Big-name playoff drivers on bubble heading into Watkins Glen

Posted on September 14, 2024 by Dustin Albino

WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. — Many NASCAR Cup Series playoff brackets were hindered after an eventful postseason opener last weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway. No brackets have been busted — yet.

With Atlanta having superspeedway tendencies, teams played varying strategies. Denny Hamlin hung out in the rear, believing there would be a late pileup and aimed to score at least 20 points. That didn’t happen, and when there was a last-lap wreck, the No. 11 Toyota was involved. Meanwhile, Brad Keselowski, known for his superspeedway prowess, had a ho-hum performance and dropped below the elimination line by a single point.

Kyle Larson, the No. 1 seed, lost control of his car in the waning laps of the opening stage from third position and smacked the wall hard and scored a single point for the race. Martin Truex Jr. was also caught up in a wreck during the final stage and finished 12 laps down in 35th position. He remains 15th on the playoff grid, 19 points below the elimination lane.

The final two races of the Round of 16 have a bundle of challenges. High tire wear is expected in Sunday’s Go Bowling at The Glen (3 p.m. ET, USA, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, NBC Sports App), as well as next weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway. Both are tracks at which it’s easy to make a mistake.

Keselowski has scored a single top-10 finish in the last 21 road-course races and qualified 28th for Sunday’s race at Watkins Glen. He believes if he can escape Watkins Glen within 10 to 20 points of the elimination line that he could still point his way into the Round of 12.

“Here, not so great. Bristol has been really good for us,” Keselowski said of his outlook. “We just want to be within fight range for Bristol. Even if we’re not in fighting range, I think we will have a great shot to win.

“I look at the guys that I’m around and I’m prepared to go to Bristol and run real hard, have a great car and make it count.”

The No. 11 team had a discussion this week and Hamlin said his crew chief Chris Gabehart won’t allow his driver to pull the same strategy at Talladega in the Round of 12, should Hamlin advance out of the opening round. Sitting two points above the elimination line, there is little room for error, though he has been victorious in the last two Bristol races.

“Certainly, I don’t love where I’m at,” Hamlin said. “That’s a given. But I still think if I just do the best that I can [at Watkins Glen], do the best I can at Bristol, it will still work itself out. If it doesn’t, it doesn’t. My number one goal is getting to a win total and I have plenty of races to do that. I’m going to try to win at least two races in this playoffs and hopefully they count towards something when I do.”

MORE: See full rosters for Cup teams at Watkins Glen

Following the conclusion of the Atlanta race, Larson was enthused to still be above the elimination line. He has three combined wins at Watkins Glen and Bristol, including visiting Victory Lane in two of the last three races on the famed road course. He doesn’t feel comfortable, though, knowing how challenging both tracks are.

“I thought it would be way worse,” Larson said on Saturday, when discussing his points position after failing to finish at Atlanta. “When you’re strapping out of the car, you’re like, ‘Man, I’m going to be right at it or below. But watching the race play out and they had the points up there, I figured I would end the race from 12 to 18 or so back and we’re right in the middle of it at 15 ahead. I will take that for only getting one point.

“We have results and that helps give you a little bit of confidence, but it’s still a couple of nerve-wracking tracks.”

Amid a summer slump that hasn’t seen Truex score a top-five finish since early May at Kansas Speedway, he isn’t sure if he will have to win at either The Glen or Bristol to advance to the Round of 12. His track record is much better at WGI, with six top-10 finishes in the last seven races. He has five top-10 finishes total at Bristol — and finished third in March — in 34 starts.

“I feel really good about it, honestly,” Truex said of his outlook for the next two weekends. “We should be able to perform well [at Watkins Glen]. It is going to be interesting this weekend with tires that they’ve brought and the fall off that everyone is talking about. It will be interesting to see how it plays out.”

Truex earned the best starting position of all 16 playoff drivers on Saturday at Watkins Glen, lining up on the front row next to Ross Chastain.

Posted on September 14, 2024September 14, 2024 by Holly Cain

WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. — Trackhouse Racing’s Ross Chastain won his first pole position of the 2024 season — and second of his career — Saturday afternoon at the historic Watkins Glen International road course.

Chastain’s No. 1 Chevrolet turned in a fast lap of 122.279 mph around the 2.45-mile, seven-turn course in upstate New York to edge former race winner Martin Truex Jr. for the top position by a mere 0.134 seconds. Ranked 15th of the 16 NASCAR Cup Series Playoff drivers, it was an important result for Truex as well.

The two will lead the field to green in Sunday’s Go Bowling at The Glen (3 p.m. ET, USA, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, NBC Sports App), the second of the series’ 10 playoff races and the first of two road courses on the postseason schedule.

RELATED: Starting lineup | At-track photos

“It wasn’t any one thing, just so many years of trying to learn how to do this, it was just a career moment, a lifetime achievement to go faster than everybody in the Cup Series, just unbelievable for Trackhouse to do,” Chastain said.

It was an interesting qualifying session with Chastain among five non-playoff drivers who advanced to the final qualifying round on Saturday. Kaulig Racing’s Shane van Gisbergen, who will start third, his Kaulig teammate AJ Allmendinger, who will start sixth, and Stewart-Haas Racing’s Noah Gragson and Front Row Motorsports’ Michael McDowell, who line up ninth and 10th, respectively, completed that group of drivers not eligible for the championship.

In addition to Truex, the playoff drivers to advance to final qualifying were Hendrick Motorsports’ Alex Bowman (fourth), Team Penske’s Austin Cindric (fifth) and Joey Logano (seventh) and Chastain’s Trackhouse Racing teammate Daniel Suárez (eighth).

Sunday’s race is the second of the three first-round races. The lowest-ranked four of the 16 drivers will be eliminated from championship eligibility after next week’s race at the famed Bristol Motor Speedway half-mile.

Qualifying has proven to be especially important at the Watkins Glen course with the race winner starting seventh or better on the grid in 16 of the last 19 races.

Logano, who won last week’s playoff opener at Atlanta Motor Speedway, is the only driver to have secured his second-round position in the Round of 12. His Team Penske teammate Ryan Blaney, who holds a five-point edge over Joe Gibbs Racing’s Christopher Bell in the championship points standings, will start 30th. Bell will roll off 17th.

23XI Racing’s Tyler Reddick, the Regular Season Champion, is fourth in the standings and will start 16th. Hendrick Motorsports William Byron, the defending race winner who is ranked fifth in the playoff standings, will start 11th. His teammate Chase Elliott — a two-time Watkins Glen winner — will roll off 14th. Their teammate Kyle Larson — another two-time Watkins Glen winner — will start 20th.

JGR’s Denny Hamlin, also a former Watkins Glen winner, will start 22nd. His JGR teammate Ty Gibbs, who holds that 12th and final transfer position by a mere one point over Brad Keselowski, will roll off 15th.

The veteran and former series champ RFK Racing co-owner Keselowski will start 28th. Harrison Burton, who is ranked 17th — 16 points below the elimination line — will start 33rd Sunday. Stewart-Haas Racing’s Chase Briscoe, who is 16th in the Playoff standings and 21 points below Gibbs, had an encouraging qualifying session and will start 12th.

Juan Pablo Montoya, a former Watkins Glen race winner, will make his first NASCAR Cup Series start in 10 years and will roll off 34th in the No. 50 23XI Racing Toyota.

Reddick fastest in practice

23XI Racing’s Tyler Reddick topped the leaderboard in practice at 122.469 mph, besting Ross Chastain (122.337 mph) and Kyle Larson (122.296 mph).

Shane van Gisbergen (122.267 mph) and Denny Hamlin (122.015 mph) rounded out the top five.

MORE: Practice results

Joey Logano (121.963 mph), Austin Cindric (121.778 mph), Ryan Blaney (121.764 mph), Corey LaJoie (121.759 mph) and Noah Gragson (121.620 mph) completed the top 10.

Contributing: Staff reports

Posted on September 13, 2024 by Dustin Albino

Connor Zilisch isn’t afraid to be uncomfortable. In fact, he credits that willingness to get out of his comfort zone for much of his immediate racing success.

Early on in Zilisch’s young racing career, he appeared to be on the path to Formula One. He moved out of his parents’ house in suburban Charlotte and went across the pond to Europe. Upon returning to the United States, Zilisch began racing anything and everything. But his first oval race didn’t come until June 2022.

“There are places where I have to go out and learn,” Zilisch told NASCAR.com. “But over time, I’ve always felt like I can adapt to something and be comfortable after enough time with how much preparation that I do and the races where I feel like I need it.”

In mid-January, Zilisch, then 17 years old, signed a multiyear contract with Trackhouse Racing as a developmental driver. It became Justin Marks’ responsibility to point the young protege in the right direction. Later that month, Zilisch won the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona in his first attempt. He followed that up in March, winning the 12 Hours of Sebring in his first try.

Zilisch also got his first proper stab at competing in the ARCA Menards Series across the 2024 season. In five starts this year, he’s won four times and finished second. And in the ARCA Menards Series East, he notched another four victories in seven tries.

Part of what makes Zilisch successful is that he asks plenty of questions. His primary mentor is former NASCAR driver Josh Wise, who spearheads Wise Optimization and assists Chevrolet drivers in their development to test their limits.

“We talk almost every day,” Wise said of his relationship with Zilisch. “I don’t know that there are really any boundaries on that. We talk about life, girlfriends, school, goals, specifics of race craft, you name it. Maybe that’s why there is a bigger influence there because we have a broad relationship.”

The Zilisch hype train will make its transition to the Xfinity Series this weekend at Watkins Glen International, as he will drive the No. 88 Chevrolet for JR Motorsports in the first of a four-race deal for 2024. Zilisch is known to win his first race out throughout multiple series and appeared to be on his way to doing so in the Craftsman Truck Series at Circuit of The Americas in March, setting a blistering pace in qualifying. When he overshot the hairpin Turn 1 on Lap 1, he had to reset.

Wise likes seeing Zilisch make errors. He believes that to optimize oneself, you must make mistakes.

“I would like to say (Zilisch) is ready for it, but it’s hard,” Wise said. “I hope he makes a lot of mistakes – we need mistakes – because that’s how we’re going to learn. I don’t expect these to be perfect outings for him; I don’t want them to be perfect outings for him. He needs to go learn, explore, make mistakes that we can learn from quickly. The outcomes that surround that are what they are. It could be a win, it could be an 18th-place finish, but we’re going to get a lot out of these early starts, I can guarantee that.”

Zilisch expects to be a contender for the checkered flag in Saturday’s The Mission 200 at The Glen (3 p.m. ET, USA, MRN Radio, NBC Sports App). The real foray starts in his next appearance at Kansas Speedway, where he will compete in the ARCA race the day prior. In October, he will compete at a challenging Homestead-Miami Speedway, where the preferred lane is an inch away from the wall. He will also race in the season finale at Phoenix Raceway. That will give the youngster some experience before hopping into the No. 88 car full-time in 2025.

Adam Glanzman | NASCAR Regional

“With going full-time next year, the biggest thing for this year is going to be learning,” Zilisch said. “When I go to so many different styles of race tracks, it’s going to be good to go out and run all the laps, learn and have the expectation going in that I’m not going to compete in my first race at Homestead, I’m not going to compete for a win in my first race at Kansas, and when everyone’s competing for a championship at Phoenix, I’m going to be out there learning.

“It’s tough as a racer. You want to go out and compete for the win and you want to qualify on the pole. For me, I know that the long-term goal is to be competitive in 2025 and to do that, I need to run all the laps in 2024 and take as much from it as I can.”

Prior to all four Xfinity starts in 2024, Zilisch will receive time on the Chevrolet simulator. Already, he is leaning on veteran driver and regular season championship leader Justin Allgaier to get the latest scoop on this quartet of tracks.

This weekend, Zilisch knows he will have to outduel the likes of fellow Trackhouse driver and three-time Xfinity winner Shane van Gisbergen and road-course ace AJ Allmendinger. His ARCA debut also came at The Glen in 2023, losing out to Jesse Love on an overtime restart despite leading most of the race.

“I definitely think that being competitive at Watkins Glen is the goal,” Zilisch added. “That’s a track that I know and where I can go out and compete at. Watkins Glen’s goal is a little different from showing up at Kansas.

“Thankfully, all three of those later races, I’m going to get some experience at those tracks before I go out and race in the Xfinity car and that’s going to help out a lot. At the same time, racing an ARCA race at Kansas isn’t the same thing as running an Xfinity car at Kansas. It’s going to be a learning curve and one that I’m looking forward to.”

One day ahead of Zilisch’s Xfinity debut, Red Bull athletes van Gisbergen and Scott Speed surprised him with a helmet, naming him the newest Red Bull athlete.

“Words can’t describe it,” Zilisch said. “I remember being 11 years old sending an email to Red Bull, trying to get them to sponsor me. Seven years later, now I’m a Red Bull athlete. It’s special to me. I will wear this helmet with honor.”

Once the 2024 racing season ends, Zilisch will shift his attention to his new job at JRM. It’s an opportunity that team owner Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Marks are both excited for.

“There’s a lot of talent in stock car racing coming up through the ranks right now,” Marks said on episode 566 of the “Dale Jr Download. “There’s a lot of speed. And I think really the differentiator when you’re trying to think of the long-term vision and think of what’s going to be successful in years down the road is a lot of the stuff around the speed, it’s maturity, it’s authenticity, it’s a great story, a great work ethic, drive, all that. Connor demonstrated really quickly that a lot of those boxes were checked and, and, at the end of the day, he’s a winner.”

JR Motorsports has become a staple of seeing young drivers boost their resumes. Zilisch could be the next one as many industry veterans believe he’s on the fast track to the Cup Series.

“I am excited to be able to be a part of your career,” Earnhardt told Zilisch on DJD. “I think a lot of people have you tabbed as one of the very top prospects in our sport. And you know, JR Motorsports can be a part of your ascension to the top level.”

Should Zilisch win in his Xfinity debut at Watkins Glen, he would become the seventh driver in series history to win in their debut race, with the last being Ty Gibbs at the Daytona International Speedway road course in 2021.

Posted on September 13, 2024 by Steve Luvender

NASCAR.com’s 36 for 36 continues at Watkins Glen International.

With 36 races and 36 full-time Charter cars, our players select one car per race, but there’s a simple twist: once they’ve made the pick, they can’t choose that car again for the rest of the 36-race season. Yes, that means every car will be selected exactly once … a survivor pool, by another name.

Follow along weekly as our panel of pickers — Dustin Albino from Jayski, along with Steve Luvender and Cameron Richardson from NASCAR.com — embarks on a season-long journey to think like strategists and prove their picking prowess.

We’ll also feature a fourth “community” 36 for 36 pick each week, as decided by fan vote on the r/NASCAR subreddit. Can the collective vote topple our trio of full-timers?

Current Standings:

Steve Luvender: 689
Dustin Albino: -71
r/NASCAR Community: -75
Cameron Richardson: -123

Race 28 of 36: Watkins Glen

An eventful playoff opener last week at Atlanta Motor Speedway shook up the 36 for 36 standings. A disappointing day for Todd Gilliland landed the r/NASCAR community just 10 points, enough to move Dustin Albino up into second place. Albino’s pick of Ricky Stenhouse Jr. proved fruitful enough for 34 points — tied for Stenhouse’s second-best points day of 2024. Steve Luvender and Cameron Richardson collected 22 points from picking Corey LaJoie.

Watkins Glen is the next step for the Cup Series and our picking panel. It’s the first time The Glen hosts a playoff race, and the prospect of fast-wearing tires is sure to keep things interesting. How did our pickers decide to approach this road-course weekend?

Jayski’s Dustin Albino: No. 2, Austin Cindric

Dustin’s pick last week: No. 47, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (34 points)

Total season points: 618 (second place, +1 from last week)

Dustin: With how well Cindric has performed on superspeedways in the Cup Series — he led a race-high 92 laps in the playoff opener at Atlanta — it might be easy to forget that he grew up road racing. He had immediate success on road courses in the Xfinity Series, and that translated to the Cup Series during his rookie campaign. Team Penske’s road-course program has been slightly off over the last year and a half, but I’m on the Cindric bandwagon of advancing to the Round of 12. With how the 2024 playoffs are set up, it’s reasonable to believe he will reach the Round of 8. Cindric was among the three drivers — Tyler Reddick and Daniel Suárez — that participated in a Goodyear tire test at Watkins Glen in June.

NASCAR.com’s Steve Luvender: No. 54, Ty Gibbs

Steve’s pick last week: No. 7, Corey LaJoie (22 points)

Total season points: 689 (first place)

Steve: Gibbs has yet to find Victory Lane in 78 Cup Series starts, but I think he could seriously contend for the win on Sunday. With four road-course victories in the Xfinity Series, including one of those coming at The Glen in 2021, he’s proven his proficiency in turning right and left. I suspect the road-racing prowess of the sophomore driver, combined with the speed of his Joe Gibbs Racing pit crew, will lead to a productive afternoon as the No. 54 team eyes the Round of 12.

NASCAR.com’s Cameron Richardson: No. 99, Daniel Suárez

Cameron’s pick last week: No. 7, Corey LaJoie (22 points)

Total season points: 566 (fourth place)

Cameron: Coming off a runner-up result at Atlanta, Suárez has significant momentum heading to one of his better tracks on the circuit. He owns three top-five results in six starts at The Glen, but I could be trapped once again as his other three results were 17th or worse. With a softer tire potentially shaking up the racing and strategy on Sunday, the No. 99 Trackhouse Racing team will need to play defense to maintain a 22-point cushion above the elimination line. If they do, it could mean another big points day for Suárez to continue his push into the Round of 12.

r/NASCAR Community: No. 34, Michael McDowell

r/NASCAR’s pick last week: No. 38, Todd Gilliland (10 points)

Total season points: 614 (third place, -1 from last week)

The NASCAR subreddit is going with Front Row Motorsports for the second week in a row, this time with Michael McDowell getting the nod. Here’s what Redditors had to say in this week’s voting thread:

u/FridgusDomin8or: “This has to be it for this week. McDowell is really good at Watkins Glen; I think back to last year’s race where he started up front, lost all his track position due to a pit road penalty, and drove back through the field (before his engine expired). He’s also a veteran who shouldn’t have a hard time knowing how to conserve tires if that comes into play.”

u/Extreme-Bite-9123: “Michael here. The guy is really good on the roads, and the glen is one of his better ones. Definitely take him here”

Check back next week to see how our pickers fared as the season-long 36 for 36 journey continues.

And, if you’ve got a competitive itch beyond meticulously managing your Fantasy Live lineup each week, feel free to save or print your own 36 for 36 sheet and see if you can beat our pickers and the Reddit community!

Posted on September 13, 2024September 13, 2024 by Staff Report

Weekly Race Roster

Posted on September 13, 2024 by Seth Sharp

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).

NASCAR Research & Archives Center | Getty Images

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.

Jamie Squire | Getty Images

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.

Jeff Zelevansky | Getty Images

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.

Posted on September 12, 2024September 14, 2024 by Adam Fenwick

The strength of the local Modified contingent at Riverhead Raceway is well known.

Ever since the first NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour race at the quarter-mile bullring located on Long Island in 1985, local Modified competitors have made a point to defend their home turf against the invading Tour regulars.

Drivers like Dan Jivanelli, Wayne Anderson, Don Howe and Justin Bonsignore have won championships at Riverhead Raceway and also won NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour races at the historic track. Bonsignore, who won his championship in 2011, has since gone on to become a Tour regular with three championships and 42 career wins. Anderson, a five-time Riverhead champion, also won a Tour championship in 1994.

Another notable Riverhead name is Mike Ewanitsko, an 11-time Riverhead Raceway Modified Tour winner who also has 30 local Modified victories at his home track.

Most recently, Kyle Soper scored a win for the Riverhead Raceway regulars when he piloted the aforementioned Anderson’s No. 15 to victory in 2022.

The local contingent will once again be well represented during Saturday’s Eddie Partridge 256 with no fewer than five Riverhead Raceway regulars scheduled to compete. Headlining that group is Timmy Solomito, a man with extensive Modified Tour experience.

Solomito, a nine-time Modified Tour race winner who finished second in the series standings in 2017, has been a familiar face at Riverhead Raceway for years alongside his older brother Shawn.

Despite not having a Riverhead Raceway championship on his résumé, Solomito is a 27-time winner in local Modified competition at Riverhead. Three of his nine Modified Tour wins have also come at Riverhead.

This year, Solomito has won three times at Riverhead in NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series competition. His most recent win came just a few weeks ago during the annual running of the Cecil Palm Tree 66, which was held in honor of the late Eddie Partridge. Solomito led every lap during that event.

J.R. Bertuccio is a former track champion at Riverhead Raceway with 30 victories to his credit at the Long Island track. (Photo: Susan Wong/NASCAR)

Next is a man who should also be familiar to Modified Tour fans, J.R. Bertuccio. From Centereach, New York, Bertuccio is a 30-time Modified division winner at Riverhead Raceway who also claimed the track championship in 2003. One of those wins came earlier this year in a 50-lap feature.

A starter of 46 Modified Tour events during his lengthy career, Bertuccio’s best series finish not surprisingly came at Riverhead. He scored a fifth-place finish at Riverhead last season in the Eddie Partridge 256, which he backed up with another fifth-place finish earlier this year.

Jack Handley Jr. is one of Riverhead Raceway’s newer stars. A three-time Modified division winner, Handley also regularly competes in Riverhead’s Super Pro Truck division, where he is a 24-time winner and three-time division champion. He has one Modified division win at Riverhead this season.

One season ago, Mark Stewart came up one position short of scoring a huge upset during the Eddie Partridge 256. It was only the second Modified Tour event for Stewart, who has yet to find Victory Lane in weekly Modified competition at Riverhead.

Last but certainly not least is Roger Turbush, Stewart’s uncle. A two-time champion of Riverhead’s Super Pro Stock division, he has one career Modified division victory at Riverhead. His best Tour performance at Riverhead came in 2021, when he finished third.

Tyler Rypkema will take over driving duties of Boehler Racing Enterprises’ Ole Blue No. 3 for the remainder of the season starting Saturday at Riverhead Raceway. (Susan Wong/NASCAR)

Tyler Rypkema named new driver of Boehler’s Ole Blue No. 3

Boehler Racing Enterprises owner Michael Boehler confirms Tyler Rypkema will take over driving duties of the famed Ole Blue No. 3 for the remainder of the 2024 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour season.

The team parted ways with previous driver Jake Johnson last month and had Bobby Santos III wheel the car at the most recent series event at Oswego Speedway on Aug. 31.

Rypkema comes to Boehler Racing Enterprises with a strong résumé. In 65 career Modified Tour starts, he has seven top-five and 23 top-10 finishes to go along with two Mayhew Tools Dominator Pole Awards. He has two runner-up finishes, one at Martinsville Speedway in 2021 and another at Jennerstown Speedway in 2022.

“He’s got a ton of experience on the Tour running full-time and part-time in his own equipment, and he’s run up front a lot,” Boehler said. “He wants to win on the Tour. That’s his ultimate goal, and that is ours, too. I think it’s a perfect fit to work together the last five races, and hopefully it leads to the future.

“The guys are excited as can be to have somebody young and energetic that wants to win and run up front.”

Boehler Racing Enterprises is currently fifth in the Modified Tour owner standings with five races left in the season.

Special award to honor the late Jason Shepherd at Riverhead

On Aug. 19, 2024, Jason Shepherd passed away.

Shepherd was a familiar face in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour garage, where he served as crew chief for Goodie Motorsports and driver Eric Goodale.

To honor the late Shepherd, Riverhead Raceway and HighMark Building Efficiency will award the Jason Shepherd Crew Chief of the Race Award during Saturday’s Eddie Partridge 256.

The award is meant to celebrate the racing career and life of Shepherd. As part of the award, the race-winning crew chief will receive $250 as the Jason Shepherd Crew Chief of the Race, and HighMark Building Efficiency will present $250 to Jason’s wife Jodie Madeline and their children.

Goodale will be in the field in his No. 58 Modified and hopes to honor his late crew chief with a victory in the Eddie Partridge 256.

Posted on September 12, 2024September 13, 2024 by Holly Cain

The NASCAR Xfinity Series is set to deliver the weekend’s first dose of close-quarter, high-skilled action at the hallowed Watkins Glen International road course. With only two races now remaining to formalize the 12-driver playoff field, Saturday’s Mission 200 at The Glen (3 p.m. ET, USA, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) could be a pivotal chapter in the title run.

JR Motorsports’ Sam Mayer is the defending race winner, beating Sheldon Creed to the line last summer by a slight 0.909 seconds, with a third member of this year’s title-contending group, Parker Kligerman, finishing third.

Mayer is the only current full-time Xfinity Series driver to hoist the trophy in this race, although three other full-time drivers have won at The Glen. Richard Childress Racing’s Austin Hill was the 2021 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race winner at the famed road course, and his current RCR teammate Jesse Love won last year’s ARCA Menards Series race there. JRM’s Brandon Jones earned the 2022 ARCA trophy.

Hill won last week at Atlanta Motor Speedway — his second win of the year, matching the win total for Regular Season Championship leader Justin Allgaier, Chandler Smith and Mayer. Kaulig Racing’s Shane van Gisbergen is a three-race winner in 2024, scoring all three trophies on road courses (Chicago, Sonoma and Portland).

Kaulig Racing’s AJ Allmendinger, another of the sport’s best road-racing drivers, is still looking to score his first Xfinity Series win at the track. A victory this weekend would also be his first of the season, although he is the highest-ranked driver (ninth) in terms of points without a win, with a safe 144-point advantage over Ryan Sieg in 13th place.

Sieg took a hard hit in points last week when he was collected in a late race multicar accident at Atlanta. He now trails JR Motorsports’ Sammy Smith by 44 points for that 12th and final playoff points position.

What looked a lot like a championship lock for Stewart-Haas Racing’s Cole Custer has now become a close tussle between the reigning series champ and Allgaier. The 26-year-old Californian, Custer, led Allgaier by double digits only three races ago, but three finishes of 30th or worse in the last four races have instead left him 34 points behind Allgaier with just two races to decide the regular-season title.

Connor Zilisch is set to make his NASCAR Xfinity Series debut this weekend, driving the No. 88 Chevrolet for JR Motorsports.

MORE: Xfinity Series standings | Xfinity Series schedule

Several full-time NASCAR Cup Series drivers, from Joey Logano to William Byron, Ross Chastain, Ty Gibbs and part-time competitor Aric Almirola, are also entered. International drivers Ed Jones and Alon Day are also on the entry list.

Practice for the Mission 200 at The Glen gets underway Saturday at 9:30 a.m. ET, followed by qualifying at 10 a.m. ET. Both will be available on the NBC Sports App.

Posted on September 12, 2024September 12, 2024 by Jerry Bonkowski

When 23XI Racing president Steve Lauletta wanted to add an extra car and driver for Sunday’s Go Bowling at the Glen NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs race at Watkins Glen International, he quickly thought of Juan Pablo Montoya.

Even though Montoya’s last Cup race was the 2014 Brickyard 400, Lauletta knew Watkins Glen was Montoya’s best track in his NASCAR days, earning one of his two Cup career wins there (2010), as well as three top-five and five top-10 finishes in seven starts.

“I just called him and asked if he’d be interested in coming back when we zeroed in on Watkins Glen,” Lauletta told SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. “He won one of his two Cup races there, so the story just seemed perfect from all those different aspects. He was super excited and interested to do it.”

Lauletta and Montoya have a long history, dating back to when Lauletta was an executive with Chip Ganassi Racing and Montoya was one of the team’s Cup drivers from 2007 to 2013.

And now, they’re reunited again.

Admittedly, things are a lot different. Lauletta moved to 23XI, while Montoya has been driving sports cars and prototypes in recent years, as well as helping his son Sebastian climb through the racing ranks, currently in Formula 3 and with hopes of advancing to Formula 2 next year.

“I’m at the point in my career where I’m not looking for a job, I’m not looking for anything,” Montoya said. “But an opportunity like this comes along and I think I can still be really competitive and have a shot at it, so why not?”

When Mobil 1 offered sponsorship for the race, part of its 50th anniversary celebration, plus with it being Watkins Glen’s first-ever appearance in the Cup playoffs, Montoya jumped at the chance to have some fun once again, five days before his 49th birthday.

“I thought, ooh, that would be cool, and that was it,” Montoya said. “Steve explained to me what they were looking for with Mobil 1 and I thought it really just made sense. It was really like a no-brainer.”

It helped that Montoya also has a long history with Mobil 1.

“People don’t know this, but my first sponsor in Colombia when I was still in karting was Mobil 1 and my first open-wheel car in Colombia was sponsored by Mobil 1,” he said. “They were a big part of my early career, so I thought it was a good way of saying thank you in a way.”

Montoya isn’t looking past Sunday. For him, it’s a chance to relive a bit of his past glory and have some fun. But if he was asked to do a few more races in the near future, he’d consider it.

Tom Whitmore | Getty Images

“They haven’t asked me, they haven’t talked about it,” Montoya said, but, he added, “honestly, if it was to do road courses and stuff like that, a couple of races a year, I think it would be fun. If it was more, I would probably say no.”

From Formula One to IndyCar (and two Indianapolis 500 wins) to NASCAR, one of Montoya’s biggest career hallmarks has been his competitiveness.

Even with having been out of a Cup car for a decade, that competitive, optimistic nature is still with him. When asked his realistic expectation for the race at The Glen, Montoya said he’s is in it to win it, period.

“Honestly, if I wasn’t thinking about winning, why would I (do it)?” he said. “Tell me anybody that goes into a race thinking they’re going to suck.

“I’m too much of a racer and too hard-headed. I want to win. For me, I can’t go into a race thinking if we finish 15th, I’ll be happy. Hell no. I want to do well.”

But with his time away from NASCAR, Montoya admits he has some concerns about wheeling the No. 50 Toyota in the 90-lap, 220.5-mile road-course event.

“I think the hardest things are going to be like pit road, pit road speed, the basic stuff where you can just (mess) up and look like an idiot,” Montoya said. “I don’t want to look (bad).”

Two other things Montoya will have to adapt to quickly are a short practice session before qualifying, and he’ll be racing against several younger drivers he never previously competed against. That means he won’t know their tendencies, nor will they know his.

“You just try to race them as fair as possible, and you hope that they race you as fair as possible as well,” he said. “I mean, at the end of the day, I’m doing a one-off. I want to perform well. I don’t want to have big drama with anybody.

“But at the same time, I don’t want to push anybody over, and I’m hoping nobody does (to me). For me, the more quiet of a weekend we have, the better.”

But, he added with a laugh, “I’m sure for the fans, that would be different.”

To prepare for The Glen, Montoya has done some work on a simulator, as well as one shakedown test a few weeks ago at Virginia International Raceway.

“I think we landed in a happy place with everything,” he said. “The sim’s really good. I think the guys were kind of happily surprised with the performance with the sim. So from that point of view, I can’t complain.

“You do what you can. How do you predict what’s going to happen? You can’t. I’m going into a race weekend where everybody’s kind of blindfolded on what’s going to happen. I think the boys have done a really good job with the car, the team has been really competitive lately, so it makes it fun for me.

“For me, this is actually a cool event because it’s racing without the points, the B.S. and the politics. It’s fun getting to drive the hell out of the car. Hopefully, you can do a really good job for the team, and then you go home and say, ‘Thank you very much.’ ”

Posted on September 11, 2024September 13, 2024 by Pat DeCola

Here’s what’s happening in the world of NASCAR with Atlanta in the rearview and Watkins Glen (Sun., 3 p.m. ET, USA) up next.

THE LINEUP ️

1️⃣ Why does anybody ever doubt Joey Logano in an even year?

2️⃣ Wide-open road to a Round of 12 spot up for grabs at The Glen

3️⃣ Bubble trouble already for heavy title contenders

4️⃣ Left, right and center stage: Best 2024 road-course drivers

5️⃣ Catch the pack — news and notes from around the garage

Alejandro Alvarez | NASCAR Digital Media

1. Why does anybody ever doubt Joey Logano in an even year?

Joey Logano is, once again, in position to compete for a NASCAR Cup Series championship. Perhaps we should have expected this, looking at the calendar.

We really should know better by now.

If we’ve learned anything over the past decade in this ever-evolving sport of ours, there’s one constant — Joey Logano is a championship threat in even-numbered years, period.

Since 2014, when NASCAR introduced its current playoff format, the No. 22 Team Penske driver has made the Championship 4 in every even-numbered year — and literally no odd-numbered years — and it’s looking like he’ll have a great shot once again in 2024 after becoming the first driver to lock into the Round of 12 with Sunday’s win at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Logano’s even-year success is more than just a statistical quirk; it’s become a defining feature of his career, somewhat to his chagrin.

“I’m OK with it. I just don’t believe in luck ever or just weird things like that. I think it’s just a coincidence that it’s like that,” Logano said in his winner’s press conference Sunday. “I hope it’s right this year. We’ll see (smiling). It doesn’t just come automatic because that’s what the numbers have been and the pattern that’s been shown over the last whatever it’s been, 10 years. I don’t know. I hope it’s right, though.”

Despite his skepticism, the numbers don’t lie. His championship victories in 2018 and 2022 have cemented his status as one of the sport’s elite drivers — along with being one of just two multi-time champions and the only one in this year’s playoffs — capable of rising to the occasion when the stakes are highest, and the calendar year is the even … est.

And yet, for essentially the first full half of the season until his win at Nashville, almost nothing but questions surrounded Logano and the No. 22 team as they struggled to escape the mid-teens in the standings. Few out there were saying, “Look, it’s 2024 and Logano and Wolfe will be there when it counts, trust the process.” But here they are, still with a long way to go to crown a champion, but in the best position out of anybody right now.

But what about those odd years? It’s here that we perhaps encounter the concept of the “championship hangover.” After the champagne has dried and the confetti has been swept away, whether the title was won or not, Logano and his team struggle to maintain their championship form the season following a Championship 4 appearance. (Though, notably, Logano’s career-high win total of six came in 2015 … en route to a sixth-place standings run.) It’s a phenomenon not unique to NASCAR, but one that Logano and Wolfe have had to grapple with repeatedly.

Perhaps that’s just the ebbs and flows of professional competition, however; an athlete and coach pour it all into a particular season, complete the ultimate task or get as close as possible to it, and the emotional toll and lack of pressure the following year leads to a drop-off in performance. It makes you appreciate Jimmie Johnson’s five consecutive titles even more, in that context.

Whether Logano continues this trend and takes it all the way to fighting for the title at Phoenix remains to be seen, but it’s certain that he’s now at least one step closer.

2. Wide-open road to a Round of 12 spot up for grabs at The Glen

Atlanta flipped the postseason on its head and Watkins Glen could offer more of the same — though one team has a clear edge. For now.

As if opening the playoffs with a bang with Atlanta’s high speeds and high action wasn’t enough, how about tossing Watkins Glen International into the playoffs for the first time?

The Glen has always opened up the door to surprise winners — further emphasizing the chaotic nature of this year’s opening round — but the way Hendrick Motorsports has dominated that track lately initially made it look like this race would be a place to further cement its drivers’ solid playoff positioning. Instead, with none of its four drivers in the top four in the standings after one playoff race, and thus not technically on track to make the Championship 4, it’s a weekend where its talented stable will look to play some catch-up.

Still, Hendrick drivers will be the ones to beat, as the team has won the last five races at this iconic road course with three different drivers. It has also claimed victory in all three road-course races in 2024, and there is a strong possibility of making it a clean sweep with just one more on the horizon later on in the playoffs.

One of the most talked-about changes for this race is the debut of a fresh Goodyear tire compound, designed to incur significant fall-off during a run. This isn’t just a minor tweak; it could fundamentally alter race strategy in an event with already so many unknowns.

“It certainly will. I certainly think that it could definitely play a role in strategy,” No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin said at Playoff Media Day. “It’s been so straightforward in the past that you just want to get to those stage points and then you go ahead and pit. But certainly, if tires are going to matter like it seems like they might, it throws a whole new element in it and it’s not a huge gimmicky element because you have to strategize around tire wear. The driver plays a huge role in that, so certainly, hopefully, I’ve got my fingers crossed that it’s a race that’s going to be unlike any road course we’ve seen.”

Meanwhile, Championship 4 favorites and Toyota drivers Tyler Reddick and Christopher Bell are the other drivers to watch — if Hendrick is usurped, it feels likely it’ll be one of those two. Both have finished in the top 10 in all three of their Watkins Glen starts, and each has shown to be among the class of the field on road courses. That said, it’ll be interesting to see if either of them will even be the top Toyota in the field, or if former WGI ace Juan Pablo Montoya, making his return this weekend for 23XI Racing, can pull off the “SVG Lite” and win in his first race after being away from the sport for so long.

Really, though, all season long, it’s felt like there was a particular narrative or driver expected to win on a certain weekend and it almost never winds up coming to fruition. The 2024 campaign has been one of the most unpredictable seasons in recent memory, with a new surprise around every corner.

And this weekend at The Glen, with corners that go both left and right, all we can expect is more of the unexpected.

3. Bubble trouble already for heavy title contenders

The NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs open with a battle at the bubble after Atlanta, with some fan-favorite drivers hovering near the elimination line as the Round of 16 begins.

4. Left, right and center stage: Best 2024 road-course drivers

The final “classic” road course of the season is up next this weekend with the playoff debut of The Glen, and there are some interesting names at the top of the list among playoff drivers’ points earned in 2024 road-course races.

Driver	Total points	Points per race
Alex Bowman	115	38.3
Tyler Reddick	110	36.7
Ryan Blaney	100	33.3
Christopher Bell	83	27.7
William Byron	83	27.7
Ty Gibbs	80	26.7
Chase Elliott	77	25.7
Kyle Larson	75	25.0
Daniel Suárez	68	22.7
Brad Keselowski	65	21.7
Austin Cindric	63	21.0
Martin Truex Jr.	63	21.0
Joey Logano	58	19.3
Denny Hamlin	42	14.0
Chase Briscoe	38	13.0
Harrison Burton	34	11.3