Tyler Gonzalez, a standout road racer in the sportscar world, is set to make his NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series debut this weekend, driving the No. 5 Hettinger Racing Ford Mustang at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, TX.
Gonzalez will carry primary sponsorship from Victory Custom Trailers in the event.
The 21-year-old driver was the inaugural Toyota GR Cup champion in 2023, and he finished second in the 2025 Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup championship standings. Gonzalez’s road racing pedigree has the Hettinger Racing team feeling confident heading into the weekend.
“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.”
Gonzalez has a great understanding of the venue of this weekend’s NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series event, as he has competed at the facility in the Mazda MX-5 Cup, Toyota GR Cup, and GT4 America Series, where he won at COTA in a three-hour race last April.
“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.”
Additionally, Gonzalez feels confident in his abilities to acclimate to the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series car due to his experience in Trans Am’s CUBE 3 Architecture TA2 Series, as that car is widely regarded as the closest representative to a NASCAR stock car.
“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.”
Gonzalez will get his first on-track activity behind the wheel of the No. 5 Ford with practice on Friday, February 27, which begins at 5:00 PM ET, and will be followed by qualifying at 6:05 PM ET. The Focused Health 250 at Circuit of the Americas is scheduled for Saturday, February 28, and will be televised on The CW with television coverage set to begin at 3:00 PM ET.
