This article is part of our NASCAR DFS series.
EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix
Location: Austin, Texas
Course: Circuit of the Americas
Format: 2.40-mile road course
Laps: 95
NASCAR EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix Race Preview
After two superspeedway races to start the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season it is time to turn left and right at Circuit of the Americas. This week's race will be the first of six road and street course races this season, and despite having visited COTA four times in the past, this year's race promises a new look. Instead of using the layout's full 3.41-mile layout, NASCAR will run on the shorter National Course this time. The configuration still boasts 20 turns of action, but the option for 2025 will cut a mile off of a lap's distance and will reduce overall lap times by roughly a minute. In four series races held at this track to date, three have been won by a driver starting inside the top 10. Unlike the superspeedways of the past few weeks, qualifying and starting position will be an important factor in success. William Byron is the defending race winner after dominating from pole last season, but there are plenty of road course aces he'll have to overcome to repeat that performance this week.
Key Stats at Circuit of the Americas
- Number of races: 4
- Winners from pole: 1
- Winners from top-5 starters: 2
- Winners from top-10 starters: 3
- Winners from 21st or lower starters: 0
- Fastest race: 85.224 mph
Previous COTA Winners
2024 - William Byron
2023 - Tyler Reddick
2022 - Ross Chastain
2021 - Chase Elliott
Circuit of the Americas will be a bit different for the NASCAR Cup Series in 2025. The shorter course that will be run this year will still squeeze 20 turns into a lap, but the long back straight and hairpin turn, roughly a mile of the full circuit, will not be part of the course. With the shorter lap distance, lap times are expected to be about a minute faster and the race's total number of laps will be increase to maintain the race's overall distance. These changes should help speed up caution periods and make for a more engaging show for fans watching. However, it will still take some serious road course skill to win. This track is still a natural-terrain road course with varying turns and elevation changes. Those features challenge drivers to get the best balance in their car to maximize their speed while also forcing them to wield great car control over the track's bumps and through its undulating turns. Track position and work on pit road remain very important factors, too. Pit road is still long, which makes mistakes costly when drive-through penalties are assessed or track position is lost by having to restart at the rear. Despite this year's shorter lap, the road course will still enable teams to try different pit strategies in order to gain that all-important track position for the finish of Sunday's stages and race. The new-look circuit still promises to be a close-fought affair among those at the front.
RotoWire NASCAR DFS Tools
DraftKings Value Picks for the EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix (Based on Standard $50K Salary Cap)
DraftKings Tier 1 Values
Tyler Reddick - $9,900
Shane van Gisbergen - $9,800
Kyle Larson - $9,500
Chase Elliott - $9,000
DraftKings Tier 2 Values
AJ Allmendinger - $8,900
Ross Chastain - $8,600
Alex Bowman - $8,300
Chris Buescher - $8,100
DraftKings Tier 3 Values
Austin Cindric - $8,000
Ryan Blaney - $7,800
Kyle Busch - $7,700
Joey Logano - $7,200
DraftKings Long-Shot Values
Connor Zilisch - $8,700
Cole Custer - $6,500
Zane Smith - $6,400
Justin Haley - $6,300
NASCAR DFS Picks for the EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix
Tyler Reddick - $9,900
AJ Allmendinger - $8,900
Ross Chastain - $8,600
Alex Bowman - $8,300
Austin Cindric - $8,000
Justin Haley - $6,300
When sorting NASCAR Cup Series drivers by average Circuit of the Americas finish, fantasy players will find that Tyler Reddick (DK $9,900, FD $13,000) ranks third with an average of 5.0. The 23XI Racing driver won this race in 2023, hasn't started lower than fourth, and has a worst finish of ninth from the four series visits. While 2024 wasn't his best year on these types of circuits, Reddick still finished fifth at COTA and eighth at Sonoma. The prior two seasons, Reddick was in the argument for best road-course racer in the series, and he still should be in 2025. Like Reddick, AJ Allmendinger (DK $8,000, FD $11,000) is a confident selection whenever a road course race occurs. He has two top-10s from the four COTA races run so far with a best finish of fifth. Allmendinger almost matched that last year with a sixth-place finish despite starting 14th, too. If the Kaulig Racing ace can avoid trouble throughout Sunday's race, he is likely to be in contention for the victory.
A former COTA winner to keep in mind this week is Ross Chastain (DK $8,600, FD $9,500). When Chastain succeeds at a track, he tends to succeed there every season. COTA has that type of trend for him. Chastain's worst finish from four COTA visits was his seventh-place finish last year. He is one of just three drivers to have finished in the top 10 in every Cup Series visit to this track alongside Reddick (who we already chose) and Alex Bowman (DK $8,300, FD $9,000) who is next on our list. With Bowman in tow, fantasy players that choose this lineup with have the top three Cup Series drivers at COTA when ranked by average finish. Bowman sits just behind Chastain on that list despite not yet having a COTA victory. Despite no win, the Hendrick Motorsports driver has done just fine for himself at the track. Four top-10 finishes from four tries give him an average result of 4.3 at the track, and he finished fourth in last year's race.
Austin Cindric (DK $8,000, FD $7,500) brings great road-racing potential to this lineup at a very reasonable cost. Cindric was one of the best road racers in the Xfinity Series, and he has made an impression at the front of the field at these tracks in Cup as well. Two strong efforts in the opening superspeedway races of the season could extend through this week's visit to Texas, too. Cindric finished in the top 10 twice at this track and hasn't qualified lower than 11th. Superspeedways and road courses are where Cindric excels. Like Cindric, Justin Haley's (DK $6,300, FD $5,200) potential at COTA is likely worth more than his cost. Were it not for a disqualification from this race last year, Haley would have three top-20 finishes from his four COTA starts. His best finish at the track was 15th in 2022, and last year he would have been 17th were it not for the infraction. Getting a confident top-20 finishing driver at the bottom of the price list might be a shrewd move this week.
NASCAR Best Bets for the EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix
Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook as of 6:00 PM ET Friday
Race Winner - Tyler Reddick +800, Austin Cindric +2200
Group Winner - Tyler Reddick +285, Shane van Gisbergen, Connor Zilisch, William Byron
Just as in the fantasy lineup above, Tyler Reddick and Austin Cindric both make good options for wagering. Reddick won this race two seasons ago and Cindric is probably the best value available. Both of these drivers are top racers on road courses with demonstrated success. Cindric, with his bigger odds, by virtue of relatively less success at this particular track, is probably the best long-shot option available, too. The Penske driver is off to a strong start to the 2025 season and, just like superspeedways, outperforms on road courses. In fact, among drivers who have started all four COTA races, Reddick is ranked third by average finish while Cindric ranks eighth. Both, barring any trouble, could reasonably be expected to be in the mix for the win Sunday afternoon.
Similarly, the group prop wager with Reddick finishing ahead of Shane van Gisbergen, Connor Zilisch, and William Byron also seems like a decent value. For one, we know Reddick is one of the best road course racers in the field and that applies specifically to this track, too. This match up puts him up against former COTA victor William Byron, who won this race last season and already won the Daytona 500 this season. While Byron did repeat Daytona 500 wins, doing a repeat twice in the first three races of the season would be a statistical anomaly. This wager also pits Reddick against rookie Connor Zilisch. Yes, Zilisch is an accomplished road racer who won in Xfinity on a road course last season, but Cup competition is an entirely different beast. Winning his debut race, like the next contender did, is a seriously tall order for any driver. One who accomplished that is Shane van Gisbergen, though. However, since SVG won at Chicago, his best finish in Cup road course races had to wait until last year's stop at Watkins Glen when he finished second to Chris Buescher. Van Gisbergen is likely the biggest threat to Reddick winning this group, but Reddick should still be the likely choice of the bunch.
