Circuit of The Americas, the Austin track that packs in more than 400,000 fans for Formula 1 weekends, is planning a second, much smaller circuit nearby built for everyday local car and motorcycle groups rather than global racing royalty. The project is still awaiting final city sign-off, but track officials say planning is already well underway.
COTA has long been the home of the United States Grand Prix, hosting F1, MotoGP and the World Endurance Championship since opening in 2012 as America's first purpose-built F1 track, according to The Athletic. But that scale comes with a price tag that puts the main circuit out of reach for smaller, local racing clubs — the exact gap the new track is meant to fill. The new facility would host smaller domestic car and motorcycle events and would likely meet FIA Grade 3 standards, a notch below the Grade 1 certification required for Formula 1.
Paris Mullins, COTA's senior vice-president of motorsports, told the outlet the goal is to give local groups a track they can actually afford to use. Mullins said the planned facility will suit local motorsport groups and let them access it at a much lower price point than the main circuit allows.
Land Already in Hand, Layout Still Taking Shape
COTA already owns a sizable stretch of land northeast of its existing circuit, where the new track would be built as a sister layout to the main course. Per the same account, officials are very far along in the planning phase, including early work on the second track's layout, though specifics of that design remain limited.
What has emerged so far suggests a tighter, more technical track than the sprawling 20-turn main circuit. The new layout could feature elements not present at COTA, such as a banked corner and tighter, technical chicanes, offering local drivers a different kind of challenge than the Grand Prix course.
Despite the progress, the project still needs final approval from the city, and there's no firm timeline for when it would be ready to host its first events. Construction has not yet begun.
A Circuit Built for Growth Since 2012
The expansion plan comes as COTA's footprint keeps growing well beyond racing. The facility hosts concerts by artists such as Taylor Swift and the Rolling Stones alongside its own theme park, COTALand, the report notes. Bobby Epstein, the track's chairman and co-founder, has steered that growth since the circuit's earliest days — according to Circuit of The Americas, he bought additional land on designer Hermann Tilke's advice specifically to create the circuit's now-iconic Turn 1 corner.
COTA's pull as a motorsport destination keeps expanding too. As reported by Motorsport.com, the venue already hosts F1, MotoGP and the World Endurance Championship and plans to add Formula E starting in 2027, on top of a Formula 1 deal that now runs through 2034. Formula1.com notes that F1 first raced at COTA in 2012, marking the series' return to the U.S. for the first time since the 2007 race at Indianapolis.
Race weekend attendance for this year's United States Grand Prix was expected to top 400,000 fans once again, and Motorsport.com reports that F1 weekend crowds at COTA have reached as high as 440,000 spectators in total. Those numbers underscore why the main circuit's big events price out smaller local racing communities — and why COTA sees room for a second, humbler track built just for them.
