NASCAR is back in Austin for the sixth consecutive year, and the spotlight is once again on one of the most important race tracks in the Western Hemisphere. This weekend, the NASCAR Cup Series headlines the Duramax Texas Grand Prix powered by Reladyne at Circuit of the Americas, continuing a tradition that has firmly planted stock car racing in the city’s annual event calendar.

From February 27 through March 1, fans will pack into COTA for a weekend that blends world class motorsports with Austin’s tourism engine. Here is what is happening, why it matters, and what you should know.

Opened in 2012, Circuit of the Americas, commonly known as COTA, was purpose built to host global motorsports. It remains the only purpose built Formula 1 track in the United States.

What makes COTA unique is its versatility. It regularly hosts:

Very few tracks in the Western Hemisphere can accommodate all three at the highest professional level. That flexibility has positioned Austin as a recurring stop on multiple international racing calendars.

The 2026 NASCAR race will once again use COTA’s 17 turn, 2.4 mile course configuration. That layout combines high speed straights with technical elevation changes and tight corners, creating a road course challenge that differs from NASCAR’s traditional oval tracks.

The Duramax Texas Grand Prix is part of the NASCAR Cup Series schedule, the highest level of stock car racing in the United States.

Here are the core stats for this weekend:

The purse reflects NASCAR’s position as a major national sport. With more than $11 million on the line, teams and drivers treat COTA as a critical points race early in the season.

Last year’s NASCAR race at COTA averaged 4.1 million live viewers on television. That national audience matters for Austin.

Events of this scale put the city in front of millions of viewers, reinforcing its reputation as a major sports and entertainment destination. Between Formula 1 in the fall and NASCAR in the spring, COTA delivers repeat national exposure that few cities can match.

This marks NASCAR’s sixth consecutive year racing at Circuit of the Americas. When the series first added COTA to the schedule, it represented a strategic move toward road courses and major destination cities.

Since then, the race has become a consistent fixture. That stability signals confidence from NASCAR in both the facility and the Austin market.

Each year has brought strong attendance, growing familiarity with the track, and increased integration into the city’s event calendar alongside SXSW, ACL, and Formula 1.

Major motorsports weekends bring measurable economic impact. While exact figures vary year to year, events at Circuit of the Americas consistently generate millions of dollars in tourism revenue for the local economy.

That includes:

For late February and early March, which traditionally sits just before peak spring festival season, NASCAR provides a strong economic boost.

Whether you are a motorsports fan or not, this weekend matters for a few reasons:

The return of NASCAR to Circuit of the Americas is more than just another race weekend. It represents six straight years of partnership between one of the country’s largest racing organizations and Austin’s flagship motorsports venue.

With a 95 lap, 228 mile race, more than $11 million in prize money, and millions of viewers watching nationwide, the Duramax Texas Grand Prix continues to anchor Austin’s place in the national sports conversation.

If you live in Austin, you will feel it in traffic, hotel demand, and packed restaurants. If you are watching from home, you are seeing one of the most important race tracks in the Western Hemisphere doing what it was built to do.