This Weekend in NASCAR – Storylines: Watkins Glen

• Next Race: Go Bowling at The Glen
• The Place: Watkins Glen International
• The Date: Sunday, August 8
• The Time: 3 p.m. ET
• TV: NBCSN, 2:30 p.m. ET
• Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
• Distance: 220.5 miles (90 Laps); Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 20), Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 40), Final Stage (Ends on Lap 90)

NASCAR returns to Watkins Glen International

With great anticipation the NASCAR Cup Series returns to New York’s Watkins Glen International for the 23rd race of the 2021 season, the Go Bowling at The Glen, this Sunday, August 8 at 3 p.m. ET on NBCSN, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. Not only has the NASCAR Cup Series been on a two-week Summer hiatus while the Olympics were held, but the series also hasn’t been to Watkins Glen International since 2019 due to restrictions and schedule changes brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Watkins Glen International is one of four tracks left in the regular season to decide who makes it to the Playoffs in 2021. This weekend will be the 38th running of a NASCAR Cup Series race at Watkins Glen. The 2.45-mile road course located near Watkins Glen, NY is a multi-elevational course that provides great highspeed racing.

The previous 37 NASCAR Cup Series races have produced 22 different poles winners and 23 different race winners. The first NASCAR Cup Series race at Watkins Glen International was in 1957 and won by NASCAR Hall of Famer Buck Baker (83.064 mph, 08/04/1957). Over the years the series has changed the race length at Watkins Glen three times. The first NASCAR Cup Series race at Watkins Glen was scheduled for 101.2-miles in 1957, the second race was 161.7-miles (1964) and the third race was 151.8-miles (1965). Every race since has been scheduled for 220.5-miles (90 laps).

NASCAR Hall of Famers Dale Earnhardt (1990, ’92, ‘96), Mark Martin (1993, ’94, ‘95) and Jeff Gordon (1998, ’03, ‘14) lead the NASCAR Cup Series in poles at Watkins Glen International with three poles each. Joe Gibbs Racing’s Kyle Busch leads all active drivers in poles at Watkins Glen with two (2011, ‘17). This weekend’s starting lineup was set per Metric Qualifying and as a result Team Penske’s Brad Keselowski will start from the pole, and his teammate Joey Logano will join him on the front row.

NASCAR Hall of Famer Tony Stewart leads the NASCAR Cup Series in victories at Watkins Glen International with five (2002, ’04, ’05, ’07 and ’09); one win shy of tying the series record for most road course wins at a single track at six held by NASCAR Hall of Famer Bobby Allison at Riverside Raceway (). Hendrick Motorsport’s Chase Elliott (2018, 2019) and Joe Gibbs Racing’s Kyle Busch (2008, 2013) lead all active NASCAR Cup Series drivers in wins at Watkins Glen International with two victories each. Elliott is also the most recent winner at the 2.45-mile track dominating the 2019 NASCAR Cup Series event leading 80 of the 90 scheduled laps (88.9%).

Hamlin continues to try to hold Larson off for the regular season title

Joe Gibbs Racing’s Denny Hamlin has just four regular season races left to hold off Hendrick Motorsport’s Kyle Larson for the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series Regular Season Championship. Larson has closed the points gap to as little as two points following the second race at Pocono, but since then Hamlin has been able to open the points cushion up between the two to 13 points heading into this weekend at Watkins Glen International.

Hamlin has held the NASCAR Cup Series driver standings lead since the second race of the season at the Daytona Road Course. This season Hamlin has yet to win but has put up 11 top fives (tied for series-most this season with Larson), and 15 top 10s (tied for series-most this season with Larson and Kevin Harvick).

Larson on the other hand was 12th in the NASCAR Cup Series driver standings following the second race of the season 51 points back from Hamlin. Since then, Larson has rallied off four wins (series-most) and has matched Hamlin in top fives (11) and top 10s (15) closing the points lead over second in the standings to just 13 points.

Over the next four races expect the battle between Hamlin and Larson to heat up. Not only does the winner of the Regular Season Championship get a trophy and the prestige but also 15 Playoff points to take into the postseason.

Elliott could tie Tony Stewart on all-time road course wins list

When it comes to road racing in the NASCAR Cup Series, Hendrick Motorsport’s driver Chase Elliott is instantly mentioned as one of the favorites to watch, and with good reason. Elliott has won six of the last seven road course races the NASCAR Cup Series has competed at; including the most recent at Road America a few weeks ago.

With his latest foray into Victory Lane at Road America, Elliott has locked up his seventh NASCAR Cup Series road course win and with it moved solely into third all-time on the Cup road course wins list, just one win shy of NASCAR Hall of Famer Tony Stewart in second with eight road course victories. NASCAR Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon holds the NASCAR Cup Series record for the most road course wins in the series with nine.

All-Time Top Road Course Winners in the NASCAR Cup Series and the Tracks They Won At

Seven of the 2020 series champion’s 13 career Cup wins have come on road courses – Watkins Glen 2018, 2019; Charlotte ROVAL 2019, 2020; Daytona Road Course 2020; Circuit of The Americas 2021; Road America 2021. Now Elliott returns to Watkins Glen International where he has won the last two series events held at the track and is looking to get his third straight this weekend.

If Elliott were to win this weekend at Watkins Glen, he would break the tie with Kyle Busch for the most wins at the 2.45-mile track among active drivers and would become the third different driver in series history to win three consecutive races at Watkins Glen joining NASCAR Hall of Famers Mark Martin (1993, ’94, ‘95) and Jeff Gordon (1997, ’98, ‘99).

The 25-year-old from Dawsonville, Georgia has made four series starts at Watkins Glen International posting two wins (2018, 2019) and an average finish of 7.0.  

• Next Race: Skrewball Peanut Butter Whiskey 200
• The Place: Watkins Glen International
• The Date: Saturday, August 7
• The Time: 4 p.m. ET
• TV: CNBC, 3:30 p.m. ET
• Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
• Distance: 200.9 miles (82 Laps); Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 20), Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 40), Final Stage (Ends on Lap 82)

Back in Action: Xfinity Series heads to The Glen

NASCAR had a two-week break in action due to the 2021 Tokyo Olympics but now the NASCAR Xfinity Series is heading to upstate New York for the Skrewball Peanut Butter Whiskey 200 on Saturday, August 7 at 4 p.m. ET on CNBC, NBC Sports App, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

This race marks the first back at the facility since the COVID-19 break in sports last season. Austin Cindric is the most recent winner at Watkins Glen International in the NASCAR Xfinity Series taking the checkered flag in 2019.

Here’s some quick facts about Watkins Glen International in honor of NASCAR making its return to the seven-turn, 2.450-mile road course.

There have been 26 Xfinity Series events at the track producing 15 different race winners and 16 different pole winners. Joey Logano holds the record for the youngest pole winner at 25 years, two months, 15 days in 2015. In 2019, Cindric became the youngest winner in Watkins Glen history at 20 years, 11 months and one day.

Only nine races in history have been won from the first starting position. The last race won from the pole was in 2018 by Joey Logano.

Kurt Busch holds the race record at the track from 2011 at 106.582 mph and Logano also holds the qualifying record at the track from 2016 at 124.552 mph. There will be no qualifying or practice this weekend across all three NASCAR national series.

The most recent race had 37 cars, nine lead changes and six leaders. There were seven cautions for 16 laps and 24 cars finished on the lead lap. There were 26 cars running at the finish and the winner, Cindric, led only eight laps. The margin of victory was 1.168 seconds.

In the last five races at the track, four of the finishes had margins of victory under 1.6 seconds. The only race with a longer margin of victory was in 2018 at 3.362 seconds.

There are 41 cars entered to run this weekend at The Glen. Of note, two Cup Series regulars are in the field, Austin Dillon and Erik Jones will be pulling double duty and racing on Saturday and Sunday.

Justin Allgaier will start on the pole Saturday afternoon, his first pole of the season, and Cindric will join him on the front row. The Skrewball Peanut Butter Whiskey 200 will be 82 laps and 200.9 miles. Stage 1 will end on Lap 20 and Stage 2 will end on Lap 40.

Playoff Bubble: NASCAR Xfinity Series chances dwindling down

With seven races left in the regular season, it is time to take a look at the NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoff clinch scenarios heading into this weekend’s race at Watkins Glen International, the Skrewball Peanut Butter Whiskey 200 on Saturday at 4 p.m. ET on CNBC, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. A win gets you in, but drivers must still clinch their spot-on points by accumulating enough points that even with a win they do not fall out of the top 30 and become ineligible for the Playoffs. 

Already clinched:

The following three drivers have clinched a spot in the 12-driver Xfinity postseason field: Austin Cindric, AJ Allmendinger and Justin Allgaier. No new drivers clinched a spot at New Hampshire.

Can clinch at via points at Watkins Glen:

If there is a repeat winner, the following drivers could clinch by being 331 points above the second winless driver in the standings.

Jeb Burton would clinch regardless of finish.

Myatt Snider would clinch with 53 points.

Can clinch via win at Watkins Glen:

Jeb Burton would clinch on his win alone.

Clinching for Regular Season Championship:
Austin Cindric cannot clinch the regular season championship this weekend. Second-place has 715 points and can still reach 1,135 points.

Erik Jones pulling double duty at The Glen

Jordan Anderson Racing announced that Richard Petty Motorsport’s NSCAR Cup Series driver Erik Jones will make his first NASCAR Xfinity Series start since 2019 in the No. 31 Chevrolet at Watkins Glen on Saturday. Jones is currently in his fifth fulltime season in the Cup Series with 169 starts, two victories, 33 top fives and 64 top 10s. Jones, 25, is adding his name to a list of drivers that have piloted the No. 31 machine this season. Jones made history in 2017 becoming the first driver to win Sunoco Rookie of the Year honors in all of NASCAR’s top-three national series. In three Xfinity Series starts at the track, he has a best finish of fourth in 2019 with an average finish of 6.3. He has two top fives and three top 10s and completed all 270 laps attempted.

• Next Race: United Rentals 176
• The Place: Watkins Glen International
• The Date: Saturday, August 7
• The Time: 12:30 p.m. ET
• TV: FS1, 11:30 a.m. ET
• Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
• Distance: 176.4 miles (72 Laps); Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 20), Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 45), Final Stage (Ends on Lap 72)

After two decades the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series returns to Watkins Glen

Following a three-week hiatus for the Olympic break, the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series returns to action for the regular season finale at Watkins Glen International for the United Rentals 176 on August 7 at 12:30 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. It will be the first time the Camping World Truck Series has competed at Watkins Glen since 2000.

Prior to this season, the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series has only competed at Watkins Glen five times. Watkins Glen International is located just outside Watkins Glen, New York and is a multi-elevational, seven turn road course that spans 2.45-miles.

The first NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Watkins Glen International took place on August 25, 1996 and was won by NASCAR Hall of Famer Ron Hornaday Jr. driving the Dale Earnhardt Inc. Chevrolet.

The five Camping World Truck races at Watkins Glen have produced four different winners, led by Ron Fellows with two victories (1997, 1999).

Former Truck Winners at Watkins Glen:

1996 – Ron Hornaday Jr.  (Dale Earnhardt Inc.)

1997 – Ron Fellows (Billy Hess Racing)

1998 – Joe Ruttman (Roush Fenway Racing)

1999 – Ron Fellows (NEMCO Motorsports)

2000 – Greg Biffle (Roush Fenway Racing)

Kyle Busch Motorsports’ John H. Nemechek clinched Regular Season Championship

With his 31 points he earned at Knoxville Raceway, Kyle Busch Motorsports driver John Hunter Nemechek has locked up the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Regular Season Championship for the 2021 season and has also pocketed the 15 Playoff points that go with it. And to boot, Kyle Busch Motorsports has become the first organization to win multiple regular season titles.

List of NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Regular Season Champions:

2021 – John Hunter Nemechek (Kyle Busch Motorsports)

2020 – Austin Hill (Hattori Racing Enterprises)

2019 – Grant Enfinger (ThorSport Racing)

2018 – Johnny Sauter (GMS Racing)

2017 – Christopher Bell (Kyle Busch Motorsports)

John Hunter Nemechek has made 14 starts this season posting a series leading five wins, eight top fives and 11 top 10s. He will be making his series track debut at Watkins Glen this weekend.

Paul Menard to drive fifth entry for ThorSport Racing

Former NASCAR Cup Series driver Paul Menard will be making his return to the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series to drive the No. 66 ThorSport Racing Toyota this weekend at Watkins Glen International. This will be Menard’s second start of the season for ThorSport Racing. In his first start earlier this season at Circuit of The Americas he started 26th and finished 11th.

Menard is one of 11 drivers entered this weekend in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race that has previous experience at Watkins Glen in a NASCAR national series event.

source – NASCAR communications