 p.m. ET
Series: NASCAR Cup Series (NCS)
Location: Austin, Texas
Format: 95 Laps, 228 miles, Stages: 20-25-50
TV: FOX
Radio: PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90)
Weekend Schedule:
Friday: 4 p.m. ET, Xfinity Practice (CW App, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)
Friday: 5 p.m. ET, Xfinity Qualifying (CW App, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)
Saturday: 11 a.m. ET, Cup Practice (Prime, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)
Saturday: 12:30 a.m. ET, Cup Qualifying (Prime, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)
Saturday: 5 p.m. ET, Xfinity Race (CW, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)
Sunday: 3:30 p.m. ET, Cup Race (FOX, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)
Pace Laps:
- Circuit of the Americas (COTA) hosts the first road course race of the 2025 season this weekend as the Cup Series rolls into Austin for just the fifth time ever.
- The updated course this season will now feature a 17-turn, 2.4-mile layout compared to the 20-turn, 3.41-mile Grand Prix circuit last season.
- This weekend’s schedule features two separate 20-minute practice sessions, beginning at 11 a.m. ET. Group sessions will still be employed, except with the addition of an extra 20-minute run prior to group qualifying.
- There have been four different winners in each of the four Austin races – The winner has started eighth or better in three of four races.
Cole Custer Team Info:
Crew Chief: Aaron Kramer
Partner: Haas/Bonanza
Sheldon Creed Team Info:
Crew Chief: Jonathan Toney
Partner: Road Ranger
Sam Mayer Team Info:
Crew Chief: Jason Trinchere
Partner: Audibel
Custer at COTA (Cup)
Starts: 2
Wins: —
Top-10s: —
Poles: —
- Custer makes his 3rd start at COTA this weekend, and his first Cup start at Austin since the spring of 2022.
- He has started inside the top-15 in his two previous starts, and qualified 3rd in 2022 despite finishing 23rd.
Creed at COTA (Xfinity)
Starts: 3
Wins: —
Top-10s: 2
Poles: —
- Creed is set to make his 4th Xfinity start at Atlanta this weekend, where has finished in the top-10 twice in his career. He finished 10th in 2022, and followed that up with a 9th-place finish in 2023.
- He has started inside the top-10 in all three starts, and is one of four drivers to start in the top-10 in the last three Xfinity races (also: A.J. Allmendinger, Cole Custer and Ty Gibbs).
Mayer at COTA (Xfinity)
Starts: 3
Wins: —
Top-10s: 3
Poles: —
- Mayer makes his 4th Xfinity start at COTA this week where he has recorded three top-10 finishes in his career. His lone top-5 came in 2022 where he started 10thand finished 5th.
- He is one of three drivers to finish in the top-10 three times in the COTA Xfinity race, alongside Allmendinger and Custer
Where They Stand:
Cup Points Standings (41: 34th): Custer sits 34th in the points through two races this season.
Xfinity Points Standings (00: 3rd, 41: T8th): Creed now sits third in the Xfinity points standings behind the two winners with 83 total points on the season, while Mayer is tied for eighth place with 53 points heading into COTA next Saturday.
