March 2, 2026

Ryan Blaney was one of the top contenders for the win throughout the DuraMAX Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas. Blaney began the race from the fourth position, but progressed to the front as the first stage progressed. The No. 12 Team Penske Ford driver then obtained the lead from Chase Briscoe on lap 9 and led the rest of the first stage until his first pit stop on lap 18. Blaney ended the first stage in 14th and did not earn any stage points, but he shuffled back to the lead at the beginning of the second stage. However, Blaney was quickly passed by Tyler Reddick for the lead, and then spent most of the stage trailing in second behind Reddick. Blaney went to pit again two laps before the end of the second stage, but was far enough ahead of the rest of the field to lose only a few positions. The No. 12 Ford driver ended the second stage in seventh and gained four stage points. In the final stage, Blaney cycled back to second and was chasing Reddick through most of the stage until a restart after a lap 75 caution for Ross Chastain losing a wheel. Blaney was then passed by Shane Van Gisbergen and settled into third until the closing laps, when Blaney lost grip in his tires and kept losing positions. He eventually finished the race in eighth place, earning his best finish at COTA since 2022.--Sean Engel - RotoBaller
Source: NASCAR.com

March 2, 2026

Ty Gibbs from Joe Gibbs Racing finished in fourth place after having a quiet, but productive points day in the DuraMAX Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas. Gibbs began the race in ninth, but was gaining positions through the first stage. The No. 54 Toyota driver avoided pit road through the first stage and made it to sixth by the end of it, scoring five stage points. In the second stage, Gibbs fell back due to pitting between stages, but regained positions through the stage. Eventually, other drivers decided to head to pit road before the end of the second stage, and Gibbs stayed away from the pits once again. This time, Gibbs won the second stage and gained 10 further stage points. In the final stage, Gibbs pitted again between stages and restarted in the middle of the pack. The JGR driver spent the rest of the stage keeping his car clean and picking off drivers one at a time. Gibbs then made his final pass on Ryan Blaney on lap 87 to capture fourth and finished there a few laps later. This was Gibbs' second career top-5 finish at COTA, and he now sits 19th in the points standings after three races in the 2026 season.--Sean Engel - RotoBaller
Source: NASCAR.com

March 2, 2026

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 heading to pit road with four laps before the end of the stage. This left Bell to finish in 28th at the end of the first stage after many other drivers stayed out of pit road. Through the entire second stage, Bell was stuck in traffic and could barely make moves through the pack. He ended the second stage in 15th and failed to score stage points through the entire race. At one point in the final stage, Bell traded paint a few times with Kyle Larson, but was able to continue. The No. 20 team decided to split the stage into two pit stops in order to win the race with a unique pit strategy, first enacting the plan with a lap 62 pit stop. Bell took his second pit stop during a lap 75 caution, which put him a couple of positions back, but he regained them over the course of the final run and made it up to third. The JGR driver did not have the speed to advance past third and finished there, earning his third consecutive top-5 finish at COTA.--Sean Engel - RotoBaller
Source: NASCAR.com

March 2, 2026

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 to third in 14 laps. By the end of the first stage, SVG placed second and earned stage points behind his teammate Ross Chastain. In the second stage, Van Gisbergen started back in the middle of the pack in 16th after pitting between stages, but quickly made it back to the top 10 in a lap. SVG made it up to the top five before heading to pit road two laps before the end of the stage. After returning to the track, SVG ended the second stage in 10th and added one more stage point. In the final stage, SVG was back inside the top five and slowly progressed to the front as the stage got closer to the end. SVG passed William Byron and Ryan Blaney before closing the gap to Tyler Reddick to compete for the win. Unfortunately for Van Gisbergen, he could not muster enough speed to get past Reddick, who made no mistakes, and left the Trackhouse driver finishing as the runner-up for the first time at COTA in the Cup Series, and also ending his streak of consecutive road course races at five wins.--Sean Engel - RotoBaller
Source: NASCAR.com

March 2, 2026

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 keeping the car in one piece, but this caused him to drop to the back half of the top 10. Although Reddick started to regain ground, he ended up pitting before the end of the first stage and dropped back to 18th, his final position at the end of the stage. In the second stage, Reddick shuffled back to the front after other drivers went to pit road for tires and fuel, taking the lead from Ryan Blaney. Reddick went on to dominate most of the stage until he pitted before the end of the second stage. Despite giving up the lead, Reddick maintained a large enough gap to the rest of the field outside of Ryan Blaney, who followed closely behind in the entire stage, to only fall to fifth, where he finished the stage. In the final stage, Reddick controlled the race once again from the lead after others went to pit road and never looked back. Despite Blaney and eventually Shane Van Gisbergen challenging Reddick for the win, the No. 45 driver could not be passed. No driver in modern NASCAR history has ever won the opening three races of the season until Reddick accomplished the feat this year, and also became the first driver to score two wins at COTA.--Sean Engel - RotoBaller
Source: NASCAR.com

March 1, 2026

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 race--his fourth-straight top-five at the track. So if you're asking yourself if Reddick can keep up the hot streak this weekend at COTA, the real question is, how doesn't he? The 23XI Racing driver is one of the best road course racers in the series, and he's starting with the best track position of all when the DURAMax Grand Prix goes green. On DraftKings ($9,500 salary), Reddick has dominator upside and should be able to contend for (at least) a top-five finish. He's a solid pick all around yet again this weekend, as he looks to become the first driver in NASCAR history to win the first three races of a season.--Jordan McAbee
Source: KXAN

March 1, 2026

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 single lap, ranking 20th-fastest in the session. He then went on to qualify in 13th-place for Sunday's DURAMax Grand Prix, which puts him at a slight disadvantage to start the race. With that being said, van Gisbergen looked very strong on the long runs in practice--as we all expected--and that will pay dividends on race day. As far as DFS goes, SVG ranks as an elite pick for this weekend's race despite his sky-high salary ($13,000 on DraftKings). He has Place Differential upside, dominator potential, and race-winning prowess.--Jordan McAbee
Source: Action Network

March 1, 2026

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 grid from eighth-place when the race goes green, and makes for an interesting DFS tournament option on DraftKings ($9,800 salary). However, due to Bell's limited dominator upside, he may not be worth the higher salary. Still, if the road course ace ends up in victory lane, then the whole debate is moot, as Bell will definitely be in the optimal DFS lineup for COTA. He's not a must-have in daily fantasy on Sunday, but Christopher Bell is definitely one of those drivers to be overweight on in tournaments.--Jordan McAbee
Source: ifantasyrace

March 1, 2026

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, so we know what he can do when the stars align. This weekend, Dinger had a solid practice session on Saturday and ranked seventh-fastest in 10-lap average. He also went out and qualified in seventh for Sunday's DURAMax Grand Prix race. On DraftKings, Allmendinger ($8,500 salary) makes for an interesting tournament play, because he's affordable, has race-winning upside, but his Place Differential upside is limited. Still, if the No. 16 Chevrolet doesn't have any issues on race day, you can expect AJ to compete for (at least) a top-10 finish.--Jordan McAbee
Source: ifantasyrace

March 1, 2026

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 15 and was gaining ground before being involved in a crash that relegated him to a finish of 37th. In practice for this week's race, Zilisch ranked fourth in five consecutive lap averages and fifth in overall lap averages among all drivers. Despite his inexperience with the Cup Series, Zilisch does come from a road racing background and is at his best at road courses. Although he is expensive to roster for DFS this week, his upside and equipment make him worth a lineup spot for fantasy players this week.--Sean Engel - RotoBaller
Source: DriverAverages.com

March 1, 2026

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 one win, three top-5 finishes, and an average finish of 6.3. At road and street courses last season, the No. 9 Chevrolet driver placed in the top 10 in four races at the track type. In practice for this week's race, Elliott ranked sixth in five consecutive lap averages and fourth in 10 consecutive lap averages. COTA is one of Elliott's better tracks statistically, and with practice speeds faster than most, he is a driver who is likely to place in the top five. --Sean Engel - RotoBaller
Source: DriverAverages.com

March 1, 2026

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 in 2024 as well as a couple of top fives to finish off the 2025 season. Here at COTA, where the Cup Series is racing at this weekend, Buescher has been solid as well, posting a finish of seventh last season after coming home eighth in 2024. This weekend, Buescher will roll off the starting grid from 14th-place when the DURAMax Grand Prix goes green, making him an attractive DFS option on DraftKings ($8,300 salary) with both Place Differential and finishing position upside. --Jordan McAbee
Source: Driver Averages

March 1, 2026

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 all drivers. The No. 1 Chevrolet driver also never finished worse than 12th and led in three different Cup events at COTA. Last year at road and street courses, Chastain had four finishes of 16th or better, including two top-10 finishes. In practice for this week's race, Chastain ranked eighth in five consecutive lap averages and second in both 10 and overall lap averages. Although Chastain has no upside from his starting position, he is well-positioned to lead laps early and compete for the win. Fantasy players should not underestimate Chastain as a driver who has won at COTA in the past. --Sean Engel - RotoBaller
Source: DriverAverages.com

March 1, 2026

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, and an average finish of 6.2, which ranks fourth among all drivers. The No. 24 Chevrolet driver also led more laps than anyone else at COTA (72) and has never finished worse than 12th in his Cup career at the site. In practice for this week's race, Byron ranked 14th in overall lap averages, 16th in five consecutive lap averages, and 18th in 10 consecutive lap averages. Considering Byron's great track history at COTA despite his underwhelming practice speeds, he is a driver who is a solid DFS option for all formats, especially with some of the best equipment in the field.--Sean Engel - RotoBaller
Source: DriverAverages.com

March 1, 2026

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 in turns. However, this aggression has turned into some good finishes for Hocevar, including a third-place run at Watkins Glen in 2024, as well as 12th- and 13th-place finishes at the Charlotte Roval and COTA (respectively) that year. This weekend at COTA, Hocevar qualified 12th, but wasn't overly impressive in practice. Still, a top-15 finish is well within reach for Hocevar on Sunday--if he can keep his fenders clean. In DFS lineups, he's a risky play with more downside than upside, but you shouldn't avoid Hocevar entirely for the DURAMax Grand Prix.--Jordan McAbee
Source: YardBarker