Honestly, walking into the Circuit of the Americas (COTA) in early 2025 felt like entering a different world. NASCAR decided to shake things up, moving from the massive, sprawling 3.4-mile full course to the punchier 2.4-mile National Course. It changed everything. If you were looking for the 2025 NASCAR COTA qualifying order, you probably noticed it wasn't just about who was fast—it was about who could handle the "shortcut" and the chaotic grouping system NASCAR uses for these road courses.
The qualifying session for the EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix, held on March 1, 2025, followed a specific math-heavy formula that most fans find a bit confusing at first glance. It isn't just a random draw. Since this was the third race of the season, the order was heavily dictated by the 2025 Team Owner Point standings and the performance from the previous week's wild ride at Atlanta.
The Groups: Making Sense of the Chaos
NASCAR splits the field into two groups, A and B. They do this to keep the track from getting too crowded, which is basically essential when you're trying to find a clean gap on a technical road course. For the 2025 COTA weekend, the rule book used the "Performance Metrics Based Line-Up." This is a weird mix of your finish in the last race (weighted at 50%), your owner points position (35%), and your fastest lap from the week before (15%).
Because of that formula, guys like Christopher Bell and William Byron, who had already snagged wins early in the year, found themselves at the tail end of the qualifying order for their respective groups. In NASCAR, the "better" you are in the metrics, the later you go. It’s a bit of a reward—you get to see how the track evolves and what times you need to beat.
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Group A Qualifying Order (Notable Drivers)
The first group out on the 2.4-mile layout included a mix of road course ringers and some surprising names trying to find their footing.
- Shane van Gisbergen: The Kiwi sensation was the man everyone was watching. He went out late in Group A.
- Connor Zilisch: Making a splash in the #87 for Trackhouse, he was a huge dark horse.
- William Byron: The defending race winner (from the old layout) had a lot of pressure to perform in this group.
Group B Qualifying Order (Notable Drivers)
Group B was arguably the "Group of Death" for this event.
- Tyler Reddick: He’s basically the king of COTA. He went out near the end of the session.
- Chase Elliott: Looking to reclaim his road course crown.
- Kyle Larson: Always a threat, Larson’s metrics put him late in the B-group running order.
Why the New Track Layout Messed With the Order
You’ve gotta realize that the switch to the National Course—which cuts out the long back stretch and several technical turns—meant that the qualifying times were much shorter. We’re talking laps in the 1:38 range rather than the nearly two-minute marathons of previous years.
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This shortened lap meant that any mistake in the "S" curves (Turns 3 through 6) was amplified. You didn't have a massive back straightaway to make up lost time. When Tyler Reddick finally took the pole with a 1:38.076, it was a testament to precision over raw horsepower. He topped his 23XI teammate, Bubba Wallace, who put up a career-best road course qualifying effort to start second.
The Final Starting Grid Highlights
If you missed the live broadcast on FOX, the results of the qualifying order were pretty telling. The Toyotas of 23XI Racing absolutely dominated the session. Here is how the front of the pack shook out after the two-group session concluded:
- Tyler Reddick (#45) - Pole Sitter
- Bubba Wallace (#23) - Outside Pole
- Chase Elliott (#9) - Top Chevrolet
- Carson Hocevar (#77) - The surprise of the weekend
- Daniel Suarez (#99) - Always strong in Austin
It was kinda shocking to see Ryan Blaney struggle, rolling off 25th, while William Byron couldn't quite find the magic of the previous year, starting back in 15th. This just goes to show that the qualifying order and the resulting grid positions are extremely sensitive to the track temperature—which was hovering around 80 degrees that Saturday.
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Actionable Insights for Fans and Bettors
Looking back at the 2025 NASCAR COTA qualifying order and the race that followed, there are a few things you should keep in mind for future road course events:
- Watch the Metrics: If a driver wins the week before an oval (like Atlanta), they will likely qualify late in their group at the next road course. This is usually an advantage as the track "rubbers in."
- The 23XI Dominance: Reddick and Wallace have found a setup for road courses that works across different track lengths. They are no longer "one-hit wonders" on left-and-right turns.
- Track Length Matters: The 2.4-mile National Course at COTA creates a much more "sprint-like" qualifying feel. Look for drivers with backgrounds in Trans-Am or IMSA (like Zilisch or SVG) to excel when the laps are shorter and more intense.
If you’re planning to attend a race at COTA in the future, pay attention to the practice speeds. In 2025, Shane van Gisbergen topped both practice sessions but only managed to qualify 6th. High practice speed doesn't always translate to a pole position, especially when the qualifying groups are split by owner points.
Check the official NASCAR entry lists early in the week to see which "Open" teams are trying to make the show. With the new 2025 rules allowing for an Open Exemption Provisional, the qualifying order can sometimes feature more than the standard 40 cars, adding another layer of drama to the "go-or-go-homers."
To stay ahead for the next race, make sure you're tracking the Performance Metric scores released by NASCAR on Wednesdays. These scores are the only way to know for sure which group your favorite driver will be in and where they'll fall in the qualifying line. You can find these updates on the official NASCAR media site or through reliable team PR feeds.