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Entry lists: New faces, double-duty drivers set for COTA's NASCAR debut

staff report
·4 min read
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Entry lists: New faces, double-duty drivers set for COTA's NASCAR debut

NASCAR officials released preliminary entry lists Monday for NASCAR’s inaugural race weekend at Circuit of The Americas, and several new faces, part-time teams and road-course specialists have emerged on the rosters. A handful of Cup Series regulars have also scheduled starts in the other national series to gain experience on the 3.41-mile circuit in Austin, Texas.

All three NASCAR national series will be in action at COTA this weekend, with Xfinity and Camping World Trucks sharing Saturday’s bill and the Cup Series finishing out the weekend with Sunday’s EchoPark Texas Grand Prix. Practice and qualifying is scheduled for all three series.

RELATED: COTA weekend schedule

Here is a series-by-series look at entry-list highlights for the Circuit of The Americas’ tripleheader debut:

Cup Series | Entry list

EchoPark Texas Grand Prix (Sunday, 2:30 p.m. ET, FS1, PRN, SiriusXM)

• AJ Allmendinger is set for his second Cup Series start of the season as Kaulig Racing’s No. 16 Chevrolet returns to competition. The Xfinity Series regular placed seventh earlier this year at the Daytona road course.

• Kyle Tilley is scheduled for his Cup Series debut for the Live Fast Motorsports No. 78 Ford team. The English driver was part of the LMP2 class-winning effort in this year’s Rolex 24 at Daytona. Sunday will mark the first of four scheduled Cup Series starts for Tilley, who also plans to compete at Road America, Watkins Glen and the Indianapolis Road Course.

• Austin Cindric is slated for his fifth Cup Series start as part of his part-time campaign in the Team Penske No. 33 Ford. Cindric’s limited schedule this season comes before a move to full-time duty for the Wood Brothers Racing No. 21 team in 2022.

• Gaunt Brothers Racing returns to the grid this weekend, with Ty Dillon to make his third Cup Series start of the season. The Marty Gaunt-owned No. 96 Toyota has made three starts this season — two with Dillon, and the Talladega series debut of Xfinity regular Harrison Burton.

Xfinity Series | Entry list

Pit Boss 250 (Saturday, 4 p.m. ET, FS1, PRN, SiriusXM)

• Kevin Harvick is on target for his first Xfinity Series start since 2018, joining forces with BJ McLeod Motorsports in its No. 5 Chevrolet. Harvick claimed Xfinity Series championships in 2001 and 2006.

• Among the other Cup Series regulars tapped for Xfinity duty: Cole Custer in the No. 17 SS Green Light Racing/Rick Ware Racing Chevrolet; Tyler Reddick in the Jordan Anderson Racing No. 31 Chevrolet; Kyle Busch in the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 54 Toyota; Austin Dillon in the Bassett Racing No. 77 Chevrolet. For Custer and Dillon, Saturday’s event will mark their first Xfinity starts since 2019.

• Road-racing veteran Spencer Pumpelly is slated for his Xfinity Series debut in the JD Motorsports No. 6 Chevrolet. The 46-year-old driver is a two-time class winner in the Rolex 24 at Daytona.

• Boris Said is scheduled to be back in a NASCAR national-series event for the first time since 2017, pairing up with MBM Motorsports to drive the team’s No. 13 Toyota. Said has one career Xfinity win (Montreal, 2010) and last competed in the series in 2015.

• Miguel Paludo is set for the second of three scheduled road-course starts for JR Motorsports this season in its No. 8 Chevrolet. Paludo finished seventh on Daytona’s road course back in February, making his first NASCAR national-series start since 2013. He’s also scheduled to drive the No. 8 JRM entry in June at Mid-Ohio.

• Preston Pardus, a two-time SCCA Spec Miata champion, is set for his second Xfinity start of the season — and eighth of his career — in the DGM Racing No. 91 Chevrolet.

Camping World Truck Series | Entry list

Toyota Tundra 225 (Saturday, 1 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN, SiriusXM)

• Paul Menard is set to return to NASCAR competition for the first time since 2019, piloting a fifth ThorSport Racing entry — the No. 66 Toyota. The 40-year-old veteran was a longtime driver in the Cup Series, and he last raced in the Truck Series in 2007.

• Austin, Texas native Logan Bearden, a Super Late Model standout, is in line for his Camping World Trucks debut. The 25-year-old driver will join Niece Motorsports’ four-truck effort in the No. 44 Chevrolet.

• Trans Am Series regular Michele Abbate is on tap for her NASCAR debut in the On Point Motorsports No. 30 Toyota. Abbate finished second in the TA2 class in the series’ visit to Circuit of the Americas last season.

• GMS Racing has announced the ARCA Menards Series regular Jack Wood will make his Camping World Trucks debut in its No. 24 Chevrolet. It’s the first of two scheduled starts for the 20-year-old Wood, who is also listed for Charlotte Motor Speedway the following week.

• Roger Reuse has been tapped to wheel Jordan Anderson Racing’s No. 3 Chevy, marking the 54-year-old driver’s first start of the season.