The penultimate race of the NASCAR Cup Series regular season will be held in Schuyler County on Sunday afternoon.
What: Go Bowling at The Glen, NASCAR Cup Series race
Where: Watkins Glen International, Watkins Glen, NY
Watch: 3 p.m. ET, USA
New York sports has been bizarrely bereft of championship endeavors in recent years. The stars of the NASCAR Cup Series are going to do what they can to end the drought.
The penultimate race of the 26-event regular season will be staged at Watkins Glen International on Sunday afternoon, as the circuit makes its annual descent upon the 2.454-mile road course in Schuyler County. Watkins Glen first hosted a race for NASCAR’s premier series in 1957 and has done so annually since 1986, only taking a break in 2020 during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Road courses differ from typical NASCAR events, as drivers are required to make both left and right turns as opposed to the exclusive right turns seen on the typical oval courses seen throughout the circuit. The racing is inspired by street circuits that proved popular internationally. For several years, Watkins Glen and Sonoma Raceway were the only two road courses on the Cup Series circuit but several others have been added, including the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, TX and Road America in Elkhart Lake, WI. The road course at the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway has been used in NASCAR’s visits over the last two years while one more, the half-road course, half-oval at Charlotte Motor Speedway, will be run during the ten-race postseason in October.
Tony Stewart is the all-time leader with five victories at Watkins Glen, whose regulation Cup Series races run for approximately 221 miles over 90 laps. Previous Glen winners partaking in Sunday’s event include Kevin Harvick (2006), Kyle Busch (2008, 2013), A.J. Allmendinger (2014), Joey Logano (2015), Denny Hamlin (2016), Martin Truex Jr. (2017), Chase Elliott (2018, 2019), and Kyle Larson (2021).
Storylines at The Glen
Not Alive in the Top Five
The introduction of the Next Gen car has produced one of Cup Series’ most open seasons since the playoffs were introduced in 2004: entering Watkins Glen, 15 different drives have won races this season. Under the current postseason format, a win more or less less secures a driver’s spot in the 16-team playoff grid, provided he remains in the top 30 in the conventional point standings.
Potential controversy thus lingers: the lone spot available by conventional points currently belongs to Ryan Blaney, who currently ranks second in the standings without the playoff caveats. The first man out is New Jersey native and 2017 NASCAR Cup Series champion Martin Truex Jr., the fourth-ranked driver in the traditional standings. A winless driver could potentially clinch a playoff spot if he won the regular season championship, but that more or less belongs to Chase Elliott. Blaney is up on Truex by 26 points entering Sunday’s event.
The only way that both Blaney and Truex reach the postseason is if the pair splits the final two regular season visits to victory lane. The subsequent first man out would be the lowest-ranked driver with one win (more on him in a minute).
Both are riding some positive momentum: Blaney signed a multiyear extension to remain in the No. 12 Team Penske Ford he’s piloted since 2018 while Truex has finished no worse than third in each of the last four visits to The Glen. Despite some dire qualifying efforts (they’ll start next to each other in row 13 of 20), their battle will undoubtedly be one to watch on Sunday.
Take That Personally
Sports fans in New York are all too familiar with Michael Jordan earning victories in their home state. Could another be on the way?
Perhaps no driver on the circuit, especially among the non-winners, enters with more momentum than Bubba Wallace, working through his second season in the No. 23 Toyota owned by 23XI Racing, a joint venture between the NBA legend and Wallace’s accomplished competitor Denny Hamlin. Though Wallace earned his first career Cup Series win at Talladega last fall, this season has been his most competitive effort at the top level yet despite numerous issues on pit road that have marred his place in the final standings.
Wallace has earned three top five finishes over the last five races, including a runner-up showing at Michigan two weeks prior. Road courses have been a historic struggle for Wallace (average finish of 25th) but he managed to muster a surprising fifth-place showing at Indianapolis last month, his first at such a track in 19 attempts. It’s more likely that Wallace will have to steal Daytona (where he came within inches of victory in February) but there’s no doubt that his No. 23 group is moving in the right direction, particularly after a pit crew swap with Hamlin’s Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Christopher Bell.
Speaking of Gibbs, another former New York sports adversary, his 18-year-old grandson Ty, will be making his fifth start in relief of 2004 series champion Kurt Busch in the 23XI’s No. 45 Toyota. Busch has vacated the No. 45 for medical reasons, having not raced in over a month after suffering a concussion during qualifying at Pocono. He has already confirmed that he will not race at either The Glen or Daytona, assuring that he will be the lowest-ranked one-win driver.
Gibbs has filled in respectably, running every lap of his first three Cup races before engine woes relegated him to a last-place finish at Richmond last week. He had a chance to win Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series event at The Glen (the NASCAR equivalent of AAA-level baseball) but late contact with Cup visitor William Byron in the final laps knocked him out. He’s won an Xfinity Series-best five races this season in his grandfather’s No. 54 Toyota.
Cups by Hendrick
To the casual New York sports fan, Hendrick Motorsports (run by the eponymous Rick Hendrick) is more or less the New York Yankees of NASCAR: armed with quartets that rival The Beatles, no team has earned more Cup Series victories than Hendrick and the team has also earned 14 championships, including the last two with Elliott and Kyle Larson.
The Glen is no exception to Hendrick’s dominance: nine Hendrick victories have come at the track, including a record four from Jeff Gordon. HMS has visited victory lane in each of the last three visits to The Glen, with Larson serving as the defending champion. His No. 5 Chevrolet led the final 26 laps, preventing runner-up Elliott from joining Stewart, Gordon, and Mark Martin as the only three-time winners at The Glen. Elliott memorably earned his first career win at The Glen in 2018, holding off Truex Jr. over the final laps.
Elliott and Larson will lead the field to the green on Sunday. The former is destined to be the regular season champion while Larson won the aforementioned Xfinity Series event. Elliott’s No. 9 Chevrolet has won a Cup Series-best four races this season though Larson, likewise, seeking to defend his overall championship, has comparatively struggled, his lone win this season coming at the second event of the season at Fontana in February. There would be no better place for either driver to build some pre-playoff momentum than The Glen.
In other Hendrick affairs, Byron starts fourth in Gordon’s former No. 24 Chevrolet while Alex Bowman will roll off 11th. Both are likewise locked into the playoffs via victories. Byron is one of seven multi-race winners (Atlanta, Martinsville) despite otherwise struggling (no top tens in the last eight races) while Bowman, driver of the No. 48 previously occupied by Jimmie Johnson, earned entry with a win in the third event of the season in Las Vegas.
4 The Win
The hottest driver on the circuit is, by far, Kevin Harvick, the 2014 Cup Series champion and driver of the No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford.
A relative relic from the turn of the century … first entering the Cup Series when he took over for the late Dale Earnhardt in 2001 … Harvick was the winless odd man out three weeks ago. Despite relative consistency (constantly appearing in the top ten of the conventional standings), Harvick’s chances appeared dire in the midst of a 65-race winless streak.
It hasn’t taken long, however, for Harvick to have fans wondering if he’ll ever win again to thinking he might never lose again: the No. 4 enters as the winner of consecutive races, notably holding off Bell for the win at Richmond last weekend. With the wins, Harvick became only the 10th driver in NASCAR history to earn 60 Cup Series trophy hoists.
His road course outings are nothing to write home about (three top ten finishes over the last 10 attempts) but he does have a win at Watkins Glen to his name, triumphing with Richard Childress Racing in 2006.
Harvick isn’t the only SHR driver making headlines: Aric Almirola, another driver who needs a win to secure a playoff berth, is said to be considering staying in the No. 10 Ford for another year after announcing his intentions to retire at the start of this one. Almirola isn’t fully ready to commit either way, but he’ll need to over come some bad luck at The Glen (no top 10 finishes in 10 tries) and he’ll have to start 35th after a tough qualifying session.
International Treasure
Road courses often bring visitors from other racing series, but Sunday’s event will be truly something to behold: a record six international nations will be represented in the field, headlined by the participation of playoff competitor Daniel Suarez.
Born in Mexico, Suarez (the first international NASCAR champion via an Xfinity Series triumph in 2016) earned his first career Cup Series win on a road course earlier this season, making his first visit to victory lane in June’s race at Sonoma. Driver of the No. 99 Chevrolet, Suarez earned the first win for Trackhouse Racing, a team owned and operated by renowned recording artist and philanthropist Pitbull.
It’s only appropriate that Mr. Worldwide will get further in the international fun come Sunday: as Trackhouse looks to expand (both of its full-time drivers will partake in the playoffs, as Ross Chastain has won two races in the No. 1 Chevrolet, the first coming at the Circuit of the Americas road course in March), the team will field a third car, the No. 91 piloted by Finnish Formula One star Kimi Räikkönen.
Several low-budget squads will likewise feature international representation: Räikkönen’s fellow Formula One competitor Daniil Kyvat (Russia) will run for part-time group Team Hezeberg alongside Dutch NASCAR Whelen Euro Series champion Loris Hezemans. Well-traveled British driver Kyle Tilley will re-assume duties in B.J. McLeod’s No. 78 Ford for Live Fast Motorsports (having previously done so at the July road course race at Road America in Wisconsin) while German-born racing champion Mike Rockenfeller will drive Spire Motorsports’ No. 77 Chevrolet.
Drivers to Watch
Michael McDowell (Starting 3rd)
A NASCAR journeyman, McDowell is undoubtedly best known for his upset win at last season’s Daytona 500. This season, however, has proven even more successful for the mid-budget efforts of McDowell’s No. 34 Front Row Motorsports team. In his fifth year at FRM, McDowell has set new career-bests in top tens (9) and laps led (38).
He’s somewhat buried in the current standings after a 100-point penalty concerning his car assembly at Pocono but there’s a brilliant opportunity for a playoff-shifting victory: not only is the final race of the regular season stationed at Daytona next weekend but McDowell has maintained a noticeable prescience at road courses. He’s struggled at Watkins Glen (best finish of 11th in a dozen starts) but has earned top ten finishes at each of the last three road events, including a third-place showing at Sonoma in June.
A.J. Allmendinger (Starting 6th)
Allmendinger may be the last of NASCAR’s true “road course ringers,” driver with strong experience in turning both left and right often hired by big teams to secure strong finishes. The concept has mostly been done away with thanks to the playoff and charter systems more-or-less valuing driver performances rather than teams as a whole. Allmendinger, working with developing Kaulig Racing (racing through its first full-time season of Cup affairs), is a re exception.
Though Allmendinger struggled in his full-time Cup career, he’s found a second wind with Kaulig, currently leading the Xfinity Series standings in the No. 16 Chevrolet. He’s sharing that similarly numbered car on the Cup circuit and pulled off an upset victory at Indianapolis last season during the team’s part-time affairs. Allmendinger’s first Cup win in fact came at Watkins Glen, driving the No. 47 JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet now piloted by Ricky Stenhouse Jr. to victory lane back in 2014.
So far this season, Allmendinger has earned three top 10 finishes and he might’ve had a win at COTA in March but he was bumped from the lead by Chastain, becoming the first of many to seek revenge against the aggressive No. 1. While there are no playoff implications on the line for Allmendinger (the runner-up to Larson in Saturday’s event), he’ll no doubt do what he can to earn a victory.
Austin Cindric (Starting 8th)
Cindric is likewise a surprise winner of Daytona’s Great American Race, winning his first event as the full-time driver of the No. 2 Team Penske Ford. That, of course, put him in prime position for a playoff spot, one he has since clinched.
The 2020 Xfinity Series champion has mostly tried to stay out of trouble since that epic victory. He hasn’t always succeeded (running only 24 laps two weeks ago at Michigan before getting caught up in a wreck) but his best work post-Daytona has come at road courses: he earned a runner-up finish at Indianapolis and already has a win at Watkins Glen to his name, picking it up en route to the championship two seasons ago.
Cindric will already become the fifth rookie to partake in the playoffs but he’ll look to become the second to advance in a playoff round (trying to join Elliott in 2016, though Denny Hamlin finished third a decade earlier before rounds were introduced). If he’s looking to build playoff momentum, Watkins Glen and Daytona are perhaps the idea destinations.
Starting Lineup
| Starting Position/Driver | Car | Team | Crew Chief |
| 1. Chase Elliott | No. 9 Kelley Blue Book Chevrolet | Hendrick Motorsports | Alan Gustafson |
| 2. Kyle Larson | No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet | Hendrick Motorsports | Cliff Daniels |
| 3. Michael McDowell | No. 34 Delo/Love’s Truck Stops Ford | Front Row Motorsports | Chris Yerges |
| 4. William Byron | No. 24 Raptor Chevrolet | Hendrick Motorsports | Rudy Fugle |
| 5. Tyler Reddick | No. 8 3CHI Chevrolet | Richard Childress Raching | Randall Burnett |
| 6. AJ Allmendinger | No. 16 Gold Fish Casino Slots Chevrolet | Kaulig Racing | Matt Swiderski |
| 7. Chris Buescher | No. 17 Fastenal Ford | Roush Keselowski Fenway Racing | Scott Graves |
| 8. Austin Cindric (R) | No. 2 Richmond Water Heaters Ford | Team Penske | Jeremy Bullins |
| 9. Daniel Suarez | No. 99 Princess Cruises Chevrolet | Trackhouse Racing | Travis Mack |
| 10. Kyle Busch | No. 18 Snickers Toyota | Joe Gibbs Racing | Ben Beshore |
| 11. Alex Bowman | No. 48 Ally Bank Chevrolet | Hendrick Motorsports | Greg Ives |
| 12. Austin Dillon | No. 3 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet | Richard Childress Raching | Justin Alexander |
| 13. Justin Haley | No. 31 LeafFilter Chevrolet | Kaulig Racing | Trent Owens |
| 14. Chase Briscoe | No. 14 HaasTooling.com Ford | Stewart-Haas Racing | John Klausmeier |
| 15. Brad Keselowski | No. 6 Violet Defense Ford | Roush Keselowski Fenway Racing | Matt McCall |
| 16. Ty Gibbs | No. 45 Toyota SmartPath Toyota | 23XI Racing | Billy Scott |
| 17. Joey Hand | No. 15 FordPro.com Ford | Rick Ware Racing | Kevyn Rebolledo |
| 18. Ross Chastain | No. 1 Worldwide Express Chevrolet | Trackhouse Racing | Phil Surgen |
| 19. Todd Gilliland (R) | No. 38 MDSTrucking.com Ford | Front Row Motorsports | Seth Barbour |
| 20. Joey Logano | No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Ford | Team Penske | Paul Wolfe |
| 21. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | No. 47 Sugarlands/Bell Park Buns Chevrolet | JTG Daugherty Racing | Brian Pattie |
| 22. Denny Hamlin | No. 11 Sport Clips Haircuts Toyota | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chris Gabehart |
| 23. Bubba Wallace | No. 23 SiriusXM Radio Toyota | 23XI Racing | Bootie Barker |
| 24. Kevin Harvick | No. 4 Busch Light Ford | Stewart-Haas Racing | Rodney Childers |
| 25. Martin Truex Jr. | No. 19 Reser’s Fine Foods Toyota | Joe Gibbs Racing | James Small |
| 26. Ryan Blaney | No. 12 Wurth Ford | Team Penske | Jonathan Hassler |
| 27. Kimi Raikkonen | No. 91 Recogni Chevrolet | Trackhouse Racing | Darian Grubb |
| 28. Ty Dillon | No. 42 Allegiant Chevrolet | Petty GMS Racing | Jerame Donley |
| 29. Cole Custer | No. 41 HaasTooling.com Ford | Stewart-Haas Racing | Mike Shiplett |
| 30. Harrison Burton (R) | No. 21 DEX Imaging Ford | Wood Brothers Racing | Brian Wilson |
| 31. Erik Jones | No. 43 FOCUSFactor Chevrolet | Petty GMS Racing | Dave Elenz |
| 32. Corey LaJoie | No. 7 Raze Energy Chevrolet | Spire Motorsports | Ryan Sparks |
| 33. Mike Rockenfeller | No. 77 Nations Guard Chevrolet | Spire Motorsports | Kevin Bellicourt |
| 34. Loris Hezemans | No. 27 Hezeberg Systems Ford | Team Hezeberg | Mike Hezemans |
| 35. Aric Almirola | No. 10 GoBowling Ford | Stewart-Haas Racing | Drew Blickensderfer |
| 36. Daniil Kvyat | No. 26 Hezeberg Systems Ford | Team Hezeberg | Toine Hezemans |
| 37. Kyle Tilley | No. 78 Brush Creek Valley Farms Ford | Live Fast Motorsports | Lee Leslie |
| 38. Christopher Bell | No. 20 DeWalt Toyota | Joe Gibbs Racing | Adam Stevens |
| 39. Cody Ware | No. 51 Nurtec ODT Ford | Rick Ware Racing | Billy Plourde |
Main Image: Steve Helber / Associated Press
Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags
Baseline Sports NY is on Twitter @Baseline_NY
