Saturday Daytona Cup race: Start time, lineup, TV info

By Chris EstradaAug 27, 2021, 4:00 PM EDT

The NASCAR Cup Series closes its 2021 regular season Saturday night at Daytona International Speedway.

The 16th and final Cup playoff spot will be decided. Tyler Reddick holds the spot by 25 points over Richard Childress Racing teammate Austin Dillon. They are the only drivers who can clinch that playoff spot on points.

Reddick and Dillon also are among 15 drivers who can clinch the final playoff spot with a win.

Kyle Larson, who starts on pole Saturday, is in position to win the regular season championship. Larson has a 28-point lead over Denny Hamlin.

The Hendrick Motorsports driver can clinch the title by earning 32 points in Saturday’s race. Hamlin, a three-time Daytona 500 winner, still has a chance to clinch as well but needs help.

Details for Saturday’s Daytona Cup race:

(All times Eastern)

START: The command to start engines will be given at 7:32 p.m. … The green flag is scheduled to wave at 7:45 p.m.

PRERACE: Cup garage opens at noon … Drivers report to pre-race at 6:45 p.m. … Driver introductions are at 6:50 p.m. … The invocation will be given by Chaplain Juleun Johnson, AdventHealth, at 7:25 p.m. … The national anthem will be performed by Kelly Kwiatek at 7:26 p.m.

DISTANCE: The race is 160 laps (400 miles) on the 2.5-mile superspeedway.

COMPETITION CAUTION: Lap 20

STAGES: Stage 1 ends at Lap 50. Stage 2 ends at Lap 100.

TV/RADIO: NBCSN coverage begins with Countdown to Green at 6 p.m., leading into race coverage on NBC at 7 p.m. … Post-race coverage follows on NBCSN at 11 p.m. … Motor Racing Network’s radio coverage begins at 6 p.m. on mrn.com and will be simulcast on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

STREAMING: NBC

FORECAST: Weather Underground’s forecast calls for cloudy skies, a high of 82 degrees, and a 24% chance of rain around the start of the race.

TO THE REAR: Kyle Larson (multiple inspection failures), Michael McDowell and Anthony Alfredo (rule violation), Corey LaJoie, Kaz Grala and Joey Gase (multiple inspection failures).

STARTING LINEUP: Daytona Cup starting lineup

LAST YEAR: William Byron earned his first career Cup win in last summer’s race at Daytona to secure a playoff spot. Matt DiBenedetto earned the final playoff spot on points with a 12th-place finish.

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COTA Xfinity starting lineup: AJ Allmendinger takes pole

By Dustin LongMar 24, 2023, 8:21 PM EDT

AJ Allmendinger, who won this race a year ago, will start on the pole for Saturday’s Xfinity race at Circuit of the Americas.

Allmendinger earned the pole with a lap of 92.173 mph Friday on the 20-turn, 3.41-mile road course.

MORE: COTA Xfinity starting lineup

He will be joined on the front row Sammy Smith (91.827 mph).
Ty Gibbs (91.665) will start third. Sheldon Creed (91.652) qualified fourth. Parker Kligerman (91.195) will start fifth.

Cup driver William Byron will start ninth. Byron’s time was disallowed for cutting the esses. Cole Custer, who will start 10th, didn’t make a lap in the final round of qualifying.

Cup driver Aric Almirola (91.269) qualified 13th. Truck Series racer Carson Hocevar (90.669) will start 17th. Alex Labbe (90.476) will start 23rd. He’s filling in for Josh Williams, who is serving a one-race suspension for parking his car at the start/finish line of last weekend’s race at Atlanta.

Brake rotor issue for Custer means he will need to have it repaired and he will start from the rear Saturday.

— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) March 25, 2023

COTA Truck starting lineup: Ross Chastain wins pole

By Dustin LongMar 24, 2023, 6:21 PM EDT

Ross Chastain will start on the pole for Saturday’s Craftsman Truck Series race at Circuit of the Americas.

Chastain earned the top starting spot in Friday’s qualifying with a lap of 91.877 mph. He’ll be joined on the front row by Kyle Busch (91.490 mph).

More: COTA Truck starting lineup

Ty Majeski qualified third with a lap of 91.225 mph. Rookie Nick Sanchez (90.993) will start fourth, and Christian Eckes (90.937) will complete the top five.

Alex Bowman failed to make the race. Bowman had a flat right front on his qualifying lap.

Issues for the No. 7 during Group A qualifying. pic.twitter.com/6PyJIybJKO

— NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Trucks (@NASCAR_Trucks) March 24, 2023

Tyler Reddick leads Cup practice at COTA

By Dustin LongMar 24, 2023, 3:48 PM EDT

Tyler Reddick posted the fastest lap in Friday’s Cup practice at Circuit of the Americas.

Reddick, who won two road course races last season, topped the field in his 23XI Racing Toyota with a lap of 92.989 mph. Kyle Larson was next, posting a lap of 92.618 mph around the 3.41-mile road course.

MORE: COTA Cup practice results

Ross Chastain, who won this race a year ago, was third on the speed chart in practice with a lap of 92.520 mph. He was followed by Kyle Busch (92.498 mph) and Daniel Suarez (92.461 mph).

Jordan Taylor, subbing for the injured Chase Elliott in the No. 9 car for Hendrick Motorsports, was 10th on the speed chart in practice after a lap of 92.404 mph.

Former world champion Jenson Button, driving for Rick Ware Racing, was 28th in practice with a lap of 91.759 mph. Former world champion Kimi Raikkonen, driving the Project 91 car for Trackhouse Racing, was 32nd in practice after a lap of 91.413 mph.

Seven-time Cup champion Jimmie Johnson, driving in his first race for Legacy Motor Club since the Daytona 500, was 36th in practice after a lap of 91.072 mph. IndyCar driver Conor Daly was last among the 39 cars in practice with a lap of 90.095 mph.

Cup qualifying is Saturday. The series races Sunday.

Saturday COTA Xfinity race: Start time, TV info, weather

By Mike HembreeMar 24, 2023, 1:00 PM EDT

Austin Hill, the dominant driver in the NASCAR Xfinity Series through the early weeks of the season, will be looking for his first Xfinity road course win Saturday.

Hill has won three of the season’s first five races, scoring victories at Daytona, Las Vegas and Atlanta.

Hill has been close in previous road course runs. He has a second at COTA, a third at Portland, a fourth at Road America and a ninth at Indianapolis.

MORE: Dr. Diandra takes a look at top Cup road course drivers

Kyle Busch and AJ Allmendinger own wins in the previous Xfinity races at COTA.

Allmendinger and three other Cup Series regulars — Aric Almirola, William Byron and Ty Gibbs — are scheduled to race in the Xfinity event.

Details for Saturday’s Xfinity race at Circuit of the Americas

(All times Eastern)

START: The command to start engines will be given at 5:08 p.m. … The green flag is scheduled at 5:19 p.m.

PRERACE: Xfinity garage opens at 2 p.m. … The invocation will be given by Jordan Thiessen of Pit Boss Grills at 5 p.m. … The national anthem will be performed by recording artist Payton Keller at 5:01 p.m.

DISTANCE: The race is 46 laps (156 miles) on the 3.41-mile track.

STAGES: Stage 1 ends at Lap 14. Stage 2 ends at Lap 30.

TV/RADIO: FS1 will broadcast the race at 5 p.m. … NASCAR RaceDay airs at 4 p.m. on FS1. … Performance Racing Network coverage begins at 4:30 p.m. and can be heard at goprn.com. …SiriusXM NASCAR Radio will carry the PRN broadcast.

FORECAST: Weather Underground — Mainly sunny. Temperature of 82 at race time. No chance of rain.

LAST TIME: AJ Allmendinger won last March’s Xfinity race at COTA. Austin Hill was two seconds behind in second place. Cole Custer finished third.

Details for Saturday’s Daytona Cup race:

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MORE: Dr. Diandra takes a look at top Cup road course drivers

Details for Saturday’s Xfinity race at Circuit of the Americas

(All times Eastern)

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