TA2 Pole Winner Tyler Gonzalez Making O'Reilly Auto Parts Debut at COTA

Hettinger Racing has tabbed former CUBE 3 Architecture TA2 Series pole-sitter Tyler Gonzalez to make his NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series debut at Circuit of The Americas this weekend.

Gonzalez brings an extensive track record in road racing to the event, contested on a 2.4-mile, 20-turn layout at the Austin, Texas facility. Currently, Gonzalez competes full-time in SRO Pirelli GT4 American and IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge's Touring Car class.

Previously, Gonzalez competed at Circuit of The Americas in TA2, as well as Mazda MX-5 Cup, Toyota GR Cup and GT4 America. He was part of a winning team with Gresham Wagner in a three-hour Pirelli GT4 America event at COTA last year.

“Tyler brings a lot of road-racing experience to our team. He’s won championships, he’s won at COTA and he’s shown that he can handle cars similar to what he’ll be racing this weekend,” said team owner Chris Hettinger. “Our job is to give him a strong No. 5 Victory Custom Trailers Ford Mustang so he can showcase his talent here in the O’Reilly Series.”

“I’ve had the chance to race at COTA in a few different series, and winning there in GT4 last year was a big moment for me. But this is a different challenge,” Gonzalez said. “The O’Reilly Series demands a lot. It’s filled with really good drivers on really good teams. There’s a lot of depth. My goal is to learn and execute in practice and in qualifying and all the way through the race. I’m grateful to Chris and everyone at Hettinger Racing and Ford for this opportunity.”

Gonzalez particularly noted the similarity between the CUBE 3 Architecture TA2 cars and the stock car he will pilot on Saturday. The St. Cloud, Florida native boasts five podium finishes in eight career TA2 starts, including runner-up finishes at Sebring International Raceway and Road Atlanta.

In 2025, Gonzalez claimed the TA2 pole at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park, finishing third behind championship contenders Tristan McKee and Sam Corry.

“TA2 cars are probably the closest thing to a stock car, so the time I spent there is going to be really helpful,” Gonzalez said. “The series had big fields and the cars are pretty evenly matched, so it forced you to refine your racecraft in terms of knowing when to be aggressive, when to be patient and how to position yourself in traffic. All of that will come into play this weekend at COTA.”

The Focused Health 250 goes green on Saturday at 2 p.m. CST/3 p.m. EST with live, flag-to-flag coverage provided by The CW and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

-Photo credit: True Speed PR