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COTA / #20: Christopher Bell, Joe Gibbs Racing, DEWALT Toyota Camry
(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Thinkin’ Out Loud at COTA: NASCAR, We Have Found Our Road Course Tire

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What Happened?

Christopher Bell held off both William Byron and Tyler Reddick in the closing laps of the NASCAR Cup Series race at Circuit of the Americas to win his second consecutive race of 2025. Chase Elliott made a valiant charge in the final green flag stint to rally to fourth, while Kyle Busch finished close behind in fifth.

Despite already having two wins this year, Bell has led only a total of nine laps in these first three races.

What Really Happened?

Worn tires? On a road course?

When was the last time that happened?

Goodyear announced this past week that a compound to be used at COTA was to have “compound and construction” changes in an effort to increase the wear rate throughout the event. We’ve heard that song and dance before.

Yet this time, it actually worked.

Just as Goodyear promised, as long runs went on, tires fell off drastically, in more ways than one.

It was something that’s been awaited since the inception of the Next Gen car, as it has created some of the most lackluster racing on the once revered and anticipated road course races. Nowadays, road course racing has produced some of the more disappointing events of the year, barring a few exceptions.

That might remind you of a different track type that also struggled with the Next Gen: short tracks.

Indeed, short track races were the fan favorite in the final years of the Gen 6 car. However, when the modern car came out, racing was stale, passing was scarce, and tire wear was almost non-existent.

As a result, Goodyear made a compound last year that debuted at Bristol Motor Speedway, making some of the best short track racing in years, whether they meant it to or not. Race winner Denny Hamlin jokingly said, “Somebody pee-pee’d in the Goodyear rubber mixture,” regarding the tire compound.

For some reason, Goodyear didn’t bring the mixture back to the next short track race, despite the fact that it seemed to remedy some of the Next Gen’s faults.

Don’t do that here.

Like Bristol and the “pee-pee” compound, Sunday’s (March 2) racing tire produced fun moments, strategy and perhaps some of the best competition we’ve seen in a road course event than most in the last three years.

So, perhaps a little bit of pee-pee is exactly what NASCAR needs more of right now.

Who Stood Out?

It was Rowdy’s race to lose all day.

How many times have we heard somebody say that in NASCAR? It hasn’t been very often lately.

But on Sunday, there were few drivers that could keep up with KFB, and if they did, they didn’t stick around very long.

Busch led a race-high 42 laps at the Texas circuit, the most he’s led in a race since his win at World Wide Technology Raceway in 2023. Keep in mind the distance of each circuit, as Gateway is a 1.25-mile oval, much shorter than the 2.3-mile road course.

In other words? Busch was the fastest he’s looked in a while on Sunday.

By the end, Busch had the lead well in hand after holding off challengers such as Byron and even road course ace Shane van Gisbergen, who led the second most laps of the day with 23.

Busch even survived the race’s final restart, which many braced to be a turn 1 five-wide scramble for positions like we’ve seen in late-race COTA situations in the past. But not this time.

It wasn’t a late-race caution that eventually did him in. It took a long, grueling 11-lap battle between he and former Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Bell. The No. 8’s right rear tire couldn’t hold on long enough to keep the charging Toyota at bay.

But man, it was fun to watch him try.

It wasn’t the win that Rowdy nation was hoping for, but it certainly may have built hope that 2025 may be a better year for the former Candyman.

Who Fell Flat?

Young prospect and racing savant Connor Zilisch kept gracing the headlines of motorsports media time and again throughout the past week.

In what appeared to be one of the most anticipated Cup Series debuts in recent memory, Zilisch wasn’t only expected to run well on Sunday during his Cup debut, he was expected by some to win.

Talk about pressure.

It probably didn’t help that the hype only grew when he won Saturday’s (March 1) NASCAR Xfinity Series race after being handed a penalty that sent him to the back of the pack mid-race. So, when Zilisch started Sunday afternoon’s event in 14th, he had high expectations.

And they took a hit in the first turn.

Zilisch took some damage in the first turn scuffle that sent him mired in the back and having to fight his way through the field to get back to where he started.

That’s exactly what he did.

By lap 51, the 18-year-old Trackhouse Racing driver had placed himself back into the top 15, running lap speeds of those among the top five. With over 40 laps remaining, he was on course to repeat what he had done one day prior.

Alas, his teammate Daniel Suarez spun just before the final corner of the circuit and Zilisch, unable to see through the smoke where the No. 99 would end up, darted to the right. It was the wrong decision.

It was nevertheless an impressive debut for sure. Perhaps it was almost as impressive as his other teammate van Gisbergen’s at Chicago in 2023. It wasn’t a win, but it likely left many wanting more.

Hopefully, he’ll get another chance soon.

Paint Scheme of the Race

It was the welcome return of a long-lost old friend.

Or, rather, old bovine.

If you’re a fan of nearly every other motorsports series on the planet, seeing the Red Bull colors is nothing new to you. Heck, if you’ve been a NASCAR fan for longer than 15 years, they look familiar to you, too.

But seeing Zilisch don the blue, red and yellow primary on his No. 87 for Trackhouse Racing was a welcome sight nonetheless. It meant the return of the popular brand to the world of NASCAR had finally come full circle – or well, whatever shape COTA is.

As far as looks go, it isn’t anything special, but seeing the return of one of the most globally recognized brands on the planet to NASCAR racing is a good sign for the sport.

Also, yeah, it’s not a bad looking car, either.

What’s Next?

NASCAR heads to the desert for the first time in 2025.

The NASCAR Cup Series is going to Phoenix Raceway for the Shriner’s Children 500. Broadcast will be live on FOX Sports 1 and starts at 3:30 p.m. ET.

Dalton Hopkins began writing for Frontstretch in April 2021. Currently, he is the lead writer for the weekly Thinkin' Out Loudcolumn, co-host of the Happy Hour podcast, and one of our lead reporters. Beforehand, he wrote for IMSA shortly after graduating from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in 2019. Simultaneously, he also serves as a Captain in the US Army.

Follow Dalton on Twitter @PitLaneCPT

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