The NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series visited the Circuit of the Americas on Saturday afternoon in the Focused Health 250. Connor Zilisch started on the pole, and Shane van Gisbergen started second.
Gisbergen took the lead on the first lap. He led the opening five before Zilisch passed him for the lead. Zilisch led 12 laps. Toward the end of the first stage, both drivers went to pit road. Austin Hill took the lead and won the first stage. The second stage was won by Sam Mayer.
In the final stage, Connor Zilisch had battled brake issues throughout the race, and he crashed with three laps to go. Zilisch finished in 21st place. Meanwhile, Shane van Gisbergen had Austin Hill right on his tail. Gisbergen led a race-high 31 of 65 laps to win by 0.78 seconds over Austin Hill. There were 16 lead changes and four cautions for 12 laps.
It was Gisbergen’s fifth series win and the first at COTA. Sammy Smith, Jesse Love, and Corey Day rounded out the top five. Brent Crews, William Sawalich, Justin Allgaier, Ross Chastain, and Brennan Poole completed the top ten.
The O’Reilly Auto Parts heads to Phoenix Raceway next Saturday, March 7, 2026, at 7:30 pm on The CW.
