At the Circuit of The Americas (COTA) in Austin, the first circuit race of the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series only came to an end after three attempts at overtime. Tyler Reddick (23XI-Toyota) secured victory in the turbulent final phase of the race.
PHOTOS: EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix in Austin
For Reddick, it is the first victory in the service of 23XI Racing, the NASCAR team of NBA legend Michael Jordan and NASCAR driver Denny Hamlin. Reddick joined the team over the winter. Actually, his move from Richard Childress Racing was only planned for the winter of 2023/24.
But because Kurt Busch is still not ready to play again as a result of his concussion in July 2022, Reddick’s team change was brought forward a year. On Reddick’s first win as a 23XI driver (his fourth Cup win overall), Kurt Busch co-commentated for the broadcaster Fox.
RESULT: EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix in Austin
The drivers of the top NASCAR league were scheduled to complete 68 laps on the Grand Prix circuit, which is primarily known from Formula 1 and MotoGP. In the course of the turbulent final phase with three overtimes, this ultimately turned into 75 laps.
William Byron (Hendrick-Chevrolet) started from pole. After an early yellow phase, which meant the end of Jimmie Johnson, among others (see details below), Austin Cindric (Penske-Ford) and shortly afterwards Tyler Reddick took command.
For the first time, the individual race segments (stages) were not interrupted by yellow phases – an innovation in the regulations that applies to all circuit races with immediate effect. The bonus points for the top 10 at the end of Stage 1 and Stage 2 were still there.
Byron took the Stage 1 win after 15 laps ahead of Cindric and AJ Allmendinger (Kaulig-Chevrolet). Unlike Reddick, they hadn’t been in the pits yet. Stage 2 victory after 30 laps went to Reddick, followed by Austin Dillon (Childress-Chevrolet) and Michael McDowell (Front-Row-Ford) who started from the back of the field.
Byron vs. Reddick: From a duel to a four-way fight – then yellow
With a good 20 laps to go, the two drivers who had started from the front row of the grid two hours earlier were ahead: Stage 1 winner William Byron and Stage 2 winner Tyler Reddick. And after battling for the lead for a full lap, passing each other multiple times, at Turn 12 Reddick found a way to get in front of Byron and stay in front of him for a few laps.
15 laps before the end, the duel turned into a three-way battle. Last year’s winner Ross Chastain (Trackhouse-Chevrolet) drove up because Reddick and Byron slowed down a bit to save fuel. With twelve laps to go, Chastain passed Byron but still wasn’t second for long. Because Trackhouse team-mate Daniel Suarez overtook both of them at the same time and in turn went in pursuit of leader Reddick.
But because Brad Keselowski (RFK-Ford) rolled out on the same lap, there was a yellow phase. Almost the entire field used it for a final pit stop. Five drivers, however, had been in there not too long before and fell out under yellow: Christopher Bell (Gibbs-Toyota), Kyle Busch (Childress-Chevrolet), Denny Hamlin (Gibbs-Toyota), Kimi Raikkonen (Trackhouse-Chevrolet) and Ryan Preece (Stewart/Haas Ford).
Three overtimes: Tyler Reddick prevails
At the restart, Tyler Reddick, on fresh tires, regained the lead from the third row directly in the tight first corner. However, there were several collisions in the tight midfield. Ross Chastain and Austin Dillon stayed behind standing in the opposite direction of travel, AJ Allmendinger suffered a flat tire.
At the next restart there were still seven laps to go. This time Reddick lost the lead at Turn 1 to William Byron, with whom he had already dueled for the lead before the two late yellow periods. In third place was the first of those who had not made a last pit stop under yellow: Kyle Busch.
Five laps before the end, the preliminary decision in the fight for victory: In turn 11 before the long back straight, Reddick braked past Byron on the inside. But there was yellow again. Reason: Parts of the rear end of Austin Dillon’s Childress Chevrolet were on the back straight on the road. This fifth yellow phase caused the race to be extended.
At the overtime restart, Tyler Reddick defended the lead while Kyle Busch passed William Byron for second. A crash in the backcourt. which resulted in a puncture on Ryan Blaney’s Penske-Ford, but caused another yellow card. So there was a second overtime restart.
At the second overtime restart, Reddick just kept ahead of Busch. There was chaos again in midfield, both at Turn 1, Turn 11 and Turn 12. Martin Truex Jr. (Gibbs-Toyota), Justin Haley (Kaulig-Chevrolet), Michael McDowell and also Kimi Raikkonen spun. The reason that there was an eighth yellow period and thus a third attempt at extra time was a flat tire on Daniel Suarez’s car.
At the third overtime restart, leader Tyler Reddick suddenly had Alex Bowman (Hendrick-Chevrolet) next to him thanks to the choose rule (choice of lane at the restart), which was also used for the first time on circuits. However, a lap later, Bowman was relegated to third place by Kyle Busch. The positions in the top 3 were taken.
Tyler Reddick brought home his first win of the season and his first win as a driver for 23XI Racing. Kyle Busch, who took over Reddick’s cockpit from last year at Richard Childress Racing, finished a strong second with his deviant pit stop strategy. Alex Bowman took third place. Last year’s winner Ross Chastain and pole setter William Byron “only” stayed in fourth and fifth place.
Kyle Larson (Hendrick-Chevrolet) was one of those who benefited from the chaos of the closing stages. Stage 1 had an extremely turbulent race lap, in which he was initially flipped by Bubba Wallace (23XI-Toyota) at turn 12. Coming out of Turn 19, Larson had a second spin after contact with Denny Hamlin.
Wallace’s incident was due to brake failure on his Toyota Camry, Hamlin’s incident was due to a misunderstanding at the pit entrance. In Stage 3, Larson then had to pit unscheduled with a damaged wheel suspension. Nevertheless, in the end he still managed P14 on the lead lap.
Debutants and returnees: Taylor, Button, Raikkonen, Johnson
The Austin race was NASCAR debuts for two drivers in the 39-strong field: Jenson Button and Jordan Taylor. Button, the 2009 Formula 1 World Champion, drove the #15 Ware-Ford, which he will drive twice more later in the season. Taylor, the three-time IMSA champion, replaced regular driver Chase Elliott, who was still injured, in the #9 Hendrick Chevrolet.
And Taylor made an immediate impact on his NASCAR debut. In qualifying on Saturday, he drove straight into the second segment (Q2) and there into the second row of the grid for Sunday. Having started from P4, Taylor finished P24 after the turbulent course of the race. Button, on the other hand, started the race from 24th position in his NASCAR debut. The Briton finished P18 and was in the top 20 right away.
18th place for ex-Formula 1 driver Jenson Button on NASCAR debut
If it was NASCAR debuts for Jordan Taylor and Jenson Button, it was a return for Kimi Raikkonen. The 2007 Formula 1 World Champion drove the third Trackhouse Chevrolet (start number 91) for the second time (after Watkins Glen 2022). With this, he secured 22nd place on the grid in qualifying on Saturday. Thus Raikkonen started directly one row in front of Button.
In the race, Räikkönen showed an inconspicuous performance up to the third-to-last yellow phase mentioned. During the various restarts, the “Iceman” lost a few positions and slipped out of the top 10. The spin shortly after the second overtime restart threw Räikkönen back to P29 in the final result.
Kimi Räikkönen was in the top 10 in his second cup race, but then had bad luck
It was also a return for Jimmie Johnson. The seven-time NASCAR champion sat in the third Legacy Chevrolet (#84) for the second time (after the Daytona 500 in February). After P31 in qualifying, however, Johnson was involved in a crash right on the first lap of the race.
Brad Keselowski spun at the exit of the penultimate corner of the track (Turn 19). Keselowski’s RFK teammate Chris Buescher and Ty Dillon (Spire-Chevrolet) dodged. Dillon spun after unfortunate contact with Buescher. Johnson couldn’t avoid Dillon – early exit for both.
The full-time drivers on the 2023 NASCAR calendar continue with the first short track race. Next Sunday (April 2nd) there will be driving at Richmond Raceway.
With images from Motorsport Images.
