NASCAR at COTA Winners: Cup Series History and How the Race Has Changed

Tyler Reddick is the only repeat NASCAR Cup Series winner at Circuit of the Americas through 2026. Chase Elliott, Ross Chastain, Reddick, William Byron and Christopher Bell share the six completed Cup victories. The first four races used COTA's Full Course; the 2025 and 2026 races used the shorter National Course.

Use the winners table for the year, car and team, then follow the race-by-race history to understand the weather, late restarts and strategy behind each result. The list covers completed Cup races through March 1, 2026, with facts reviewed October 13, 2026.

NASCAR Cup winners at COTA from 2021 to 2026

Five drivers won the first six NASCAR Cup Series races at Circuit of the Americas. Tyler Reddick is the only repeat winner through the completed 2026 event, with victories in 2023 and 2026. The table records each winner's car, team and manufacturer at that race, rather than applying a driver's current affiliation to an older result.

Race date	Cup winner	Car	Winning team	Manufacturer
May 23, 2021	Chase Elliott	No. 9	Hendrick Motorsports	Chevrolet
March 27, 2022	Ross Chastain	No. 1	Trackhouse Racing	Chevrolet
March 26, 2023	Tyler Reddick	No. 45	23XI Racing	Toyota
March 24, 2024	William Byron	No. 24	Hendrick Motorsports	Chevrolet
March 2, 2025	Christopher Bell	No. 20	Joe Gibbs Racing	Toyota
March 1, 2026	Tyler Reddick	No. 45	23XI Racing	Toyota

These are Cup winners, not a combined list for every series that visited COTA. An O'Reilly Auto Parts Series or Truck race has its own result and cannot supply a missing Cup winner. Use the Cup Series results when you need a complete finishing order alongside the winner.

The list also needs more context than the track name alone provides. The first four races used the longer course, while the 2025 and 2026 events used the National Course. Weather shortened the debut, overtime extended other races, and some editions were decided through sustained green-flag running. Those differences explain why the same venue has produced several distinct routes to victory.

How the 2025 National Course changed the comparison

COTA's first four Cup races used the 3.41-mile, 20-turn Full Course. In 2025, NASCAR switched to the 2.4-mile, 17-turn National Course, with a scheduled race distance of 95 laps. Those are the dimensions of the completed race; early announcements described a proposed configuration whose details were still being finalized. NASCAR's 2025 race report identifies the course actually raced.

The shorter route cuts out a substantial portion of the long circuit. After the esses, the new Turns 6A and 6B connect the cars toward the later part of the course. The uphill first corner remains a familiar landmark, but an old replay showing cars heading through the long back section is showing a different lap. The official NASCAR course map makes the shortcut easier to follow.

Why lap counts and lap times need layout context

A quicker lap on the shorter course does not establish that a driver was faster over the old route. Likewise, leading more laps after 2025 does not automatically mean spending more miles out front. Before comparing two results, identify the layout, the scheduled distance and whether weather or overtime changed the finish.

For fans watching highlights, this gives the history a useful dividing line: 2021–2024 belong to the Full Course era; 2025 and 2026 belong to the National Course era. NASCAR's 2025 preview also explains the new connector and tire considerations. Keep those race-specific conditions alongside the winners table rather than treating every COTA victory as an identical test. Our NASCAR tracks guide helps place this road course within the wider calendar.

2021: Chase Elliott won the rain-shortened debut

Chase Elliott became COTA's first Cup winner on May 23, 2021, in the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet. Kyle Larson finished second, giving Hendrick the first two places. NASCAR stopped the race after 54 of the scheduled 68 laps because heavy rain and standing water made continuing unsafe. Elliott's victory was confirmed after inspection. The official debut report explains the shortened finish.

Visibility was a central part of the afternoon. The field faced changing tire choices as rain intensified, and the race had already been halted after the backstretch crash involving Martin Truex Jr. and Cole Custer. It was a difficult introduction to the track, with the weather affecting how drivers could approach corners and traffic.

The result also carried significance beyond Austin. Hendrick reached 268 Cup victories, drawing level with Petty Enterprises at the time, while Chevrolet recorded its 800th Cup win. Those are historical milestones from that Sunday, rather than today's team or manufacturer totals. NASCAR's milestone report records both achievements.

When revisiting the race, keep the weather alongside the final classification. The 54-lap distance describes an official completed event with a shortened ending; it does not identify an unfinished result waiting for another winner. Nor can the remaining scheduled laps be assigned to a hypothetical outcome. For a useful comparison with later COTA races, watch the changing conditions and visibility first, then consider the position Elliott held when the race was called. That preserves what actually happened without pretending the debut followed the same rhythm as a dry, full-distance edition.

2022: Ross Chastain broke through with Trackhouse

Ross Chastain's March 27, 2022 victory gave both the driver and Trackhouse Racing their first Cup Series win. He led a race-high 31 of the 69 laps in the No. 1 Chevrolet, so his involvement at the front extended well beyond the finish that dominates the highlights. Chastain beat Alex Bowman by 1.331 seconds, and post-race inspection confirmed the result. NASCAR's official recap records the breakthrough.

The watermelon celebration made the win instantly recognizable, but the racing explains its place in COTA history. Chastain had to turn sustained time at the front into a result while two other cars still had a chance to win. It is an example of why a road-course victory requires both pace across the afternoon and execution through the final corners.

The final-lap fight changed the finishing order

AJ Allmendinger challenged Chastain on the last lap, sending him wide at Turn 15. Bowman then briefly moved ahead as their battle continued. Before Turn 19, contact from Chastain sent Allmendinger into Bowman, opening Chastain's route back to the lead. Bowman recovered to finish second; Allmendinger was classified 33rd. NASCAR's account of the three-car fight follows that sequence.

If you only read the final order, Allmendinger's role can disappear. Watch the whole last lap to see how a contender near the front became a driver far down the results. Follow each car through the corner exits, rather than assuming that the first car into one turn will also reach the finish first.

The official winner and the debate over the contact are separate parts of the story. Fans can disagree about the moves while still recording Chastain as the confirmed winner. His first victory remains a team milestone; the final-lap battle explains how it was secured.

2023: Tyler Reddick converted speed into a 23XI win

Tyler Reddick won COTA on March 26, 2023, in the No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota. It was his first Cup victory for both 23XI and Toyota, following his earlier wins with Richard Childress Racing. Kyle Busch finished second, 1.411 seconds behind, and inspection confirmed Reddick as the winner. The official 2023 recap describes the overtime finish.

The speed was visible before Sunday. Reddick was quickest in Friday practice and ultimately qualified second. NASCAR's analysis of his move to Toyota places that performance alongside his previous road-course success. His COTA win showed that success could continue after a change of team and manufacturer.

There is a useful distinction here for anyone reading a race weekend's results: fastest in one qualifying round is not necessarily the final pole winner. Reddick had qualifying speed, but William Byron started from pole. Practice, qualifying and the race each answer a different question, so keep the final grid separate from an individual timed lap. Our qualifying guide explains those differences.

The stage format also matters: at COTA in 2023, stage points were awarded without automatic stage-ending cautions. NASCAR restored road-course stage cautions at Charlotte later that year. A stage ending and a yellow flag were therefore different things in this particular race; our NASCAR rules guide explains the basic terminology.

Repeated overtime restarts kept reopening the race

Reddick led 41 of the race's 75 laps, while he and Byron combined to lead 69. Yet three overtime restarts required him to defend the result repeatedly. On the last two-lap restart, Reddick emerged from Turn 1 ahead and pulled clear as the cars behind fought for position.

That combination makes 2023 more than a story about a chaotic ending. Reddick had sustained pace, but the late restarts prevented him from simply preserving a comfortable gap to the checkered flag. Each restart created another moment in which track position could change.

For a replay, watch the first corner and its exit on each late restart, then compare Reddick's clear track with the traffic behind him. Leading many laps explains why he was a contender; getting through the last restart explains how that advantage became the official win.

2024: William Byron won from pole in a controlled race

William Byron won the March 24, 2024 race from pole in the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet. The race ran its scheduled 68 laps, and he beat Christopher Bell by 0.692 seconds. NASCAR confirmed Byron's victory after inspection. It was the final Cup edition on COTA's Full Course before the National Course change. The official 2024 report records the result.

This race offered a different rhythm from the previous year's repeated overtime attempts. There were only two cautions, both scheduled stage breaks. With no incident caution compressing the field late, the closing battle developed through sustained running. That description applies to this particular race; it is not a blanket rule for every NASCAR road-course event.

Bell still made the finish close. NASCAR's post-race analysis describes his charge on fresher tires and Byron's ability to avoid the major mistake that could have opened a passing opportunity. The narrow final margin does not erase Byron's control across much of the afternoon, just as leading most laps does not mean the final laps were easy.

For fans comparing this with 2022 or 2023, follow the gap over a run instead of waiting for one decisive restart. The story sits in how quickly the challenger closes, how the leader handles each braking zone and whether the remaining laps offer enough time to attack. Those details can produce tension without a last-lap collision.

Byron's pole and win belong in separate columns when you review the weekend. Starting first put him in a favorable position, but he still had to complete the race ahead of Bell. The 2024 result is a useful counterpoint to the idea that COTA always needs overtime or contact to determine its winner.

2025: Christopher Bell won the first National Course race

Christopher Bell won the first Cup race on COTA's National Course on March 2, 2025. His No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota completed the 95-lap event ahead of William Byron, with a 0.433-second margin. Post-race inspection confirmed Bell's victory. NASCAR's final race report records the finish.

Bell led only eight laps, according to the track's race account. That small total helps explain why the final stint matters so much to this result: the winner did not spend most of the afternoon in the lead. He reached the front when the remaining distance was short enough to make the position decisive.

Tire timing shaped the late fight with Kyle Busch

Kyle Busch made his final green-flag pit stop two laps before Bell. Stopping earlier initially gained Busch track time, while Bell emerged with younger tires. A late caution removed the gap Busch had built. NASCAR's report on Busch's pit strategy explains that tradeoff through crew-chief Randall Burnett's assessment.

Bell took the lead with a run off Turn 20 on Lap 90, then had to keep Byron behind him. Busch ultimately finished fifth. Tire age was part of the late advantage, alongside how the cars handled and how the drivers attacked or defended each corner; it cannot be treated as a complete explanation by itself.

To follow this race, start the replay before the final pit cycle. A highlight beginning at the winning pass leaves out why Busch first had a gap and why Bell later had fresher rubber. Then watch what changed when the caution brought them together. It is a clear example of two reasonable pit approaches being reshaped by a flag, followed by a driver still needing to make the pass and protect the lead.

2026: Reddick became COTA's first repeat Cup winner

Tyler Reddick became COTA's first repeat Cup winner on March 1, 2026, adding the National Course victory to his 2023 Full Course win. The No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota completed 95 laps, leading 58, and finished 3.944 seconds ahead of Shane van Gisbergen's No. 97 Trackhouse Chevrolet. Those figures appear in the official final classification.

The win also completed a historic start to the season: Reddick became the first driver to win the opening three races of a Cup campaign. NASCAR's 2026 recap confirms that achievement and the successful post-race inspection.

The final restart came on Lap 79 after Ross Chastain lost a wheel. Van Gisbergen moved past Ryan Blaney into second and pressured Reddick before the leader gradually extended the gap. The 3.944-second margin records the finish, rather than a cushion Reddick enjoyed throughout the last run.

There was a decision behind that pursuit, too. Trackhouse crew chief Stephen Doran believed the No. 97 had closed the performance gap enough to stay out during the last caution. In NASCAR's interview with the runner-up's team, he explained that the cars proved less evenly matched than he had expected. Van Gisbergen credited Reddick's consistency and accuracy.

For a comparison with 2023, focus on the common demand of handling pressure at the front while remembering that the course changed. Two COTA wins on two layouts show success under different conditions; they do not establish which version was easier or produce a direct lap-time ranking. The repeat-winner label is a record of results, not a prediction that the same driver must win next time.

Across the six races, COTA's history includes a weather-shortened debut, breakthrough wins, overtime finishes, a controlled pole-to-win afternoon and a new layout. Choose the year whose race you want to revisit, then pair its winner with those conditions. For the next event, use the NASCAR schedule; for completed races, use the Cup results to move from the winner to the full finishing order.