For the second straight week, Tyler Reddick found himself in Victory Lane after the waving of the checkered flag. Now, NASCAR will turn both left and right as the Cup Series heads to Circuit of the Americas for the 2026 DuraMax Grand Prix.
Will the incredible start to the season continue for Tyler Reddick and 23XI, or will we see a new driver in Victory Lane on Sunday?
Let’s dive in.
2026 DuraMax Grand Prix Entry List
The Cup Series field will include just one open entry this weekend as NASCAR Xfinity Series regular Jesse Love will pilot the #33 for Richard Childress Racing. The rest of the field remains unchanged. Early in the season, the possibility of Brad Keselowski missing this race due to the physical nature of road courses and his offseason injury was raised. However, it looks like Keselowski will be all clear for the weekend.
As a reminder for those used to seeing the full course at Circuit of the Americas, NASCAR will run a shortened circuit that produced some fantastic racing last year. Expect strategy and attrition to play a huge role come Sunday.
2026 DuraMax Grand Prix Race Predictions
As always, when NASCAR hits a road course, Shane Van Gisbergen is a no-brainer pick to come home in first place. The driver of the #97 dominated the road courses last season with five wins. However, Circuit of the Americas represented the lone road course at which he did not win in 2025.
Instead, it was Christopher Bell who won in Austin last season. Expect the driver of the #20 as well as William Byron in the #24 to factor into the equation on Sunday.
Another driver to keep an eye on is Connor Zilish in the #88. The hyped rookie has a plethora of road course experience and battled with SVG often when the two faced off in the Xfinity Series last season.
Finally, don’t count out Tyler Reddick. In addition to his hot streak this season, he qualified on the pole here last year and has previously won at Circuit of the Americas, albeit on the longer course layout.
Check out the schedule below so you don’t miss any on-track action this week!
Friday 02/27
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Practice (St. Petersburg) – 3:00 p.m. CT on FS2
NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series Practice (Circuit of the Americas) – 4:00 p.m. CT on the CW APP
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Qualifying (St. Petersburg) – 4:05 p.m. CT on FS2
NASCAR Xfinity Series Qualifying (Circuit of the Americas) – 5:05 p.m. CT on the CW App
Saturday 02/28
NASCAR Cup Series Practice (Circuit of the Americas) – 9:00 a.m. CT on Prime
NASCAR Cup Series Qualifying (Circuit of the Americas) – 10:10 a.m. CT on Prime
OnlyBulls Green Flag 150 (NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series – St. Petersburg) – 11:00 a.m. CT on FOX
Focused Health 250 (NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series – Circuit of the Americas) – 2:00 p.m. CT on the CW
Sunday 03/01
DuraMax Grand Prix Powered by RelaDyne (NASCAR Cup Series – Circuit of the Americas) – 2:30 p.m. CT on FOX and HBO Max
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