Posted on by Holly Cain

WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. — Clint Bowyer was all smiles and photo-ready surrounded by fans as he walked through the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series garage at Watkins Glen International on Saturday morning.

Bowyer’s is one of the sport’s most popular drivers because of his famously outgoing personality, but also because so many truly believe he should be a postseason player in the No. 14 Five Star Urgent Care Ford once driven by his team owner, the retired three-time Cup champ Tony Stewart.

With five races remaining before the 16-driver playoff field is set, Bowyer is ranked 17th in the playoff standings, 17 points behind 16th-place Matt Kenseth. Of course, a win and Bowyer’s in.

And the 2.45-mile historic Watkins Glen road course just may be his postseason ticket.

“End of the day, I just want to win,” Bowyer said, smiling and signing autographs as he walked through the Watkins Glen garage on Saturday.

“I want to win for myself, it’s been a long time. I want to win for this team. It’s capable of winning and we’ve gotten close several times this year. It’s time.

“We’ve got to put it all together and seal the deal. That takes care of a lot problems.”

Bowyer, 38, has three runner-up showings this year, including the other Cup Series road course race at Sonoma Raceway back in June, a track where he has nine top-10 finishes in 12 starts.

And Bowyer answered his near-miss at Sonoma this summer with another runner-up finish the next week on the Daytona International Speedway high banks.

His record on the seven-turn Watkins Glen course includes only four top-10 finishes and a single lap led. But he was a consistent top-10 car in two practice sessions here on Saturday. Qualifying is scheduled for Sunday afternoon — three hours before the start of the race.

“I enjoy them,” Bowyer said of the road course stops on the schedule. “But I’m not going to lie, I’m more comfortable at Sonoma than I am here.

“This is just a fast, fast race track and you’re tip-toeing around it pretty good. You’ve just got to respect this place. You can’t hustle the car as much, especially since the re-pave, it’s slick. You can’t get too aggressive, it’ll bite you every time.”

But there’s a lot on the line this week and Bowyer’s well aware how high the stakes have become as the Sept. 9 Richmond regular season finale looms to set the playoff lineup.

Bowyer was fourth fastest in final practice for Sunday’s I Love New York 355 at The Glen. In addition to Kenseth, his closest competition for qualifying for the playoffs includes non-winners Jamie McMurray and Chase Elliott, who are 38 and 39 points up on Bowyer, respectively.

“This is a good opportunity for me and a lot of people,” Bowyer said. “But I really look at Bristol (Aug. 19), we ran second there and I think we can do better than that. And you know Richmond, I think to seal the deal, you can’t do better than that.

“We’ve gotten close. We can win. I guarantee you, we can win.”

Posted on by Reid Spencer

RELATED: Full race results | Series standings  | Playoff standings | Detailed breakdown

WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. – With a victory in Saturday’s Zippo 200, Kyle Busch continued to tick items off his bucket list.

Recovering from a wheel-hop and spin in Turn 1 on Lap 17 of 82 along with a penalty for driving through too many pit boxes, Busch claimed his first NASCAR XFINITY Series win at the 2.45-mile Watkins Glen International road course, beating polesitter Joey Logano to the finish line by 1.049 seconds.

“The cars have really been working for me here and it just feels so good to finally win an XFINITY race here,” said Busch, who won last week at Pocono for the first time in a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series car.

“We’ve been so close so many times. One of my favorite runs here was in a Zippo car (in 2008) and being in the Zippo race today that’s kind of ironic – I guess they sponsor it every year — but being with (owner) Eddie D’Hondt and the Zippo car, I remember we were really, really fast and wish we would’ve got that one.”

In winning for the fourth time this season and the 90th time in his career, Busch grabbed the lead when Brad Keselowski and Logano came to pit road together on Lap 49.

Busch gained time by staying on the track for five more laps, and by the time he exited pit road on lap 55, he was 1.2 seconds ahead of Keselowski and more than 10 seconds ahead of Logano, who had a lengthy pit stop because of a stuck lug nut.

“Pit road was pretty good for us,” Busch said. “We stayed out long on that one run, and we were able to cycle back up to the lead. It worked two weeks in a row that way. I don’t know how much longer we can do that before they figure it out, but it’s been working for us, so we’ll take it.”

Busch held the top spot the rest of the way, surviving a restart with three laps left after Casey Mears ran out of fuel and stalled on the track to bring out the fifth and final caution of the afternoon. Busch chose the inside lane for the restart to control the preferred line into Turn 1.

The restart brought Logano back near the front of the field, and on the next-to-last lap, he passed Keselowski, his Team Penske teammate, for the runner-up spot.

“Dang, I wish it was for the win and not for second,” Logano said of the battle with Keselowski. “I had such a good short run car, just in the wrong position to start that last run. I feel like, if I was second, I could have won the race. I just had a really good short-run car.

“Our long-run speed was off a bit, and that’s when the 18 (Busch) and 22 (Keselowski) would drive by us, and we were a third-place car on the long run, but probably a winning car on the short run. By the time I cleared the 22, the 18 was gone. If we had another four or five laps, (he would have drove off again). I needed a caution.”

Keselowski ran third, followed by Just Allgaier, Paul Menard and Kevin Harvick. Ty Dillon, Erik Jones, Brendan Gaughan and William Byron completed the top 10.

Following the event, Byron’s No. 9 JR Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro was found to be too low in the rear during post-race inspection.

Note: Busch has indicated he plans to “retire” from NASCAR XFINITY Series racing when he reaches 100 victories. That will take at least until 2019. According to rules being implemented for the 2018 season, Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series veterans can compete in only seven XFINITY races during the year. … The victory was the 139th in the series for Joe Gibbs Racing, breaking a tie with Roush Fenway Racing for most in XFINITY history.

 

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WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. — In 2014, Dale Earnhardt Jr. won four races and recorded 12 top fives. The following season, he made three trips to Victory Lane, posting a career-best 16 top-five finishes.

This season’s statistical spreadsheet looks different for the No. 88 Chevrolet driver in his final full-time season; one top-five finish, four top 10s and six DNFs 21 races into the season is certainly not the way Earnhardt Jr. would like his record to look heading into August’s race weekend at Watkins Glen International.

“We have just not run good this year at the majority of the races,” Earnhardt acknowledged on Saturday at Watkins Glen. “… You have good years and you have bad years. We just didn’t draw the right cards. Just a lot of circumstances have led to the performance of our car this year that you can’t really put on one thing.

“… The No. 42 (Kyle Larson) has been really strong all year,” he pointed out. “The No. 78 (Martin Truex, Jr.), they are really strong, they are in a different world, man. We want to go out and win races … it is easy to say that, but damn; we have a lot of speed to find. It isn’t like we are going to show up and drive around those (cars). We have some work to do before the end of the year if we want to feel like we can legitimately contend for a win.”

Junior Nation has seen glimmers of hope; the No. 88 driver nabbed a strong top-five finish at Texas and seemed energized for the rest of the season. At Daytona, he started on the pole and battled back after an early wreck — only to be involved in a final accident that saddled him with a 32nd-place result.

For Earnhardt, these moments are glimmers of “potential.” Glimmers that he saw turn into success in 2014 and 2015. So, he takes slight solace in the fact that they’ve seen speed at times this year — because it means there’s something there.

“I’ve had seasons where we’ve had no speed,” Earnhardt said. “We ran bad and I finished bad. But at least at times this year there’s been some glimpse of potential.”

It’s for this reason that Earnhardt doesn’t look at the team’s expectations being too high at the start of the year; he knows what they’re capable of accomplishing.

“You look at 2013, 14, 15 … that is our potential,” he said. “We have been progressing as a team for years all through that period. I expect us to be able to maintain that type of performance, and we haven’t been able to do it. I think that is what we are capable of, but for a lot of reasons we haven’t been able to put it together and have the speed we need in the cars.”

A long-awaited trip to Victory Lane could turn the No. 88 season around — even if it comes too-little-too-late, after the playoffs begin.

For instance, remember Earnhardt Jr.’s win at Martinsville in 2014? That win, which was Earnhardt’s first at a track that holds importance to both him and Hendrick Motorsports, came right after the No. 88 team was eliminated from the playoffs at Talladega Superspeedway. It didn’t help his championship chances, nor did it change what happened the week prior. But the team celebrated in Victory Lane like it was a last-chance win that locked him to the next round — because it meant something to them.

And a win, even if it doesn’t come in the playoffs this year, does wonders to affirm a team — especially one that has spent countless hours working to make Earnhardt Jr.’s scrutinized final season a memorable one.

“We have to go into every race like this is going to be the week that we get it done,” Earnhardt said. “I think that’s the only attitude you can have if you expect to take advantage of an opportunity because one might fall in your lap and we just might find what we’re looking for before the season is over. Certainly if we miss the playoffs, we’re still going to try to win a race. We’re still going to show up and try to give it everything we’ve got.

“There’s nothing worse than leaving the race track feeling like you didn’t try your best or didn’t give everything you had,” Earnhardt added. “And I certainly ain’t going to finish my last season like that and carry that with me the rest of my life. So, we’re going to work hard all the way to the very end and hopefully we have something to smile about at some point before it’s over with.”

Posted on by Reid Spencer

WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. — Like NBA superstar Stephen Curry, Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series driver Denny Hamlin is a single-digit handicapper on the golf course. In other words, he’s quite good.

And though Hamlin is preoccupied with “baby watch” this week, with long-time girlfriend Jordan Fish expecting the couple’s second child – and with Regan Smith standing by as a relief driver in case the new baby arrives before the due date on Thursday – Hamlin nevertheless had time to take note of Curry’s surprising performance in the Web.com Tour’s Ellie Mae Classic.

RELATED: Hamlin on baby watch at Watkins Glen

Curry, who was playing in the tournament proper on a sponsor exemption, shot 74-74 at TPC Stonebrae in Hayward, California, and though he missed the 36-hole cut by 11 shots, he made a strong impression across the spectrum of professional sports.

“What he did was, I think, amazing,” Hamlin told the NASCAR Wire Service. “Even scratch golfers at their home course struggle to shoot 74, and then in a competition like he was in, on a real course, real competition, that was pretty impressive. He didn’t finish last. I mean, I feel bad for those guys that he beat, because they do it every single week.

“But, it’s just fun to see guys that can cross over sports and be competitive. He still would have a ways to be truly competitive, but still he didn’t stink up the show, and I think that it was a good thing for the Web.com Tour, because normally they have nobody watching their event either in person or on TV, and I’m sure the ratings and attendance were probably through the roof.”

Posted on by Holly Cain

RELATED: Kyle Busch, Keselowski lead practices | ‘Dinger looks to deliver | Full schedule

Watkins Glen at a glance

What: I LOVE NEW YORK 355 at The Glen

Where: Watkins Glen International, 2.45-mile road course in Watkins Glen, New York

Green flag: 3:18 p.m. ET 

TV/Radio: NBCSN, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio 

Forecast: Increasing clouds with periods of showers later in the day, according to Weather.com. High of 77 degrees. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain is 40 percent. 

National anthem: Lou Gramm

Race distance: 90 laps, 220.5 miles 

Pit road speed: 40 mph 

Caution car speed: 45 mph

Stage lengths: Stage 1 ends on Lap 20. Stage 2 ends on Lap 40. Final stage is scheduled to end on Lap 90.

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WATKINS GLEN: Full schedule | Paint schemes | Race preview | Top 10 moments

WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. — Jimmie Johnson and Kyle Larson have been something to watch this season.

The two have battled on track throughout the year, from the All-Star Race to Johnson’s win at Dover International Speedway and most recently at Indianapolis Motor Speedway when Johnson ran down to the apron to block Larson’s No. 42 Chevrolet from passing him.

“He hates us. Forty-eight can’t handle it,” Larson said via in-car radio after Johnson’s block.

But for the seven-time Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion, who called racing with Larson “a blast,” there’s nothing personal with Larson; it’s just racing.

“I just race people how they race me and it doesn’t matter if it’s Kyle Larson, Martin Truex, Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart — it doesn’t matter,” Johnson said Saturday at Watkins Glen International. “There’s that environment on the track. Through the course of the year, it’s been intense with the 42 at times, so I’ve been able to race him back the same way.

“… The game has changed and I have had nothing personal toward Kyle, I don’t think he’s had anything personal toward me,” he continued. “You just get in that environment of racing people how they race you and then certain scenarios exist where you need to fight for that position for whatever reason and it is what it is.”

MORE: Watch recent block attempt

The Hendrick Motorsports driver also attributed much of the hard racing this season as a product of stage racing, which has produced a sense of urgency throughout the race to obtain playoff points.

“It’s not singled out to just Kyle; in stage racing today, we have to block and maintain and hold position more than ever,” Johnson said. “And to see the extent that some drivers have gone through — even myself — to hold track position, I said it after Indy, Mark Martin would have a heart attack if he was racing this year … I think NASCAR should be happy they’ve created a more intense environment because that’s really what it is.”

The intense dynamic between an established veteran driver like Johnson, 41, and a young, up-and-coming talent like 25-year-old Larson has been interesting, especially with the influx of young drivers making a splash this season. It brings up talk of “veteran vs. young star,” “seven-time champion versus potential future champion.”

But Johnson doesn’t look at it that way.

“For me, especially with Kyle, I don’t see him as a young guy coming in; I just see him as a fast driver, fast car,” Johnson said. “My head doesn’t go there … The racing again just has changed out there. Spotters have a huge role in today’s racing, telling you exactly where the guy is behind you so you can cut the air off their car, make it more difficult for them. So, there’s just a lot of little things that drive the intensity and frustration up when you’re in a faster vehicle trying to overtake someone.

“For me personally, I don’t see somebody’s experience when I’m staring at their car. It’s really about that moment and how somebody has raced you also comes into play. We’re like elephants out there. We kind of remember things that people might forget otherwise. But, it’s really just a racing thing.

“And Kyle is an amazing talent. He’s going to win many more races and without a doubt, win championships. So, I’m happy to have those heated competitions with drivers out there, including Kyle.”

Posted on by Holly Cain

RELATED: ‘We expect Kurt Busch back’ in 2018, says SHR | Harvick on Busch’s future

WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. — Kurt Busch said Saturday he was optimistic about his future in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series despite his current team, Stewart-Haas Racing, not picking up an option on his contract for 2018 earlier this week.

The 2004 Cup champion sounded optimistic that things would fall in place. He said Saturday he had already received offers to consider, even if he’s not ready yet to formalize anything.

“I don’t think there’s much to worry about,” Busch told NASCAR.com after surveying some damage to the right front of his No. 41 Ford following opening practice at the Watkins Glen International road course. “The way the option came up, they didn’t choose it, so it actually gives me a lot of options. I’m optimistic about how the communications will go with all the situations. …with Ford, with Monster and with other teams.”

Busch did concede he was somewhat surprised to find himself in this situation only six months after hoisting the sport’s biggest trophy — but remains resolute he will find a good place to work next year.

His resume boasts 29 Monster Energy Series race wins – including the Daytona 500 in February. He’s had three top-five championship finishes including his title and has qualified for the playoffs seven of the last eight years (and his Daytona 500 win has him in position to extend that to eight of out nine seasons).

“I just feel like everything will fall into place so there’s really not much to worry about,” Busch said, adding, “It’s a unique situation for our sport, though, to have a Daytona 500 champion — who delivers eight figures in sponsorship money — in a free agency situation.”

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RESULTS: Practice 1 | Practice 2
WATKINS GLEN: Full schedule | Paint schemes | Race preview | Top 10 moments

Brad Keselowski topped the leaderboard in Saturday’s final Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice at Watkins Glen International at 125.880 mph in the No. 2 Team Penske Ford.

Right behind him was Kurt Busch in the No. 41 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford at 125.862 mph.

Rounding out the top five were series points leader Martin Truex Jr.in the No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Toyota (125.598 mph), Clint Bowyer in the No. 14 SHR Ford (125.387 mph) and Denny Hamlin in the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota (125.281 mph).

Road course ace Boris Said, making his final planned Monster Energy Series start, got loose and wrecked early in the session and is expected to go to a backup No. 33 Chevrolet.

Coors Light Pole Qualifying is next on the slate for the Monster Energy Series, coming Sunday at 12:05 p.m. ET (NBCSN) before the green flag waves for the I LOVE NEW YORK 355 at The Glen at 3 p.m. ET  (NBCSN).

PRACTICE 1 RECAP

Kyle Busch topped the leaderboard in Saturday’s first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice at Watkins Glen International at 125.516 mph in the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota.

Busch, who won last week at Pocono Raceway for the first time in 2017, is the only active driver with multiple wins at The Glen.

Right behind him was series points leader Martin Truex Jr. in the No.  78 Furniture Row Racing Toyota at 124.797 mph.

MORE: Series standings | Playoff bubble | Winless drivers to watch

Rounding out the top five were defending race winner Denny Hamlin in the No. 11 JGR Toyota (124.546 mph), Jamie McMurray in the No. 1 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet (124.525 mph) and rookie Erik Jones in the No. 77 FRR Toyota (124.467 mph).

Several drivers spun in the session — including Jimmie Johnson, Kurt Busch, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Danica Patrick.

Corey LaJoie incurred the worst damage with a spin, putting his No. 23 BK Racing Toyota in the wall. The team indicated on Twitter, however, that the damage is fixable.

Several drivers will have practice holds for  final practice at 12:30 p.m. ET (on NBCSN). The No. 13 Germain Racing Chevrolet of Ty Dillon, the No. 31 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet of Ryan Newman, the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet of Johnson and the No. 72 TriStar Motorsports Chevrolet of Cole Whitt will each serve a 15-minute hold for failing qualifying/pre-race inspection twice last weekend at Pocono.

The No. 42 CGR Chevrolet of Kyle Larson will serve a 30-minute hold for final practice for burn out on pit road after the lug nut inspection. The No. 10 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford of Danica Patrick, the No. 18 JGR Toyota of Kyle Busch, the No. 37 JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet of Chris Buescher and the No. 77 FRR Toyota of  Jones will have 30-minute practice holds for failing qualifying/pre-race inspection three times last weekend at Pocono Raceway.

Posted on by Holly Cain

RELATED: Watkins Glen schedule

WATKINS GLEN, N. Y. — AJ Allmendinger was in high demand among the media at Watkins Glen International on Friday. And the track’s 2014 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race winner was absolutely ready to oblige the interviews — eager to talk about his chances to get his No. 47 Kroger’s Chevrolet in Victory Lane and into the playoffs.

Actually, just hoisting a trophy again at this historic and scenic 2.45-mile track among the New York hills would feel awfully good for Allmendinger, who is currently 27th in the Cup standings.

Every time he comes to this venue, Allmendinger, 35, is a favorite. And he’s earned the designation.

“It has such great memories for me and every time I drive in through the tunnel those memories come back up a little bit,” Allmendinger said. “There’s a lot of pressure on the weekend from the outside world, there’s a lot of pressure on myself.

“I try not to get too excited for it,” he said allowing a smile. “I’m trying to learn how to keep those emotions a little more even-keeled. I do know if we go out there and I’m at my best and the team is at their best together we have an opportunity to win this race and that’s all you can ask for.”

The former open-wheel star-turned NASCAR fan favorite has five top-10 finishes in eight starts at The Glen. He won in 2014 and finished fourth last year.

RELATED: Allmendinger’s Watkins Glen statistics

His ability to shine on a road course has not only made him a perennial favorite at NASCAR’s two road-course shows (also Sonoma) but it’s made him a popular guy in the garage. His competitors stop by to chat and, quite predictably, to get his take on the best way to handle a corner or set up a car.

“I haven’t had Martin Truex and Kyle Busch come and ask me a lot of questions, they’re pretty good around here,” Allmendinger said with a laugh. “There’s little tricks you’ll always keep to yourself but there’s guys like Jeff Gordon, Mark Martin, Jimmie Johnson and Tony Stewart who, when I had questions, they’d answer me straight up no matter what type of race track I was on.

“That meant a lot to me and I’m the same way with other drivers that ask me questions, especially on the road courses.

“You’ve got to believe in yourself, not feel like you have to hide something. I believe in myself that when I’m at my best, when we’re at our best, we have the opportunity to dominate, to win the race.”

RELATED: Winless drivers in 2017 who could win at Watkins Glen

Allmendinger acknowledged Sunday’s “I Love New York 355 at The Glen” (3 p.m. ET, NBCSN, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) may feel different from past years. Qualifying for the Cup race is only three hours before the green flag. There are two short practices Saturday.

“I really like the two-day schedule … but it makes practice and unloading your race car with a good set-up right away so much more important,” Allmendinger said. “With only two short practices, if you unload better it really separates the good cars from the bad cars. Qualifying? I like it, especially if you have a good qualifying.

“But I think I can make passes, no matter where.”

It’s a cool confidence and optimism he deserves to have. His story line and opportunity at Watkins Glen make him a trophy consideration every time NASCAR arrives at the legendary track.

“I don’t know if it’ll be the quickest car but … I do know that no matter what, if we put our best effort forward we can be inside the top-five and that’s all you can ask for is to be in the top-five late in this race,” Allmendinger said.

“Anything can happen. We’ve seen that in last couple years. You just have to put yourself in that position. I believe in my team and I believe in myself. Just the effort my guys have put in, that [team owners] Tad and Jodi [Geschickter] do for us and Kroger. It’s inspiring. I want to put it on my shoulders and carry Kroger and all my guys into victory lane.”