# 2024 Focused Health 250 (COTA)

The 2024 Focused Health 250 was the 5th stock car race of the 2024 NASCAR Xfinity Series, and the 4th iteration of the event. The race was held on Saturday, March 23, 2024, at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, a 3.426 miles (5.514 km) permanent asphalt road course. The race was originally scheduled to be contested over 46 laps, but was increased to 50 laps due to a NASCAR overtime finish. In a thrilling race that featured a wild finish, Kyle Larson, driving for Hendrick Motorsports, would benefit from newer tires and steal the win after Shane van Gisbergen made contact with Austin Hill on the final lap. Van Gisbergen bumped into the back of Hill in turn 16, forcing both drivers up the racetrack and allowing Larson to sneak past both of them. This was Larson's 15th career NASCAR Xfinity Series win, and his first of the season. Van Gisbergen and teammate A. J. Allmendinger were the most consistent drivers of the race, both leading a race-high 20 laps. To fill out the podium, Hill, driving for Richard Childress Racing, and John Hunter Nemechek, driving for Joe Gibbs Racing, would finish 2nd and 3rd, respectively. Van Gisbergen, who originally finished in 2nd, was given a 30-second time penalty on the final lap for cutting the course. He was officially credited with a 27th place finish.

## 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.

#### Entry list

* (R) denotes rookie driver.
* (i) denotes driver who is ineligible for series driver points.
| # | Driver | Team | Make | Sponsor |
| 00 | Cole Custer | Stewart–Haas Racing | Ford | Haas Automation |
| 1 | Sam Mayer | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | Roto-Rooter |
| 2 | Jesse Love (R) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | Whelen |
| 4 | Patrick Gallagher | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | JD Motorsports |
| 5 | Anthony Alfredo | Our Motorsports | Chevrolet | Dude Wipes |
| 6 | Ty Dillon (i) | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | Ollie's Bargain Outlet |
| 07 | Daniil Kvyat | SS-Green Light Racing | Chevrolet | GOTRAX |
| 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | BRANDT / Rev1 Energy |
| 8 | Sammy Smith | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | Pilot Flying J |
| 9 | Brandon Jones | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | Spectracide / Menards |
| 11 | Josh Williams | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | Alloy Employer Services |
| 14 | R. C. Enerson | SS-Green Light Racing | Chevrolet | Lucas Oil School of Racing |
| 15 | Hailie Deegan (R) | AM Racing | Ford | Cody Jinks - Change The Game |
| 16 | A. J. Allmendinger | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | Celsius |
| 17 | Kyle Larson (i) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | HendrickCars.com |
| 18 | Sheldon Creed | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | Friends of Jaclyn Foundation |
| 19 | Ty Gibbs (i) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | He Gets Us |
| 20 | John Hunter Nemechek (i) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | Dial |
| 21 | Austin Hill | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | Bennett Transportation |
| 24 | Ed Jones | Sam Hunt Racing | Toyota | CRC Industries |
| 26 | Sage Karam | Sam Hunt Racing | Toyota | CRC Brakleen |
| 27 | Jeb Burton | Jordan Anderson Racing | Chevrolet | Golden Corral |
| 28 | Kaz Grala (i) | RSS Racing | Ford | RSS Racing |
| 29 | Blaine Perkins | RSS Racing | Ford | AutoParkIt.com |
| 31 | Parker Retzlaff | Jordan Anderson Racing | Chevrolet | Bommarito.com Archived 2024-04-08 at the Wayback Machine / Crest |
| 32 | Austin Green | Jordan Anderson Racing | Chevrolet | 3Dimensional.com |
| 35 | Alex Labbé | Joey Gase Motorsports | Toyota | Logisteck |
| 39 | Ryan Sieg | RSS Racing | Ford | Sci Aps |
| 42 | Leland Honeyman (R) | Young's Motorsports | Chevrolet | Austin Gamblers |
| 43 | Ryan Ellis | Alpha Prime Racing | Chevrolet | Classic Collision |
| 44 | Brennan Poole | Alpha Prime Racing | Chevrolet | Finance Pro Plus |
| 45 | Brad Perez | Alpha Prime Racing | Chevrolet | Sendero Provisions / Weiss Sand & Clay LP |
| 48 | Parker Kligerman | Big Machine Racing | Chevrolet | Big Machine Spiked Light Coolers |
| 50 | Preston Pardus | Pardus Racing | Chevrolet | Chinchor Electric |
| 51 | Jeremy Clements | Jeremy Clements Racing | Chevrolet | Impel Union |
| 81 | Chandler Smith | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | Mobil 1 |
| 91 | Kyle Weatherman | DGM Racing | Chevrolet | MyRadar / DriveSmartWarranty.com |
| 92 | Josh Bilicki | DGM Racing | Chevrolet | Halford Mobile Services |
| 97 | Shane van Gisbergen (R) | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | WeatherTech |
| 98 | Riley Herbst | Stewart–Haas Racing | Ford | Monster Energy |
| Official entry list |||||