Stacked Focused Health 250 field at COTA makes Xfinity Series a must-watch
While a lot of focus will be on Sunday’s main event in the Cup Series, the Focused Health 250 Xfinity Series race at COTA is going to be a must-watch. The talent in this field, the various disciplines the drivers come from, and the great road course racing this series puts on – it’s all pointing toward a great Saturday night in NASCAR.
The Focused Health 250 features Cup Series talent, former IndyCar talent, and more. Of course, there is already a great group of road course racers in the Xfinity Series, but COTA has brought out even more.
You have your series regulars: Cole Custer, Sam Mayer, AJ Allmendinger, Sammy Smith, Parker Kligerman, Sheldon Creed, and Sage Karam. All of those drivers are usually in the mix during these events. However, they have a group of others who will hope to spoil the party.
Going through the entry list, which has 41 entries for just 38 spots, there are a few names we need to highlight. Xfinity Series rookies Jesse Love and Shane van Gisbergen are taking on COTA for the first time in their NASCAR careers.
Then we have: Kyle Larson, Ty Gibbs, John Hunter Nemechek, Kaz Grala, Daniil Kvyat, and RC Enerson entered in this race. Four Cup Series talents, a former F1 driver, and Enerson has experience in IndyCar.
Larson has a win at Watkins Glen in the Xfinity Series. Gibbs has won four times on the road courses in the series. Custer has two road course wins, Mayer won three road course races just last season. Of course, Allmendinger has amassed 10 Xfinity Series wins on the road.
If you could promise me a 10-lap shootout with Larson, SVG, Gibbs, Mayer, and Allmendinger I would pay a lot of money to see just that.
Is SVG a sure thing to win Xfinity Series at COTA?
When it comes to Shane van Gisbergen and his chances at COTA, there really might be just one or two drivers standing in his way to victory. First, he has to get through that gnarly first turn in one piece. From there, he can start to do his thing on the lefts and rights.
However, there is one name and one man who the Xfinity Series at COTA runs through – AJ Allmendinger, SVG’s teammate. Allmendinger has won the Focused Health 250 for the last two seasons. He will look for the three-peat this year, relying on his experience to get him the edge over his Kiwi teammate.
We haven’t seen Van Gisbergen in this kind of race in the Xfinity Series yet. We know how skilled he is, pulling in two top-10 finishes, including that Chicago win in his two Cup Series road course races. If he can adjust to the way NASCAR breaks track limits and maximizes the track, then he should have a shot at the win.
If I could write the perfect script for this race, it likely ends how the Xfinity Series race at Road America ended last year. Beating, banging, dirt flying up and onto the track, and no one knowing who is going to win until the last turn. If you watch one Xfinity race this year, make it this one, thank me later.
My only concern for SVG in this Xfinity Series and Cup Series races at COTA, no track limits. The tight constraints of Chicago, with walls on both sides, gave him an advantage. The kind of road course racing he will do this weekend at COTA will be entirely different. How quickly he adjusts to that will be the biggest factor.