Shane van Gisbergen Leads NASCAR Cup Practice at COTA Short Course
Shane van Gisbergen led NASCAR Cup Series practice at Circuit of The Americas, posting a top speed of 87.408mph (98.846s) on the modified short course layout. William Byron and Carson Hocevar completed the top three with speeds of 86.891mph and 86.853mph respectively.
The practice session was extended to two 20-minute segments on COTA's shortened course configuration, which features a modified exit from the esses section. Goodyear introduced a new tire compound for this event.
Three IndyCars racing at sunset
Top 10 Practice Speeds:
- Shane van Gisbergen: 87.408mph
- William Byron: 86.891mph
- Carson Hocevar: 86.853mph
- Ryan Blaney: 86.801mph
- Alex Bowman: 86.741mph
- Chase Elliott: 86.701mph
- Kyle Larson: 86.640mph
- Kyle Busch: 86.626mph
- Daniel Suarez: 86.621mph
- Ross Chastain: 86.573mph
Notable performers include Connor Zilisch, making his Cup Series debut, who placed 17th with a speed of 86.397mph. Kyle Larson demonstrated strong long-run pace, leading the best 10 consecutive lap average ahead of Chase Elliott, Alex Bowman, Ryan Blaney, and Daniel Suarez.
The practice session concluded without any major incidents. All 37 entered teams will compete in the race, including the Open team entry of the No. 87 Red Bull Chevrolet driven by Zilisch for Trackhouse Racing.
Cup Series qualifying is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. ET.
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