PAITYN FEYEN Claims First Top-20 After Stunning Recovery Drive at COTA

May 1, 2025

• PAITYN FEYEN delivered her breakthrough weekend at COTA, turning a drive-through penalty disaster into her first top-20 finish through pure grit and racecraft. The 16-year-old Shift Up Now Foundation grantee gained six positions off the start, served her penalty, then clawed back from P27 to P20 with confident passing moves that showed she’s finally finding her rhythm in the competitive Toyota GR Cup field.
• The Nitro Motorsports driver showed clear progression throughout the weekend, finding over a second in qualifying improvements and demonstrating the kind of consistent pace that separates weekend warriors from real competitors. Her Race 1 recovery drive was textbook—she kept her head down, used traffic smartly, and capitalized on every opportunity when the safety car gave her a shot to fight back through the pack.
• While Race 2 ended in disappointment with a gravel trap excursion and contact from Wood that resulted in a DNF, FEYEN’s attitude remains exactly where it needs to be. She’s taking the wins from a learning weekend and heading to Sebring with momentum, having proven she can run competitive lap times and make clean passes when it matters—the foundation every rookie needs to build on.

circuit of the americas, nitro motorsports, sro north america, toyota gr cup