From the high banked superspeedways to a highly technical road course, NASCAR goes from one polar opposite to the other. This year’s schedule kicks off in the most unique way for the top two series. Before the first “traditional” track, Cup and Xfinity go superspeedway racing to a road course followed by whatever you want to call Phoenix. That road course is Circuit of the Americas (COTA). Since joining the NASCAR schedule in 2021, COTA has been an interesting track. No one has won multiple races at the track in the Cup Series. Meanwhile, each Xfinity Series race has been won by a current Cup driver. Will this trend continue in 2025? If so, who will be the Critical Path Security 6 Drivers to Watch for COTA this weekend?
Throwing a curveball into the mix this year is the newly reconfigured COTA. Instead of the traditional 3.4 mile layout that has been used previously, this year’s races will be on a 2.4 mile course. This course is a new configuration that no other racing series has used. Essentially, they removed the lengthy straightaways after Turn 6. With the reduced size, the action should be tighter, keeping the cars together a bit more while keeping the intensity up. Also, cautions should not be a slog to suffer through. Under the new configuration, the expectation is that the road course aces will have the advantage. Friday’s Xfinity practice certainly demonstrated that. How will the 6 drivers below handle the challenge of the new layout for COTA?
EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix
Alex Bowman
The driver with the second best average finish at COTA is Alex Bowman. Second to Ross Chastain, Bowman has averaged a 4.3 finish across every Cup race at the Texas road course. Despite the strong average finish, Bowman has only managed to lead 3 laps, all of which came in 2021. That race saw Bowman’s worst finish (8th) and predates the Gen7 car. Since the Gen7, Bowman has the best average finish with a third while leading no laps. That is the most “Alex Bowman” statistic ever.
COTA certainly exemplifies Alex Bowman’s Hendrick Motorsports career in a nutshell. Outside of 2023 after his back injury, Bowman usually runs well in the Top-10 with sparks of Top-5 speed throughout. The start of 2023 and ending of last year saw Bowman run as the most consistent driver in the field. However, that seldomly led to wins or even a bunch of laps led. 2021 was an outlier year where Bowman won 4 times. Other than that, Bowman picks off a win here or there but never in a dominate fashion. Unlike his other Hendrick teammates, Bowman has few standout races of his Hendrick career. Maybe that can change at COTA this weekend, a track where he has proven to be strong.
Tyler Reddick
From a driver who has yet to dominate COTA to one who has, Tyler Reddick should feel a bit slighted at the oddsmakers. Reddick currently sits with the third best odds to win Sunday, sitting behind Trackhouse’s Shane van Gisbergen and Connor Zilisch. Although third best odds is hardly an insult, Reddick has established himself as arguably the best NASCAR road racer in the Gen7 era. The 23XI driver has 3 road course wins along with the second best average finish in this car. One of those wins came at COTA, a dominate performance where Reddick essentially led from start to finish.
Tyler Reddick will likely be a featured driver this weekend. Barring something bizarre occurring, Reddick should qualify in the Top-5 and run there all race long. This is his bread and butter, a track where he has shown to thrive. That said, last year might indicate 2023 was a special case rather than the norm. In route to his win, Reddick led 41 laps. Between his 3 other COTA starts, Reddick has only led 3, including only 1 last year. In fact, Reddick’s only 23XI road course win was at COTA. Although he had a shot at nabbing Chicago, Reddick has not been the world beater at road courses as much recently. For the first road course of 2025, seeing how well Reddick runs is certainly something to watch.
Connor Zilisch
This weekend, Connor Zilisch will become the second youngest driver ever to have debuted in each series. Unlike the others near him on the list, Zilisch accomplished this feat in under a year. In a Red Bull sponsored car, Zilisch debuts for the Cup Series at a track that should serve him well. Both of his other NASCAR debuts occurred on road courses. For the Truck Series, Zilisch set the track record with his qualifying run and passed more trucks than anyone else after falling to the rear of the field early. Meanwhile, the young driver won his Xfinity debut at Watkins Glen last summer.
Despite this being his Cup Series debut, expectations are high for Connor Zilisch. As mentioned previously, he sits as the second favorite in the betting market to win the race. That is insane to consider, especially in today’s Cup Series where the road racing is stronger than ever. To be fair though, Zilisch flashes special talent on road courses. In Friday’s Xfinity practice and qualifying, Zilisch easily sailed to the top of both charts. Practice saw him lead by over half a second. While qualifying was a bit closer, the Trackhouse driver had a second margin over third place qualifier William Byron, a former COTA winner. Expectations seem too lofty for Zilisch this weekend, but maybe he can exceed them and upset the Cup Series field to claim a win.
Focused Health 250
Corey Heim
Announced last week at Atlanta, Corey Heim is officially the first developmental driver for 23XI Racing. Heim will receive some spot starts for the Cup team’s 67 car throughout the season. Additionally, 23XI Racing will work with Sam Hunt Racing to give Heim seat time in the Xfinity Series. That partnership kicks off this weekend at COTA. With the Truck Series taking the weekend off, Heim can solely focus on his efforts in the 24 car. Last year, Heim won the Truck Series race at COTA. He already qualified the car into the show, lining up sixth on the grid for Saturday’s race.
Despite the alliance with 23XI Racing, Heim should not be considered one of the favorites for the Focused Health 250. Between Connor Zilisch and the former Cup Series winners, Heim falls down the pecking order a bit. Still, this weekend should serve as a measuring stick for Heim’s development. Heim has already established himself as the dominate driver in the Truck Series. How will he measure up to a stacked Xfinity Series roster in his spot starts?
Alex Labbe
Everyone’s favorite Canadian is back this weekend to run in the Focused Health 250. Alex Labbe joins SS-Greenlight Racing to pilot their 07 car. Labbe has been a fixture of the Xfinity Series road racing scene. Usually driving for underfunded teams, Labbe has been able to maximize the equipment given to him to put on a competitive showing. In his 33 road course starts, Labbe has picked up his lone Xfinity Top-5 along with 6 Top-10s. However, his last Top-10 was in 2022 at the ROVAL.
Although he has struggled recently to find the Top-10, Labbe certainly has been close on numerous occasions. Between the last 2 seasons among 12 road course starts, the Canadian has finished Top-20 6 times with two 11th place finishes. These starts have been with DGM Motorsports, Joey Gase Motorsports and SS-Greenlight Racing. With those teams, Labbe’s stat line is an impressive one. While Labbe will not feature for the win, watching him potentially drag the 07 to a Top-10 will be a fun watch.
Austin Green
Back for 2025 in a part-time ride, Austin Green returns to Jordan Anderson Racing to be their road course ringer in the 32 car. Green quickly established himself as one of the better Xfinity road course drivers last year. Making his debut at COTA, Green drove from 25th to pick up a Top-10. From there, Green simply impressed at every road course he ran. Outside an engine issue at the ROVAL, the son of David Green never finished outside the Top-15. His average finish in his road course starts was 12.8 (9.4 without the ROVAL DNF).
There are two questions for Austin Green heading into this year. First, will Green take the jump from a Top-10 driver on the road courses to potentially picking up a win (or podium)? If he is capable of doing it, that would likely need to stem from better qualifying efforts. His best starting spot in 2024 was 17th at the ROVAL. The second question is whether his part-time efforts for Jordan Anderson Racing will translate into something more in the future. Green has demonstrated great road course talent, but he has struggled in his 2 oval starts. With 15 starts slated this year, how will his performance translate to his 2026 plans?
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