Circuit of the Americas - Austin
Race Report
A P12 start and a P5 finish for Parker Kligerman and the Big Machine Vodka Spiked Light Coolers team in Austin at the Circuit of the Americas. Kyle Larson was ultimately both patient and smart taking the lead on the final overtime lap to win.
By winning the first stage and the top 5 finish, Parker moves up to 7th in points with 147.
“Those late restarts are insane,” commented Parker. “We had a car that was capable of running in the top three on the long run. Overall strong day. Huge points day for us and overall a really great day. Proud of this team.”
After the race, Sam Hunt Racing’s Sage Karam confronted Parker about contact on the track. “I feel awful for Sam Hunt,” shared Parker. “I love that guy and have immense respect for what he has built and his employees. I consider them friends. But there is an etiquette to this game when it comes to contact and I felt like the signal I was given, was if I re-passed their car I was going to be spun. Not a position I wanted to be in but I felt I was left no choice to get what my team deserved. I look forward to chatting with Sage when the time is right.”
Final results:
1 Kyle Larson
2 Austin Hill
3 John Hunter Nemechek
4 Cole Custer
5 Parker Kligerman
6 Jesse Love
7 Austin Green
8 Chandler Smith
9 Sam Mayer
10 AJ Allmendinger
11 Parker Retzlaff
12 Anthony Alfredo
13 Justin Allgaier
14 Ryan Sieg
15 Brennan Poole
16 Brandon Jones
17 Sage Karam
18 Brad Perez
19 Jeremy Clements
20 Leland Honeyman
21 Daniil Kvyat
22 Blaine Perkins
23 Hailie Deegan
24 Ty Gibbs
25 Patrick Gallagher
26 Alex Labbe
27 Shane Van Gisbergen
28 RC Enerson
29 Kyle Weatherman
30 Jeb Burton
31 Josh Bilicki
32 Sheldon Creed
33 Ryan Ellis
34 Riley Herbst
35 Ed Jones
36 Sammy Smith
37 Ty Dillon
38 Josh Williams
Average Speed of Race Winner: 72.374 mph.
Time of Race: 2 Hrs, 21 Mins, 21 Secs. Margin of Victory: 1.354 Seconds.
Caution Flags: 4 for 9 laps.
Lead Changes: 13 among 8 drivers.
Lap Leaders: S. Van Gisbergen # 1-9;A. Allmendinger 10-11;P. Kligerman 12-15;A. Allmendinger 16-27;S. Van Gisbergen # 28;B. Jones 29;R. Herbst 30-31;A. Allmendinger 32-37;S. Van Gisbergen # 38-44;T. Gibbs(i) 45;S. Van Gisbergen # 46-48;A. Hill 49;K. Larson(i) 50.
On to Richmond. Watch the race on Saturday March 30 at 1:30 p.m. eastern. Hear it on Sirius XM Channel 90 and MRN. For the station near you, click here.
Overview
Event: Focused Health 250
Date: Saturday March 23, 2024
Time: 5:00 p.m. eastern
Location: Circuit of the Americas- 9201 Circuit of the Americas Blvd, Austin, Texas
Layout: 3.41 mile “long course’
Laps: 48
Miles: 156.86 MILES
Stage Lengths: 14/30/46
TV: FS1
Radio: Sirius XM Channel 90 and PRN. For the station near you, click here.
Driver Points: 105, 11th place
Notes of interest:
“I can’t wait for COTA,” says Parker Kligerman, “It is by far one of my best tracks and a massive opportunity for us at Big Machine Racing. We were super fast there last year with our Spiked Light Coolers Chevy and have improved so many things since then, that I can’t help but feel super confident. Our whole team is operating at such a high level, it’s been a really fun start to the season. Also I love Austin, I think it’s one of the coolest cities in America and always has great vibes. I love that we go there in NASCAR and looking forward to an awesome weekend.”
The Purse: $1,778,948
Getting Rowdy In Texas: Circuit of The Americas is up next
NASCAR Xfinity Series drivers had last weekend off to regroup and recharge but will now be heading to the Texas capitol for some road course fun on the Circuit of The Americas’ (COTA) 3.41-mile racetrack.
There have only been three Xfinity Series races at COTA, producing two different race winners (Kyle Busch, 2021 and A.J. Allmendinger, 2022-2023) and three different pole winners (Kyle Busch - 2021, Ty Gibbs – 2022 and A.J. Allmendinger – 2023).
Two of the three races have been won from the pole – 2021 race (Kyle Busch) and the 2023 race (A.J. Allmendinger).
They don’t call Allmendinger the ‘King of Road Courses’ for nothing. Not only is he the winningest driver in the Xfinity Series on road courses, but he also holds a few records at the track in Austin, Texas:
· Race record: 75.263 mph
· Qualifying record: 92.173 mph
· Most Wins: Two
· Most Top fives: Three
· Most Top 10s: Three
· Most Laps led: 58
NASCAR Xfinity Series drivers will kick off the weekend with practice on Friday, March 22 at 5:30 p.m. ET followed by Pole Qualifying at 6 p.m. ET – both will be televised on FS1.
Allmendinger is undoubtedly the best in the series on road courses
When it comes to wins on road courses in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, nobody does it better than A.J. Allmendinger. The stellar wheelman from California has amassed an impressive record of 11 road course Xfinity Series victories across six road course tracks.
This weekend, the road racing expert will strut his skills around the 3.41-mile COTA road course. The track he has visited Victory Lane at the last two consecutive seasons.
There may be a new road course sheriff in town
A.J. Allmendinger might have the most road course wins in NASCAR Xfinity Series history, however, there is a young driver who made a name for himself last season on road courses in particular – Sam Mayer – that might just give Allmendinger a run for his money.
The 20-year-old, Mayer, ran his first full time season in the Xfinity Series in 2022 but didn’t post his first win until July of 2023 when he took the checkered flag at his home track, Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin.
From there, Mayer became a force to be reckoned with on tracks that turn left and right. He pulled off a second win at Watkins Glen and his third on the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL.
Although he hasn’t found Victory Lane at COTA yet, he has put up some strong finishes. In his debut at the track in 2022, he finished fifth and he posted a seventh-place finish in last season’s race.
“Although we have had a rough start to the season, I am super stoked to get back to a road course, finally,” said Mayer. “We had a ton of success on road courses last year, scoring three wins. We have also run really well at COTA in the past, so I am looking forward to a good run there this weekend. Through all the struggles we have had, this No. 1 team has never given up and I could not be more thankful to have the work ethic these guys do on this team. I am thrilled to have another new partner on board this weekend with Roto-Rooter and I am hopeful that we can be in contention to steal a win this Saturday in Austin.”
Extra Seat Time: Double duty in the Lone Star State
Everyone wants to join in on the road course fun, so much so that some NASCAR Cup Series drivers will be joining the NASCAR Xfinity Series in Austin for a double duty weekend.
Kyle Larson will be getting behind the wheel of the No. 17 Chevrolet for his first Xfinity Series start of the 2024 season. This will be his first start at COTA in the series, but he’s made three starts at the track in the Cup Series with a best-finish of second in the inaugural 2021 race.
Ty Gibbs will pilot the No. 19 in this weekend’s Focused Health 250. He’s made two starts at the track in the Xfinity Series in 2022 and 2023, posting a 15th-place and third-place finish, respectively. He also won the pole in his Xfinity Series debut at the 3.41-mile road course. Ty Gibbs is no slouch when it comes to road racing in the Xfinity Series, he has scored four wins in his career - Daytona Road Course (2021 - debut in the NASCAR Xfinity Series), Watkins Glen International (2021), Road America (2022) and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course (2023).
John Hunter Nemechek will be behind the wheel of the No. 20 Toyota this weekend. He has only made one series start at the Austin, Texas road course where he finished 27th (2023). If he pulls off a win this weekend, it’ll be his first road course win in the series.
SVG back for some road course action
NASCAR’s newest star, Shane van Gisbergen, rose to fame in the league last season when he won the inaugural Chicago Street Race in the NASCAR Cup Series. Not only did he rise to fame for winning the historical race, but he also became the seventh driver all-time in the NASCAR Cup Series history to win in his series debut and the first to do it since Johnny Rutherford accomplished the feat in 1963 at Daytona. Van Gisbergen also became the first driver not from the United States to win in his Cup Series debut.
Now, the three-time Supercars champion runs fulltime in the NASCAR Xfinity Series and will be pulling double duty this weekend at COTA for the first road course of the 2024 season.
This will be his first stint on a road course in the NASCAR Xfinity Series but his third in the Cup Series. In 2023, he ran two Cup Series races – the Chicago Street Race where he took the checkered flag and the Indianapolis Road Course where he posted a 10th-place finish.
NASCAR Xfinity Series, Etc.
The Return Of The Dash 4 Cash Is Approaching – The 2024 Dash 4 Cash is right around the corner, beginning with the March 30 qualifying race at Richmond next weekend. The four highest-finishing eligible Xfinity drivers will set the field for the first Dash 4 Cash race, which takes place April 6 at Martinsville Speedway.
The Dash 4 Cash will continue with the April 13 race at Texas Motor Speedway and the April 20 race at Talladega Superspeedway. It will end with the April 27 race at Dover Motor Speedway.
Xfinity Series Upcoming Milestones – Over the next few races three drivers will be making milestone starts in the NASCAR Xfinity Series.
Sheldon Creed will be making his 75th career NASCAR Xfinity Series start at Circuit of The Americas.
Brandon Jones will be making his 275th career NASCAR Xfinity Series start at Richmond Raceway.
Cole Custer will be making 150th career NASCAR Xfinity Series start at Martinsville Speedway.