Throughout the 2024 NASCAR season, Ken Martin, director of historical content for the sanctioning body, will offer his suggestions on which historical races fans should watch from the NASCAR Classics library in preparation for each upcoming race weekend.
Martin has worked exclusively for NASCAR since 2008 but has been involved with the sport since 1982, overseeing various projects. He has worked in the broadcast booth for hundreds of races, assisting the broadcast team with different tasks. This includes calculating the “points as they run” for the historic 1992 finale, the Hooters 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
The following suggestions are Ken’s picks to watch before Sunday’s Go Bowling at The Glen at Watkins Glen International (3 p.m. ET, USA, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, NBC Sports App).
1986 Budweiser at The Glen:
Watkins Glen International appeared on the Cup Series schedule for the first time in 1957 as Buck Baker won the race from the pole position.
The series returned there for races in 1964 and 1965 before disappearing from the schedule until its impending return in 1986.
The anticipation for a second road-course race on the schedule was high as it joined Riverside International Raceway’s two races on the schedule.
Tim Richmond and his No. 25 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet looked like the driver to beat as the summer months rolled in.
He sat 10th in the standings after engine issues pushed Richmond to a disappointing 32nd-place result at Dover Motor Speedway. He followed that up with back-to-back runner-up finishes at Charlotte Motor Speedway and Riverside before really igniting.
Richmond won at Pocono Raceway, Daytona International Speedway and Pocono over the next four races. He added a second-place finish the week before Watkins Glen at Talladega Superspeedway, a race that featured a surprise winner in Bobby Hillin Jr.
The excitement from the crowd could be felt for miles. Literally.
Richmond led the field to the green flag in front of over an eye-popping 88,000 fans. He didn’t immediately check out though as he needed to switch ignitions and fell back into the field.
Many top drivers experienced issues, taking their chance at victory away.
Rusty Wallace had two separate issues after leading the race as he was black flagged for his smoking car and later blew a tire and spun. Chemung, New York’s Geoff Bodine, another contender and Richmond’s teammate, was at the front of the field but also had engine issues, which ultimately took his chance at victory away at his home track.
This set up Richmond to be able to capitalize off of these issues and drive past Darrell Waltrip for the victory. Richmond led a race-high 29 laps en route to his fourth win over the previous six races.
2006 AMD at The Glen:
It seemed like every time the Cup Series raced at Watkins Glen, it was more of the same result.
Mark Martin, Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart dominated the series at the track from 1993 to 2005, and all three looked poised to continue their dominance. The trio won 10 of the previous 13 races at the track.
Martin won three consecutive races from 1993-95, but his success didn’t stop there. His previous 10 races at the track saw Martin grab 10 top-10 finishes, including four top-three finishes. His worst finish at the track over that span was a 15th-place finish (2001).
Gordon cemented himself as the series road-course ace with success at both Watkins Glen and Sonoma Raceway. Gordon won at The Glen in 1997, 1998, 1999 and 2001.
Stewart piggybacked off Gordon’s reign at the track with his first win in 2002. He also won there in 2004 and 2005, entering the race weekend in 2006 as the defending winner.
The field was full of road-course talent. In addition to the three drivers, Scott Pruett, Boris Said, Ron Fellows, Brian Simo and Marc Goossens made cameos in the field. This was in addition to other skilled Cup Series drivers, including Robby Gordon, who won at the track in 2003.
Kurt Busch backed up his pole-winning run with a victory in the Xfinity Series race the previous day. He looked in full control of the race until a late caution came out for a spin involving Joe Nemechek.
Busch’s next battle came with the red light at the entrance of pit road as he was penalized by NASCAR and sent to the longest line for a pit violation.
This set up a battle for victory between Kevin Harvick and Stewart, the former who was looking for his first career road-course victory.
Harvick passed Stewart with three laps remaining and held on to take his No. 29 Chevrolet to Victory Lane for the second time in 2006.
Stewart came home second, followed by Jamie McMurray, Robby Gordon and Carl Edwards.
Pruett was the strongest of the road-course ringers, bringing his Chip Ganassi-owned No. 40 Dodge to a sixth-place finish. Said and Fellows finished 31st and 32nd, respectively.
Busch’s strong run resulted in a 19th-place finish, despite leading a race-high 28 circuits.
The race marked the final start for Martin in the No. 6 Ford at Watkins Glen, one of the most iconic combinations in the track’s history. Martin finished 20th.
2012 Finger Lakes 355 at The Glen:
The Cup Series arrived at the twists and turns of Watkins Glen in August of 2012 with a handful of drivers in an intense battle for the series points lead.
Little did anyone know that wouldn’t even come close to the most intense battle of the weekend.
Jeff Gordon captured the victory in a rain-shortened event at Pocono the previous weekend, giving the driver a bright spot in a somewhat disappointing season. He sat a surprising 13th in the season standings as the series headed to The Glen.
The battle at the top of the standings saw Dale Earnhardt Jr. with a five-point advantage over Matt Kenseth. Greg Biffle and Jimmie Johnson sat third and fourth in the standings, just six and eight points behind Earnhardt Jr. Martin Truex Jr, who sat fifth, and six other drivers were within 65 points of the leader.
With the series ready to take on Watkins Glen, the excitement was already high before the green flag even waved.
Marcos Ambrose was the defending winner of the race, as it was the first victory of his Cup Series career. He qualified fifth with hopes of defending his race win.
Another road-course ace, 2010 Watkins Glen winner Juan Pablo Montoya, qualified his No. 42 Chevy on the pole for the race with Kyle Busch right alongside him in second.
The second row was made up of Johnson and Brad Keselowski.
The race was rather tame for Watkins Glen standards, featuring four cautions. The first came from an incident involving Jamie McMurray. Denny Hamlin and Jason Leffler each later brought out the caution for mechanical issues. The final caution of the day came for an incident involving Tony Stewart, setting up a 16-lap battle for the win.
That battle for the victory turned out to be an instant classic.
Busch, who was leading the race on the final lap, was affected by oil on the track before contact from Keselowski sent Busch spinning. This set up an unforgettable battle between Keselowski and Ambrose as both drivers traded the lead while racing on the track and through the grass.
Ambrose came out on top, with Keselowski, Johnson, Clint Bowyer and Sam Hornish Jr. rounding out the top five.
Johnson’s third-place finish moved him to the top of the season standings with a one-point lead over Biffle.
Kenseth sat third, two points behind, and Earnhardt Jr. left the track fourth in points. He sat 17 points behind his teammate Johnson after a 28th-place finish.