# 2025 Focused Health 250 (COTA)

The 2025 Focused Health 250 was the 3rd stock car race of the 2025 NASCAR Xfinity Series, and the 5th iteration of the event. The race was held on Saturday, March 1, 2025, at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, a 2.400 miles (3.862 km) road course. The race took the scheduled 65 laps to complete. Connor Zilisch, driving for JR Motorsports, navigated through late-race adversity, and continued his road course dominance by winning the pole and leading a race-high 26 laps, earning his second career NASCAR Xfinity Series win, and his first of the season. To fill out the podium, William Byron, driving for Hendrick Motorsports, and Sam Mayer, driving for Haas Factory Team, would finish 2nd and 3rd, respectively.

## 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 November 20, 2024, it was announced that the race would move to the 2.400 mi (3.862 km) layout.

#### Entry list

* (R) denotes rookie driver.
* (i) denotes driver who is ineligible for series driver points.
| # | Driver | Team | Make | Sponsor |
| 00 | Sheldon Creed | Haas Factory Team | Ford | Road Ranger |
| 1 | Carson Kvapil (R) | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | Bass Pro Shops / Clarience Tech |
| 2 | Jesse Love | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | Whelen |
| 4 | Parker Retzlaff | Alpha Prime Racing | Chevrolet | Noxzema |
| 5 | Kris Wright | Our Motorsports | Chevrolet | FNB Corporation |
| 07 | Alex Labbé | SS-Green Light Racing | Chevrolet | Black Diamond Garages |
| 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | BRANDT / Rev1 Energy |
| 8 | Sammy Smith | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | Pilot Flying J |
| 9 | Ross Chastain (i) | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | Acceptance Insurance |
| 10 | Daniel Dye (R) | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | Heise LED Lighting Systems |
| 11 | Josh Williams | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | Alloy Employer Services |
| 14 | Carson Hocevar (i) | SS-Green Light Racing | Chevrolet | Trophy Tractor |
| 16 | Christian Eckes (R) | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | Celsius |
| 17 | William Byron (i) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | HendrickCars.com |
| 18 | William Sawalich (R) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | Starkey |
| 19 | Riley Herbst (i) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | Monster Energy |
| 20 | Brandon Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | Bali / Menards |
| 21 | Austin Hill | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | Global Industrial |
| 24 | Corey Heim (i) | Sam Hunt Racing | Toyota | Upper Deck |
| 25 | Harrison Burton | AM Racing | Ford | DEX Imaging |
| 26 | Dean Thompson (R) | Sam Hunt Racing | Toyota | Thompson Pipe Group |
| 27 | Jeb Burton | Jordan Anderson Racing | Chevrolet | State Water Heaters |
| 28 | Kyle Sieg | RSS Racing | Ford | RSS Racing |
| 31 | Blaine Perkins | Jordan Anderson Racing | Chevrolet | Werner Enterprises |
| 32 | Austin Green | Jordan Anderson Racing | Chevrolet | Volpi Foods |
| 35 | Baltazar Leguizamón | Joey Gase Motorsports | Chevrolet | KSW Construction Corp. / Speed Agro |
| 39 | Ryan Sieg | RSS Racing | Ford | Sci Aps |
| 41 | Sam Mayer | Haas Factory Team | Ford | Audibel |
| 42 | Anthony Alfredo | Young's Motorsports | Chevrolet | Austin Gamblers |
| 44 | Brennan Poole | Alpha Prime Racing | Chevrolet | Midas |
| 45 | Brad Perez | Alpha Prime Racing | Chevrolet | Apex Coffee / Weiss Sand & Clay |
| 48 | Nick Sanchez (R) | Big Machine Racing | Chevrolet | Borchetta Bourbon |
| 50 | Preston Pardus | Pardus Racing | Chevrolet | Chinchor Electric |
| 51 | Jeremy Clements | Jeremy Clements Racing | Chevrolet | Henderson Jet Services |
| 53 | Sage Karam | Joey Gase Motorsports | Toyota | Eternal Fan |
| 54 | Taylor Gray (R) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | Operation 300 |
| 70 | Thomas Annunziata | Cope Family Racing | Chevrolet | Bayshore Mortgage |
| 71 | Ryan Ellis | DGM Racing | Chevrolet | Classic Collision |
| 88 | Connor Zilisch (R) | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | WeatherTech |
| 91 | Josh Bilicki | DGM Racing | Chevrolet | Insurance King |
| 99 | Matt DiBenedetto | Viking Motorsports | Chevrolet | Recycled Materials Association |
| Official entry list |||||

## Practice

The first and only practice session was held on Friday, February 28, at 4:00 PM CST, and lasted for 50 minutes. Connor Zilisch, driving for JR Motorsports, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 1:37.839, and a speed of 88.308 mph (142.118 km/h).
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 88 | Connor Zilisch (R) | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 1:37.839 | 88.308 |
| 2 | 2 | Jesse Love | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 1:38.392 | 87.812 |
| 3 | 21 | Austin Hill | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 1:38.634 | 87.597 |
| Full practice results |||||||

## Qualifying

Qualifying was held on Friday, February 28, at 5:00 PM CST. Since Circuit of the Americas is a road course, the qualifying procedure used is a two group, one round system. Drivers will be separated into two groups, Group A and B. Both groups will be 20 minutes long, and each driver will have multiple laps to set a time. Whoever sets the fastest time between both groups will win the pole.
Under a 2021 rule change, the timing line in road course qualifying is "not" the start-finish line. Instead, the timing line for qualifying will be set at the exit of Istanbul 8. Connor Zilisch, driving for JR Motorsports, would score the pole for the race, with a lap of 1:37.262, and a speed of 88.832 mph (142.961 km/h).
Three drivers failed to qualify: Brad Perez, Parker Retzlaff, and Thomas Annunziata.

### Qualifying results

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 88 | Connor Zilisch (R) | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 1:37.262 | 88.832 |
| 2 | 9 | Ross Chastain (i) | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 1:37.446 | 88.664 |
| 3 | 17 | William Byron (i) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 1:38.236 | 87.951 |
| 4 | 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 1:38.390 | 87.814 |
| 5 | 1 | Carson Kvapil (R) | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 1:38.485 | 87.729 |
| 6 | 24 | Corey Heim (i) | Sam Hunt Racing | Toyota | 1:38.540 | 87.680 |
| 7 | 54 | Taylor Gray (R) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 1:38.564 | 87.659 |
| 8 | 41 | Sam Mayer | Haas Factory Team | Ford | 1:38.603 | 87.624 |
| 9 | 19 | Riley Herbst (i) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 1:38.613 | 87.615 |
| 10 | 16 | Christian Eckes (R) | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 1:38.742 | 87.501 |
| 11 | 2 | Jesse Love | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 1:38.841 | 87.413 |
| 12 | 21 | Austin Hill | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 1:38.852 | 87.403 |
| 13 | 20 | Brandon Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 1:38.887 | 87.372 |
| 14 | 00 | Sheldon Creed | Haas Factory Team | Ford | 1:39.008 | 87.266 |
| 15 | 10 | Daniel Dye (R) | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 1:39.095 | 87.189 |
| 16 | 8 | Sammy Smith | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 1:39.115 | 87.171 |
| 17 | 42 | Anthony Alfredo | Young's Motorsports | Chevrolet | 1:39.196 | 87.100 |
| 18 | 31 | Blaine Perkins | Jordan Anderson Racing | Chevrolet | 1:39.247 | 87.056 |
| 19 | 48 | Nick Sanchez (R) | Big Machine Racing | Chevrolet | 1:39.248 | 87.055 |
| 20 | 32 | Austin Green | Jordan Anderson Racing | Chevrolet | 1:39.313 | 86.998 |
| 21 | 11 | Josh Williams | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 1:39.431 | 86.894 |
| 22 | 99 | Matt DiBenedetto | Viking Motorsports | Chevrolet | 1:39.439 | 86.887 |
| 23 | 18 | William Sawalich (R) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 1:39.490 | 86.843 |
| 24 | 14 | Carson Hocevar (i) | SS-Green Light Racing | Chevrolet | 1:39.572 | 86.771 |
| 25 | 50 | Preston Pardus | Pardus Racing | Chevrolet | 1:39.834 | 86.544 |
| 26 | 91 | Josh Bilicki | DGM Racing | Chevrolet | 1:39.991 | 86.408 |
| 27 | 07 | Alex Labbé | SS-Green Light Racing | Chevrolet | 1:40.058 | 86.350 |
| 28 | 53 | Sage Karam | Joey Gase Motorsports | Chevrolet | 1:40.093 | 86.320 |
| 29 | 27 | Jeb Burton | Jordan Anderson Racing | Chevrolet | 1:40.214 | 86.215 |
| 30 | 26 | Dean Thompson (R) | Sam Hunt Racing | Toyota | 1:40.244 | 86.190 |
| 31 | 25 | Harrison Burton | AM Racing | Ford | 1:40.367 | 86.084 |
| 32 | 44 | Brennan Poole | Alpha Prime Racing | Chevrolet | 1:40.431 | 86.029 |
| 33 | 5 | Kris Wright | Our Motorsports | Chevrolet | 1:40.527 | 85.947 |
| Qualified by owner's points |||||||
| 34 | 71 | Ryan Ellis | DGM Racing | Chevrolet | 1:40.563 | 85.916 |
| 35 | 51 | Jeremy Clements | Jeremy Clements Racing | Chevrolet | 1:40.677 | 85.819 |
| 36 | 28 | Kyle Sieg | RSS Racing | Ford | 1:41.269 | 85.317 |
| 37 | 35 | Baltazar Leguizamón | Joey Gase Motorsports | Chevrolet | 1:42.090 | 84.631 |
| 38 | 39 | Ryan Sieg | RSS Racing | Ford | — | — |
| Failed to qualify |||||||
| 39 | 45 | Brad Perez | Alpha Prime Racing | Chevrolet | 1:40.599 | 85.886 |
| 40 | 4 | Parker Retzlaff | Alpha Prime Racing | Chevrolet | 1:41.057 | 85.496 |
| 41 | 70 | Thomas Annunziata | Cope Family Racing | Chevrolet | — | — |
| Official qualifying results |||||||
| Official starting lineup |||||||

## Race results

Stage 1 Laps: 20
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Pts |
| 1 | 17 | William Byron (i) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 0 |
| 2 | 9 | Ross Chastain (i) | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 0 |
| 3 | 24 | Corey Heim (i) | Sam Hunt Racing | Toyota | 0 |
| 4 | 41 | Sam Mayer | Haas Factory Team | Ford | 7 |
| 5 | 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 6 |
| 6 | 21 | Austin Hill | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 5 |
| 7 | 16 | Christian Eckes (R) | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 4 |
| 8 | 8 | Sammy Smith | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 3 |
| 9 | 42 | Anthony Alfredo | Young's Motorsports | Chevrolet | 2 |
| 10 | 07 | Alex Labbé | SS-Green Light Racing | Chevrolet | 1 |
Stage 2 Laps: 20
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Pts |
| 1 | 25 | Harrison Burton | AM Racing | Ford | 10 |
| 2 | 10 | Daniel Dye (R) | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 9 |
| 3 | 8 | Sammy Smith | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 8 |
| 4 | 27 | Jeb Burton | Jordan Anderson Racing | Chevrolet | 7 |
| 5 | 39 | Ryan Sieg | RSS Racing | Ford | 6 |
| 6 | 44 | Brennan Poole | Alpha Prime Racing | Chevrolet | 5 |
| 7 | 07 | Alex Labbé | SS-Green Light Racing | Chevrolet | 4 |
| 8 | 11 | Josh Williams | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 3 |
| 9 | 53 | Sage Karam | Joey Gase Motorsports | Toyota | 2 |
| 10 | 28 | Kyle Sieg | RSS Racing | Ford | 1 |
Stage 3 Laps: 25
| Fin | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts |
| 1 | 1 | 88 | Connor Zilisch (R) | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 65 | 26 | Running | 40 |
| 2 | 3 | 17 | William Byron (i) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 65 | 3 | Running | 0 |
| 3 | 8 | 41 | Sam Mayer | Haas Factory Team | Ford | 65 | 0 | Running | 41 |
| 4 | 12 | 21 | Austin Hill | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 65 | 6 | Running | 38 |
| 5 | 10 | 16 | Christian Eckes (R) | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 65 | 0 | Running | 36 |
| 6 | 11 | 2 | Jesse Love | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 65 | 6 | Running | 31 |
| 7 | 7 | 54 | Taylor Gray (R) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 65 | 3 | Running | 30 |
| 8 | 2 | 9 | Ross Chastain (i) | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 65 | 2 | Running | 0 |
| 9 | 23 | 18 | William Sawalich (R) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 65 | 0 | Running | 28 |
| 10 | 18 | 31 | Blaine Perkins | Jordan Anderson Racing | Chevrolet | 65 | 0 | Running | 27 |
| 11 | 16 | 8 | Sammy Smith | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 65 | 0 | Running | 37 |
| 12 | 14 | 00 | Sheldon Creed | Haas Factory Team | Ford | 65 | 0 | Running | 25 |
| 13 | 9 | 19 | Riley Herbst (i) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 65 | 7 | Running | 0 |
| 14 | 27 | 07 | Alex Labbé | SS-Green Light Racing | Chevrolet | 65 | 0 | Running | 28 |
| 15 | 21 | 11 | Josh Williams | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 65 | 0 | Running | 25 |
| 16 | 34 | 71 | Ryan Ellis | DGM Racing | Chevrolet | 65 | 0 | Running | 21 |
| 17 | 15 | 10 | Daniel Dye (R) | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 65 | 0 | Running | 29 |
| 18 | 30 | 26 | Dean Thompson (R) | Sam Hunt Racing | Toyota | 65 | 0 | Running | 19 |
| 19 | 38 | 39 | Ryan Sieg | RSS Racing | Ford | 65 | 0 | Running | 24 |
| 20 | 32 | 44 | Brennan Poole | Alpha Prime Racing | Chevrolet | 65 | 0 | Running | 22 |
| 21 | 17 | 42 | Anthony Alfredo | Young's Motorsports | Chevrolet | 65 | 0 | Running | 18 |
| 22 | 26 | 91 | Josh Bilicki | DGM Racing | Chevrolet | 65 | 0 | Running | 15 |
| 23 | 5 | 1 | Carson Kvapil (R) | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 65 | 7 | Running | 15 |
| 24 | 19 | 48 | Nick Sanchez (R) | Big Machine Racing | Chevrolet | 65 | 0 | Running | 13 |
| 25 | 29 | 27 | Jeb Burton | Jordan Anderson Racing | Chevrolet | 65 | 0 | Running | 19 |
| 26 | 20 | 32 | Austin Green | Jordan Anderson Racing | Chevrolet | 65 | 0 | Running | 11 |
| 27 | 36 | 28 | Kyle Sieg | RSS Racing | Ford | 65 | 0 | Running | 11 |
| 28 | 35 | 51 | Jeremy Clements | Jeremy Clements Racing | Chevrolet | 65 | 0 | Running | 9 |
| 29 | 4 | 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 65 | 0 | Running | 14 |
| 30 | 13 | 20 | Brandon Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 65 | 0 | Running | 7 |
| 31 | 6 | 24 | Corey Heim (i) | Sam Hunt Racing | Toyota | 65 | 0 | Running | 0 |
| 32 | 22 | 99 | Matt DiBenedetto | Viking Motorsports | Chevrolet | 65 | 0 | Running | 5 |
| 33 | 33 | 5 | Kris Wright | Our Motorsports | Chevrolet | 64 | 0 | Running | 4 |
| 34 | 28 | 53 | Sage Karam | Joey Gase Motorsports | Toyota | 58 | 0 | Transmission | 5 |
| 35 | 31 | 25 | Harrison Burton | AM Racing | Ford | 55 | 5 | Axle | 12 |
| 36 | 25 | 50 | Preston Pardus | Pardus Racing | Chevrolet | 26 | 0 | Rear End | 1 |
| 37 | 37 | 35 | Baltazar Leguizamón | Joey Gase Motorsports | Chevrolet | 17 | 0 | Suspension | 1 |
| 38 | 24 | 14 | Carson Hocevar (i) | SS-Green Light Racing | Chevrolet | 3 | 0 | Accident | 0 |
| Official race results ||||||||||

## Standings after the race

| | Pos | Driver | Points |
| | 1 | Austin Hill | 122 |
| 1 | 2 | Jesse Love | 109 (-13) |
| 1 | 3 | Sheldon Creed | 108 (–14) |
| 4 | 4 | Sam Mayer | 94 (–28) |
| 1 | 5 | Justin Allgaier | 90 (–32) |
| 5 | 6 | Sammy Smith | 87 (–35) |
| 2 | 7 | Jeb Burton | 85 (–37) |
| 5 | 8 | Taylor Gray | 75 (–47) |
| 11 | 9 | Christian Eckes | 74 (–48) |
| 4 | 10 | Harrison Burton | 73 (–49) |
| 2 | 11 | Carson Kvapil | 68 (–54) |
| 5 | 12 | William Sawalich | 68 (–54) |
| Official driver's standings ||||
| | Pos | Manufacturer | Points |
| | 1 | Chevrolet | 120 |
| 1 | 2 | Ford | 96 (-24) |
| 1 | 3 | Toyota | 96 (–24) |