The Low Tier – COTA
Joey Hand – Out of all the road course ringers being brought in to race at COTA, nobody will draw as much attention as Joey Hand who’ll be piloting the #15 of Rick Ware Racing. That said, the day of road course ringers is over, and I’m not expecting much out of him. Last year when Hand raced at the Charlotte Roval, he was extremely uncompetitive. That afternoon he finished 27th and had a 28.9 average running position.
Kaz Grala – The Money Team is returning to action at COTA and Tony Eury Jr. will be calling the shots for the #50 team. In the Daytona 500, this team looked unprepared, and at COTA, I’m guessing the circumstance likely won’t be any better. I’m sure part of the reason The Money Team is choosing to make its return here is that Grala ran well last year at COTA in the Truck series. In 2021 in the Truck series here, Grala finished 2nd, had a 3rd place average running position and led 11 laps. In the Cup series, Grala has one road course start under his belt. Back in 2020 at the Daytona Road Course when Austin Dillon was sidelined, Grala drove the #3 and that afternoon he finished 7th. Take note, Grala’s average running position was 18th, so that result isn’t the real deal. At COTA, I would view Grala as a high-twenties driver who’ll need the help of attrition to finish better.
Andy Lally – At COTA, Andy Lally will be making his 2022 debut, and just his second Cup start since the 2011 season driving the #78. Take note, this is BJ McLeod’s car, so don’t expect anything good to happen. Last year, Lally made his Cup return at the Indy Road Course also in the #78 and that afternoon he finished 39th after getting sidelined early due to a rear gear problem.
Josh Bilicki – At COTA, it’s hard to see Joey Gase being anything other than a 30th place driver. Last year at COTA, Bilicki finished 30th and had a 29.7 average running position. This year in the two races he competed at that weren’t super high attrition events, Bilicki had results of 29th (Las Vegas) and 30th (Auto Club). In 2021, Bilicki competed in all 7 road course races and for the season his average finish was 28.1.
Cody Ware – Road course racing was pretty brutal to Cody Ware last year, so I would avoid him. Last year on this track type, Ware finished 25th at the Daytona Road Course, but then over the other five races he competed he finished 31st or worse. Over his 6 combined races his average finish was 33rd. Last year at COTA, Ware finished 32nd and had a 27.9 average running position.
Loris Hezemans – At COTA, Loris Hezemans will be driving the #27. This is a brand-new team for 2022 and they made their official debut in the Daytona 500 where Jacques Villeneuve finished 21st in the Daytona 500. This will be a “watch and learn race” because Hezemans will be competing in all six road course races this year. Last year in the Xfinity series, Hezemans drove at the Charlotte Roval and that afternoon he finished 35th after having electrical problems. I’m going to guess, this team will have a short afternoon on Sunday.
Boris Said – Boris Said has been a popular road course ringer over the last 20 years, but I wouldn’t touch him this weekend. At COTA, he’ll be piloting the #66 of Motorsports Business Management, and you really can’t do any worse than that despite having a renowned road course racing resume.
Make sure you read the full spectrum of our COTA Fantasy NASCAR Rankings
Top Tier Elite Picks > Front Runner Rankings > Mid Pack Predictions > The Low Tier
