NASCAR Weekend Schedule - COTA

Xfinity on Saturday – Cup on Sunday

 

NASCAR is going road course racing for the first time in this 2025 season.

 

Race fans will experience another unforgettable weekend of NASCAR in Austin, Texas, Feb. 28 – March 2, 2025. The action will culminate on Sunday, March 2, when the NASCAR Cup Series takes on the 17 turns of the world-class Circuit of The Americas for the fifth running of the EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix.

 

 

Friday 02/28/2025

• Parking Lots Open -1PM – Parking Lots
• Gates Open 2PM – Gates
• IMSA VP Racing Sportscar Challenge – Practice 2 – 2:40PM – Track
• NASCAR Xfinity Series – Practice 4:00 – 4:50PM – Track
• NASCAR Xfinity Series – Qualifying 5:05 – 6:00PM – Track
• IMSA VP Racing Sportscar Challenge – Qualifying 6:30 – 7:05PM – Track

Saturday 03/01/2025

• Parking Lots Open - 7AM – Parking Lots
• Gates Open - 8:15AM – Gates
• IMSA VP Racing Sportscar Challenge – Race - 8:40 – 9:25AM – Track
• NASCAR Cup Series – Practice 1 - 10 – 10:45AM – Track
• NASCAR Cup Series – Practice 2 - 10:45 – 11:30AM – Track
• NASCAR Cup Series – Qualifying - 11:30AM – 12:30PM – Track
• NASCAR Xfinity Series – Driver Introductions - 1:10 – 1:20PM – Track
• NASCAR Xfinity Series – Race - 1:30 – 4:00PM – Track
• IMSA VP Racing Sportscar Challenge – Race - 5:00 – 5:45PM

Sunday 03/02/2025

• Parking Lots Open - 8:30AM – Parking Lots
• Gates Open - 10:30AM – Gates
• Corey Kent - 12:45 – 1:45PM – Track
• NASCAR Cup Series – Driver Introductions - 2:05-2:20PM – Track
• NASCAR Cup Series EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix - 2:30PM – Track

"This town is absolutely unbelievable!" -YRB 🤩

Take a look 🔙 at when The Blaney's took on ATX. #NASCARatCOTA | #EchoParkGP pic.twitter.com/pU73XYmiEX

— NASCAR at COTA (@NASCARatCOTA) February 26, 2025

source: NASCAR Media

NBC Sports Gears up for 80-Plus Hours of IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Coverage

NBC, USA Network and Peacock Have the Full 2023 Season Covered

 

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – NBC Sports will present more than 80 hours of IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship action in 2023 across NBC, Peacock and USA Network, including live comprehensive coverage of the historic 61st Rolex 24 At Daytona that opens the season Jan. 28-29 at Daytona International Speedway.

 

 

 

NBC Sports’ 2023 WeatherTech Championship schedule is highlighted by 12 hours of NBC broadcast network coverage, matching last year’s total, which was the most since NBC Sports acquired the rights in 2018. Races airing entirely or in part on NBC include the Rolex 24 At Daytona, the Motul Course de Monterey at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca (May 14), the Chevrolet Grand Prix at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (July 9) and the TireRack.com Battle on the Bricks, which marks the return of the WeatherTech Championship to Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the first time in nine years (Sept. 17).

 

 

 

Peacock will again serve as the streaming home of the WeatherTech Championship with flag-to-flag live coverage of all races as well as exclusive coverage for portions of all four Michelin Endurance Cup races: the Rolex 24, the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Presented by Advance Auto Parts, the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen and the season-ending Motul Petit Le Mans. Peacock will stream Rolex 24 qualifying live on Jan. 22 and will also again exclusively present live coverage of all IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge, VP Racing SportsCar Challenge and Lamborghini Super Trofeo races in 2023.

 

 

 

USA Network will present more than 35 hours of live WeatherTech Championship coverage throughout the year. CNBC will air encore presentations of all Michelin Pilot Challenge, VP Racing SportsCar Challenge and Lamborghini Super Trofeo races.

 

For the complete 2023 NBC Sports schedule, click here.

 

 

 

“We’re looking forward to showcasing the exciting, competitive racing in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship in 2023 and starting the engines in just a few short weeks with the iconic Rolex 24 At Daytona,” said Matthew Grassie, director, programming and rights management, NBC Sports. “IMSA fans won’t miss a minute of the action throughout the season with the return of comprehensive live race coverage on Peacock and extensive coverage on NBC and USA Network.”

 

 

 

“IMSA is embarking on a new era in 2023 with the introduction of our flagship Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) class, featuring the highest-technology and most sustainable race cars competing in North America,” said IMSA President John Doonan. “With NBC network coverage for the launch of this new platform combined with flag-to-flag availability on Peacock and many hours of programming on USA and CNBC, IMSA is poised to experience a substantial boost in interest and popularity beginning next season.”

 

 

 
 

source: IMSA Media

15-Year-Old Racecar Driver; Steven Aghakhani Scheduled To Receive Pro Racing License

After Lamborghini allocated the first Huracan Super Trofeo Evo to young racing phenomenon Steven Aghakhani, Racing Series Division “IMSA” pulls back on promise to let him race in their 2018 Final

Steven Aghakhani

US Racetronics announced today its youngest driver, Steven Aghakhani, secured a FIA Pro license scheduled to be active for his 16th birthday next year (April 12 2019). The International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) is the premier sanctioning body for sports car competition in North America. Since 2014, IMSA is the sanctioning body of the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, the premier series resulting from the merger of Grand-Am Road Racing and the American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón.

Early 2018 Steven was allocated the first Huracan Super Trofeo Evo with the request to compete in the IMSA Lamborghini Super Trofeo Series. From March - August 2018 Aghakhani blazed a trail as champion, securing first place title at the NASA and SCCA pro series southern region championship.

He also launched a charity; Race for a Cause, which raises money for programs in local schools while teaching kids the safety and fun of the racetrack. Aghakhani’s last accomplishment of the year was scheduled to be the US Final Race of Lamborghini Super Trofeo at Laguna Seca, governed by IMSA in September. Steven will not be allowed to participate in the final race this year due to his age (15). This news came as NASCAR, who governs IMSA’s legal department declared the driver too young to participate. However Aghakhani will be allowed to race on his 16th birthday next year.

“I can’t wait to have the opportunity to get on the track and face some great competition as well as showcase what I can do,” said Steven Aghakhani. “I’m disappointed in what happened this year with NASCAR’s legal team and know I’m ready to compete but I know this will only give me additional motivation to train even harder and allow me to grow as a driver. I look forward to seeing everyone on the track next year and I am grateful that Lamborghini was able to support me and help get clearance for next year race, I owe a lot to them and I am just so thankful to Lamborghini, they have played a huge role in my race career!”

Steven Racing has added several title sponsors to its growing list, including Sada Systems, LPA Lighting, Shegerian & Associates, Magic Laundry Services, Payco Merchant Processing, Tax and Business Consulting Group, which will continue to help support its 15-year old driver win more races.

Steven Racing is also backed by numerous associate sponsors, US Logistics and US mail, CNC Motors, REV beauty, Paper & Diamond, Skyline Home Loans, Insignia Mortgage and Pro Automotive Repair and Services.

Aghakhani has been invited to compete at the Circuit of the Americas (COTA) race track in Austin,Texas this September. Additionally he will be competing at the Intercontinental GT Challenge Race at WeatherTech Leguna Seca Raceway in October 2018.

Jeff Gordon is Steven’s favorite NASCAR Driver – even though Gordon is retired. Aghakhani watches NASCAR via the television when time allows and would consider the NASCAR path in the future. 

More information on Steven’s amazing journey can be found at: stevenracing.com.

Source: Aghakhani PR

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Roush Yates Engines Enjoy MOMENTUM!

The 2018 race season has been loaded with Roush Yates Engines’ horsepower. With more than half the season in the rear-view mirror and the chase for multiple championships ahead; 21 wins and 19 poles have been recorded, while 4,772 laps have been led by 33 different drivers, representing 16 different Ford Performance teams. This dynamic partnership between Ford Performance and Roush Yates Engines has been firing on all cylinders.

The Ford GTs, powered by the twin-turbo Ford EcoBoost V6 race engines, kicked off the 2018 season in January at the IMSA season-opener, Rolex 24 At Daytona. It was a case of deja vu for Ford Chip Ganassi Racing with a first-place finish for the second consecutive year in the 24-hour endurance race.

Ford GT Goes Back-to-Back at Rolex 24 | Ford Performance

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No. 67 Ryan Briscoe, Richard Westbrook and IndyCar driver Scott Dixon recorded Ford’s first win of the season and marked Chip Ganassi’s 200th win. In addition, the No. 66 sister-car with drivers Joey Hand, Dirk Müller and Sébastien Bourdais (2017 Rolex winners) came in second, making it a 1-2 Ford finish.

NASCAR shifted into high gear in February, during Daytona Speedweeks and so did the 22 Ford Performance teams. Brad Keselowski, Team Penske’s No. 2 Ford Fusion, came out to win the first non-points race of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series (MENCS) season, the Clash at Daytona International Speedway.

In their second year with Ford Performance, Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) has been dialed in, winning 8 out of the first 19 MENCS races of the season. It was a 1-2-3 finish for Ford Performance at Atlanta Raceway. Powered by the Ford FR9 EFI race engine, the No. 4 of Kevin Harvick captured SHR’s 40th all-time MENCS win with his Jimmy John’s Ford Fusion, along with Ford teammates, Brad Keselowski and Clint Bowyer rounded out the top three spots in the Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500.

In addition, Harvick swept the weekend, by taking the No. 98 Stewart-Haas Racing with Biagi-DenBeste Ford Mustang to its first Victory Lane at Atlanta in the NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS).

The West Coast swing saw a lot of action, tallying up four NASCAR wins and the first MENCS pole of the season. At Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Harvick drove the No. 4 into Victory Lane for the second week in a row, winning his 100th career NASCAR race.

Ryan Blaney, Team Penske’s new full-time driver of the No.12, also found success in the dessert, winning Ford’s first MENCS pole of the season in Las Vegas.

It was two wins for Ford Performance at the second stop on the West Coast, Arizona. Harvick reached another career milestone at ISM Raceway, winning his 40th career MENCS race and recording his third win in a row for SHR and Ford Performance.

Brad Keselowski also went to Victory Lane in Arizona, winning Team Penske’s first NXS race of the season in the DC Solar 200.

Joey Logano collected the second checkered flag, in as many weeks, for the No. 22 NXS team owner Roger Penske. Logano won Penske’s first Xfinity series race at Fontana and recorded his 29th career Xfinity win by leading 139 of the 150-lap race.

KohR Motorsports won the IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge Series (CTSC) race for the second consecutive year in Sebring, Florida. Drivers Nate Stacy and Kyle Marcelli picked up their first win as co-drivers in the No. 60 Ford Mustang GT4.

To wrap up the month of March, Clint Bowyer won his first race at Martinsville Speedway, leading a race high 215 laps in the MENCS STP 500. Bowyer recorded his first win under SHR and secured a spot in the run for the championship.

The No. 41 SHR driver Kurt Busch, leveraged the horsepower of the Ford FR9 engine to collect his 20th career pole at Texas Motor Speedway.

Texas also saw Team Penske’s No. 22 post its’ third win of the season in three straight races with its’ third different driver. Driver Ryan Blaney swept the NXS event by collecting both the pole and the race win.

California native, Joey Hand captured the IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship pole in Long Beach, California, the location of the only street race on the IMSA schedule. The No. 66 FCGR team captured the pole with co-drivers Hand and Dirk Müller.

The double zero of Cole Custer (No. 00) from SHR captured consecutive Xfinity poles in Bristol, Tennessee and Richmond, Virginia.

At Talladega Superspeedway it was the Ford Fusions that took the pole and checkered flag. SHR drivers swept the front row of qualifying, with No. 4 Harvick securing the pole, covering the 2.66-mile track in 49.247 seconds (194.448 mph) and teammate No. 41 Busch earning P2.

Joey Logano, the No. 22 driver for Team Penske, came away from Talladega with the win and became the third Ford Performance driver to secure a spot in the playoffs.

Logano recorded Ford’s ninth plate race win out of the last 11 races. No manufacturer has dominated the restrictor-plate tracks of Daytona and Talladega more than Ford Performance, which has won 17 of the last 30 MENCS events at these two tracks.

In May, the Ford Chip Ganassi Racing – UK team started the FIA World Endurance Championship Series (WEC) season out strong by qualifying on the pole and capturing the win in the season opener in the Six Hours of Spa. Andy Priaulx, Harry Tincknell and Tony Kanaan took the pole in the No. 67.

No.66, FCGR sister-car, took home the checkered flag with Stefan Mücke and fellow drivers Olivier Pla and Billy Johnson.

Ford Performance | Ford GT wins WEC Season Opener at Spa

At Mid-Ohio, we saw the IMSA CTSC series, No.8 Ford Mustang GT4 team of Chad McCumbee and Patrick Gallagher start on the pole.

While, the No. 60 KohR Motorsports/Roush Performance Ford Mustang earned its second CTSC win of the season with drivers Kyle Marcelli and Nate Stacy taking the checkered flag in the Mid-Ohio 120.

The month of May started off red hot in NASCAR as well. Harvick didn’t waste any time kicking off the month in Dover, Delaware, where he drove to Victory Lane for the fourth time this season.

Harvick went on to record two more wins, in as many weeks. The first at Kansas Speedway where he also won the pole.

Ford Performance | Beginning of the 2018 NASCAR Season

He then came home to Charlotte Motor Speedway, the home of NASCAR, where he won $1,000,000 in the NASCAR All-Star race.

Matt Kenseth returned to racing at Charlotte Motor Speedway, where his career started at Roush Fenway Racing, to record the 359th all-time career NASCAR pole for Jack Roush.

In addition, Brad Keselowski and Ford teammate Cole Custer made it a 1-2 start and finish for Ford Performance in the Charlotte Xfinity race, marking the fourth NXS win for Team Penske for the year.

Blaney recorded his second MENCS pole of the season in Pocono.

Ford Performance and Roush Yates Engines horsepower dominated Michigan with seven Ford Fusions finishing in the top-8. Clint Bowyer alongside SHR teammates made it a 1-2-3 finish. The No. 14 of Bowyer, with Kevin Harvick and pole winner Kurt Busch, made history with the first 1-2-3 finish for SHR. Ford teams led a race total of 121 laps out of the 133 lap race.

Recording a blistering 23.971 lap time, Austin Cindric scored his first NXS pole in the No.22 Team Penske Ford Mustang at Iowa Speedway,

On track in Watkins Glen, New York, the Ford Mustang GT4 took the pole with No. 80 AWA team of Brett Sandberg and Martin Barkey.

After starting in the front row in P2, the No.8 Multimatic Motorsports Mustang brought home the checkered flag at Watkins Glen International in the Continental Tire 240 with teammates Chad McCumbee and Patrick Gallagher.

It was the No. 67 FCGR team, driven by Richard Westbrook and Ryan Briscoe, that secured the GTLM pole at The Glen and recorded a milestone 300th over-all pole for Roush Yates Engines.

The No. 66 Ford GT with Dirk Müller and Joey Hand recorded the second IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship win of the season for FCGR at Watkins Glen International, putting Ford on top of the Manufacturers’ points leader board.

Paul Menard in the No. 21 Wood Brothers Ford Fusion won his first pole of the season and first with the Wood Brothers by narrowly beating Ford teammate Ryan Blaney, making it an all Ford front row in Chicago.

This MOMENTUM will propel us into the second half of the year and keep us focused on the mission this weekend in Daytona Beach for NASCAR and in Ontario, Canada for the IMSA road race series.   14 CHAMPIONSHIPS – 334 WINS – 301 POLES!

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