Pit Stops : Circuit of The Americas

• Circuit of The Americas
• Focused Health 250
• Pole Winner: Kyle Larson
• Age: 31
• Team : No. 17 - HendrickCars.com Chevrolet
• Owner: Rick Hendrick
• Crew Chief: Greg Ives
• Kyle Larson won the Pole Award for the Focused Health 250 with a lap of 132.076 seconds, 92.946 mph.
• This is his seventh pole in 115 NASCAR Xfinity Series races.
• This is his first pole and first top-10 start in 2024.
• This is his first pole in one races at Circuit of The Americas.
• Shane Van Gisbergen (second) posted his second top-10 start of 2024 and his first in one race at Circuit of The Americas.
• Ty Gibbs (third) posted his third top-10 start at Circuit of The Americas. It is his first in one race this season.
• Shane Van Gisbergen (second) was the fastest qualifying rookie.

• Saturday, March 23rd, 2024
• NASCAR Wire Service - Holly Cain

Kyle Larson wins in an action-packed dash to the finish line

Kyle Larson was ultimately both patient and smart taking the lead on the final overtime lap to win an aggressive Featured Health 250 NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Circuit of The Americas (COTA), the first road course test for the series this year that earned an “A” for high-drama and close competition.

New Zealander Shane van Gisbergen and Austin Hill were duking it out for the lead – and pushing each other high off the race line as the field approached the checkered flag. With those two fending each other off, Larson drove his No. 17 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet low around both and was able to pull away to a 1.215-second victory – the only lap the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champ led all day around the 20-turn 3.51-mile road course.

Van Gisbergen finished second in the No. 97 Kaulig Racing Chevy but was accessed a 30-second penalty for exceeding track limits in that last lap battle with Hill, which ultimately put him in 27th. So Hill, driver of the No. 21 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet officially is scored runner-up.

Larson was all smiles climbing out of car, conceding he wasn’t surprised things got so aggressive in the end. He was one of the few cars – and only one among the leaders – to drop into pit lane on the final caution to get gas and had worked his way back up front.

“It feels really special because seems like every time we’ve run the 17-car – any of us four drivers – we’re always fast on track and somehow give it away,’’ Larson said. “Today I was definitely not the fastest, but we were patient. I knew the 21 [Hill] had shoved SVG [Van Gisbergen] through [turn] one and if he got to him it could get dicey.

“I was just trying to be patient. I was thinking when to make my move and when I saw him shoving him through [turns] 15 and 16, I thought this could get good and thankfully I cleared them off in that corner. Pretty crazy. Just wild there. … Really cool, just awesome to win here at COTA.’’

Neither Van Gisbergen nor Austin Hill were too happy with the final outcome – both their cars damaged from the aggressive beating and banging on the final lap. Asked if he would speak to Hill about the racing, Van Gisbergen said, “Yeah, I guess so.’’ But he was mostly positive about having a chance to win in only his fifth NASCAR Xfinity Series race of his career.

“It was a crazy race and the car got better and better,’’ Van Gisbergen said. “On that last restart he [Hill] just drove through me in [turn] one. I guess I stood up for myself. But it was pretty awesome racing with [teammate] A.J. [Allmendinger] and in the end just turned into a mess. That’s how it is.

“It was really fun. Wish I could have gotten through to the lead, but the car [Larson] just snuck through there. He was driving really well. A lot of fun.’’

While Van Gisbergen managed a smile for the post-race television interview, he definitely had to battle all afternoon – including with his Kaulig Racing teammate A.J. Allmendinger, a two-time winner of this COTA Xfinity Series race and the series’ best active road course driver.

They battled head-to-head for the final laps of the regularly scheduled race only for Allmendinger to get swept up and out in a three-wide attempt for the lead in Turn 1 during the first green-white-checkered flag period. He was running fifth at the time of the final caution that forced a second overtime start and ultimately finished 10^th.

John Hunter Nemechek finished third, reigning series champion Cole Custer was fourth and Parker Kligerman rounded out the top five. Rookie Jesse Love, Austin Green, last week’s winner Chandler Smith, Sam Mayer and Allmendinger rounded out the top 10.

It was a particularly impressive day for Green, son of former Xfinity Series champion David Green, finishing eighth in his very first series start.

Big Machine Racing driver Kligerman earned his first stage win of the year claiming the Stage 1 victory. Brandon Jones seemingly won Stage 2 only to receive a penalty for cutting Turn 5 on the last lap of the stage. Second-place Stewart-Haas Racing’s Riley Herbst was instead awarded the Stage victory – his first of the season.

• Drivers Entered: 40 (2 drivers will not make the race)
• Laps Scheduled: 46
• Laps Actual: 50 - NASCAR OVERTIME!
• Margin of Victory: 01.354 Seconds
• Time of Race: 2 Hours 21 Minutes 21 Seconds
• Average Speed: 72.374
• Cautions: 4 for 9 laps
• Lead Changes: 13
• Green Flag Passes: 1,991 (48.6 passes per green flag lap)

• Circuit of The Americas
• Focused Health 250
• Race Winner: Kyle Larson
• Age: 31
• Team : No. 17 - HendrickCars.com Chevrolet
• Owner: Rick Hendrick
• Crew Chief: Greg Ives
• Kyle Larson won the Focused Health 250, his 15th victory in 115 Xfinity Series races.
• This is his first victory and first top-10 finish in 2024.
• This is his first victory and first top-10 finish in one race at Circuit of The Americas.
• Austin Hill (second) posted his second top-10 finish in three races at Circuit of The Americas. It is his fifth top-10 finish in 2024.
• John Hunter Nemechek (third) posted his first top-10 finish in two races at Circuit of The Americas.
• Jesse Love (sixth) was the highest finishing rookie.
• Austin Hill leads the point standings by 9 points over Chandler Smith.