More Circuit of the Americas News

About Circuit of the Americas

Circuit of the Americas - 2021 Latest News, Winners, Qualifying, Track

Circuit of The Americas (COTA) is a grade 1 FIA-specification 3.426-mile (5.514 km) racing track and facility situated inside the extraterritorial purview of Austin, Texas.

The track is home to the Formula One United States Grand Prix, the IndyCar Classic, and the Motorcycle Grand Prix of the Americas, a series of the FIM Road Racing World Championship, as well as a series of the Americas Rallycross Championship.

It recently facilitated the Australian V8 Supercars, the American Le Mans Series, the Rolex Sports Car Series, the FIA World Endurance Championship, and the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. NASCAR will start hustling at the circuit in 2021.

On September 30, 2020, it was declared that COTA would have a NASCAR Cup Series event for the first time on May 23, 2021. The Xfinity and Camping World Truck Series were additionally added as supporting events.

On December 11, 2020, it was declared that NASCAR would run the full 3.41-mile course. Presented in 2021, the race is one of seven street course dates on the Cup Series plan.

EchoPark Automotive and Pit Boss Grills assumed naming rights for the Cup and Xfinity races, individually, which named them the EchoPark Texas Grand Prix and Pit Boss 250.

While the shortened 2.2-mile (3.5 km) design the initial choice, NASCAR declared on December 11 that the end of the week's races would use the full, 3.426-mile course. To oblige stock vehicles, security changes to the track included setting tire boundaries, expanding the pit divider, adding caution lights, and installing curbs and rumble strips.

History

The circuit and Grand Prix were first proposed in 2010. The track was authoritatively opened on October 21, with Mario Andretti running the stylized first laps in a Lotus 79, the vehicle he drove when he turned into the last American to win the World Drivers' Championship in 1978. A horde of 117,429 watched the Formula One race in November 2012.

Quick Facts

LocationAustin, Texas
OperatorCircuit of the Americas LLC
Major EventsNASCAR Cup Series

EchoPark Texas Grand Prix

NASCAR Xfinity Series

Pit Boss 250

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (2021–present)

Length3.426 mi (5.514 km)