2024 Focused Health 250 (COTA)
{{Short description|Stock car race in Austin, Texas}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2025}}
{{Infobox NASCAR race report|Type=CUST|Location=Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas|Announcers=Adam Alexander, Joey Logano, and Daniel Suárez|Year=2024|Race_Name=Focused Health 250|Scheduled_mi=157|Course_mi=3.426|Scheduled_laps=46|Scheduled_km=253|Avg={{Convert|72.374|mph|km/h|abbr=on}}|Car=17|First_Driver=Kyle Larson|First_Team=Hendrick Motorsports|Most_Driver=A. J. Allmendinger
Shane van Gisbergen|Most_laps=20|Most_Team=Kaulig Racing|Pole_Time=2:12.076|Pole_Team=Hendrick Motorsports|Date=March 23|Network=FS1|Pole_Driver=Kyle Larson|Description=Race 5 of 33 of the 2024 NASCAR Xfinity Series|Official_name=4th Annual Focused Health 250|Course_km=5.514|Radio=PRN|Image=Austin circuit.svg|Distance_mi=170|Distance_laps=50|Distance_km=273|Details ref={{cite web |title=2024 schedule |url=https://www.jayski.com/xfinity-series/2024-nascar-xfinity-series-schedule/ |website=Jayski.com|publisher=Jayski's Silly Season Site |accessdate=March 18, 2024}}{{cite web|title=Circuit of the Americas|url=https://www.jayski.com/nascar-tracks-news/circuit-of-the-americas/|website=Jayski.com|publisher=Jayski's Silly Season Site|access-date=March 18, 2024|date=March 3, 2024}}{{cite web |title=Entry list |url=https://www.jayski.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/31/2024/3/22/5-nxs-2024-entry-final.pdf |website=Jayski.com |publisher=Jayski's Silly Season Site |date=March 22, 2024 |accessdate=March 22, 2024}}{{cite web |title=Practice Results |url=https://www.jayski.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/31/2024/3/22/5-nxs-2024-practice.pdf |website=Jayski.com |publisher=Jayski's Silly Season Site |date=March 22, 2024 |accessdate=March 22, 2024}}{{cite web |title=Qualifying Results |url=https://www.jayski.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/31/2024/3/22/5-nxs-2024-qual-results.pdf |website=Jayski.com |publisher=Jayski's Silly Season Site |date=March 22, 2024 |accessdate=March 22, 2024}}{{cite web |title=Starting lineup |url=https://www.jayski.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/31/2024/3/22/5-nxs-2024-lineup.pdf |website=Jayski.com |publisher=Jayski's Silly Season Site |date=March 22, 2024 |accessdate=March 22, 2024}}{{cite web |title=Race Results |url=https://www.jayski.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/31/2024/3/23/5-nxs-2024-results.pdf |website=Jayski.com |publisher=Jayski's Silly Season Site |date=March 23, 2024 |accessdate=March 23, 2024}}{{cite web |title=Points standings |url=https://www.jayski.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/31/2024/3/23/5-nxs-2024-driver-points.pdf |website=Jayski.com |publisher=Jayski's Silly Season Site |date=March 23, 2024 |accessdate=March 23, 2024}}}}
The 2024 Focused Health 250 was the 5th stock car race of the 2024 NASCAR Xfinity Series, and the 4th iteration of the event. The race was held on Saturday, March 23, 2024, at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, a {{Convert|3.426|mi|km}} permanent asphalt road course. The race was originally scheduled to be contested over 46 laps, but was increased to 50 laps due to a NASCAR overtime finish. In a thrilling race that featured a wild finish, Kyle Larson, driving for Hendrick Motorsports, would benefit from newer tires and steal the win after Shane van Gisbergen made contact with Austin Hill on the final lap. Van Gisbergen bumped into the back of Hill in turn 16, forcing both drivers up the racetrack and allowing Larson to sneak past both of them.{{Cite web |date=March 23, 2024 |title=Shane van Gisbergen, Austin Hill fall short at COTA after heated overtime Xfinity battle |url=https://www.nascar.com/news-media/2024/03/23/shane-van-gisbergen-austin-hill-short-cota-overtime-xfinity-battle/ |access-date=March 23, 2024 |website=NASCAR.com |publisher=NASCAR Digital Media, LLC}} This was Larson's 15th career NASCAR Xfinity Series win, and his first of the season.{{Cite web |date=March 23, 2024 |title=Kyle Larson sneaks by for the lead on the final lap to win Xfinity race at COTA |url=https://www.jayski.com/2024/03/23/kyle-larson-sneaks-by-for-the-lead-on-the-final-lap-to-win-xfinity-race-at-cota/ |access-date=March 23, 2024 |website=Jayski.com |publisher=Jayski's Silly Season Site}} Van Gisbergen and teammate A. J. Allmendinger were the most consistent drivers of the race, both leading a race-high 20 laps. To fill out the podium, Hill, driving for Richard Childress Racing, and John Hunter Nemechek, driving for Joe Gibbs Racing, would finish 2nd and 3rd, respectively. Van Gisbergen, who originally finished in 2nd, was given a 30-second time penalty on the final lap for cutting the course. He was officially credited with a 27th place finish.{{Cite web |last=Herrero |first=Daniel |date=March 23, 2024 |title=Van Gisbergen loses second place due to penalty |url=https://speedcafe.com/van-gisbergen-loses-second-place-due-to-penalty/ |access-date=March 23, 2024 |website=Speedcafe.com}}
Report
= Background =
File:Circuit_of_the_Americas,_April_22,_2018_SkySat_(cropped2).jpg
Circuit of the Americas (COTA) is a grade 1 FIA-specification motorsports facility located within the extraterritorial jurisdiction of Austin, Texas. It features a {{convert|3.426|mi|km|adj=on}} road racing circuit. The facility is home to the Formula One United States Grand Prix, and the Motorcycle Grand Prix of the Americas, a round of the FIM Road Racing World Championship. It previously hosted the Supercars Championship, the FIA World Endurance Championship, the IMSA SportsCar Championship, and IndyCar Series.{{clear}}
== Entry list ==
- (R) denotes rookie driver.
- (i) denotes driver who is ineligible for series driver points.
| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 95%;"
!# !Driver !Team !Make !Sponsor |
| 00
|Ford |
| 1 |
| 2
|Jesse Love (R) |
| 4 |
| 5 |
| 6
|Ty Dillon (i) |
| 07
|GOTRAX |
| 7
|BRANDT / Rev1 Energy |
| 8 |
| 9 |
| 11
|Josh Williams{{Efn|Due to baby watch, Daniel Hemric will practice and qualify Williams' No. 11 car. Williams is expected to make the race.}} |Alloy Employer Services |
| 14 |
| 15
|Hailie Deegan (R) |Ford |
| 16
|Celsius |
| 17
|Kyle Larson (i) |[https://hendrickcars.com HendrickCars.com] |
| 18
|Friends of Jaclyn Foundation |
| 19
|Ty Gibbs (i) |
| 20
|nowrap|John Hunter Nemechek (i) |Dial |
| 21
|Bennett Transportation |
| 24 |
| 26 |
| 27 |
| 28
|Kaz Grala (i) |Ford |
| 29
|Ford |[https://autoparkit.com AutoParkIt.com] |
| 31
|[https://bommarito.com Bommarito.com] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240408202245/https://www.bommarito.com/ |date=2024-04-08 }} / Crest |
| 32
|[https://3dimensional.com 3Dimensional.com] |
| 35
|Logisteck |
| 39
|Ford |Sci Aps |
| 42
|Leland Honeyman (R) |Austin Gamblers |
| 43
|Classic Collision |
| 44
|Finance Pro Plus |
| 45
|nowrap|Sendero Provisions / Weiss Sand & Clay LP |
| 48
|Big Machine Spiked Light Coolers |
| 50
|Chinchor Electric |
| 51
|nowrap|Jeremy Clements Racing |Impel Union |
| 81 |
| 91
|MyRadar / [https://drivesmartwarranty.com DriveSmartWarranty.com] |
| 92
|Halford Mobile Services |
| 97
|Shane van Gisbergen (R) |
| 98
|Ford |
| colspan="5" |[https://www.jayski.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/31/2024/3/22/5-nxs-2024-entry-final.pdf Official entry list] |
|---|
Notes
{{reflist|group=lower-alpha}}
Practice
The first and only practice session was held on Friday, March 22, at 4:30 PM CST, and would last for 20 minutes.{{Cite web |title=2024 NASCAR Xfinity Series Circuit of The Americas Race Page |url=https://www.jayski.com/xfinity-series/2024-nxs-cota-race-page/ |access-date=March 18, 2024 |website=Jayski.com |publisher=Jayski's Silly Season Site |language=en-US}} Shane van Gisbergen, driving for Kaulig Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 2:14.728, and a speed of {{Convert|91.117|mph|km/h|abbr=on}}.{{Cite web |last=Christie |first=Toby |date=March 22, 2024 |title=Practice Results: NXS Focused Health 250 at COTA |url=https://tobychristie.com/race-results/practice-results-nxs-focused-health-250-at-cota/ |access-date=March 22, 2024 |website=TobyChristie.com}}
| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%"
!Pos. !# !Driver !Team !Make !Time !Speed |
| 1
|97 |Shane van Gisbergen (R) |2:14.728 |91.117 |
|---|
| 2
|16 |2:15.087 |90.875 |
| 3
|17 |Kyle Larson (i) |2:15.394 |90.669 |
| colspan="7" |[https://www.jayski.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/31/2024/3/22/5-nxs-2024-practice.pdf Full practice results] |
Qualifying
Qualifying was held on Friday, March 22, at 5:00 PM CST. Since Circuit of the Americas is a road course, the qualifying system is a two group system, with two rounds. Drivers will be separated into two groups, Group A and Group B. Each driver will have multiple laps to set a time. The fastest 5 drivers from each group will advance to the final round. The fastest driver to set a time in that round will win the pole.{{Cite web |title=2024 NASCAR Qualifying Procedures |url=https://www.jayski.com/nascar-cup-series/cup-qualifying-procedures/ |access-date=March 18, 2024 |website=Jayski.com |publisher=Jayski's Silly Season Site |language=en-US}}
Under a 2021 rule change, the timing line in road course qualifying is "not" the start-finish line. Instead, the timing line for qualifying will be set at the exit of Istanbul 8. Kyle Larson, driving for Hendrick Motorsports, would win the pole after advancing from the preliminary round and setting the fastest time in Round 2, with a track record lap of 2:12.076, and a speed of {{Convert|92.946|mph|km/h|abbr=on}}.{{Cite web |last=Srigley |first=Joseph |date=March 22, 2024 |title=Kyle Larson Earns Xfinity Series Pole at Circuit of The Americas |url=https://tobychristie.com/nascar/xfinity-series/kyle-larson-earns-xfinity-series-pole-at-circuit-of-the-americas/ |access-date=March 22, 2024 |website=TobyChristie.com}}
Two drivers would fail to qualify: Kaz Grala and Preston Pardus.
= Qualifying results =
| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%"
!Pos. !# !Driver !Team !Make !Time (R1) !Speed (R1) !Time (R2) !Speed (R2) |
| 1
|17 |Kyle Larson (i) |2:12.374 |92.737 |2:12.076 |92.946 |
|---|
| 2
|97 |Shane van Gisbergen (R) |2:12.754 |92.472 |2:12.499 |92.650 |
| 3
|19 |Ty Gibbs (i) |2:12.669 |92.531 |2:12.660 |92.537 |
| 4
|81 |2:13.323 |92.077 |2:13.130 |92.211 |
| 5
|16 |2:13.094 |92.236 |2:13.162 |92.188 |
| 6
|26 |2:13.067 |92.254 |2:13.279 |92.108 |
| 7
|18 |2:13.773 |91.767 |2:13.412 |92.016 |
| 8
|00 |Ford |2:13.477 |91.971 |2:13.486 |91.965 |
| 9
|11 |Daniel Hemric (i) |2:13.240 |92.134 |2:13.523 |91.939 |
| 10
|1 |2:12.473 |92.668 |2:13.554 |91.918 |
| colspan="9" |Eliminated in Round 1 |
| 11
|21 |2:13.585 |91.897 |— |— |
| 12
|48 |2:13.754 |91.780 |— |— |
| 13
|8 |2:13.789 |91.756 |— |— |
| 14
|2 |Jesse Love (R) |2:13.801 |91.748 |— |— |
| 15
|7 |2:14.067 |91.566 |— |— |
| 16
|24 |2:14.534 |91.248 |— |— |
| 17
|31 |2:14.541 |91.244 |— |— |
| 18
|9 |2:14.577 |91.219 |— |— |
| 19
|98 |Ford |2:14.690 |91.143 |— |— |
| 20
|20 |John Hunter Nemechek (i) |2:14.767 |91.091 |— |— |
| 21
|27 |2:15.589 |90.538 |— |— |
| 22
|07 |2:15.596 |90.534 |— |— |
| 23
|92 |2:15.644 |90.502 |— |— |
| 24
|51 |2:15.661 |90.490 |— |— |
| 25
|32 |2:15.804 |90.395 |— |— |
| 26
|35 |2:15.862 |90.356 |— |— |
| 27
|39 |Ford |2:15.907 |90.326 |— |— |
| 28
|6 |Ty Dillon (i) |2:16.150 |90.165 |— |— |
| 29
|44 |2:16.155 |90.162 |— |— |
| 30
|5 |2:16.197 |90.134 |— |— |
| 31
|45 |2:16.241 |90.105 |— |— |
| 32
|91 |2:16.274 |90.083 |— |— |
| 33
|4 |2:16.417 |89.989 |— |— |
| colspan="9" |Qualified by owner's points |
| 34
|42 |Leland Honeyman (R) |2:16.522 |89.920 |— |— |
| 35
|15 |Hailie Deegan (R) |Ford |2:16.590 |89.875 |— |— |
| 36
|29 |Ford |2:16.742 |89.775 |— |— |
| 37
|14 |2:17.158 |89.503 |— |— |
| 38
|43 |2:17.356 |89.374 |— |— |
| colspan="9" |Failed to qualify |
| 39
|28 |Kaz Grala (i) |Ford |2:16.445 |89.970 |— |— |
| 40
|50 |2:38.472 |77.465 |— |— |
| colspan="9" |[https://www.jayski.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/31/2024/3/22/5-nxs-2024-qual-results.pdf Official qualifying results] |
| colspan="9" |[https://www.jayski.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/31/2024/3/22/5-nxs-2024-lineup.pdf Official starting lineup] |
Race results
Stage 1 Laps: 14
| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%"
!Pos. !# !Driver !Team !Make !Pts |
| 1
|48 |Parker Kligerman |Big Machine Racing |Chevrolet |10 |
|---|
| 2
|8 |Sammy Smith |JR Motorsports |Chevrolet |9 |
| 3
|26 |Sage Karam |Sam Hunt Racing |Toyota |8 |
| 4
|31 |Parker Retzlaff |Jordan Anderson Racing |Chevrolet |7 |
| 5
|98 |Riley Herbst |Stewart–Haas Racing |Ford |6 |
| 6
|21 |Austin Hill |Richard Childress Racing |Chevrolet |5 |
| 7
|35 |Alex Labbé |Joey Gase Motorsports |Toyota |4 |
| 8
|16 |A. J. Allmendinger |Kaulig Racing |Chevrolet |3 |
| 9
|92 |Josh Bilicki |DGM Racing |Chevrolet |2 |
| 10
|97 |Shane van Gisbergen (R) |Kaulig Racing |Chevrolet |1 |
Stage 2 Laps: 16
| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%"
!Pos. !# !Driver !Team !Make !Pts |
| 1
|98 |Riley Herbst |Stewart–Haas Racing |Ford |10 |
|---|
| 2
|00 |Cole Custer |Stewart–Haas Racing |Ford |9 |
| 3
|16 |A. J. Allmendinger |Kaulig Racing |Chevrolet |8 |
| 4
|17 |Kyle Larson (i) |Hendrick Motorsports |Chevrolet |0 |
| 5
|97 |Shane van Gisbergen (R) |Kaulig Racing |Chevrolet |6 |
| 6
|35 |Alex Labbé |Joey Gase Motorsports |Toyota |5 |
| 7
|39 |Ryan Sieg |RSS Racing |Ford |4 |
| 8
|92 |Josh Bilicki |DGM Racing |Chevrolet |3 |
| 9
|19 |Ty Gibbs (i) |Joe Gibbs Racing |Toyota |0 |
| 10
|81 |Chandler Smith |Joe Gibbs Racing |Toyota |1 |
Stage 3 Laps: 20
| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%"
!St !# !Driver !Team !Make !Laps !Led !Status !Pts |
| 1
|1 |17 |Kyle Larson (i) |Hendrick Motorsports |Chevrolet |50 |1 |Running |0 |
|---|
| 2
|11 |21 |Austin Hill |Richard Childress Racing |Chevrolet |50 |1 |Running |40 |
| 3
|20 |20 |John Hunter Nemechek (i) |Joe Gibbs Racing |Toyota |50 |0 |Running |0 |
| 4
|8 |00 |Cole Custer |Stewart–Haas Racing |Ford |50 |0 |Running |42 |
| 5
|12 |48 |Parker Kligerman |Big Machine Racing |Chevrolet |50 |4 |Running |42 |
| 6
|14 |2 |Jesse Love (R) |Richard Childress Racing |Chevrolet |50 |0 |Running |31 |
| 7
|25 |32 |Austin Green |Jordan Anderson Racing |Chevrolet |50 |0 |Running |30 |
| 8
|4 |81 |Chandler Smith |Joe Gibbs Racing |Toyota |50 |0 |Running |30 |
| 9
|10 |1 |Sam Mayer |JR Motorsports |Chevrolet |50 |0 |Running |28 |
| 10
|5 |16 |A. J. Allmendinger |Kaulig Racing |Chevrolet |50 |20 |Running |38 |
| 11
|17 |31 |Parker Retzlaff |Jordan Anderson Racing |Chevrolet |50 |0 |Running |33 |
| 12
|30 |5 |Anthony Alfredo |Our Motorsports |Chevrolet |50 |0 |Running |25 |
| 13
|15 |7 |Justin Allgaier |JR Motorsports |Chevrolet |50 |0 |Running |24 |
| 14
|27 |39 |Ryan Sieg |RSS Racing |Ford |50 |0 |Running |27 |
| 15
|29 |44 |Brennan Poole |Alpha Prime Racing |Chevrolet |50 |0 |Running |22 |
| 16
|18 |9 |Brandon Jones |JR Motorsports |Chevrolet |50 |1 |Running |21 |
| 17
|6 |26 |Sage Karam |Sam Hunt Racing |Toyota |50 |0 |Running |28 |
| 18
|31 |45 |Brad Perez |Alpha Prime Racing |Chevrolet |50 |0 |Running |19 |
| 19
|24 |51 |Jeremy Clements |Jeremy Clements Racing |Chevrolet |50 |0 |Running |18 |
| 20
|34 |42 |Leland Honeyman (R) |Young's Motorsports |Chevrolet |50 |0 |Running |17 |
| 21
|22 |07 |Daniil Kvyat |SS-Green Light Racing |Chevrolet |50 |0 |Running |16 |
| 22
|36 |29 |Blaine Perkins |RSS Racing |Ford |50 |0 |Running |15 |
| 23
|35 |15 |Hailie Deegan (R) |AM Racing |Ford |50 |0 |Running |14 |
| 24
|3 |19 |Ty Gibbs (i) |Joe Gibbs Racing |Toyota |50 |1 |Running |0 |
| 25
|33 |4 |Patrick Gallagher |JD Motorsports |Chevrolet |50 |0 |Running |12 |
| 26
|26 |35 |Alex Labbé |Joey Gase Motorsports |Toyota |50 |0 |Running |20 |
| 27
|2 |97 |Shane van Gisbergen (R) |Kaulig Racing |Chevrolet |50 |20 |Running |17 |
| 28
|37 |14 |R. C. Enerson |SS-Green Light Racing |Chevrolet |50 |0 |Running |9 |
| 29
|32 |91 |Kyle Weatherman |DGM Racing |Chevrolet |50 |0 |Running |8 |
| 30
|21 |27 |Jeb Burton |Jordan Anderson Racing |Chevrolet |49 |0 |Running |7 |
| 31
|23 |92 |Josh Bilicki |DGM Racing |Chevrolet |48 |0 |Suspension |11 |
| 32
|7 |18 |Sheldon Creed |Joe Gibbs Racing |Toyota |47 |0 |Running |5 |
| 33
|38 |43 |Ryan Ellis |Alpha Prime Racing |Chevrolet |45 |0 |Accident |4 |
| 34
|19 |98 |Riley Herbst |Stewart–Haas Racing |Ford |45 |2 |Accident |19 |
| 35
|16 |24 |Ed Jones |Sam Hunt Racing |Toyota |42 |0 |Accident |2 |
| 36
|13 |8 |Sammy Smith |JR Motorsports |Chevrolet |36 |0 |Accident |10 |
| 37
|28 |6 |Ty Dillon (i) |JD Motorsports |Chevrolet |33 |0 |Suspension |0 |
| 38
|9 |11 |Josh Williams |Kaulig Racing |Chevrolet |24 |0 |Overheating |1 |
| colspan="10" |[https://www.jayski.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/31/2024/3/23/5-nxs-2024-results.pdf Official race results] |
Standings after the race
{{col-begin}}
{{col-2}}
;Drivers' Championship standings
| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 95%;" |
| ! Pos
! Driver ! Points |
|---|
| align="left"| 10px 1
| style="text-align:center;"| 1 | style="text-align:center;"| 222 |
| align="left"| 10px 1
| style="text-align:center;"| 2 | style="text-align:center;"| 213 (-9) |
| align="left"| 10px
| style="text-align:center;"| 3 | style="text-align:center;"| 192 (–30) |
| align="left"| 10px 1
| style="text-align:center;"| 4 | style="text-align:center;"| 166 (–56) |
| align="left"| 10px 1
| style="text-align:center;"| 5 | style="text-align:center;"| 165 (–57) |
| align="left"| 10px 1
| style="text-align:center;"| 6 | style="text-align:center;"| 162 (–60) |
| align="left"| 10px 4
| style="text-align:center;"| 7 | style="text-align:center;"| 147 (–75) |
| align="left"| 10px
| style="text-align:center;"| 8 | style="text-align:center;"| 143 (–79) |
| align="left"| 10px
| style="text-align:center;"| 9 | style="text-align:center;"| 139 (–83) |
| align="left"| 10px 4
| style="text-align:center;"| 10 | style="text-align:center;"| 135 (–87) |
| align="left"| 10px 1
| style="text-align:center;"| 11 | style="text-align:center;"| 124 (–98) |
| align="left"| 10px
| style="text-align:center;"| 12 | style="text-align:center;"| 123 (–99) |
| class="sortbottom"
!colspan="9"|[https://www.jayski.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/31/2024/3/23/5-nxs-2024-driver-points.pdf Official driver's standings] |
{{col-2}}
;Manufacturers' Championship standings
| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 95%;" |
| ! Pos
! Manufacturer ! Points |
|---|
| align="left"| 10px
| style="text-align:center;"| 1 | style="text-align:center;"| 188 |
| align="left"| 10px
| style="text-align:center;"| 2 | Toyota | style="text-align:center;"| 174 (–14) |
| align="left"| 10px
| style="text-align:center;"| 3 | Ford | style="text-align:center;"| 153 (–35) |
| class="sortbottom" |
- Note: Only the first 12 positions are included for the driver standings.
{{col-end}}
References
{{Reflist}}
{{NASCAR next race|Previous_race=2024 Call811.com Every Dig. Every Time. 200|Series=NASCAR Xfinity Series|Monsteryear=2024|Next_race=2024 ToyotaCare 250}}
{{2024 NASCAR Xfinity}}
{{NASCAR on Fox}}