Tyler Reddick leads the championship standings after winning the first two races of the 2026 NASCAR Cup season, following up his Daytona 500 triumph with a fender-less victory at Atlanta.
NASCAR now travels to the Circuit of the Americas where Shane van Gisbergen hopes to continue his road course dominance after winning the last five road/street courses on the schedule. However, COTA eluded him in 2025, and Christopher Bell is the defending winner of the event.
This week in the news, the lawsuit between Joe Gibbs Racing and its ex-competition director Chris Gabehart is escalating as he pushes back against JGR's claims. In another lawsuit, Pacific Life Insurance and the Busch family have reached a settlement.
Richard Childress Racing announced that Austin Hill will run a partial schedule in the Cup Series this year, and JR Motorsports revealed that Lee Pulliam will make his NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series debut with the team at Martinsville. 13-year-old Keelan Harvick (son of 2014 Cup champion Kevin) has signed a driver development deal with Toyota.
In this story, you can find all the information you need to watch the action from COTA, from the weekend schedule to where and how to watch, and even the full entry list.
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What is the NASCAR at COTA weekend schedule?
Friday, February 27
5pm EST -- NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series practice practice -- CW App
6pm EST -- NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series practice qualifying -- CW App
Saturday, February 28
10am EST -- NASCAR Cup Series practice -- PRIME VIDEO
11am EST -- NASCAR Cup Series qualifying -- PRIME VIDEO
3pm EST --NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series race (65 laps) -- The CW
Sunday, March 1
2:30pm -- NASCAR RaceDay pre-race show -- FOX
3:49 pm EST -- NASCAR Cup race green flag at COTA (95 laps) -- FOX
How can I watch the NASCAR Cup Series at COTA?
- Date: Sunday, March 1
- TV start time: 2:30pm EST
- Green flag: 3:49pm EST
- Laps: 95 laps
- Stages: 20 / 25 / 50
- TV channel: FOX | TSN (Canada) | Other international viewing options
- Live stream: In-car cameras on HBO MAX
- Radio: PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Who is racing at the Circuit of the Americas?
There are 36 chartered entries and one open entry for the Cup race. Reigning NASCAR O'Reilly Series champion Jesse Love will pilot the #33 for Richard Childress Racing.
In the O'Reilly race, all three Trackhouse Racing Cup drivers plan to take part with Shane van Gisbergen (#9) and Connor Zilisch (#1) driving for JR Motorsports, while Ross Chastain will compete for Jordan Anderson Racing (#32). They, along with Love, are the only drivers pulling double duty this weekend at COTA.
Below is the complete entry list for the Cup race on Sunday:
| No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer |
| 1 | Ross Chastain | Trackhouse Racing | Chevrolet |
| 2 | Austin Cindric | Team Penske | Ford |
| 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet |
| 4 | Noah Gragson | Front Row Motorsports | Ford |
| 5 | Kyle Larson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 6 | Brad Keselowski | RFK Racing | Ford |
| 7 | Daniel Suarez | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 8 | Kyle Busch | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet |
| 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 10 | Ty Dillon | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet |
| 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford |
| 16 | AJ Allmendinger | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet |
| 17 | Chris Buescher | RFK Racing | Ford |
| 19 | Chase Briscoe | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 21 | Josh Berry | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford |
| 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford |
| 23 | Bubba Wallace | 23XI Racing | Toyota |
| 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 33 | Jesse Love | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet |
| 34 | Todd Gilliland | Front Row Motorsports | Ford |
| 35 | Riley Herbst | 23XI Racing | Toyota |
| 38 | Zane Smith | Front Row Motorsports | Ford |
| 41 | Cole Custer | Haas Factory Team | Chevrolet |
| 42 | John Hunter Nemechek | Legacy Motor Club | Toyota |
| 43 | Erik Jones | Legacy Motor Club | Toyota |
| 45 | Tyler Reddick | 23XI Racing | Toyota |
| 47 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Hyak Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 48 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 51 | Cody Ware | Rick Ware Racing | Chevrolet |
| 54 | Ty Gibbs | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 60 | Ryan Preece | RFK Racing | Ford |
| 71 | Michael McDowell | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 77 | Carson Hocevar | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 88 | Connor Zilisch | Trackhouse Racing | Chevrolet |
| 97 | Shane van Gisbergen | Trackhouse Racing | Chevrolet |
