The 2024 Focused Health 250 was the 5th stock car race of the 2024 NASCAR Xfinity Series, and the 4th iteration of the event. The race was held on Saturday, March 23, 2024, at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, a 3.426 miles (5.514 km) permanent asphalt road course. The race was originally scheduled to be contested over 46 laps, but was increased to 50 laps due to a NASCAR overtime finish. In a thrilling race that featured a wild finish, Kyle Larson, driving for Hendrick Motorsports, would benefit from newer tires and steal the win after Shane van Gisbergen made contact with Austin Hill on the final lap. Van Gisbergen bumped into the back of Hill in turn 16, forcing both drivers up the racetrack and allowing Larson to sneak past both of them.[9] This was Larson's 15th career NASCAR Xfinity Series win, and his first of the season.[10] Van Gisbergen and teammate A. J. Allmendinger were the most consistent drivers of the race, both leading a race-high 20 laps. To fill out the podium, Hill, driving for Richard Childress Racing, and John Hunter Nemechek, driving for Joe Gibbs Racing, would finish 2nd and 3rd, respectively. Van Gisbergen, who originally finished in 2nd, was given a 30-second time penalty on the final lap for cutting the course. He was officially credited with a 27th place finish.[11]
| Race details[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 5 of 33 of the 2024 NASCAR Xfinity Series | |||
 | |||
| Date | March 23, 2024 | ||
| Official name | 4th Annual Focused Health 250 | ||
| Location | Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 3.426 mi (5.514 km) | ||
| Distance | 50 laps, 170 mi (273 km) | ||
| Scheduled Distance | 46 laps, 157 mi (253 km) | ||
| Average speed | 72.374 mph (116.475 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Hendrick Motorsports | ||
| Time | 2:12.076 | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver |
A. J. Allmendinger Shane van Gisbergen | Kaulig Racing | |
| Laps | 20 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 17 | Kyle Larson | Hendrick Motorsports | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | FS1 | ||
| Announcers | Adam Alexander, Joey Logano, and Daniel Suárez | ||
| Radio in the United States | |||
| Radio | PRN | ||
Report
editBackground
edit.jpg)
Circuit of the Americas (COTA) is a grade 1 FIA-specification motorsports facility located within the extraterritorial jurisdiction of Austin, Texas. It features a 3.426-mile (5.514 km) road racing circuit. The facility is home to the Formula One United States Grand Prix, and the Motorcycle Grand Prix of the Americas, a round of the FIM Road Racing World Championship. It previously hosted the Supercars Championship, the FIA World Endurance Championship, the IMSA SportsCar Championship, and IndyCar Series.
Entry list
edit- (R) denotes rookie driver.
- (i) denotes driver who is ineligible for series driver points.
Notes
edit- ^ Due to baby watch, Daniel Hemric will practice and qualify Williams' No. 11 car. Williams is expected to make the race.
Practice
editThe first and only practice session was held on Friday, March 22, at 4:30 PM CST, and would last for 20 minutes.[12] Shane van Gisbergen, driving for Kaulig Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 2:14.728, and a speed of 91.117 mph (146.639 km/h).[13]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 97 | Shane van Gisbergen (R) | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 2:14.728 | 91.117 |
| 2 | 16 | A. J. Allmendinger | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 2:15.087 | 90.875 |
| 3 | 17 | Kyle Larson (i) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 2:15.394 | 90.669 |
| Full practice results | ||||||
Qualifying
editQualifying was held on Friday, March 22, at 5:00 PM CST.[12] Since Circuit of the Americas is a road course, the qualifying system is a two group system, with two rounds. Drivers will be separated into two groups, Group A and Group B. Each driver will have multiple laps to set a time. The fastest 5 drivers from each group will advance to the final round. The fastest driver to set a time in that round will win the pole.[14]
Under a 2021 rule change, the timing line in road course qualifying is "not" the start-finish line. Instead, the timing line for qualifying will be set at the exit of Istanbul 8. Kyle Larson, driving for Hendrick Motorsports, would win the pole after advancing from the preliminary round and setting the fastest time in Round 2, with a track record lap of 2:12.076, and a speed of 92.946 mph (149.582 km/h).[15]
Two drivers would fail to qualify: Kaz Grala and Preston Pardus.
Qualifying results
editRace results
editStage 1 Laps: 14
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 48 | Parker Kligerman | Big Machine Racing | Chevrolet | 10 |
| 2 | 8 | Sammy Smith | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 9 |
| 3 | 26 | Sage Karam | Sam Hunt Racing | Toyota | 8 |
| 4 | 31 | Parker Retzlaff | Jordan Anderson Racing | Chevrolet | 7 |
| 5 | 98 | Riley Herbst | Stewart–Haas Racing | Ford | 6 |
| 6 | 21 | Austin Hill | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 5 |
| 7 | 35 | Alex Labbé | Joey Gase Motorsports | Toyota | 4 |
| 8 | 16 | A. J. Allmendinger | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 3 |
| 9 | 92 | Josh Bilicki | DGM Racing | Chevrolet | 2 |
| 10 | 97 | Shane van Gisbergen (R) | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 1 |
Stage 2 Laps: 16
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 98 | Riley Herbst | Stewart–Haas Racing | Ford | 10 |
| 2 | 00 | Cole Custer | Stewart–Haas Racing | Ford | 9 |
| 3 | 16 | A. J. Allmendinger | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 8 |
| 4 | 17 | Kyle Larson (i) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 0 |
| 5 | 97 | Shane van Gisbergen (R) | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 6 |
| 6 | 35 | Alex Labbé | Joey Gase Motorsports | Toyota | 5 |
| 7 | 39 | Ryan Sieg | RSS Racing | Ford | 4 |
| 8 | 92 | Josh Bilicki | DGM Racing | Chevrolet | 3 |
| 9 | 19 | Ty Gibbs (i) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 0 |
| 10 | 81 | Chandler Smith | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 1 |
Stage 3 Laps: 20
| Fin[16] | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 17 | Kyle Larson (i) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 50 | 1 | Running | 0 |
| 2 | 11 | 21 | Austin Hill | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 50 | 1 | Running | 40 |
| 3 | 20 | 20 | John Hunter Nemechek (i) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 50 | 0 | Running | 0 |
| 4 | 8 | 00 | Cole Custer | Stewart–Haas Racing | Ford | 50 | 0 | Running | 42 |
| 5 | 12 | 48 | Parker Kligerman | Big Machine Racing | Chevrolet | 50 | 4 | Running | 42 |
| 6 | 14 | 2 | Jesse Love (R) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 50 | 0 | Running | 31 |
| 7 | 25 | 32 | Austin Green | Jordan Anderson Racing | Chevrolet | 50 | 0 | Running | 30 |
| 8 | 4 | 81 | Chandler Smith | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 50 | 0 | Running | 30 |
| 9 | 10 | 1 | Sam Mayer | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 50 | 0 | Running | 28 |
| 10 | 5 | 16 | A. J. Allmendinger | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 50 | 20 | Running | 38 |
| 11 | 17 | 31 | Parker Retzlaff | Jordan Anderson Racing | Chevrolet | 50 | 0 | Running | 33 |
| 12 | 30 | 5 | Anthony Alfredo | Our Motorsports | Chevrolet | 50 | 0 | Running | 25 |
| 13 | 15 | 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 50 | 0 | Running | 24 |
| 14 | 27 | 39 | Ryan Sieg | RSS Racing | Ford | 50 | 0 | Running | 27 |
| 15 | 29 | 44 | Brennan Poole | Alpha Prime Racing | Chevrolet | 50 | 0 | Running | 22 |
| 16 | 18 | 9 | Brandon Jones | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 50 | 1 | Running | 21 |
| 17 | 6 | 26 | Sage Karam | Sam Hunt Racing | Toyota | 50 | 0 | Running | 28 |
| 18 | 31 | 45 | Brad Perez | Alpha Prime Racing | Chevrolet | 50 | 0 | Running | 19 |
| 19 | 24 | 51 | Jeremy Clements | Jeremy Clements Racing | Chevrolet | 50 | 0 | Running | 18 |
| 20 | 34 | 42 | Leland Honeyman (R) | Young's Motorsports | Chevrolet | 50 | 0 | Running | 17 |
| 21 | 22 | 07 | Daniil Kvyat | SS-Green Light Racing | Chevrolet | 50 | 0 | Running | 16 |
| 22 | 36 | 29 | Blaine Perkins | RSS Racing | Ford | 50 | 0 | Running | 15 |
| 23 | 35 | 15 | Hailie Deegan (R) | AM Racing | Ford | 50 | 0 | Running | 14 |
| 24 | 3 | 19 | Ty Gibbs (i) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 50 | 1 | Running | 0 |
| 25 | 33 | 4 | Patrick Gallagher | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 50 | 0 | Running | 12 |
| 26 | 26 | 35 | Alex Labbé | Joey Gase Motorsports | Toyota | 50 | 0 | Running | 20 |
| 27 | 2 | 97 | Shane van Gisbergen (R) | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 50 | 20 | Running | 17 |
| 28 | 37 | 14 | R. C. Enerson | SS-Green Light Racing | Chevrolet | 50 | 0 | Running | 9 |
| 29 | 32 | 91 | Kyle Weatherman | DGM Racing | Chevrolet | 50 | 0 | Running | 8 |
| 30 | 21 | 27 | Jeb Burton | Jordan Anderson Racing | Chevrolet | 49 | 0 | Running | 7 |
| 31 | 23 | 92 | Josh Bilicki | DGM Racing | Chevrolet | 48 | 0 | Suspension | 11 |
| 32 | 7 | 18 | Sheldon Creed | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 47 | 0 | Running | 5 |
| 33 | 38 | 43 | Ryan Ellis | Alpha Prime Racing | Chevrolet | 45 | 0 | Accident | 4 |
| 34 | 19 | 98 | Riley Herbst | Stewart–Haas Racing | Ford | 45 | 2 | Accident | 19 |
| 35 | 16 | 24 | Ed Jones | Sam Hunt Racing | Toyota | 42 | 0 | Accident | 2 |
| 36 | 13 | 8 | Sammy Smith | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 36 | 0 | Accident | 10 |
| 37 | 28 | 6 | Ty Dillon (i) | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 33 | 0 | Suspension | 0 |
| 38 | 9 | 11 | Josh Williams | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 24 | 0 | Overheating | 1 |
| Official race results | |||||||||
Standings after the race
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References
edit- ^ "2024 schedule". Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. Retrieved March 18, 2024.
- ^ "Circuit of the Americas". Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. March 3, 2024. Retrieved March 18, 2024.
- ^ "Entry list" (PDF). Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. March 22, 2024. Retrieved March 22, 2024.
- ^ "Practice Results" (PDF). Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. March 22, 2024. Retrieved March 22, 2024.
- ^ "Qualifying Results" (PDF). Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. March 22, 2024. Retrieved March 22, 2024.
- ^ "Starting lineup" (PDF). Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. March 22, 2024. Retrieved March 22, 2024.
- ^ "Race Results" (PDF). Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. March 23, 2024. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
- ^ "Points standings" (PDF). Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. March 23, 2024. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
- ^ "Shane van Gisbergen, Austin Hill fall short at COTA after heated overtime Xfinity battle". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. March 23, 2024. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
- ^ "Kyle Larson sneaks by for the lead on the final lap to win Xfinity race at COTA". Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. March 23, 2024. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
- ^ Herrero, Daniel (March 23, 2024). "Van Gisbergen loses second place due to penalty". Speedcafe.com. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
- ^ a b "2024 NASCAR Xfinity Series Circuit of The Americas Race Page". Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. Retrieved March 18, 2024.
- ^ Christie, Toby (March 22, 2024). "Practice Results: NXS Focused Health 250 at COTA". TobyChristie.com. Retrieved March 22, 2024.
- ^ "2024 NASCAR Qualifying Procedures". Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. Retrieved March 18, 2024.
- ^ Srigley, Joseph (March 22, 2024). "Kyle Larson Earns Xfinity Series Pole at Circuit of The Americas". TobyChristie.com. Retrieved March 22, 2024.
- ^ "2024 Focused Health 250 - Racing Reference". Racing-Reference.info. Retrieved March 23, 2024.