| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 9 of 22 of the2021 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series | |||
 | |||
| Date | May 22, 2021 | ||
| Official name | Toyota Tundra 225 | ||
| Location | Austin, Texas,Circuit of the Americas | ||
| Course | Permanent racing facility | ||
| Course length | 3.426 miles (5.513 km) | ||
| Distance | 41 laps, 140.507 mi (226.115 km) | ||
| Scheduled distance | 41 laps, 140.507 mi (226.115 km) | ||
| Average speed | 70.790 miles per hour (113.925 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | GMS Racing | ||
| Time | 2:43:591 | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Sheldon Creed | GMS Racing | |
| Laps | 19 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 38 | Todd Gilliland | Front Row Motorsports | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | Fox Sports 1 | ||
| Announcers | Vince Welch,Michael Waltrip,Andy Lally | ||
| Radio in the United States | |||
| Radio | Motor Racing Network | ||
TheToyota Tundra 225 was the 9thstock car race of the2021 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season, and the inaugural running of the event. The race was held on Saturday, May 22, 2021 inAustin, Texas at theCircuit of the Americas. The race took 41 laps to complete. At the end,Todd Gilliland ofFront Row Motorsports would win the race, the second of his career and his first of the year.[1]Kaz Grala ofYoung's Motorsports andTyler Ankrum ofGMS Racing would fill in the rest of the podium positions, finishing 2nd and 3rd respectively.
Circuit of the Americas (COTA) is a grade 1FIA-specificationmotorsports facility located within theextraterritorial jurisdiction ofAustin, Texas. It features a 3.426-mile (5.514 km)road racing circuit. The facility is home to theFormula OneUnited States Grand Prix, and theMotorcycle Grand Prix of the Americas, a round of theFIM Road Racing World Championship. It previously hosted theSupercars Championship, theFIA World Endurance Championship, theIMSA SportsCar Championship, andIndyCar Series.
On September 30, 2020, it was announced that COTA would host aNASCAR Cup Series event for the first time on May 23, 2021.[2] The lowerXfinity andCamping World Truck Series were also added as support events.[3] On December 11, 2020, it was announced that NASCAR would run the full 3.41 mile course.[4]
*Withdrew due to a stolen truck.[5]
The first and final practice took place on Friday, May 21 at 4:05 PM EST.Zane Smith ofGMS Racing would win the pole with a 2:17.395 with an average speed of 89.348 miles per hour (143.792 km/h).
One incident would happen during practice:Brad Gross would spin with 26 minutes left in practice.[6] Gross would receive damage from the spin and would not set a lap time.
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 21 | Zane Smith | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 2:17.395 | 89.348 |
| 2 | 2 | Sheldon Creed | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 2:17.735 | 89.128 |
| 3 | 9 | Grant Enfinger | CR7 Motorsports | Chevrolet | 2:18.472 | 88.653 |
| Full final practice results | ||||||
Qualifying would take place under torrential downpour on Saturday, May 22 at 10:06 AM EST. Qualifying consisted of two rounds- the first round would be 25 minutes long, and everyone would have a chance to set a lap time. Then, the fastest 12 qualifiers would move on to the second round- a 10 minute round in which whoever set the fastest time in Round 2 won the pole. WhileKaz Grala ofYoung's Motorsports would set the fastest time in Round 1,Tyler Ankrum would win the pole, beating Grala in Round 2 with a 2:40:401 with an average speed of 76.533 miles per hour (123.168 km/h).[7]
Logan Bearden,Dawson Cram,Spencer Boyd,Samuel LeComte,John Atwell,Brad Gross, andJennifer Jo Cobb would all fail to make the event.
There were numerous incidents in qualifying. First,Chase Purdy andDerek Kraus would crash into each other, sending Kraus spinning.[8] Cobb would crash in qualifying in Turn 13, causing substantial damage to her vehicle.[9]Samuel LeComte would spin after going wide exiting turn 20, hitting the curbs and spinning.[10]Cory Roper would spin in Turn 11 after also going wide. Finally, Kraus was involved with another incident, this time withRoger Reuse.[11]
Stage 1 Laps: 12
Stage 2 Laps: 14
Stage 3 Laps: 15
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