The NASCAR Cup Series will resume with its first road race of the season on Sunday (March 26) at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, with the 2023 EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix.
The race will begin at 3:30 p.m. ET and will consist of 68 laps on the 20-turn, 3.426-mile road track.
Hendrick Motorsports has had a difficult week, with three of its teams punished for failing inspection following the Phoenix race and Chase Elliott unavailable for many weeks due to a snowboarding accident.
It's always fun to see what NASCAR purses are on a major weekend. The earnings for the NASCAR Cup Series, Xfinity Series, and Trucks Series are going to be somewhat spectacular. We get a glimpse at what they'll be doing at the Circuit of the Americas this weekend.
Many global stars have joined the Cup Series lineup for this weekend's race at the Circuit of the Americas. Who will walk away with the big bucks? We'll have to wait and see who receives the checkered flag. It's going to be a great weekend for the NASCAR championships.
NASCAR driver Josh Williams has been suspended for parking on the racetrack
Xfinity Series driver Josh Williams got himself into a pickle. Following a collision, his crew attempted to fix his car with racing-grade duct tape known as a bear bond, but once he returned to the track, the tape on his car began to break off. Race organizers deemed it a safety risk and forced him to park his car.
Nevertheless, instead of parking in the garage, he drove a different route and stopped on the start/finish line before walking off the track. NASCAR didn't agree with that choice, so they suspended him.
Williams will only be penalized for one race, which means he will be unable to compete in Saturday's Pit Boss 250 at the Circuit of the Americas. That's hardly the worst punishment he could have gotten, but as a driver for a small team that isn't exactly flush with huge sponsor cash, it's also not exactly a slap on the wrist.
When confronted by a reporter after exiting the track, Williams remarked:
"What are they going to do, fine me?" I simply cannot afford to pay it."
Even if he had been punished, he would have been fined owing to teammate driver Denny Hamlin, who offered to pay any prospective penalties. The authorities forced Williams to wait in the trailer for the rest of the race, where he likely received a tough lesson.