Nascar Race Today: Chase Elliott fifth, William Byron 10th at COTA; Reddick wins Texas Grand Prix

nascar race today at Circuit of The Americas opened with Cup Series practice and qualifying on Saturday morning in AUSTIN, Texas, where Chase Elliott posted a 1: 37. 913 lap to start fifth and William Byron turned a 1: 38. 381 lap to earn the 10th starting spot.

Nascar Race Today: Qualifying at COTA

After two weeks on drafting tracks, NASCAR returned to a road course for the weekend at Circuit of The Americas, where track position is at a premium in the Next Gen era. Practice and qualifying took place Saturday morning, and Hendrick Motorsports' four Chevrolets ran solid laps across both groups.

Hendrick Motorsports' starting spots and practice times

Chase Elliott ran a 1: 37. 913 in the session's second group to secure fifth on the grid. William Byron ran in group one and posted a 1: 38. 381 to take 10th. Kyle Larson will roll off 15th after a 1: 38. 514 qualifying lap, and Alex Bowman will start 16th with a 1: 38. 542 qualifying lap. In practice, Larson's best single lap was 1: 39. 347, fourth best on the board, and Bowman was seventh in practice with a 1: 39. 512.

Bowman's streak, Larson's 2024 win and COTA history

Both Elliott and Byron have a Cup Series win at COTA. Kyle Larson visited victory lane in the NASCAR O'Reilly Series in 2024. Alex Bowman is one of only two drivers to have finished in the top 10 in all five Cup races at the complex, and his average finish of 5. 2 is second best.

Texas Grand Prix result and Reddick's checkered flag

Separately, Tyler Reddick took the checkered flag at the NASCAR DuraMAX Texas Grand Prix Powered by RelaDyne.

Weekend schedule and broadcast details

Sunday's Cup Series race is set for a 3: 30 p. m. start and will air on FOX. The weekend's NOAPS race was slated for a 3 p. m. green flag later on Saturday and will air on the CW.