EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix NASCAR Cup Series race at the Circuits of The Americas in Austin, Texas on March 24, 2024. (Photo: Ralph Arvesen)
Hendrick Motorsports driver William Byron delivered a strong and inspired performance to secure the NASCAR Cup Series victory from pole position in the EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix at Austin's Circuit of The Americas on Sunday. Byron held off the field by less than a second but dominated when it mattered most.
Following his season-opening Daytona 500 win, the 26-year-old Charlotte native became the first driver to win multiple races this season. This victory marked his 12th career NASCAR Cup Series win and gave his Hendrick team a record 28th win on NASCAR road courses.
Byron maintained a nearly three-second lead with 10 laps remaining but had to fend off a hard-charging Christopher Bell, who climbed four positions in the closing laps. Ultimately, Byron won with a 0.692-second margin around the 20-turn, 3.41-mile circuit.
“I feel like I made a lot of mistakes in the last 10 laps, just micro-errors and Christopher was really fast there on the longer run,” Byron said. “This sport is so hard and so difficult week in and week out to show up and have fast cars. We’ve had a little bit of a rough stretch the last few weeks but put a lot of preparation in this past week and just thankful for the team I have around me and all the people back home as well. Just super thankful to have this opportunity. It’s just a lot of fun to win races, and it’s really difficult, too.”
Christopher Bell, driving the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, acknowledged the tough competition and praised Byron's flawless performance. “Obviously, once I got to him, it was going to be tough to pass him, I just needed a couple mistakes, but William has been really good on the road courses and he was flawless today,” Bell said.
Bell’s 21-year-old JGR teammate Ty Gibbs had a stellar day, running in the top five for most of the race. Gibbs, who was second to Byron until Bell passed him with two laps remaining, finished third, marking his fifth top-10 finish in six races this season.
“We were just a little too loose in the right-handed corner,” Gibbs said. “I just wish we were a little tighter, but we did a really good job today. Good points day. We’ll just keep working hard.”
Gibbs’ performance moved him to second in the NASCAR Cup Series championship standings, just five points behind his teammate Martin Truex Jr. Byron’s Hendrick teammate Alex Bowman finished fourth, followed by 23XI Racing’s Tyler Reddick, the 2023 COTA winner. Sunday’s race was clean, with only two caution flags for scheduled stage breaks, featuring seven leaders and 11 lead changes. Byron led a dominant 42 of the 68 laps.
One of the sport’s best road-course racers, AJ Allmendinger, finished sixth, followed by the 2022 COTA winner, Ross Chastain. Chris Buescher, Kyle Busch, and Martin Truex Jr. rounded out the top 10.
International drivers Shane van Gisbergen and Kamui Kobayashi faced challenges in their first Cup Series starts this year. Van Gisbergen’s No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet lost first gear, finishing 20th. Kobayashi’s No. 50 23XI Racing Toyota was involved in two on-track incidents, resulting in a 29th-place finish.
Zane Smith was the highest-finishing rookie, placing 19th. The NASCAR Cup Series heads to Richmond Raceway next Sunday for the Toyota Owners 400 (7 p.m. ET, FOX, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). Hendrick Motorsports driver Kyle Larson is the defending race winner.
Post-race inspection confirmed Byron’s victory. The No. 51 car was disqualified for not meeting minimum post-race weights, and the No. 1 car was taken to the R&D Center for further inspection.
| Pos | Driver | Number | Starting Pos | Status | Laps Completed | Laps Led | Points | |
| 1 | William Byron | 24 | 1 | Running | 68 | 42 | 47 | |
| 2 | Christopher Bell | 20 | 4 | Running | 86 | 9 | 45 | |
| 3 | Ty Gibbs | 54 | 2 | Running | 68 | 1 | 37 | |
| 4 | Alex Bowman | 48 | 17 | Running | 68 | 0 | 33 | |
| 5 | Tyler Reddick | 45 | 3 | Running | 68 | 1 | 34 | |
| 6 | Aj Allmendinger | 13 | 14 | Running | 68 | 0 | 0 | |
| 7 | Ross Chastain | 1 | 6 | Running | 68 | 10 | 31 | |
| 8 | Chris Buescher | 17 | 20 | Running | 68 | 0 | 29 | |
| 9 | Kyle Busch | 8 | 16 | Running | 68 | 0 | 28 | |
| 10 | Martin Truex Jr | 19 | 7 | Running | 68 | 2 | 35 | |
| 11 | Joey Logano | 22 | 35 | Running | 68 | 0 | 26 | |
| 12 | Ryan Blaney | 12 | 28 | Running | 68 | 0 | 34 | |
| 13 | Chase Briscoe | 14 | 32 | Running | 68 | 0 | 24 | |
| 14 | Denny Hamlin | 11 | 8 | Running | 68 | 3 | 33 | |
| 15 | Bubba Wallace | 23 | 10 | Running | 68 | 0 | 22 | |
| 16 | Chase Elliott | 9 | 9 | Running | 68 | 0 | 21 | |
| 17 | Kyle Larson | 5 | 15 | Running | 68 | 0 | 20 | |
| 18 | Austin Cindric | 2 | 11 | Running | 68 | 0 | 26 | |
| 19 | Zane Smith | 71 | 34 | Running | 68 | 0 | 18 | |
| 20 | Shane Van Gisbergen | 16 | 12 | Running | 68 | 0 | 0 |
NASCAR
NASCAR is the largest racing organization in the United States and is most famous for the Cup Series, Xfinity Series, and Camping World Truck Series. Each year NASCAR sanctions over 1,500 races at over 100 tracks in 48 US states as well as in Canada, Mexico, and Europe.
Circuit of The Americas
Circuit of The Americas is the premier destination for world-class motorsports and entertainment in the United States. Set on 1,500 acres in the rolling hills just outside downtown Austin, Circuit of The Americas has hosted the biggest names in racing, action sports and music since 2012. At its heart is a 3.41-mile racetrack that was designed to challenge the world's most exacting competitors while providing a thrilling spectacle for audiences.
The 20-turn, counterclockwise circuit takes advantage of the naturally undulating landscape, including an intimidating 133-foot hill at Turn 1 that must be seen in person to be believed. It is home to Formula 1 United States Grand Prix, NASCAR EchoPark Texas Grand Prix, and MotoGP Red Bull Grand Prix of The Americas, and has played host to ESPN's X Games, the FIA World Endurance Championship, IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, Pirelli World Challenge and more.
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