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The NASCAR Cup Series hits the Lone Star State for the first road-course race of the 2025 season, when the Circuit of the Americas hosts the EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix on Sunday.
It will be a big change of pace for drivers after opening the season with superspeedway events at Daytona and Atlanta. In addition to going from fast, pack-style racing on the high-banked ovals to adjusting to multiple left and right turns on the Austin, Texas, road course, drivers will also have to adapt to a shorter, reconfigured circuit.
The section from Turn 7 through the Turn 11 hairpin was eliminated, reducing the course from 3.41 miles (same as the Formula One U.S. Grand Prix) to 2.4 miles. But the shorter circuit means the number of laps has increased, going from 68 to 95.
Qualifying will also be extremely important – unlike Daytona and Atlanta – as the past two race winners at COTA – William Byron in 2024 and Tyler Reddick in 2023 – started on the front row.
Who will be the first road warrior of 2025? Here’s all the information you need to get ready for Sunday’s EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix:
SCHEDULE: How to watch NASCAR Cup Series races in 2025
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What time does the NASCAR Cup race at COTA start?
The EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix starts at 3:30 p.m. ET (2:30 p.m. local) at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas.
What TV channel is the NASCAR Cup race at COTA on?
Fox is broadcasting the EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix and has a pre-race show beginning at 2:30 p.m. ET (1:30 p.m. local).
Will there be a live stream of the NASCAR Cup race at COTA?
The EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix can be live streamed on Max and the FoxSports app. Viewers can also stream the race on Fubo, which is offfering a free trial to new subscribers.
Watch NASCAR at Circuit of the Americas on Fubo (free trial)
How many laps is the NASCAR Cup race at COTA?
The EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix is 95 laps around the 2.4-mile road course for a total of 228 miles. The race will feature three segments (laps per stage) — Stage 1: 20 laps; Stage 2: 25 laps; Stage 3: 50 laps.
Who won the most recent NASCAR Cup race at COTA?
William Byron started from the pole and led 42 of 68 laps, including the final 18, before holding off Christopher Bell by 0.692 seconds.
What is the lineup for the EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix at COTA?
(Car number in parentheses)
- (45) Tyler Reddick, Toyota
- (23) Bubba Wallace, Toyota
- (9) Chase Elliott, Chevrolet
- (77) Carson Hocevar, Chevrolet
- (99) Daniel Suarez, Chevrolet
- (88) Shane Van Gisbergen, Chevrolet
- (5) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet
- (8) Kyle Busch, Chevrolet
- (1) Ross Chastain, Chevrolet
- (34) Todd Gilliland, Ford
- (11) Denny Hamlin, Toyota
- (16) AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet
- (54) Ty Gibbs, Toyota
- (87) Connor Zilisch, Chevrolet
- (24) William Byron, Chevrolet
- (71) Michael McDowell, Chevrolet
- (4) Noah Gragson, Ford
- (19) Chase Briscoe, Toyota
- (20) Christopher Bell, Toyota
- (38) Zane Smith, Ford
- (48) Alex Bowman, Chevrolet
- (47) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Chevrolet
- (22) Joey Logano, Ford
- (17) Chris Buescher, Ford
- (12) Ryan Blaney, Ford
- (6) Brad Keselowski, Ford
- (3) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet
- (60) Ryan Preece, Ford
- (7) Justin Haley, Chevrolet
- (41) Cole Custer, Ford
- (35) Riley Herbst, Toyota
- (43) Erik Jones, Toyota
- (42) John Hunter Nemechek, Toyota
- (10) Ty Dillon, Chevrolet
- (21) Josh Berry, Ford
- (2) Austin Cindric, Ford
- (51) Cody Ware, Ford
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