Posted on by Alex Cadavid

After a hectic opener to the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs, several title contenders from Kyle Larson to Chase Briscoe are already searching for top-notch performances to keep their seasons alive past Bristol.

Sunday’s Go Bowling at The Glen (3 p.m. ET, USA, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, NBC Sports App) will present a challenge. Drivers and teams will have to change their typical plan of attack at The Glen with the expectations of dramatic tire fall-off via a new compound from Goodyear. Not only will it create potential passing opportunities, but it will also change pit strategy and how teams will handle the point battles.

RELATED: Set your Fantasy Live lineup | Weekend schedule | Crew rosters for Watkins Glen

Despite the new tire and the fact that Watkins Glen is hosting a playoff race for the first time, Racing Insights projects the circuit’s best road-course ringers to master the eight turns around the 2.45-mile course with Tyler Reddick as the projected winner followed closely behind by the Hendrick duo of Chase Elliott and Larson.

As mentioned earlier, drivers like Larson, Denny Hamlin, Ty Gibbs, Brad Keselowski, and Martin Truex Jr. — who most of us probably thought were safe bets to make strong playoff runs — find themselves in not-ideal standing positions seeded 10th or lower. Now, there shouldn’t be a whole lot of panic for all of them. With two more races left before four drivers get eliminated, there’s still time to have solid point days or even win to advance, but asking for the next two weeks to go smoothly and almost perfectly feels like a stretch with how unpredictable the playoffs can be.

DRIVERS TO WATCH

KYLE LARSON: Larson’s struggles at Atlanta continued last week, but at The Glen, he’s won two races with five top 10s there in nine starts, and he was the class of the field at Sonoma this year. Falling from first to 10th seed after one playoff race should be plenty of fire for the No. 5 team to go out and compete for a win.

CHRISTOPHER BELL: Bell owns an average finish of sixth on the New York road course, albeit in three Cup starts. Still, Bell has tallied eight top 10s on road courses in the Next Gen era (tied for third-best), and with how consistent his regular-season campaign went in terms of racking up stage wins and top 10s, he should be in the mix

ALEX BOWMAN: Last week, Team Penske was on the radar; this week, it’s watch for Hendrick. The organization has won the last five races at The Glen with three different drivers. Bowman won the Chicago Street Race, has scored the most points on road courses this season and has a chip on his shoulder to silence the chatter about his future in the No. 48 Chevrolet.

SHANE VAN GISBERGEN: Playoff spoiler, anyone? Leave it to SVG, who is no stranger to stunning the Cup garage. He’s already rattled off three road-course wins in the Xfinity Series. Plus, Sunday will be a good measurement stick to see how he stacks up to Cup regulars on a course they have regularly seen.

JUAN PABLO MONTOYA: Montoya is back in a Cup ride for the first time since 2014. During his time in NASCAR’s top level, he earned five top 10s at Watkins Glen, including his win in 2010. While he will be getting his first dose of the Next Gen car, you can’t knock his talent behind the wheel of a race car, period, as a two-time Indy 500 winner and seven-time Formula One winner.

RACING INSIGHTS’ PROJECTIONS FOR THE GO BOWLING AT THE GLEN

Racing Insights’ advanced statistical formula includes current track, current track type, recent performance, team data and pit-crew data to arrive at a projected winner and full race results. 

FinishCar NumberDriver
145Tyler Reddick
29Chase Elliott
35Kyle Larson
420Christopher Bell
534Michael McDowell
617Chris Buescher
724William Byron
854Ty Gibbs
919Martin Truex Jr.
101Ross Chastain
118Kyle Busch
1299Daniel Suárez
1348Alex Bowman
1413AJ Allmendinger
1511Denny Hamlin
1612Ryan Blaney
172Austin Cindric
1816Shane van Gisbergen
1922Joey Logano
206Brad Keselowski
2114Chase Briscoe
2223Bubba Wallace
2347Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
247Corey LaJoie
2571Zane Smith
2638Todd Gilliland
2777Carson Hocevar
283Austin Dillon
2941Ryan Preece
3051Justin Haley
3143Erik Jones
3210Noah Gragson
3331Daniel Hemric
3421Harrison Burton
3542John Hunter Nemechek
3615Kaz Grala
374Josh Berry
3850Juan Pablo Montoya
Posted on by Brandon White

RIVERHEAD, N.Y. — The intense, year-long NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour championship battle between Ron Silk and Justin Bonsignore encountered a major twist in Saturday’s Eddie Partridge 256 at Riverhead Raceway.

While fighting side-by-side for the lead during the closing laps, the two Modified heavyweights made contact on the backstretch, resulting in significant damage to Bonsignore’s left-front suspension. Silk drove away for his fourth victory of 2024, all while Bonsignore was left with a points deficit.

RELATED: Complete results from the Eddie Partridge 256

Silk described the racing with Bonsignore as aggressive from the moment the green flag waved. He was not worried about the circumstances that led to Bonsignore’s damage; he instead was thrilled to prevail in a race that honored his former car owner Eddie Partridge.

“There was a lot of contact most of the race between both of us,” Silk said. “I got under him, and we made contact just like the lap before when I was on the outside of him. I drove for Eddie Partridge for a number of years, so it means a lot to me to win his race here.

“It was a good night.”

The duel Silk and Bonsignore shared Saturday evening closely resembled their heated battle for the win during last year’s Eddie Partridge 256.

Spectators at Riverhead that evening were treated to a thrilling finish that saw Bonsignore and Silk exchange bump-and-runs throughout the last 10 laps. Bonsignore emerged victorious that evening, and Silk ended up settling for third after losing track position.

Not ready to surrender another Riverhead victory or any more ground in the Modified Tour standings to Bonsignore, Silk matched his rival nearly blow-for-blow Saturday evening. Bonsignore spent more time out front Saturday, but the 11-time Riverhead winner never managed to shake Silk from his rearview mirror.

As the laps dwindled, Silk gradually applied more pressure to Bonsignore’s back bumper. He made his move on Bonsignore with 15 laps remaining, diving on him in Turn 1 and colliding with Bonsignore’s left-front suspension, which ultimately brought Bonsignore’s stellar night to an abrupt end.

Had Bonsignore managed to hold off Silk, he would have made Modified Tour history on multiple fronts. A 12th victory for Bonsignore at Riverhead moves him past Mike Ewanitsko for most series wins at the track, while another Modified Tour triumph in general gives Bonsignore sole possession of third on the all-time wins list.

Instead, Bonsignore suddenly finds himself down 10 points to Silk in the standings after entering the Eddie Partridge 256 with a five-point advantage. He has four races remaining to undo the damage from Riverhead, but he will have to minimize any mistakes to undo the momentum Silk obtained from Saturday’s triumph.

For Silk, sweeping the season at Riverhead carries plenty of significance. He had never visited Riverhead’s Victory Lane on the Modified Tour until last year, and he felt honored to secure another checkered flag for a car owner who helped mold him into the driver he is today.

The path to another Riverhead victory for Silk came at the expense of Bonsignore, yet the impact of the moment was not lost on Silk as he celebrated with his crew and the staff at Riverhead.

“They’re all special, but to win this one in Eddie’s honor at his race track is pretty cool,” Silk said. “He did a lot of great things for me over the years, and it’s cool to win his race.”

Craig Lutz followed Silk across the finish line in second, with Tyler Rypkema, Patrick Emerling and Austin Beers rounding out the top five. The rest of the top 10 consisted of Timmy Solomito, Kyle Bonsignore, J.R. Bertuccio, Eric Goodale and Tommy Catalano.

Bonsignore ended his night in the 15th position following his broken suspension.

Next up for the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour is the Winchester Fair presented by USNE at Monadnock Speedway on Saturday, the final leg of the Whelen Granite State Short Track Cup. The green flag will wave at 6 p.m. ET, with FloRacing providing live flag-to-flag coverage.

Posted on by Staff Report

Eddie Partridge 256

Riverhead Raceway

  • Race results
Pos No. Name Sponsor Diff
1 16 Ron Silk Blue Mountain Machine/Future Homes —
2 46 Craig Lutz Riverhead Building Supply 0.526
3 3 Tyler Rypkema USNE/Northeast Drilling 1.251
4 1 Patrick Emerling Fleetworks Inc 1.29
5 64 Austin Beers G&G Electrical Supply/Dell Electric/Lumiere Electrical 1.458
6 66 Timmy Solomito UNSE Power/Kennedy Realty 1.565
7 22 Kyle Bonsignore Chalew Performance/MTT/Munns Auto 1.765
8 2 J.R. Bertuccio Gershow Recycling 2.031
9 58 Eric Goodale GAF Roofing 2.318
10 54 Tommy Catalano Catalano Motorsports 2.559
11 45 Jack  Handley* Hydro Action/Suffolk Precast 2.906
12 84 Tyler Catalano* Catalano Motorsports 3.291
13 56 Trevor Catalano* Catalano Motorsports 15:21.6
14 18 Ken Heagy Buoy One Seafood & Restaurant 44:38.4
15 51 Justin Bonsignore Phoenix Communications, Inc. 05:16.8
16 81 Mark Stewart* Cromer’s Market/Keith Grimes 8 Laps
17 88 Roger Turbush Rheem 19 Laps
18 4 Tim Connolly Connolly Companies, LLC 32 Laps
19 01 Melissa Fifield Pine Knoll Auto Sales 169 Laps

 

Posted on by Dustin Albino

WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. — In preparation of Connor Zilisch’s Xfinity Series debut, Josh Wise told him to prepare like his life depended on it, and to compete like it doesn’t matter. The idea was to eliminate the pressure.

The hype train storms on.

“As we’ve all seen, he’s going to be the next superstar,” AJ Allmendinger declared.

Zilisch was the class of the field on Saturday, beginning in practice when the No. 88 Chevrolet had nearly four-tenths of a second on the field. The 18-year-old backed that speed up in qualifying, scoring the pole for his series debut.

RELATED: Race results | Photos from Zilisch’s first win

Unlike the first lap of his Craftsman Truck Series debut at Circuit of The Americas, Zilisch made it through Turn 1 unscathed. He left the field in the dust, winning the opening stage by north of 10 seconds.

Zilisch pitted at the end of the stage for fuel and restarted 14th, losing five additional spots on pit road to drivers that scored stage points. Methodically, the No. 88 drove through the field and finished Stage 2 in third, trailing two Cup Series playoff drivers in William Byron and Ty Gibbs.

It all nearly slipped away.

Following a Lap 45 caution that saw regular season championship leader Justin Allgaier get stuck in the gravel pit, Gibbs, Sam Mayer and Zilisch all drove through the inner loop. The penalty was restarting at the tail of the field.

“It was dumb of me,” Zilisch said. “Honestly, I thought Ty and Sam knew better than me and I should have known better. I thought those guys that had been racing in this series for a few years would have been doing the right things, so I was like, ‘Alright, I’ll just follow them and try to act cool.’ Then, I was at the tail of the field.”

In a chaotic second half of the race, ultimately, the penalty was a blessing in disguise for Zilisch. The No. 88 team serviced Zilisch’s car, putting him just outside his fuel window to make it to the checkered flag. Andrew Overstreet, crew chief of the No. 88 car, informed Zilisch that he needed him to save a gallon of gas, equal to approximately two laps around the 2.45-mile road course.

While most of the field needed to pit an additional time, Zilisch rocketed through the field, gapping both Gibbs and Mayer. Veteran spotter TJ Majors coached the youngster on how to save fuel, though he had experience while driving an LMP2 car for Era Motorsport. Entering Turn 1, Zilisch would lift off the throttle at the start/finish line and finesse it through the corner. Down the backstretch, he would lift “two football fields” short of his brake marker.

Zilisch was on his way to victory until Matt DiBenedetto brought out the caution for stalling on the track with six laps remaining. After a multi-car pileup in Turn 1 on the restart, Zilisch had to think about the next restart, more than 20 minutes later under the red flag.

MORE: Drivers to win in Xfinity Series debut

In the second overtime, Kaulig Racing teammates Shane van Gisbergen and Allmendinger rubbed fenders for second, allowing Sheldon Creed to scoot by. Meanwhile, Zilisch escaped with a sizable lead. Another caution flew on the final lap, allowing Zilisch to coast back to the finish line, becoming the seventh driver in series history to win in their debut.

“It’s hard to put into words how much this meant to me,” Zilisch added. “I worked so hard for this race; I’ve been preparing for it for over three months. Outside of the [Rolex] 24, this was probably the biggest race of the year for me. To come out here and prove to myself that I can do it and compete at the highest level is special to me.”

Zilisch had enough fuel for a burn out in Turn 1 and then another as a smoke cloud filled the frontstretch.

Racing under a Trackhouse Racing developmental contact, Zilisch has grown close to Shane van Gisbergen. It was van Gisbergen and Scott Speed that welcomed Zilisch into the Red Bull family on Friday. The New Zealander knows a thing or two about winning a series debut – hello, inaugural Chicago Street Race – and know the talent is evident with Zilisch.

“It’s awesome to see the effort that he puts in and how good he is at his age is pretty impressive,” van Gisbergen said. “It’s been amazing to watch him.”

Allmendinger ended up third in the finishing order and didn’t think he could intimidate Zilisch on multiple late-race restarts. Instead, he was wowed by how smooth the 18-year-older was.

“His car control is phenomenal,” Allmendinger said about Zilisch. “He did a great job on all of those restarts and everything we threw at him, but he has phenomenal speed and he’s in a really good car, that helps.”

Following the race, Zilisch celebrated with his No. 88 team, as it was also Overstreet’s first triumph as a crew chief. Multiple Cup stars, including 2023 champion Ryan Blaney, Tyler Reddick, Noah Gragson and Zane Smith all showed their gratitude.

Despite the compassionate acts and high regard other drivers spoke about him, Zilisch won’t let that enter his head.

“It’s cool to have people tell me that but the biggest thing is, I have to stay true to myself and understand that I’m not at the highest level yet and I’m not winning at the highest level yet,” Zilisch said. “Until I’m doing that, I’m not going to label myself a superstar.”

The only thing Zilisch didn’t accomplish on Saturday was becoming the youngest driver to win an Xfinity Series race (he was one month and two days shy). That record still belongs to two-time Cup champion Joey Logano. Logano is familiar with having labels put on him, as he was dubbed “the greatest thing since sliced bread” by Mark Martin at an early age.

Posted on by Staff Report

Eddie Partridge 256

Riverhead Raceway

  • Qualifying results
Pos. No. Driver Sponsor Best Time Best Speed
1 51 Justin Bonsignore Phoenix Communications, Inc. 11.576 77.747
2 66 Timmy Solomito UNSE Power/Kennedy Realty 11.579 77.727
3 64 Austin Beers G&G Electrical Supply/Dell Electric/Lumiere Electrical 11.584 77.693
4 16 Ron Silk Blue Mountain Machine/Future Homes 11.595 77.62
5 1 Patrick Emerling Fleetworks Inc 11.626 77.413
6 46 Craig Lutz Riverhead Building Supply 11.653 77.233
7 22 Kyle Bonsignore Chalew Performance/MTT/Munns Auto 11.666 77.147
8 58 Eric Goodale GAF Roofing 11.683 77.035
9 45 Jack Handley Jr.* Hydro Action/Suffolk Precast 11.703 76.903
10 54 Tommy Catalano Catalano Motorsports 11.706 76.884
11 2 J.R. Bertuccio Gershow Recycling 11.736 76.687
12 84 Tyler Catalano* Catalano Motorsports 11.816 76.168
13 18 Ken Heagy Buoy One Seafood & Restaurant 11.817 76.161
14 88 Roger Turbush Rheem 11.82 76.142
15 56 Trevor Catalano* Catalano Motorsports 11.827 76.097
16 3 Tyler Rypkema USNE/Northeast Drilling 11.869 75.828
17 81 Mark Stewart* Cromer’s Market/Keith Grimes 11.897 75.649
18 4 Tim Connolly Connolly Companies, LLC 12.078 74.516
19 01 Melissa Fifield Pine Knoll Auto Sales 12.663 71.073

 

Posted on by Holly Cain

WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. — Introducing. … Connor Zilisch.

The 18-year-old North Carolina native made his formal entrée into big-time NASCAR racing with a major statement by holding off the field on a pair of thrilling overtime restarts at the historic 2.45-mile Watkins Glen International road course to claim his first career Xfinity Series victory in his first career start.

The Mission 200 at The Glen finished under caution with Joe Gibbs Racing’s Sheldon Creed finishing runner-up — for a record 12th time — emerging from a three-wide battle for second place with a multicar accident farther behind in the field bringing out the yellow flag that ultimately froze the field.

“I worked so hard for this one,” a smiling Zilisch said, his voice cracking with emotion. “I’ve been working for this one for months and it’s so special to me, man. I don’t even have words.

“I don’t know how I saved enough, I sputtered up the hill,” he said of having to save fuel in the closing laps which included a restart with two laps remaining and then two more in overtime.

“With two to go, I didn’t think I was going to make it back to the line even. I’m going to enjoy this one for a while. I can’t say enough about JR Motorsports and everyone who supports me.”

RELATED: Race results | At-track photos

Zilisch, who also won in the LMP2 class in this year’s IMSA Rolex 24 at Daytona, is the seventh driver to win in his first Xfinity Series start — a list that includes the legendary Dale Earnhardt and current Cup Series standout Ty Gibbs. And he becomes the second youngest race winner — to Joey Logano — in series history at 18 years, one month and 23 days.

It was that kind of weekend for the young driver, who led a race-best 45 of the 90 laps after earning his first career Xfinity Series pole position earlier Saturday. On Friday, he claimed his fifth ARCA Menards Series victory in seven starts.

His work on Saturday wasn’t necessarily an “easy” win, however. He really had to earn it — rallying from a mid-race penalty and managing fuel in the closing laps.

In an unusual situation during a caution, Zilisch received a penalty while running among the top three late in the race. NASCAR ruled the top-running trio — also including Gibbs and Sam Mayer — cut the course and the penalty sent them all to the rear for the restart. Zilisch rallied from 31st place and was top-five 20 laps later.

Creed, who is still competing for that first series victory after so many close calls, smiled on pit road Saturday, conceding this time his second-place finish was one he could actually be pleased with instead of seeing it as a near-miss. His rally on the final lap, getting the best of some of the best road course drivers was a small victory in and of itself.

“Just trying to keep the nose on it there, actually really fun,” Creed said of the last lap battle. “I felt like that was the battle for the win probably there if the 88 [Zilisch] ran out [of fuel]. I thought I put myself in really good positions to end up second again. I’m actually happy, for how my day was going.”

He finished just ahead of Kaulig Racing’s AJ Allmendinger, the Xfinity Series’ all-time road course best, JGR teammate Chandler Smith and Kaulig’s Shane van Gisbergen, who had won the season’s previous three road course races.

Van Gisbergen was so impressed with Zilisch that when he congratulated the teenager in Victory Lane, he smiled and suggested some team should put Zilisch in a Cup Series car for Sunday’s race.

Zilisch took a call from team owner, NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt Jr. during his winner’s press conference.

“Enjoy this, you never win your “first” again,” Earnhardt told him.

MORE: Xfinity Series schedule | Xfinity Series standings

Ross Chastain, who won the pole for Sunday’s Cup Series race at the track earlier Saturday, finished sixth in the DGM Racing Chevrolet with Big Machine Racing’s Parker Kligerman scoring a seventh-place finish. Richard Childress Racing rookie Jesse Love was eighth, followed by Joey Logano in the AM Racing car and Josh Bilicki rounding out the top 10.

The race was impactful with only a single event now left in the regular season to determine the 12-driver playoff field. JR Motorsports’ Justin Allgaier finished 17th after an eventful day when the veteran was collected in multiple multi-car incidents. But he still emerged as the Xfinity Series championship leader by 43 points over defending series champion, Stewart-Haas Racing’s Cole Custer, who finished 21st Saturday after also being caught up in incidents on track.

At the other end of the standings, JR Motorsports’ Sammy Smith was able to slightly extend his advantage over RSS Racing’s Ryan Sieg for the 12th and final playoff position. Despite a mechanical issue from his first green flag pit stop, Smith was able to rally to a 19th-place finish. Sieg, who collected points during the second stage, is now 44 points behind Smith heading to Bristol.

The regular-season finale concludes with next Friday night’s Food City 300 at Bristol Motor Speedway (7:30 p.m. ET, CW, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). Justin Allgaier is the defending race winner.

NOTE: Post-race inspection was completed without issue in the Xfinity Series garage, confirming Connor Zilisch as the winner.

Posted on by Staff Report

Eddie Partridge 256

Riverhead Raceway

  • Practice results
Pos. No. Driver Sponsor Best Time Best Speed In Lap Laps Diff.
1 51 Justin Bonsignore Phoenix Communications, Inc. 11.398 78.961 40 60  —
2 1 Patrick Emerling Fleetworks Inc 11.42 78.809 9 56 0.022
3 64 Austin Beers G&G Electrical Supply/Dell Electric/Lumiere Electrical 11.43 78.74 54 54 0.032
4 16 Ron Silk Blue Mountain Machine/Future Homes 11.463 78.513 41 54 0.065
5 66 Timmy Solomito UNSE Power/Kennedy Realty 11.487 78.349 8 43 0.089
6 46 Craig Lutz Riverhead Building Supply 11.492 78.315 7 50 0.094
7 45 Jack Handley Jr.* Hydro Action/Suffolk Precast 11.563 77.834 31 31 0.165
8 54 Tommy Catalano Catalano Motorsports 11.568 77.801 42 43 0.17
9 58 Eric Goodale GAF Roofing 11.594 77.626 40 51 0.196
10 3 Tyler Rypkema USNE/Northeast Drilling 11.596 77.613 56 64 0.198
11 22 Kyle Bonsignore Chalew Performance/MTT/Munns Auto 11.613 77.499 30 32 0.215
12 88 Roger Turbush Rheem 11.625 77.419 41 42 0.227
13 18 Ken Heagy Buoy One Seafood & Restaurant 11.649 77.26 18 22 0.251
14 81 Mark Stewart* Cromer’s Market/Keith Grimes 11.651 77.247 9 30 0.253
15 84 Tyler Catalano* Catalano Motorsports 11.679 77.061 58 59 0.281
16 56 Trevor Catalano* Catalano Motorsports 11.689 76.995 42 52 0.291
17 2 J.R. Bertuccio Gershow Recycling 11.75 76.596 32 43 0.352
18 4 Tim Connolly Connolly Companies, LLC 11.76 76.531 51 53 0.362
19 01 Melissa Fifield Pine Knoll Auto Sales 12.11 74.319 34 34 0.712

 

Posted on by Cameron Richardson

Go Bowling at The Glen

(⏰ Sunday, 3 p.m. ET | USA Network | NBC Sports App | MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)

Weekend schedule | TV schedule | Weather tracker | NASCAR 101

Location: Watkins Glen International, Watkins Glen, NY.
Track length: 2.45 miles
Race purse:$7,572,831
Race distance: 90 laps | 220.5 miles
Stages: 20 | 40 | 90
—
Starting lineup: Ross Chastain to lead field to green on Sunday
Pit stall assignments: See where drivers will pit
Defending winner: William Byron, August 2023

Key things to watch

Saturday sessions

Non-playoff drivers split the top-10 starting spots evenly with the playoff as Ross Chastain nabbed his second career Cup Series pole with a 122.279 mph lap in the final round of qualifying. While big names like Denny Hamlin, Kyle Larson, Tyler Reddick and Chase Elliott missed out on advancing in the first round of Saturday’s qualifying, Martin Truex Jr., who enters Sunday’s race 19 points below the elimination line, took advantage of others’ misfortunes and will start on the front row alongside Chastain. Playoff drivers Alex Bowman (fourth), Austin Cindric (fifth), Joey Logano (seventh) and Daniel Suárez (eighth) will have great track position when the green flag drops.

William Byron (11th), Chase Briscoe (12th), Elliott (14th), Ty Gibbs (15th), Reddick (16th), Christopher Bell (17th), Larson (20th), Hamlin (22nd), Brad Keselowski (28th), Ryan Blaney (30th) and Harrison Burton (33rd) will all have work to do to improve their playoff position at The Glen.

Road-course ace Reddick was fastest on single-lap speed in split 20-minute practices for both groups to get a feel of tire fall-off. Looking at 10 and 15-consecutive lap averages, it was dominated by road-course ringers, with Michael McDowell, Shane van Gisbergen and Cindric all appearing inside the top 10. Blaney was the slowest of playoff drivers to make 10 consecutive laps, while Elliott and Gibbs did not turn 10 straight circuits during either practice session. | Full Saturday recap

Big story line

Hendrick Motorsports going for six straight at Watkins Glen

For the last six years, Watkins Glen has been a playground for Hendrick Motorsports, with three different drivers in the historic organization splitting the taste of victory in the last five races at the road course. Chase Elliott was the first to strike, nabbing a long-awaited maiden victory in 2018 after holding off Martin Truex Jr., who was the last non-Hendrick driver to win at The Glen.

Elliott went back-to-back in 2019 before Kyle Larson entered the Hendrick fold in 2021 and went on to win a pair of his own. The ending of 2022’s race got dicey as Larson and Elliott battled for the win on the front row. In Turn 1, Larson smoked the brakes and forced his teammate well off the preferred angle to take the checkered flag.

William Byron dominated the most recent Watkins Glen race. He started second and led 66 of 90 laps en route to his fifth win during the 2023 season.

Fortunes haven’t been the same for Alex Bowman, who is still seeking his first top-10 result at The Glen. With an average finish of 21.4 across seven starts at the road course, the No. 48 driver will need to dramatically improve that mark on Sunday to hold onto what is a steady margin above the elimination line (plus-27) after a strong showing at Atlanta.

While most of the Hendrick camp is in a good position in the playoffs entering Sunday, Larson finds himself in a precarious spot after crashing late in Stage 1 at Atlanta and parachuting down to 10th in the standings after entering the postseason as the top seed. Now, with just a 15-point gap to the elimination line, Larson needs to get back to his 2021 and 2022 ways at Watkins Glen or be stuck in a bind entering a cutoff race at Bristol that could produce the same chaos as it did in the spring.

Sunday also lends an opportunity for the Chevrolet and Hendrick camp to reassert their position as the favorites for the remainder of the playoffs. Two Team Penske drivers and a pair of Toyota wheelmen currently command the top four spots of the playoff standings. Chevy’s last win came from Austin Dillon at Richmond in August, and Ford has won the last three events with three different organizations. Watkins Glen isn’t just vital to a handful of drivers’ playoff positions but one that could set the tone for the rest of Hendrick’s 2024 postseason campaign.

History tells us…

Tire fall-off will favor the veterans. If Goodyear’s tire compound this weekend does produce the intended dramatic fall-off, then it will likely play into the hands of the sport’s most experienced. While Bristol is no comparison to Watkins Glen, we saw the trio of Denny Hamlin, Martin Truex Jr. and Brad Keselowski command the top three amid a race filled with drivers wearing their tires out too fast, and the three conserved their tires enough in the final to speed past the field to the checkered flag.

For a driver like Keselowski, who has just one road-course top 10 in the last 21 races, a different look to a road-course race could certainly boost the driver’s hopes to finally have a big day as he enters Sunday’s race one point below Ty Gibbs for the final spot in the Round of 12.

Add in road-course connoisseurs Shane van Gisbergen, AJ Allmendinger, Michael McDowell and the one-off return of Juan Pablo Montoya on Sunday, and now, all four of those guys could be legitimate threats to spoil the playoff field with their experience on left and right-turn venues.

He may not be the betting favorite to win, but watch out for…

RICKY STENHOUSE JR. Road-course events usually don’t play in favor of an underdog, but in the two Next Gen events so far at Watkins Glen, the 2023 Daytona 500 champion has had two sneaky-good performances. A 15th and 13th-place showing in the last two races at The Glen may not be flashy, but Stenhouse has been consistent at the speedy road course with top-20 finishes in all but two of his 10 starts (2015, 2016).

Stenhouse enters Sunday’s race with 150-1 odds, which puts him near the bottom of the betting board, but in terms of points scored in the last two races at Watkins Glen, he’s earned more than the likes of Martin Truex Jr., Austin Cindric, Ryan Blaney and Alex Bowman. | Watkins Glen odds

Speed reads

Our biggest pieces of the week — get covered for race day from all angles.

• New tire compound: Goodyear to bring softer tire with dramatic fall-off for Cup Series at The Glen | Read article
• Title favorite in trouble?: Larson carries less buffer into Watkins Glen on Sunday | Read article
• Welcome back, Juan: Juan Pablo Montoya in it to win it in first Cup race since 2014 on Sunday | Read article
• Word of mouth: How mouthpiece data, driver feedback led to Watkins Glen safety improvements | Read article
• Bubble Watch: Which drivers need big points day on Sunday? | Photo gallery
• Second attempt: Kyle Larson to try Indy 500-Coke 600 double in 2025 | Read article
• Inside the Playoffs: ‘Logano is the one you didn’t want to already be in’ | Watch video
• Inside the Race: How Watkins Glen configuration changes will affect strategy on Sunday | Watch video
• Crew rosters: See the full roster for every Cup Series team competing this weekend | Read article
• Active road-course winners: No. 48 driver the most recent winner on a road course | Photo gallery
• Power Rankings: Bowman makes an early statement with strong Atlanta showing | Photo gallery
• Road-course ringers: The winningest Cup Series drivers on left, right-turn circuits | Photo gallery
• Turning Point: The even-year enigma of Joey Logano | Read article
• NASCAR Betting: Where Montoya lands in one-off return at Watkins Glen | Photo gallery
• Racing Insights: Full finishing order projections for Sunday’s playoff race | Read article
• 36 for 36: Check out this week’s survivor pool picks | Read article
• Fantasy Fastlane: Expect the unexpected for Sunday | Photo gallery
• Fantasy Update: Playoff drivers struggling at Watkins Glen | Read article
• Memorable moments: Races for the history books from Watkins Glen | Photo gallery
• Watkins Glen gladiators: Full list of Cup Series race winners | Photo gallery
• NASCAR Classics: Rewind with three Watkins Glen all-timers from the vault | Read article
• Paint Scheme Preview: Fresh designs for Watkins Glen playoff race | Pick your favorite

Fast facts ⏩

Race-relevant statistics, brought to you by the experts at Racing Insights.

• All six stages in 2024 on road courses were won by a different driver.
• The last eight races of 2024 were won by eight different drivers.
• A Watkins Glen race winner has never started lower than 18th. The last six races there were won from a top-six starting position.

Posted on by Staff Report

See where your favorite NASCAR Cup Series driver will pit for the Go Bowling at The Glen at Watkins Glen International on Sunday (3 p.m. ET, USA, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, NBC Sports App).

RELATED: Starting lineup | Weekend schedule | At-track photos

Posted on by Dustin Albino

As expected from the Goodyear tire test at Watkins Glen International, tire wear was at a premium during a pair of practice sessions on Saturday afternoon. Most cars experienced at least two seconds of fall-off during a 10-lap run. Tyler Reddick and Shane van Gisbergen were exceptions as both fell under the two-second barrier. But non-playoff drivers came to play in qualifying, with Ross Chastain earning his second career pole.

With the bulk of playoff drivers struggling in qualifying, it makes it much of a guessing game as to choosing the best fantasy lineup because many non-playoff drivers will be going strictly for the win while playoff drivers worry about stage points. Let’s give it a whirl.

RELATED: Set your Fantasy Live lineups

Dustin Albino’s race-day lineup:

Starter 1: Shane van Gisbergen

Starter 2: Ross Chastain

Starter 3: Austin Cindric

Starter 4: Martin Truex Jr.

Starter 5: Michael McDowell

Garage pick: Tyler Reddick

NEXT IN LINE: William Byron, Kyle Larson, Daniel Suárez, Chris Buescher

RISING: With eight finishes of 24th or worse in the last nine races, Truex desperately needs a good run at a track he’s had past success at. The 2017 Cup champion has six top-10 finishes in the last seven races at WGI, highlighted by a 2017 victory. Should the No. 19 team manage the tire wear, it’s a prime opportunity to earn the most stage points among playoff drivers as he starts ahead of the other 15.

Alex Bowman has become a serious road-course threat. Not only did he win the series’ most recent road course at the Chicago Street Course, but he often excels at COTA and has scored the most points in the field this season on road courses. Yet, Bowman has pinpointed Watkins Glen as one of his worst tracks, having yet to crack the top 10 in the finishing order. He was the best of the Hendrick Motorsports drivers in qualifying, placing fourth.

FALLING: Byron was the best of the three Hendrick Motorsports drivers to previously win at Watkins Glen in qualifying, with the No. 24 Chevrolet starting in 11th. (Chase Elliott was 14th, and Kyle Larson was 20th.) The superstar team has won the last five Watkins Glen races but is facing an uphill battle entering Sunday.

With how much Ty Gibbs succeeds on road courses, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him hustle his way through the field from a 15th-place starting position. The No. 54 Toyota has been in contention for the win in two of the previous three road courses this season, with a pair of top-five finishes. However, Gibbs struggled with the handling of his car during practice, though the speed was comparable to the front runners.

FEATURED MATCHUPS:  

Denny Hamlin vs. Chase Elliott: Neither driver secured the qualifying position they desired, but both could still score stage points with how the race strategy plays out. Hamlin believes if he gets a superb opening restart, he can drive to the top 10. But this is a heads-up battle, and Elliott has been in contention to win more often than the No. 11 machine. Staying with Elliott this weekend.

Kyle Larson vs. William Byron: So many playoff drivers had below-average qualifying runs, but none stick out more than Larson. The No. 5 will start mid-pack in 20th, while Byron was the second-best Hendrick car in 11th. A lot can happen over 90 laps at The Glen, but I’ll flip to the defending winner of this race in Byron.

Christopher Bell vs. Tyler Reddick: This one is interesting. Reddick looked to be lights-out in practice, ranking the best in one, five and 10-lap averages. One mishap in qualifying relegated Reddick to a 16th-place starting position. That was still better than Bell, who was a surprising 17th. The plan of action is to keep Reddick available in my lineup, believing he has one of the best cars in the field.

Austin Cindric vs. Ty Gibbs: With how the Round of 16 is set up, Cindric could capitalize massively with consecutive standout playoff performances. The No. 2 Ford looked sporty on Saturday, back to its 2022 ways on road courses. It’s hard to imagine Gibbs won’t progress from a disappointing qualifying effort, but I’ll flip for the third time in this set of four featured matchups.