The 2024 XPEL 225 was the 4th stock car race of the 2024 NASCAR Craftsman Truck 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 permanent asphalt road course. The race was originally scheduled to be contested over 42 laps, but was increased to 46 laps due to a NASCAR overtime finish. In an action-packed race that featured numerous spins and penalties, Corey Heim, driving for Tricon Garage, was able to stretch out his fuel mileage with two laps to go, and held off the field to earn his sixth career NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series win, and his first of the season. Heim was the most dominant driver of the race, leading a race-high 31 laps and winning the second stage. To fill out the podium, Taylor Gray, driving for Tricon Garage, and Ty Majeski, driving for ThorSport Racing, would finish 2nd and 3rd, respectively. Connor Zilisch, who started on the pole, came back from an early race incident and went through several amounts of adversity, managing to earn a 4th place finish in his series debut.
Report
Background
Circuit of the Americas (COTA) is a grade 1 FIA-specification motorsports facility located within the extraterritorial jurisdiction of Austin, Texas. It features a 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.
Entry list
(R) denotes rookie driver. (i) denotes driver who is ineligible for series driver points.
#DriverTeamMake1Jack HawksworthTricon GarageToyota02Mason MasseyYoung's MotorsportsChevrolet2Nick SanchezRev RacingChevrolet04Marco AndrettiRoper RacingChevrolet5Dean ThompsonTricon GarageToyota7Connor ZilischSpire MotorsportsChevrolet9Grant EnfingerCR7 MotorsportsChevrolet11Corey HeimTricon GarageToyota12Dale QuarterleyYoung's MotorsportsToyota13Jake GarciaThorSport RacingFord15Tanner GrayTricon GarageToyota17Taylor GrayTricon GarageToyota18Tyler AnkrumMcAnally-Hilgemann RacingChevrolet19Christian EckesMcAnally-Hilgemann RacingChevrolet20Vicente SalasYoung's MotorsportsChevrolet22Carter FartuchReaume Brothers RacingFord25Ty DillonRackley WARChevrolet32Bret HolmesBret Holmes RacingChevrolet33Lawless AlanReaume Brothers RacingFord38Layne Riggs (R)Front Row MotorsportsFord41Bayley CurreyNiece MotorsportsChevrolet42Matt MillsNiece MotorsportsChevrolet43Daniel DyeMcAnally-Hilgemann RacingChevrolet45Ross Chastain (i)Niece MotorsportsChevrolet46Thad Moffitt (R)Faction46Chevrolet52Stewart FriesenHalmar Friesen RacingToyota56Timmy HillHill MotorsportsToyota71Rajah CaruthSpire MotorsportsChevrolet75Stefan ParsonsHenderson MotorsportsChevrolet76Spencer BoydFreedom Racing EnterprisesChevrolet77Chase PurdySpire MotorsportsChevrolet88Matt CraftonThorSport RacingFord91Jack WoodMcAnally-Hilgemann RacingChevrolet98Ty MajeskiThorSport RacingFord99Ben RhodesThorSport RacingFordOfficial entry list
Practice The first and only practice session was held on Friday, March 22, at 2:30 PM CST, and would last for 20 minutes. Corey Heim, driving for Tricon Garage, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 2:14.953, and a speed of . Pos.#DriverTeamMakeTimeSpeed111Corey HeimTricon GarageToyota2:14.95390.96527Connor ZilischSpire MotorsportsChevrolet2:15.35290.697345Ross Chastain (i)Niece MotorsportsChevrolet2:15.62390.516Full practice results
Qualifying Qualifying was held on Friday, March 22, at 3:00 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.
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. In his first career start, Connor Zilisch, driving for Spire 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 2:11.983, and a speed of .
No drivers would fail to qualify.
Qualifying results Pos.#DriverTeamMakeTime (R1)Speed (R1)Time (R2)Speed (R2)17Connor ZilischSpire MotorsportsChevrolet2:12.08492.9412:11.98393.012211Corey HeimTricon GarageToyota2:13.30692.0892:12.69792.512317Taylor GrayTricon GarageToyota2:13.48691.9652:13.17192.18242Nick SanchezRev RacingChevrolet2:13.14392.2022:13.23492.139545Ross Chastain (i)Niece MotorsportsChevrolet2:13.53391.9322:13.73891.79161Jack HawksworthTricon GarageToyota2:14.17791.4912:14.18891.484715Tanner GrayTricon GarageToyota2:14.11791.5322:14.50691.267838Layne Riggs (R)Front Row MotorsportsFord2:14.51891.2592:14.61191.196998Ty MajeskiThorSport RacingFord2:14.13491.5202:15.01090.9271019Christian EckesMcAnally-Hilgemann RacingChevrolet2:13.96691.6352:15.26590.755Eliminated from Round 11171Rajah CaruthSpire MotorsportsChevrolet2:14.14491.514——1218Tyler AnkrumMcAnally-Hilgemann RacingChevrolet2:14.52791.253——1352Stewart FriesenHalmar Friesen RacingToyota2:14.69491.140——149Grant EnfingerCR7 MotorsportsChevrolet2:14.77491.086——1541Bayley CurreyNiece MotorsportsChevrolet2:14.84991.035——1677Chase PurdySpire MotorsportsChevrolet2:15.07590.883——175Dean ThompsonTricon GarageToyota2:15.10590.863——1825Ty DillonRackley WARChevrolet2:15.27890.746——1975Stefan ParsonsHenderson MotorsportsChevrolet2:15.44290.637——2033Lawless AlanReaume Brothers RacingFord2:15.55590.561——2188Matt CraftonThorSport RacingFord2:15.98690.274——2291Jack WoodMcAnally-Hilgemann RacingChevrolet2:16.17490.149——2343Daniel DyeMcAnally-Hilgemann RacingChevrolet2:16.26990.087——2442Matt MillsNiece MotorsportsChevrolet2:16.93989.646——2513Jake GarciaThorSport RacingFord2:17.10189.540——2632Bret HolmesBret Holmes RacingChevrolet2:17.69589.154——2756Timmy HillHill MotorsportsToyota2:18.46888.656——2804Marco AndrettiRoper RacingChevrolet2:18.58888.579——2922Carter FartuchReaume Brothers RacingFord2:18.82288.430——3076Spencer BoydFreedom Racing EnterprisesChevrolet2:19.11288.245——3120Vicente SalasYoung's MotorsportsChevrolet2:19.44888.033——Qualified by owner's points3202Mason MasseyYoung's MotorsportsChevrolet2:21.25386.908——3312Dale QuarterleyYoung's MotorsportsToyota2:25.99484.086——3499Ben RhodesThorSport RacingFord————3546Thad Moffitt (R)Faction46Chevrolet————Official qualifying resultsOfficial starting lineup
Race results Stage 1 Laps: 12 Pos.#DriverTeamMakePts12Nick SanchezRev RacingChevrolet10298Ty MajeskiThorSport RacingFord9315Tanner GrayTricon GarageToyota8418Tyler AnkrumMcAnally-Hilgemann RacingChevrolet7519Christian EckesMcAnally-Hilgemann RacingChevrolet6699Ben RhodesThorSport RacingFord5777Chase PurdySpire MotorsportsChevrolet4888Matt CraftonThorSport RacingFord3991Jack WoodMcAnally-Hilgemann RacingChevrolet21025Ty DillonRackley WARChevrolet1 Stage 2 Laps: 14 Pos.#DriverTeamMakePts111Corey HeimTricon GarageToyota10298Ty MajeskiThorSport RacingFord941Jack HawksworthTricon GarageToyota8399Ben RhodesThorSport RacingFord7517Taylor GrayTricon GarageToyota667Connor ZilischSpire MotorsportsChevrolet5771Rajah CaruthSpire MotorsportsChevrolet4818Tyler AnkrumMcAnally-Hilgemann RacingChevrolet395Dean ThompsonTricon GarageToyota21088Matt CraftonThorSport RacingFord1 Stage 3 Laps: 20 FinSt#DriverTeamMakeLapsLedStatusPts1211Corey HeimTricon GarageToyota4631Running502317Taylor GrayTricon GarageToyota460Running413998Ty MajeskiThorSport RacingFord462Running52417Connor ZilischSpire MotorsportsChevrolet460Running385545Ross Chastain (i)Niece MotorsportsChevrolet460Running0661Jack HawksworthTricon GarageToyota461Running3973499Ben RhodesThorSport RacingFord460Running4281019Christian EckesMcAnally-Hilgemann RacingChevrolet461Running359175Dean ThompsonTricon GarageToyota460Running3010715Tanner GrayTricon GarageToyota464Running35111825Ty DillonRackley WARChevrolet460Running2712149Grant EnfingerCR7 MotorsportsChevrolet460Running25132291Jack WoodMcAnally-Hilgemann RacingChevrolet460Running26142513Jake GarciaThorSport RacingFord460Running23151171Rajah CaruthSpire MotorsportsChevrolet460Running26161541Bayley CurreyNiece MotorsportsChevrolet460Running21172756Timmy HillHill MotorsportsToyota460Running201842Nick SanchezRev RacingChevrolet464Running29191975Stefan ParsonsHenderson MotorsportsChevrolet460Running18201352Stewart FriesenHalmar Friesen RacingToyota462Running17212922Carter FartuchReaume Brothers RacingFord460Running16221677Chase PurdySpire MotorsportsChevrolet460Running19232188Matt CraftonThorSport RacingFord460Running18242442Matt MillsNiece MotorsportsChevrolet460Running13251218Tyler AnkrumMcAnally-Hilgemann RacingChevrolet460Running22263312Dale QuarterleyYoung's MotorsportsToyota450Running1127838Layne Riggs (R)Front Row MotorsportsFord431Running10282343Daniel DyeMcAnally-Hilgemann RacingChevrolet420Running9292632Bret HolmesBret Holmes RacingChevrolet420Running8303076Spencer BoydFreedom Racing EnterprisesChevrolet420Running7312804Marco AndrettiRoper RacingChevrolet400Suspension6323546Thad Moffitt (R)Faction46Chevrolet390Running5332033Lawless AlanReaume Brothers RacingFord340Rear Gear4343120Vicente SalasYoung's MotorsportsChevrolet330Transmission3353202Mason MasseyYoung's MotorsportsChevrolet320Brakes2Official race results
Standings after the race
Drivers' Championship standings Pos Driver Points 1 1 Corey Heim 207 2 2 Ty Majeski 197 (-10) 2 3 Tyler Ankrum 196 (–11) 3 4 Taylor Gray 179 (–28) 2 5 Rajah Caruth 178 (–29) 1 6 Christian Eckes 177 (–30) 1 7 Nick Sanchez 170 (–37) 8 Matt Crafton 148 (–59) 9 Grant Enfinger 139 (–68) 2 10 Tanner Gray 121 (–86)Official driver's standings
Manufacturers' Championship standings Pos Manufacturer Points 1 Chevrolet 160 2 Toyota 133 (–27) 3 Ford 127 (–33) Note: Only the first 10 positions are included for the driver standings.
References