Tony Stewart posts best qualifying run of 2015

Posted on August 8, 2015 by Nascar

WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. — Three-time premier series champion Tony Stewart will start third in Sunday’s Cheez-It 355 at The Glen (2 p.m. ET, NBCSN, MRN, SiriusXM) following his best qualifying effort of the season.

Stewart (127.410 mph) trailed only pole winner and defending race winner AJ Allmendinger (127.839) and Martin Truex Jr. (127.569) following Coors Light Pole Qualifying here at Watkins Glen International on Saturday.

“That was all I had,” Stewart, 44, said. “I’m very content with that. Three good weeks of qualifying, that really makes me happy to do it at three different tracks with three different (rules) packages. This is an awesome way to start the weekend for sure.”

Sitting 25th in points, Stewart needs a victory within the next five races to earn one of the 16 positions in this year’s Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.

Sunday’s race will mark his first start at the 2.45-mile road course since 2012. A five-time winner here, Stewart suffered a broken leg in a sprint car accident in Iowa less than a week before the 2013 Watkins Glen race. The injury forced him out for the final 15 races of the season.

Last year, Stewart was involved in a sprint car accident on the eve of the Watkins Glen event. Driver Kevin Ward Jr. was killed when he was struck by Stewart’s car. Stewart sat out for three races before he eventually returned to complete the season.

On Friday, Ward’s family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the Stewart-Haas Racing co-owner/driver. SHR officials have not issued an official comment regarding the suit.

Greg Zipadelli, competition director for SHR and Stewart’s crew chief for two of his three championships, said Saturday’s qualifying run by Stewart was big.

“It’s cool … for Tony to be at a place he loves and where he’s had a lot of success,” Zipadelli said. “He had a good car yesterday, they spent some time looking at where he felt like he was off and he went out and (got the job done) today.

“I think it’s awesome for this group of guys, awesome for him and we’re certainly looking forward to tomorrow.”

The task to get better results on race day remains. Stewart started fourth at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and fifth a week later at Pocono Raceway. He finished 28th at Indy; his ninth-place run at Pocono was only his second top-10 of the season.

“We are pretty happy with how they have progressed,” Zipadelli said. “But let’s face it, they’re not leading laps yet and (competing) for wins … that’s what we need to do. We’ve still got some room to continue to grow.

“But I think it’s now to the point, the confidence — you saw him come in last Monday to the shop and was upbeat about the way he ran and qualified the last two weeks. I see him walking around here today; I saw him this morning. He’s happy. That’s what we need.”

Posted on August 8, 2015 by Nascar

WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. — Jeff Gordon‘s rise to prominence in NASCAR didn’t begin with success on the Sprint Cup Series’ road courses.

In fact, the Hendrick Motorsports driver was well on his way to his second of four Sprint Cup championships in 1997 before he took the checkered flag as race winner on one of the series’ two winding, demanding layouts. That first win came at Watkins Glen International, site of Sunday’s Cheez-It 355 at The Glen (2 p.m. ET, NBCSN, MRN, SiriusXM) in 1997.

It was his 144th career start and his 27th career victory.

Today, he’s recognized as the most successful road-course racer in NASCAR, with nine career victories.

With retirement from full-time competition drawing closer with each passing weekend, it will be his last scheduled start on a road course.

No more turning left AND right, hairpin turns or elevation changes.

Success didn’t come easy.

“No, I remember going to Sonoma the first time and turning the car over on its side in the tire wall,” Gordon recalled Friday at WGI. “I felt like I was pretty lost.

“The second year I really felt a big progression and then the third year, which I think is when I won my first road-course race, I think in 1995 or 1996, everything just started to click. We worked hard at it. There is no doubt we worked hard at it. That hard work paid off.”

Gordon’s recollection was off only by a season, understandable for one who has won more races (92) than any other active driver and fewer than only two others all-time, Hall of Famers Richard Petty (200) and David Pearson (105).

He was, however, correct as far as what it took to become a constant threat on the unusual layouts that have fallen only twice annually on the NASCAR calendar during his career.

“Early on I just remember wanting to take on every challenge as a team that we possibly could to improve to be a bigger threat for the championship,” he said. “Back then you had to try to be good everywhere because every track mattered for the championship. It was something that we really pursued heavily. I enjoyed it, even though I didn’t grow up road racing a lot.”

The field of drivers capable of winning on a road course wasn’t as deep as today, and the number of teams that expended the extra time and resources was fewer. Drivers such as Rusty Wallace, Ricky Rudd and Mark Martin thrived. Eventually, Gordon did as well.

“We had a team and a car that was capable of being very competitive,” Gordon, 44, said. “Especially Ray (Evernham, crew chief), back in those early days when the crew chiefs had more flexibility as to how you could find an edge over the competition, he worked hard on the transmissions, the braking, the set-ups and gave me everything that I needed to go out and push the limits of the car and get a lot out of it.

“We started excelling at them.”

While his team ratcheted up its efforts, Gordon did as well. Before he began his NASCAR career, Gordon said he “was pursuing everything.”

“If somebody gave me an opportunity to get in a race car or go to a driving school, then I was packing my helmet … and heading that way. I did it up at Mosport (now Canadian Tire Motorsports Park) in Canada. I did it with Skip Barber (driving school) and I think after I started NASCAR I did the one out in Sonoma and I also did the one in Phoenix with Bob Bondurant. …

“It was fun to do something different than ovals. I feel like ovals are what I’m best at and have been all the time, but I just was comfortable in going to a road course and doing something unique and different. Luckily I drove for a team that knew how to put good race cars underneath me not only on ovals, but (also) on road courses. That made the learning curve come much easier for me.”

Gordon has won at every active track on the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series schedule save one — Kentucky Speedway, which only came on board as a Sprint Cup venue five seasons ago. He won at tracks no longer on the schedule (Rockingham Speedway and North Wilkesboro Speedway) as well.

Excelling on road courses isn’t something he takes lightly as he prepares for his final Watkins Glen start.

“I think when you look at the drivers and teams that outsiders look at in our sport of who is at the top of the list, I think if you can add a road course win to it, it separates you from the norm and puts you into an elite group,” Gordon said. “When I look at my road-course wins and all the different tracks that I’ve won at, I think it just kind of adds to the stats of putting me into a unique category that I’m very proud of.”

Posted on August 8, 2015 by Holly Cain

What: Cheez-It 355 at The Glen.
Where: 2.454-mile road course in Watkins Glen, New York
When: Sunday, Aug. 9; 2 p.m. ET.
TV/Radio: NBCSN, MRN Radio Network, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
Distance: 220.5 miles, 90 laps.
Pit road speed: 40 mph.
Caution car speed: 45 mph.
Fuel window: 33 laps.

On the front row | See the full lineup
Defending race winner AJ Allmendinger (127.839 mph) won his first Watkins Glen pole position besting fellow Chevrolet driver Martin Truex Jr. The top 10 qualifiers were separated by less than six-tenths of a second. It’s Allmendinger’s fourth career Sprint Cup Series pole. He also was the top qualifier at the Sonoma, California, road course in June. Kyle Busch is the last driver to win at the Glen from the pole position (2008)

Fastest in practice: Four-time race winner Jeff Gordon was fastest in final practice just ahead of second-year driver Kyle Larson, Greg Biffle and two-time Glen winner Kyle Busch. Another former road course winner Clint Bowyer (Sonoma, 2012) led opening practice ahead of defending race winner Allmendinger. Busch and Sam Hornish Jr. were the only drivers to post top-10 laps in both sessions.

Last year’s winner: Allmendinger’s thrilling victory last year in this race was his first and still only one in his Sprint Cup career, earning him and the single-car JTG Daugherty organization its first championship berth. The former open-wheel star is always considered the pre-race favorite at the two Cup road courses and was second fastest in opening practice en route to claiming his first pole position here.

This year he won’t have his great nemesis Marcos Ambrose to battle with up front as Ambrose returned to his native Australia to race this season. However, there are a lot of hungry non-winners this week who are widely considered road course aces. Gordon, Bowyer, Kasey Kahne and the Glen’s all-time winningest driver Tony Stewart lead that charge.

On the line: Five races remain to set the 16-car Chase field and the intensity is noticeably amped in the garage. Jamie McMurray leads the list of non-winners still ranked safely among the top 16 in the standings. Bowyer and Kahne are ranked 15th and 16th with only a 25-point cushion for Kahne while Larson (19th) and Stewart (25th) are further behind in points and may need to rely on a victory to get in the Chase. Of those drivers currently ranked among the top 16, only Harvick and Gordon have ever won at Watkins Glen. Four-time 2015 winner Kyle Busch sits only 13 points out of 30th-place, the minimum points position a winner must be ranked to qualify for the Chase.

Just own it: Joe Gibbs Racing and Hendrick Motorsports are currently tied with six wins apiece in this race — double that of any other organization. However, JGR driver Kyle Busch‘s win in 2013 is the only time that one of those two teams has won here in the last six years. A victory by one of the four Hendrick drivers would deliver Chevrolet its 750th Cup win. A victory by one of the four Gibbs drivers would give Toyota its 13th win in the last 17 NASCAR national series races.

Road Course Masters | RELATED: Read more about Gordon’s ascent
Two of NASCAR’s most celebrated champions — Tony Stewart and Jeff Gordon — also happen to be two of the sport’s most accomplished road racers. Tony Stewart is Watkins Glen’s all-time winningest driver with five victories, his seven top fives the most of any active driver. He’ll start his No. 14 Bass Pro Shops/Mobil 1 Chevy a season-best third on Sunday.

Gordon, NASCAR’s most successful road course driver with nine career wins, has four at Watkins Glen and is the all-time leader in laps led (262) here. He’ll start fifth in the Cheez-It 355 — the final road course race in Gordon’s final season of Cup competition.

Nuts and Bolts: Dale Earnhardt Jr. is still looking for his first road course win and should it happen this weekend, it would be a big reversal of fortune for the sport’s Most Popular Driver. His 22.4 average finish at the Glen is the worst among the top-16 drivers in points. He has only three top-10 finishes yet two DNFs in 15 starts here. Qualifying is hugely important at the Glen. Nine of the 32 races have been won by the pole sitter, 65 percent of race winners have come from a top-five starting position. Steve Park’s 2000 victory from the 18th starting position is the farthest of any race winner.

Brad Keselowski and retired driver Mark Martin hold the record for runner-up finishes at the Glen with three each. Earnhardt and Matt Kenseth hold the record for most starts (15) without a win.

They said it: “We’re all road course ringers these days. It’s amazing how smart this garage is and how great these competitors are.” — Jimmie Johnson, driver of the No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet.

“I look forward to these races. I always do every year. It’s kind of fun, a weekend ‘off’ from the oval stuff. Love the opportunity to turn right, turn left, and have some shifting going on. You try to make the most of it and have some fun with it and come out of here with some decent finishes. Over the years we’ve run real well here at Watkins Glen. I’m really optimistic about being here this weekend.” — Kyle Busch, driver of the No. 18 M&Ms Crispy Toyota and winner of the season’s other road course race in Sonoma, California, in June.

Posted on August 8, 2015 by Holly Cain

WATCH: Different view of scrap | Contact that started scuffle

WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. — There was no mistaking Regan Smith‘s purposeful stride down pit road or the look in his eyes following Saturday’s Zippo 200 at the Glen XFINITY Series race.

Sure that he had been manhandled on the famous road course, Smith, 31, stopped at competitor Ty Dillon‘s car, leaned in and grabbed Dillon, 23, by the front of his uniform, confronting him about an incident between the two in Turn 1 on a Lap 40 restart.

The two championship contenders pushed and shoved and shouted angrily at each other, promising retaliation down the road before NASCAR officials and various team members stepped in to separate them. Both Dillon’s father, Mike, and his grandfather and team owner, Richard Childress, came to the scene.

Smith eventually was pulled away and made his way back to the garage area still fuming. Because of their championship points position, Smith’s JR Motorsports hauler was parked only two spots away from Dillon’s Richard Childress Racing hauler. Dillon’s older brother, Sprint Cup Series driver Austin, stood outside while his brother went into change out of his race uniform.

“I got dumped in Turn 1, it’s pretty simple and I’m not the only one he dumped today,” Smith said of Ty Dillon. “I may have lost the championship today, but he sure as hell did, too,” Smith told reporters walking away from pit road after the race. “There’s zero chance the 3 car (Dillon) wins the championship. And I’m going to make sure of it.”

Both Smith, a former Sprint Cup Series race winner, and Dillon, in his second year in the XFINITY Series, had other run-ins during the race — with their teammates. Smith was hit by fellow JRM driver Chase Elliott early in the race. And Dillon spun out RCR teammate Paul Menard.

“I wanna say, first, I’m sorry to my RCR teammates and the 7 guys (Smith’s team) for my mistakes, I’m truly embarrassed, I deserve anything said,” Dillon said on Twitter after the race. “I will not take anyone pushing me around after a race; that takes it to another level. All that said, another top 5 — gotta keep up the finishes.”

See Ty’s tweets: Dillon tweets after brawl with Smith

The damage from Smith’s incidents relegated him to a 20th place finish, while Dillon finished fifth.

Dillon explained the accident with Smith and assumed the blame.

“I got a good run, cut to the inside; it’s the first time I’ve done that here at this race track,” Dillon said. “I’ve seen people … do it. I just didn’t complete it. It’s as simple as that. I made a big mistake, got to wheel-hopping and there’s no saving it. I did it two times in a row; I’m very disappointed in myself for doing that.

“Not only did I tear up everyone else’s car, but I tore up mine as well. Very apologetic about that, but not about after the race.”

Told that Dillon had been remorseful about hitting Smith, the veteran responded, “Of course he was, he came out of all of them [accidents] unscathed.”

MORE: NXS drivers points standings

The eventful day was costly in the standings for Smith. Dillon is now tied with Elliott in second place, 24 points behind leader Chris Buescher. Smith remains in fourth place but now trails Buescher by 57 points after being only 39 behind before the race.

Smith trailed third-place Dillon by 18 points entering the weekend and is now 33 points behind his rival headed to next week’s road course event at Mid-Ohio — the second of three road course races in August for the XFINITY Series.

Posted on August 8, 2015 by Staff Report

ELKHART LAKE, Wis. — A State of the Sport presentation drew a capacity crowd of industry stakeholders and media to the Osthoff Resort on Saturday evening, when IMSA announced a new entitlement sponsor for its top series, a 10-year extension of partnerships with TUDOR Watch USA and Rolex Watch USA, and 2016 schedules for its top two series.

The biggest news was the introduction of WeatherTech as the entitlement partner in a multiyear agreement for IMSA’s top series, which now will be called the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship effective November 1, 2015.

TUDOR Watch USA moves from entitlement partner to “Official Timepiece of IMSA” in a 10-year extension of its partnership with the sanctioning body. Rolex Watch USA, announced an extension of 10 years of its partnership as an official sponsor at Sebring International Raceway, after announcing a 10-year extension of its entitlement sponsorship of the Rolex 24 At Daytona earlier this year.

In addition to the major partnership news, 2016 schedules for both the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge also were unveiled.

The entitlement partnership was made by WeatherTech Founder and CEO David MacNeil, and his son, Cooper MacNeil, who drives a Porsche in the GT Daytona class of what will become the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. IMSA executives pointed to WeatherTech’s advertising and marketing prowess as a key component to the entitlement partnership.

“I am proud to announce that WeatherTech will become the entitlement partner in 2016 for the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship,” said David MacNeil. “We want this to be the new golden era of sport car racing in America, and I want WeatherTech to be a big part of it.

“It is my intention to use our marketing horsepower to elevate the awareness of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship to the general public. We want to increase our fan base for the betterment of the teams, the sponsors and finally the drivers.”

“WeatherTech is the perfect choice to serve as our new entitlement partner as we further expand the marketing activation and exposure of what now will be known as the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship,” added IMSA CEO Ed Bennett. “David MacNeil’s enthusiasm and personal passion for our sport, along with his proven success at growing the WeatherTech brand through brilliant, high-quality manufacturing and aggressive product marketing, will pay dividends for all involved.”

The 2016 WeatherTech Championship schedule will include a total of 12 events and opens with the 54th Rolex 24 At Daytona in Daytona Beach, Florida on Jan. 30-31. It will be the first event in the new Daytona International Speedway motorsports stadium following the completion of the $400 million DAYTONA Rising project.

The WeatherTech Championship schedule will be anchored by four Tequila Patrón North American Endurance Cup events, the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring in Sebring, Florida on March 19, the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen in Watkins Glen, New York on July 3 and the season-ending Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta in Braselton, Georgia on Oct. 1.

Other WeatherTech Championship events include the Grand Prix of Long Beach (California) on April 16, Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, California on May 1, Detroit’s Belle Isle on June 4, Canadian Tire Motorsport Park in Bowmanville, Ontario on July 10, Lime Rock Park in Lakeville, Connecticut on July 23, Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin on Aug. 7, VIRginia International Raceway in Alton, Virginia on Aug. 21 and Circuit of The Americas in Austin, Texas on Sept. 17.

The Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge will run as companion events to the WeatherTech Championship at all 2016 races except for Long Beach and Detroit.

Posted on August 8, 2015 by Staff Report

Pit stall assignments are out for Sunday’s Cheez-It 355 at Watkins Glen Interational, and Coors Light Pole Award winner AJ Allmendinger got first pick of where he will pit.

Allmendinger chose pit stall 1, which is the first pit stall off pit road.

Unlike the rest of the tracks on the Sprint Cup Series circuit, drivers must pit on the right side due to the road course layout.

Follow coverage of the Cheez-It 355 on Sunday, Aug. 9 at 2 p.m. ET on NBCSN/Live Extra, MRN, SiriusXM.

Posted on August 8, 2015 by Staff Report

RELATED: Full qualifying results

Joey Logano won the Coors Light Pole Award for the Zippo 200 at Watkins Glen International on Saturday.

The driver of the No. 12 Team Penske Ford set the pace with a speed of 124.308 mph (a new track record) in the final round of qualifying. His teammate Brad Keselowski will start second after posting a speed of 123.607 mph. Chase Elliott , Kyle Larson and series points leader Chris Buescher round out the top five.

The group qualifying procedure for a road course includes two rounds, the first being 25 minutes. The 12 fastest cars from the opening session advanced to the 10-minute final round.

Logano paced the first session as well, followed by Keselowski. Ty Dillon was 14th in the first session before his final run vaulted him up to sixth, advancing the driver of the No. 3 Chevrolet into the final round and knocking Brendan Gaughan out. Dillon will start sixth.

Morgan Shepherd did not qualify for the race in the No. 89 Chevrolet but will drive the No. 40 Toyota in the race.

The Zippo 200 is scheduled for later today at 3 p.m. ET (NBCSN, MRN, SiriusXM).

Posted on August 8, 2015 by Reid Spencer

WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. — Penalty? So what?

Polesitter Joey Logano shook off a pit road infraction that sent him to the back of the field early in Saturday’s Zippo 200 at The Glen.

But by the end of the NASCAR XFINITY Series race, Logano’s No. 12 Team Penske Ford was comfortably at the front of the field. The only other car that was close was the No. 22 of teammate Brad Keselowski, who recovered from a pit road speeding penalty to finish second.

“Everything went as planned,” said Logano, who was penalized for dragging a fuel can from his pit stall after a green-flag stop on Lap 20 of 82. “It was fun to have a car that was that fast, out there racing these guys and racing your teammate there for the win. It shows a lot about our organization.”

Logano was 22nd when he restarted on Lap 27 after NASCAR threw the second caution of the race to retrieve the errant fuel can. With the help of two quick cautions, he drove quickly to the front, and on Lap 49, Logano passed Keselowski for the lead, drag-racing his teammate from the exit of Turn 7 to the start/finish line and clearing him through Turn 1.

“I knew my car was fast enough to get there,” Logano said of the quick run to the front. “I didn’t know if I was going to run them all down in that one run like that. I didn’t think that would happen, but it showed a lot of strength in our race car.”

It was the first road course victory for Logano in any of NASCAR’s top series.

“I’ve been so close to winning with the 22 team on the (Sprint) Cup side and this XFINITY team has been close to winning here lately, so it’s nice to get Team Penske back in Victory Lane,” said Logano, who had Sprint Cup crew chief Todd Gordon calling the race and his Sprint Cup crew servicing the car on pit road to gain experience for Sunday’s Cheez-It 355 at The Glen (2 p.m. ET on NBCSN), the 22nd race on the Cup schedule.

If Logano and Keselowski dominated at the front of the field, leading 39 and 40 laps, respectively, behind them was chaos.

XFINITY Series title contender Regan Smith suffered the brunt of the damage, getting the short end of run-ins with both Ty Dillon and Brendan Gaughan. Smith came home 20th and lost 18 points to XFINITY Series leader Chris Buescher, who finished third.

After stopping by Gaughan’s car for a few words post-race, Smith headed for Dillon. The argument started to get physical, before NASCAR officials and crew members separated the drivers.

Dillon admitted making two mistakes during the race, the first of which spun Smith’s JR Motorsports Chevrolet after a restart on Lap 40. What Dillon didn’t countenance was a threat from Smith.

“He said he was going to wreck me — we’ll see,” Dillon said. “I took the blame for it, but he came down here picking a fight. That’s a different game.”

After the altercation, Smith repeated the promise to reporters.

“I got dumped in Turn 1,” Smith said. “It was pretty plain and simple. I don’t think I’m the only one he dumped today … I guarantee you, I might have lost the championship today, but he did, too. There’s no chance that 3 car wins the championship, and I’m going to make sure of it.”

Substituting for Kyle Busch, who opted not to run the race in favor of staying fresh for Sunday’s Cup race, road course ace Boris Said finished fourth, followed by Dillon and Brian Scott.

Buescher extended his series lead to 24 points over Dillon and seventh-place finisher Chase Elliott. Smith is fourth in the standings, now 57 points behind Buescher.

Information provided by NASCAR Wire Service

Posted on August 8, 2015 by Reid Spencer

WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. – With four NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victories since returning from an 11-race injury absence, Kyle Busch will be eligible for the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup as soon as he cracks the top 30 in the series standings.

That could come as early as Sunday at Watkins Glen International, if Busch makes up a 13-point deficit to 30th-place David Gilliland in the Cheez-It 355 at the Glen (2 p.m. ET on NBCSN).

Though Busch is a prolific winner at NASCAR’s top level, he doesn’t begrudge those who qualify for the Chase with a single victory, as both Aric Almirola (Daytona) and AJ Allmendinger (Watkins Glen) did last year.

In fact, Busch fully supports the win-and-you’re-in aspect of the playoff eligibility rules.

“I think winning in this sport is very, very tough and you see it every single year,” Busch said. “I think the average is only between 12 and 14 (different) winners in a season, and that’s been that way for 15 years or 20 years or whatever it’s been. It’s not all that easy to win these races, and sometimes you look at teams — maybe last year you look at Aric Almirola and AJ Allmendinger. They won races to get themselves into the Chase, but were their teams really ready for the Chase?

“That’s not for any of us to decide. It’s for them to be able to compete and have that opportunity to compete for the championship… There’s opportunity for teams like that, and I think this sport needs that. If AJ were to win again this weekend, I think it would be perfect for him to have the opportunity to race in the Chase and same for anybody else like a Tony Stewart. If he were to win this weekend, I think it would be a true revival story of his season and maybe of the rest of his career.”

It’s also worth noting that, if there’s a repeat winner on Sunday at Watkins Glen, all 10 races winners this season other than Busch will be locked into the Chase. Those with multiple wins — Jimmie Johnson , Kevin Harvick , Dale Earnhardt Jr. , Kurt Busch and Matt Kenseth — lready have earned Chase berths.

Posted on August 8, 2015 by Reid Spencer

RELATED: See Sunday’s full lineup

WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. — AJ Allmendinger would like nothing better than a good, strong case of déjà vu.

“Hopefully, we’re reliving last year,” Allmendinger said after putting his No. 47 JTG Daugherty Chevrolet on the pole for Sunday’s Cheez-It 355 at The Glen (2 p.m. ET, NBCSN, MRN, SiriusXM).

Last year the road-course ace barged into the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup by winning at Watkins Glen from the sixth starting position.

On Saturday at the 2.45-mile road course, Allmendinger posted the only sub-69-second lap (1:08.993) to win the pole at 127.839 mph, edging Martin Truex Jr. (127.569 mph) for the top starting spot in the 22nd NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race of the season.

Tony Stewart (127.481 mph) qualified third, followed by Stewart-Haas Racing teammate Kevin Harvick (127.416 mph) and four-time Watkins Glen winner Jeff Gordon (127.181 mph), who is making his final start at the New York road course as a full-time Sprint Cup driver.

The Coors Light Pole Award was the fourth of Allmendinger’s career, his first at Watkins Glen and his second of the season — and it marked a dramatic turnaround from a disappointing final practice on Friday afternoon, when Allmendinger was 28th on the speed chart.

“I didn’t do a good job (on Friday),” Allmendinger said. “They saved me. They gave me a good race car… I don’t know if I’ll sleep any better tonight, but I’ll be ready for tomorrow.”

As he tries for a repeat performance, Allmendinger will have a familiar chassis under him.

“It’s the same car we ran last year, the same car we ran at Sonoma,” said Allmendinger, who also won the pole for the West Coast road course race in June. “But they put a lot more work into it over the winter to make sure it was lighter, we got the right tools that we needed into the car to make it faster.”

Clearly, there’s pressure on Allmendinger to qualify for the Chase, but most of it is self-generated.

“There isn’t any more pressure than I put on myself,” he said. “These guys (his team) deserve it. I want to lift them on my shoulders and carry them to Victory Lane. Last year was special and it just makes you want to do it more and more.

“But the outside, there ain’t nothing there (in terms of pressure). It’s all inside here that I put the pressure on myself, and I’m going to go try to make it happen. These guys deserve it.”

Kyle Larson, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kyle Busch, Jimmie Johnson and Austin Dillon will start from positions six through 10 on the grid.