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NASCAR practice speeds, lap averages and notes for the 2026 DuraMAX Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas (COTA). Use the NASCAR stats and data to build DFS lineups on DraftKings. Michael McDowell was fastest.
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 the practice speeds for all drivers.
Important Practice Notes
Ryan Blaney - The No. 12 Ford has a bunch of speed this weekend. Blaney had the best overall practice in terms of lap times and tire falloff, and also ranked best in five- and 10-lap averages.
Shane van Gisbergen - SVG typically doesn't show his cards in practice at road courses, and that was the case this session as well. He had just the 20th-fastest overall lap but was strong over the whole session. Tyler Reddick believes that van Gisbergen will benefit from the added horsepower.
Jesse Love - Jesse Love is the "extra" entry in the field this weekend, as he will be piloting the No. 33 Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing. He posted the 11th-fastest lap in this session.
2026 DuraMAX Grand Prix at COTA Practice Speed Chart
Click here to download the PDF of the practice speed chart.
| Rank | Driver | Time | Speed | Fastest Lap | Laps Ran |
Behind Leader
|
| 1. | Michael McDowell | 99.023 | 87.253 | 1 | 11 | ---.--- |
| 2. | Ryan Blaney | 99.091 | 87.193 | 2 | 13 | -0.068 |
| 3. | Connor Zilisch | 99.253 | 87.050 | 1 | 9 | -0.230 |
| 4. | Kyle Larson | 99.347 | 86.968 | 1 | 8 | -0.324 |
| 5. | Todd Gilliland | 99.428 | 86.897 | 2 | 12 | -0.405 |
| 6. | Kyle Busch | 99.489 | 86.844 | 2 | 11 | -0.466 |
| 7. | Alex Bowman | 99.512 | 86.824 | 2 | 11 | -0.489 |
| 8. | Daniel Suarez | 99.557 | 86.785 | 2 | 14 | -0.534 |
| 9. | Cole Custer | 99.586 | 86.759 | 2 | 14 | -0.563 |
| 10. | Carson Hocevar | 99.647 | 86.706 | 2 | 14 | -0.624 |
| 11. | Jesse Love | 99.705 | 86.656 | 2 | 12 | -0.682 |
| 12. | AJ Allmendinger | 99.705 | 86.656 | 2 | 12 | -0.682 |
| 13. | Chase Elliott | 99.706 | 86.655 | 3 | 14 | -0.683 |
| 14. | Austin Cindric | 99.712 | 86.650 | 1 | 14 | -0.689 |
| 15. | Zane Smith | 99.723 | 86.640 | 2 | 11 | -0.700 |
| 16. | William Byron | 99.734 | 86.630 | 2 | 11 | -0.711 |
| 17. | John Hunter Nemechek | 99.738 | 86.627 | 1 | 11 | -0.715 |
| 18. | Josh Berry | 99.747 | 86.619 | 2 | 13 | -0.724 |
| 19. | Tyler Reddick | 99.772 | 86.597 | 2 | 14 | -0.749 |
| 20. | Shane Van Gisbergen | 99.817 | 86.558 | 3 | 14 | -0.794 |
| 21. | Ross Chastain | 99.857 | 86.524 | 5 | 13 | -0.834 |
| 22. | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | 99.866 | 86.516 | 1 | 12 | -0.843 |
| 23. | Bubba Wallace | 99.881 | 86.503 | 2 | 13 | -0.858 |
| 24. | Chris Buescher | 99.972 | 86.424 | 4 | 11 | -0.949 |
| 25. | Erik Jones | 100.008 | 86.393 | 2 | 12 | -0.985 |
| 26. | Chase Briscoe | 100.019 | 86.384 | 3 | 14 | -0.996 |
| 27. | Christopher Bell | 100.059 | 86.349 | 1 | 12 | -1.036 |
| 28. | Austin Dillon | 100.083 | 86.328 | 2 | 14 | -1.060 |
| 29. | Riley Herbst | 100.114 | 86.302 | 2 | 11 | -1.091 |
| 30. | Brad Keselowski | 100.133 | 86.285 | 4 | 14 | -1.110 |
| 31. | Ty Dillon | 100.219 | 86.211 | 3 | 14 | -1.196 |
| 32. | Noah Gragson | 100.223 | 86.208 | 3 | 12 | -1.200 |
| 33. | Denny Hamlin | 100.226 | 86.205 | 5 | 14 | -1.203 |
| 34. | Joey Logano | 100.367 | 86.084 | 3 | 14 | -1.344 |
| 35. | Ty Gibbs | 100.403 | 86.053 | 3 | 12 | -1.380 |
| 36. | Ryan Preece | 100.618 | 85.869 | 4 | 14 | -1.595 |
| 37. | Cody Ware | 101.471 | 85.148 | 3 | 9 | -2.448 |
2026 DuraMAX Grand Prix at COTA 10-Lap Average Chart
| Rank | Driver | From Lap | To Lap | Avg Speed |
| 1. | Ryan Blaney | 1 | 10 | 86.467 |
| 2. | Ross Chastain | 1 | 10 | 86.091 |
| 3. | Shane Van Gisbergen | 2 | 11 | 86.041 |
| 4. | Chase Elliott | 1 | 10 | 86.040 |
| 5. | Michael McDowell | 1 | 10 | 86.034 |
| 6. | Daniel Suarez | 1 | 10 | 85.965 |
| 7. | AJ Allmendinger | 1 | 10 | 85.962 |
| 8. | Tyler Reddick | 2 | 11 | 85.756 |
| 9. | Bubba Wallace | 1 | 10 | 85.704 |
| 10. | Ty Dillon | 1 | 10 | 85.629 |
| 11. | Jesse Love | 1 | 10 | 85.610 |
| 12. | Chase Briscoe | 2 | 11 | 85.606 |
| 13. | Brad Keselowski | 1 | 10 | 85.568 |
| 14. | Denny Hamlin | 2 | 11 | 85.553 |
| 15. | Josh Berry | 1 | 10 | 85.547 |
| 16. | Cole Custer | 1 | 10 | 85.535 |
| 17. | Noah Gragson | 1 | 10 | 85.521 |
| 18. | William Byron | 1 | 10 | 85.507 |
| 19. | Austin Cindric | 1 | 10 | 85.495 |
| 20. | Joey Logano | 1 | 10 | 85.472 |
| 21. | Carson Hocevar | 1 | 10 | 85.394 |
| 22. | Ryan Preece | 2 | 11 | 85.357 |
| 23. | Todd Gilliland | 1 | 10 | 85.348 |
| 24. | Austin Dillon | 1 | 10 | 85.147 |
| 25. | John Hunter Nemechek | 1 | 10 | 85.116 |
| 26. | Erik Jones | 1 | 10 | 84.939 |
| 27. | Ty Gibbs | 1 | 10 | 84.918 |
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