Can Anyone Challenge Van Gisbergen's Dominance at the Circuit of the Americas?
The 2025 season saw Shane van Gisbergen sweep the road course layouts in NASCAR's premier series, becoming the all-time winningest rookie driver in the history of the NASCAR Cup Series. This weekend, the series heads to Austin, Texas, and the 2.4-mile Circuit of the Americas road course for the first road race of the season. The question on everyone's mind is: can anyone stop van Gisbergen?
Van Gisbergen's prowess on road courses is undeniable. However, the Circuit of the Americas, which hosted the first road race of the 2025 season, holds a special significance. It was the site of the last NASCAR Cup Series road course race, which van Gisbergen did not win. In fact, he has yet to win at COTA in either of his two career NASCAR Cup Series starts, or in his lone NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series start. Could this be the track where his dominance is challenged?
If so, who could emerge as the 'king of the road' until the Cup Series reaches the road-course heavy portion of the season?
One contender is Tyler Reddick, who enters this race on a two-race win streak to start the 2026 season. With an average finish of 4.6 through five races at COTA, Reddick boasts the best career average finish at the track. He has never finished outside the top-five at COTA, has scored the pole twice, led in all but one of his starts, and won the event in 2023. Reddick's momentum and strong performance at COTA make him a strong contender to dethrone van Gisbergen.
Another surprise contender is Alex Bowman, who has an average finish of 5.2 at COTA, the second-best among all drivers. Bowman's win in the 2024 Chicago Street Race, where he topped Reddick, showcases his road racing prowess. While he's never won at COTA, his consistent performance and top-10 finishes make him an underrated road racer.
Bowman's Hendrick Motorsports teammates, William Byron and Chase Elliott, also have strong track records at COTA. Each has a win at the track, with average finishes of 6.2 and 6.3, respectively.
Ross Chastain, van Gisbergen's Trackhouse Racing teammate, is another intriguing option. With a third-best average finish of 5.6 at COTA, Chastain shines on road courses. His past success at COTA and the team's overall strength make him a strong contender.
Additionally, Connor Zilisch, SVG's other teammate, has had incredible success at COTA in the NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series. Last year, he started from the pole, led 26 laps, and scored the win. While he finished 37th in his NASCAR Cup Series debut at COTA, his strong performance in the second-tier event suggests he could elevate expectations this weekend.
However, van Gisbergen's road course dominance could continue if he starts on the pole and dominates the field, as has been his trend. Until he wins at COTA, the question of who can challenge him remains open.
The NASCAR Cup Series DuraMax Texas Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas is set for Sunday, March 1, and will be televised on FOX at 3:30 PM ET. The Performance Racing Network (PRN) and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio will provide the radio broadcast.
