Go Bowling at The Glen at Watkins Glen International
(⏰ Sunday, 3 p.m. ET | 📺 USA, NBC Sports App | 📻 MRN, SiriusXM)
Everything you need to know for Sunday's NASCAR Cup Series race at Watkins Glen, the 25th points-paying race of the 2023 Cup Series campaign.
Weekend schedule | TV schedule | Weather tracker | Watkins Glen 101
📍 Location: Watkins Glen, New York 📐 Track length: 2.45 miles 🎟️ Buy tickets: Find weekend passes, seats for the race 💰 Cup Series race purse: $7,154,312 📏 Race distance: 90 laps | 220.5 miles 🔢 Stages: 20 | 40 | 90 -- 🚪 Entry list: Cup Series drivers entered 📋 Starting lineup: Hamlin starts at the front 🚗 Pit stall assignments: Full grid for Sunday's race 🏆 Most recent winner: Kyle Larson, summer 2022 Key things to watch 🔑 Saturday’s sessions Joe Gibbs Racing's Denny Hamlin took a milestone 40th career NASCAR Cup Series pole at Watkins Glen International. Hamlin edged out Hendrick Motorsports' William Byron and last Sunday's winner at the Indianapolis Road Course, Michael McDowell, as the No. 34 team looks to score back-to-back road-course wins. Ty Gibbs and Kyle Larson round out the top five for Sunday's Go Bowling at The Glen (3 p.m. ET, USA, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, NBC Sports App). | Read the full practice, qualifying recap Big story line Can Michael McDowell win back-to-back races? McDowell heads to the road course in Upstate New York after a dominant performance at the Brickyard in a statement win. The Front Row Motorsports driver led 54 of 82 laps and held off Hendrick Motorsports' Chase Elliott in the final laps to visit Indianapolis Victory Lane and punch his ticket to the playoffs. To put McDowell's strong road-course racing record into a greater perspective, he currently leads all active Cup Series drivers in points scored on road courses this year with a total of 171 points. The next closest is Kyle Larson, who has scored 35 fewer points than McDowell on road courses. Another strong showing on Sunday at Watkins Glen for the No. 34 Ford is a high possibility. McDowell has seven top-10 finishes in the last nine road-course races and finished sixth at The Glen last year. Building off the momentum from Indy, McDowell, crew chief Travis Peterson and Front Row will look to show the Cup Series garage the team's performance at the Indianapolis Road Course was not a one-off show as they look to compete for another win at Watkins Glen. | Inside the Race: McDowell McDominates at Indy History tells us... Chase Elliott can punch his ticket to the Cup Series Playoffs with another Watkins Glen win. Entering the Watkins Glen race weekend 80 points below the elimination line, Elliott's only hope of making the postseason is winning on Sunday or taking his chances at the regular-season finale at Daytona. Given the unpredictable nature of superspeedway racing, Watkins Glen could be the No. 9 team's last chance to compete for a championship in 2023. However, with their backs against the wall, there is no better driver to go to battle with everything on the line than Elliott. In the last four races at Watkins Glen, the Hendrick Motorsports driver has finished no worse than fourth place, which includes two wins in 2018 and 2019. Elliott's seven road course victories are the most among active Cup Series drivers. Road-course win No. 8 and his third at The Glen on Sunday would have greater implications in a challenging season of playing catch-up that has been impacted by injury and a one-race suspension after Charlotte. | Preview Show: Playoff crunch time at Watkins Glen International He may not be the betting favorite to win, but watch out for... Christopher Bell. In his fourth full season in the Cup Series, Bell has shown plenty of speed on the road courses. He got his first career win in NASCAR's premier series at the Daytona Road Course in 2021. The driver of the N0. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota also picked up another road-course win last year, in a stylish walk-off win at Charlotte to advance to the Round of 8 in the playoffs. Bell comes to The Glen with 10-1 odds of winning the race. In his only two career Cup starts at Watkins Glen, he finished seventh (2021) and eighth (2022), respectively. Given Toyota's improvement on road courses this year and the flashy speed Bell has shown in previous road races, look for him to potentially contend for his second win of 2023. | Relive last year's finish at Watkins Glen Talkin' Trophies 🔍 In this installment of 'Talkin' Trophies', we learn about the unique Corning trophy from Watkins Glen International. [ndmsvideo vid="403762" play="false"] Familiar favorites ⭐️ Our biggest pieces of the week -- get covered for race day from all angles. • At-track photos: Scroll through gallery • Bubble Watch: In-depth look at the playoff picture as regular season winds down | Get the scoop • Paint Scheme Preview: See the schemes for Watkins Glen | Pick a favorite • Power Rankings: Michael McDowell moves up four spots as he seeks his second consecutive Cup Series win | Latest driver rankings • Stacking Pennies: Corey LaJoie chats with Justin Haley about his 2024 move to Rick Ware Racing and more | Listen to the podcast 💎 NASCAR 75: Learn more about the history of the sport, from pioneers to current stars | Visit NASCAR 75 hub