# 2021 EchoPark Texas Grand Prix

The 2021 EchoPark Texas Grand Prix was a NASCAR Cup Series race that was held on May 23, 2021, at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas. Originally scheduled for 68 laps on the 3.426-mile (5.514 km) road course, the race was shortened to 54 laps by heavy rain. It was the 14th race of the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series season.

## Report
### Background

Circuit of the Americas (COTA) is a grade 1 FIA-specification motorsports facility located within the extraterritorial jurisdiction of Austin, Texas. It features a 3.426-mile (5.514 km) road racing circuit. The facility is home to the Formula One United States Grand Prix, and the Motorcycle Grand Prix of the Americas, a round of the FIM Road Racing World Championship. It previously hosted the Supercars Championship, the FIA World Endurance Championship, the IMSA SportsCar Championship, and IndyCar Series.
On September 30, 2020, it was announced that COTA would host a NASCAR Cup Series event for the first time on May 23, 2021. The lower Xfinity and Camping World Truck Series were also added as support events. On December 11, 2020, it was announced that NASCAR would run the full 3.41 mile course.
British IMSA driver Kyle Tilley made his NASCAR debut, replacing B. J. McLeod for Live Fast Motorsports.

#### Entry list

* (R) denotes rookie driver.
* (i) denotes driver who are ineligible for series driver points.
| No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer |
| 00 | Quin Houff | StarCom Racing | Chevrolet |
| 1 | Kurt Busch | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet |
| 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford |
| 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet |
| 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford |
| 5 | Kyle Larson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 6 | Ryan Newman | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford |
| 7 | Corey LaJoie | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 8 | Tyler Reddick | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet |
| 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford |
| 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford |
| 14 | Chase Briscoe (R) | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford |
| 15 | James Davison | Rick Ware Racing | Chevrolet |
| 16 | A. J. Allmendinger (i) | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet |
| 17 | Chris Buescher | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford |
| 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 19 | Martin Truex Jr. | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 21 | Matt DiBenedetto | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford |
| 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford |
| 23 | Bubba Wallace | 23XI Racing | Toyota |
| 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 33 | Austin Cindric (i) | Team Penske | Ford |
| 34 | Michael McDowell | Front Row Motorsports | Ford |
| 37 | Ryan Preece | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet |
| 38 | Anthony Alfredo (R) | Front Row Motorsports | Ford |
| 41 | Cole Custer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford |
| 42 | Ross Chastain | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet |
| 43 | Erik Jones | Richard Petty Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 47 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet |
| 48 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 51 | Cody Ware (i) | Petty Ware Racing | Chevrolet |
| 52 | Josh Bilicki | Rick Ware Racing | Ford |
| 53 | Garrett Smithley (i) | Rick Ware Racing | Ford |
| 77 | Justin Haley (i) | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 78 | Kyle Tilley | Live Fast Motorsports | Ford |
| 96 | Ty Dillon (i) | Gaunt Brothers Racing | Toyota |
| 99 | Daniel Suárez | Trackhouse Racing Team | Chevrolet |
| Official entry list ||||

## Practice

In a wet practice session, William Byron was the fastest in the practice session with a time of 2:37.694 with an average speed of 77.847 mph (125.283 km/h).

### Practice results

| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 2:37.694 | 77.847 |
| 2 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 2:38.281 | 77.558 |
| 3 | 5 | Kyle Larson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 2:38.468 | 77.467 |
| Official practice results |||||||

## Qualifying

In a dry track, Tyler Reddick scored the pole for the race with a time of 2:12.911 and a speed of 92.363 mph (148.644 km/h).
NASCAR also implemented a new rule for qualifying. For road course qualifying, a timing loop marked on the circuit, not the start-finish line, will set official time. The rule is similar to that used by INDYCAR, which also uses knockout qualifying. At this circuit, the exit of Istanbul 8 will be used as the timing line.

### Qualifying results

| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | R1 | R2 |
| 1 | 8 | Tyler Reddick | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 2:13.602 | 2:12.911 |
| 2 | 5 | Kyle Larson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 2:14.192 | 2:13.011 |
| 3 | 33 | Austin Cindric (i) | Team Penske | Ford | 2:13.850 | 2:13.697 |
| 4 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 2:13.905 | 2:13.708 |
| 5 | 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 2:14.127 | 2:13.760 |
| 6 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 2:13.977 | 2:13.791 |
| 7 | 16 | A. J. Allmendinger (i) | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 2:13.490 | 2:13.842 |
| 8 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 2:14.352 | 2:14.117 |
| 9 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 2:14.486 | 2:14.518 |
| 10 | 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 2:14.349 | 2:14.548 |
| 11 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 2:14.352 | 2:14.792 |
| 12 | 48 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 2:14.578 | 2:14.894 |
| 13 | 1 | Kurt Busch | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 2:14.708 | — |
| 14 | 41 | Cole Custer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 2:15.025 | — |
| 15 | 99 | Daniel Suárez | Trackhouse Racing Team | Chevrolet | 2:15.118 | — |
| 16 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 2:15.325 | — |
| 17 | 19 | Martin Truex Jr. | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 2:15.375 | — |
| 18 | 23 | Bubba Wallace | 23XI Racing | Toyota | 2:15.416 | — |
| 19 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 2:15.528 | — |
| 20 | 42 | Ross Chastain | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 2:15.685 | — |
| 21 | 21 | Matt DiBenedetto | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 2:15.852 | — |
| 22 | 47 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 2:15.852 | — |
| 23 | 34 | Michael McDowell | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 2:15.902 | — |
| 24 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 2:15.929 | — |
| 25 | 7 | Corey LaJoie | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet | 2:16.245 | — |
| 26 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 2:16.558 | — |
| 27 | 14 | Chase Briscoe (R) | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 2:16.686 | — |
| 28 | 17 | Chris Buescher | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 2:16.728 | — |
| 29 | 43 | Erik Jones | Richard Petty Motorsports | Chevrolet | 2:17.032 | — |
| 30 | 77 | Justin Haley (i) | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet | 2:17.051 | — |
| 31 | 52 | Josh Bilicki | Rick Ware Racing | Ford | 2:17.246 | — |
| 32 | 15 | James Davison | Rick Ware Racing | Chevrolet | 2:17.563 | — |
| 33 | 96 | Ty Dillon (i) | Gaunt Brothers Racing | Toyota | 2:17.682 | — |
| 34 | 6 | Ryan Newman | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 2:18.067 | — |
| 35 | 51 | Cody Ware (i) | Petty Ware Racing | Chevrolet | 2:18.194 | — |
| 36 | 37 | Ryan Preece | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 2:18.252 | — |
| 37 | 38 | Anthony Alfredo (R) | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 2:18.701 | — |
| 38 | 53 | Garrett Smithley (i) | Rick Ware Racing | Ford | 2:18.804 | — |
| 39 | 78 | Kyle Tilley | Live Fast Motorsports | Ford | 2:20.361 | — |
| 40 | 00 | Quin Houff | StarCom Racing | Chevrolet | 2:20.985 | — |
| Official qualifying results |||||||

## Race
### Stage Results

Stage One Laps: 15
| Pos | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Points |
| 1 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 10 |
| 2 | 34 | Michael McDowell | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 9 |
| 3 | 1 | Kurt Busch | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 8 |
| 4 | 5 | Kyle Larson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 7 |
| 5 | 33 | Austin Cindric (i) | Team Penske | Ford | 0 |
| 6 | 17 | Chris Buescher | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 5 |
| 7 | 14 | Chase Briscoe (R) | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 4 |
| 8 | 42 | Ross Chastain | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 3 |
| 9 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 2 |
| 10 | 21 | Matt DiBenedetto | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 1 |
| Official stage one results ||||||
Stage Two Laps: 17
| Pos | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Points |
| 1 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 10 |
| 2 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 9 |
| 3 | 8 | Tyler Reddick | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 8 |
| 4 | 33 | Austin Cindric (i) | Team Penske | Ford | 0 |
| 5 | 7 | Corey LaJoie | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet | 6 |
| 6 | 5 | Kyle Larson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 5 |
| 7 | 37 | Ryan Preece | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 4 |
| 8 | 16 | A. J. Allmendinger (i) | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 0 |
| 9 | 14 | Chase Briscoe (R) | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 2 |
| 10 | 48 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 1 |
| Official stage two results ||||||

### Final Stage Results

Stage Three Laps: 36
| Pos | Grid | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Laps | Points |
| 1 | 8 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 54 | 49 |
| 2 | 2 | 5 | Kyle Larson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 54 | 47 |
| 3 | 6 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 54 | 44 |
| 4 | 20 | 42 | Ross Chastain | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 54 | 36 |
| 5 | 7 | 16 | A. J. Allmendinger (i) | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 54 | 0 |
| 6 | 27 | 14 | Chase Briscoe (R) | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 54 | 37 |
| 7 | 23 | 34 | Michael McDowell | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 54 | 39 |
| 8 | 12 | 48 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 54 | 30 |
| 9 | 1 | 8 | Tyler Reddick | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 54 | 36 |
| 10 | 4 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 54 | 39 |
| 11 | 5 | 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 54 | 26 |
| 12 | 16 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 54 | 25 |
| 13 | 28 | 17 | Chris Buescher | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 54 | 29 |
| 14 | 19 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 54 | 23 |
| 15 | 36 | 37 | Ryan Preece | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 54 | 26 |
| 16 | 29 | 43 | Erik Jones | Richard Petty Motorsports | Chevrolet | 54 | 21 |
| 17 | 9 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 54 | 20 |
| 18 | 37 | 38 | Anthony Alfredo (R) | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 54 | 19 |
| 19 | 24 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 54 | 18 |
| 20 | 25 | 7 | Corey LaJoie | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet | 54 | 23 |
| 21 | 33 | 96 | Ty Dillon (i) | Gaunt Brothers Racing | Toyota | 54 | 0 |
| 22 | 22 | 47 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 54 | 15 |
| 23 | 21 | 21 | Matt DiBenedetto | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 54 | 15 |
| 24 | 34 | 6 | Ryan Newman | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 54 | 13 |
| 25 | 3 | 33 | Austin Cindric (i) | Team Penske | Ford | 54 | 0 |
| 26 | 26 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 54 | 11 |
| 27 | 13 | 1 | Kurt Busch | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 54 | 18 |
| 28 | 38 | 53 | Garrett Smithley (i) | Rick Ware Racing | Ford | 54 | 0 |
| 29 | 32 | 15 | James Davison | Rick Ware Racing | Chevrolet | 54 | 8 |
| 30 | 31 | 52 | Josh Bilicki | Rick Ware Racing | Ford | 54 | 7 |
| 31 | 39 | 78 | Kyle Tilley | Live Fast Motorsports | Ford | 54 | 6 |
| 32 | 35 | 51 | Cody Ware (i) | Petty Ware Racing | Chevrolet | 53 | 0 |
| 33 | 15 | 99 | Daniel Suárez | Trackhouse Racing Team | Chevrolet | 46 | 4 |
| 34 | 40 | 00 | Quin Houff | StarCom Racing | Chevrolet | 38 | 3 |
| 35 | 17 | 19 | Martin Truex Jr. | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 24 | 2 |
| 36 | 14 | 41 | Cole Custer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 24 | 1 |
| 37 | 11 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 19 | 1 |
| 38 | 10 | 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 18 | 1 |
| 39 | 18 | 23 | Bubba Wallace | 23XI Racing | Toyota | 18 | 1 |
| 40 | 30 | 77 | Justin Haley (i) | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet | 12 | 0 |
| Official race results ||||||||

### Race statistics

* Lead changes: 11 among 10 different drivers
* Cautions/Laps: 6 for 41
* Red flags: 2 (1 for weather, 1 for 20 minutes and 54 seconds)
* Time of race: 3 hours, 7 minutes and 11 seconds
* Average speed: 59.024 miles per hour (94.990 km/h)

## Media
### Television

Fox Sports covered the race on the television side. Mike Joy, Jeff Gordon and Clint Bowyer called the race from the broadcast booth. Jamie Little and Regan Smith handled pit road for the television side. Larry McReynolds provided insight from the Fox Sports studio in Charlotte.
FS1 :
| Booth announcers | Pit reporters | In-race analyst |
| Lap-by-lap: Mike Joy Color-commentator: Jeff Gordon Color-commentator: Clint Bowyer | Jamie Little Regan Smith | Larry McReynolds |

### Radio

PRN had the radio call for the race which was simulcasted on Sirius XM NASCAR Radio.
PRN :
| Booth announcers | Turn announcers | Pit reporters |
| Lead announcer: Doug Rice Announcer: Mark Garrow | Turn 1: Rob Albright Turns 2 to Becketts: Brett McMillan Chapel to S do Senna: Doug Turnbull To Sepang Hairpin: Ralph Sheheen Motodrom: Pat Patterson Istanbul 8 to Turn 20: Brad Gillie | Wendy Venturini Alan Cavanna Heather DeBeaux |

## Standings after the race

| | Pos | Driver | Points |
| | 1 | Denny Hamlin | 597 |
| | 2 | William Byron | 499 (–98) |
| 2 | 3 | Kyle Larson | 487 (–110) |
| | 4 | Joey Logano | 486 (–111) |
| 2 | 5 | Chase Elliott | 481 (–116) |
| 3 | 6 | Martin Truex Jr. | 474 (–123) |
| 1 | 7 | Ryan Blaney | 458 (–139) |
| | 8 | Kevin Harvick | 428 (–169) |
| | 9 | Brad Keselowski | 422 (–175) |
| | 10 | Kyle Busch | 422 (–175) |
| | 11 | Austin Dillon | 366 (–231) |
| 1 | 12 | Alex Bowman | 362 (–235) |
| 1 | 13 | Chris Buescher | 338 (–259) |
| 2 | 14 | Christopher Bell | 337 (–260) |
| | 15 | Tyler Reddick | 334 (–263) |
| | 16 | Michael McDowell | 329 (–268) |
| Official driver's standings ||||
| Pos | Manufacturer | Points |
| 1 | Chevrolet | 507 |
| 2 | Ford | 494 (–13) |
| 3 | Toyota | 479 (–28) |