Good news, bad news for NASCAR Cup teams ahead of Sunday’s race at COTA

NASCAR heads to Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, for the first road course race of the season.

This starts a stretch of three consecutive races that teams will use the new short track/road course package that debuted at Phoenix.

Here’s a look at where things stand for each Cup organization heading into the sixth race of the season:

23XI Racing — Good news: Tyler Reddick is the defending winner at Circuit of the Americas. Kamui Kobayashi returns to make his second career Cup start this weekend. Bad news: Bubba Wallace’s best finish at COTA is 37th.

Front Row Motorsports — Good news: Todd Gilliland finished 10th at COTA last year. Michael McDowell’s most recent win was at the Indianapolis road course last year. McDowell is tied with Joey Logano for best average starting position (6.2) through the first five races of the season. Bad news: Gilliland has one top-20 finish this year.

Hendrick Motorsports — Good news: William Byron has finished first (Watkins Glen) or second (Charlotte Roval) in the two most recent road course races. Chase Elliott’s eighth-place finish at Bristol was his first top 10 in his last nine starts, dating back to last year’s ninth-place finish at the Charlotte Roval. Alex Bowman has placed in the top 10 in all three COTA races. Bad news: Elliott, who has seven career road course wins, is winless in his last 14 starts at road courses.

Joe Gibbs Racing — Good news: The organization has won the past two Cup races with Christopher Bell at Phoenix and Denny Hamlin at Bristol. The team’s four drivers have combined to lead 75% of the laps run in the last two races. Also, Ty Gibbs won the first two stages of his Cup career last weekend at Bristol. Bad news: In three Cup races at COTA, Joe Gibbs Racing has not won and has only one top-five finish — a third-place finish by Bell in 2022.

Sunday’s race at the half-mile track delivered tire wear and intrigue.

JTG Daugherty Racing — Good news: Ricky Stenhouse Jr. placed seventh at COTA last year. Bad news: Stenhouse has one top-10 finish in 36 career Cup road course races.

Kaulig Racing — Good news: AJ Allmendinger is in the No. 13 this weekend and Shane van Gisbergen is in the No. 16, joining Daniel Hemric, who is driving the No. 31, in a three-car effort. Allmendinger won last fall’s Charlotte Roval race, the most recent Cup road course event. In two career Cup starts, van Gisbergen has a win (Chicago Street Race) and a 10th-place finish (Indianapolis road course). Bad news: The organization has only one top-10 finish this year, a sixth-place run…