Busch, Reddick and Cindric Complete First Day of Goodyear Tire Test, Take in Some Downtown Austin Culture in Austin, Texas on January 17, 2023. (Photo: NASCAR)
Busch, Reddick and Cindric Complete First Day of Goodyear Tire Test, Take in Some Downtown Austin Culture
Kyle Busch, Tyler Reddick and Austin Cindric officially got the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) preseason underway Monday with a two-day Goodyear Tire test at Circuit of The Americas (COTA). Reddick and Cindric also got a step on the competition for Texas fashion when they return for the March 26 EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix.
The opening day of the Goodyear Tire test was highlighted by the fresh looks of Busch and Reddick, who open this season with new teams, car numbers and engine manufacturers, as well as Cindric looking to build off last season’s rookie-of-the-year campaign with Team Penske.
Busch was behind the wheel of the No. 8 Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing (RCR) after spending 15 seasons with Joe Gibbs Racing driving the No. 18 Toyota. Ironically, it was the No. 8 RCR entry that Reddick departed after three seasons to settle in the No. 45 Toyota Camry TRD with 23XI Racing.
Following Monday’s first day of the test, Reddick and Cindric were hosted by NASCAR at COTA Executive Director Bryan Hammond at downtown Austin’s Maufrais specialty shop to select and customize their own cowboy hats. Reddick chose a natural-colored Stetson 20x Beaver fur felt with a classic pinch front and a hair-on-hide band with silver pheasant and partridge feathers. Cindric went with a Dunn-colored Stetson 40x Beaver fur felt hat shaped with a pinched front. He customized it with a Western-style hitched horse band with a Reeves pheasant feather and had it torched to give it a worn-in look. Both also got their initials on the underside of their hats.
The trio returned to the track Tuesday to complete the second and final day of the tire test on the 20-turn, 3.41-mile permanent road course. The second-day session is closed to both the public and media.
The tire test was held in preparation for the March 24-26 EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix NASCAR tripleheader at COTA. The NCS opens its on-track activity Saturday, March 25 with practice (9:30-10:30 a.m. CT) followed by pole qualifying (10:30-11:30 a.m.). The 68-lap, 231.88-mile EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix will be held Sunday, March 26 beginning at 2:30 p.m.
Tickets
Tickets for the March 24-26 NASCAR at COTA tripleheader weekend are on sale now at NASCARatCOTA.com. Three-day weekend packages for adults including the Darius Rucker pre-race concert start at just $99 and just $10 for kids 12 and under. Further details can be found on the NASCARatCOTA website.
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