Christopher Bell Earns First Top-Five Finish of the 2026 Season at COTA

Christopher Bell of Joe Gibbs Racing finished third after having an up-and-down day at Circuit of the Americas during the DuraMAX Grand Prix. Bell started the race from eighth place, and early on in the first stage, he made it up to the top five. The No. 20 Toyota driver then dropped to sixth before […]

Shane Van Gisbergen Falls Short of Victory At COTA

Shane Van Gisbergen of Trackhouse Racing finished in second place in the DuraMAX Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas. The No. 97 Chevrolet driver started the race in 13th place, but quickly made progress through the field in the first stage. SVG hit the top 10 in less than a lap and made it […]

Tyler Reddick Wins At COTA and Makes NASCAR History

23XI Racing's Tyler Reddick made NASCAR history by winning the DuraMAX Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas, his third consecutive win to open the 2026 season. The No. 45 Toyota driver started the race in first after scoring the pole position in qualifying. In the first stage, Reddick focused on saving his tires and […]

Tyler Reddick Could Make History at COTA

Tyler Reddick is off to a blazing hot start this season, with back-to-back wins at Daytona and Atlanta to start the year, plus a pole win here at COTA this weekend. That is Reddick's second straight (and third overall) pole at the Austin, Texas track, and he used that to finish third in last year's […]

Shane van Gisbergen Still the Favorite at COTA

All eyes will be on Shane van Gisbergen this weekend at COTA, as the Trackhouse Racing driver will be looking to win his sixth straight road course race in the Cup Series. He's going to have some work to do to accomplish that, though. In practice on Saturday, SVG struggled to put down a super-fast […]

Christopher Bell Will Be Tough to Beat at COTA

Christopher Bell is the defending race winner at COTA, and should be a contender in this weekend's DURAMax Grand Prix as well. Over the last four races at this track, Bell has three podium finishes, including the aforementioned win in last year's race. This weekend, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver will roll off the starting […]

AJ Allmendinger Could Contend at COTA

Despite AJ Allmendinger's poor track record at Circuit of the Americas (three finishes of 30th or worse over the last four races), he's actually one of the best here, and at road courses in general. In the two starts at COTA where he hasn't had issues, Allmendinger has walked away with sixth- and fifth-place finishes, […]

Connor Zilisch Carries Plenty of Upside for DFS at COTA

NASCAR Cup Series rookie Connor Zilisch will be starting 25th in this week's DuraMAX Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas. This is a lower starting position than his only other Cup Series start at the site last season (14th). In last year's race, Zilisch's only Cup start at COTA, Zilisch ran inside the top […]

Chase Elliott May be A Strong Contender Again at COTA

Chase Elliott of Hendrick Motorsports is starting in fifth position for this week's DuraMAX Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas. This is the second consecutive race for Elliott to start in the top five at the Texas road course after he started third in last year's race. In four starts at COTA, Elliott has […]

Chris Buescher Is Nothing But Consistent at Road Courses

If there's one thing you can count on at road courses, it's a good finish from Chris Buescher. In the Next Gen era, the Roush-Fenway Keselowski Racing driver has a ridiculous on-track record, with 17 finishes of 11th or better over the last 22 races on this track type, including a win at Watkins Glen […]

Ross Chastain May Be An Underrated Competitor for the Win at COTA

Trackhouse Racing's Ross Chastain will start second for the DuraMAX Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas. It will be Chastain's first front-row start at COTA in his Cup career. In five races at the Texas road course, Chastain has one win, four top-10 finishes, and an average finish of 5.6, which is third-best among […]

Is William Byron a Viable DFS Option for COTA?

William Byron of Hendrick Motorsports will start 10th for this Sunday's DuraMAX Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas. It will be the fourth time in his Cup career that Byron will start inside the top 10 at the Texas road course. In five previous starts at COTA, Byron has one win, three top-5 finishes, […]

Carson Hocevar Needs Clean Race at COTA

Carson Hocevar is one of the most aggressive drivers in the Cup Series garage, and that aggression has caused issues at many race tracks, including the various road course venues. With the tight turns and on-track space at the road courses, Hocevar has been seen as a wrecking ball in several events, taking out competitors […]

Kyle Larson Could be A Decent DFS Option for COTA Lineups

Hendrick Motorsports driver Kyle Larson is starting 15th for Sunday's DuraMAX Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas. The No. 5 Chevrolet driver matched the lowest starting position of his Cup career at the site after qualifying. In five previous races at COTA, Larson has one top-5 finish, a second-place run back in 2021 with […]

Could Ryan Blaney be A Sleeper DFS Option for All Formats for COTA?

Ryan Blaney of Team Penske will start in the fourth position for the DuraMAX Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas. This is Blaney's first top-5 starting position in a COTA race since 2022, when he won the pole position at the site. In five COTA races, the No. 12 Ford driver has one top-10 […]

Should DFS Players Roster Chase Briscoe at COTA?

Chase Briscoe of Joe Gibbs Racing will start in the third position for the DuraMAX Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas. It will mark the highest starting position of Briscoe's Cup career at COTA as well as his first time starting in the top five at the site. In five prior starts at COTA, […]

Bubba Wallace Is A Favorable Value Option for COTA DFS Lineups

Bubba Wallace of 23XI Racing obtained a starting position of 24th after qualifying for the DuraMAX Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas. This is the lowest starting position of Wallace's career to date at COTA. In five races at the Texas road course, Wallace has two top-20 finishes, which were scored in his last […]

Could Ty Gibbs Be A Rosterable DFS Play for COTA?

Joe Gibbs Racing's Ty Gibbs is starting ninth for this week's DuraMAX Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas. It will be the second time that Gibbs will start a race at COTA inside the top 10, after he started in second at the Texas track in 2024. In three prior starts at COTA, Gibbs […]

Is Michael McDowell A Favorable DFS Option for COTA?

Spire Motorsports driver Michael McDowell will start sixth for Sunday's DuraMAX Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas. This will mark the first time that McDowell will start in the top 10 in a Cup race at the site. In five previous races at COTA, McDowell has four finishes of 13th or better with one […]

COTA (2026) NASCAR DraftKings Lineup Picks and Projections (Premium Content)

All other NASCAR Premium Tools can be accessed on the premium dashboard. Be sure to join the NASCAR Discord Chat Rooms to join in on the fun and discussion. The NASCAR Cup Series makes its first stop at a road course this weekend with the DuraMAX Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas (COTA).  COTA […]

NASCAR DFS Picks: DraftKings, FanDuel Daily Fantasy Lineups for the DuraMAX Grand Prix (2026)

Two races are down for the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season, and Tyler Reddick has now won both of them. After two straight races at drafting tracks, NASCAR goes road racing at Circuit of the Americas (COTA). Below are my NASCAR DFS lineup picks for the DuraMAX Grand Prix on DraftKings and FanDuel this week. […]

Jordan McAbee's NASCAR Betting Picks: DuraMAX Grand Prix at COTA (Premium Content)

Okay, now we get to a little more predictable racing. The first two betting cards of the season haven't been great, but now the Cup Series is on to Circuit of the Americas for the first road course race of the year. And with Shane van Gisbergen such a heavy favorite, we should get some […]

COTA (2026) NASCAR Algorithm-Predicted Finishing Order (Premium Content)

The NASCAR Cup Series heads to Circuit of the Americas (COTA) this weekend for the DuraMAX Grand Prix. After two exciting drafting races to start the season, we now get to a more predictable section of the schedule and the first road course race of the year. Last season, NASCAR changed the track layout used […]

NASCAR Practice Speeds, Lap Averages, and Notes for COTA (2026)

The NASCAR Cup Series ran a single practice session at Circuit of the Americas (COTA) on Saturday morning in preparation for the upcoming DuraMAX Grand Prix on Sunday afternoon. The 37-car field was split into two groups for practice. Below you will find the two groups, key notes from the practice session, as well as […]

NASCAR Qualifying Results and Starting Lineup for COTA - DuraMAX Grand Prix (2026)

On Saturday morning, the NASCAR Cup Series held the qualifying session for this weekend's race at Circuit of the Americas (COTA). Tyler Reddick continued his hot streak to start the 2026 season, as the 23XI Racing driver won the pole for Sunday's race. After his two wins to start the year, Reddick will be looking […]

Stacking Dennys NASCAR Podcast - DuraMAX Grand Prix at COTA (2026)

Lead RotoBaller NASCAR analyst Jordan McAbee is joined by co-host Nick Giffen in an all-new episode of Stacking Dennys - one of the top podcasts in the NASCAR betting and DFS industry. Jordan and Nick discuss their DFS strategy and betting picks on the board for the upcoming DuraMAX Grand Prix at Circuit of the […]

Bubba Wallace Falls Short of Victory at EchoPark Speedway

23XI Racing's Bubba Wallace had another strong performance end with promise of what could've been in Sunday's Autotrader 400 at EchoPark Speedway. The No. 23 Toyota driver started from the ninth position and quietly made his way through to the front of the pack. At the end of the first stage, he competed with Austin […]

Carson Hocevar Rallies to Fourth At EchoPark Speedway After Early Struggles

Spire Motorsports driver Carson Hocevar finished in fourth in Sunday's Autotrader 400 after an eventful performance at EchoPark Speedway. Hocevar began the race from the 15th position and was working his way to the top 10 until he brushed the wall on lap 32. The No. 77 Chevrolet driver then went to pit road and […]

Ross Chastain Finishes Third At EchoPark Speedway

Ross Chastain of Trackhouse Racing had an up-and-down performance throughout the Autotrader 400 at EchoPark Speedway. In the first stage, he started from the 21st position, but did not move up much, finishing the stage in 14th. Chastain reached the top 10 during the second stage and even competed for the lead a few times, […]

Chase Briscoe Scores First Career Top-Five Finish at EchoPark Speedway

Joe Gibbs Racing's Chase Briscoe finished as the runner-up in Sunday's Autotrader 400 at EchoPark Speedway. Briscoe started from the back of the pack in the 34th position and spent the first stage trying to work through the field. At the end of the first stage, Briscoe finished 20th and did not earn any stage […]