watkins | The MotorSportsNews.Net(work)

JR Motorsports — NXS Watkins Glen Preview

by MikeSeptember 11, 2024September 11, 2024

JR Motorsports at Watkins Glen International: JR Motorsports has competed at Watkins Glen International a combined 50 times in the NXS since its first trip there in 2006. In those starts at the 2.45-mile road course, the organization has recorded two wins,11 top-fives and 29 top-10s, with an average finish of 12.0.
Souvenir Rig: JRM drivers Sam Mayer, Justin Allgaier, Sammy Smith, Brandon Jones and Connor Zilisch will be signing autographs at the JR Motorsports / Legacy MC souvenir rig on Saturday, Sept. 14 from 12:00 p.m. to 12:30 p.m. ET.

(more…)

William Sawalich – No. 18 Starkey/SoundGear Toyota Camry Preview – General Tire 100 at Watkins Glen International

by MikeSeptember 11, 2024

SAWALICH ON ROAD COURSES: Last year at Watkins Glen International, Sawalich finished the race in fifth. Since working on his road course program over the off-season and throughout the first half of 2024, Sawalich has earned two road course wins this year – his first career road course win coming at Portland and his second at Mid-Ohio.
LAST TIME OUT: Sawalich most recently ran his No. 18 Toyota Camry on dirt at DuQuoin. Sawalich earned the pole for the race and finished second.
2023 ARCA EAST CHAMPION: Sawalich claimed the 2023 ARCA Menards Series East (AMSE) championship at Bristol Motor Speedway. He ended the AMSE season with four wins and finished in the top-five in all eight races on the AMSE schedule. He became the second AMSE champion for Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) and the first Minnesotan to win the series championship.

(more…)

FedEx Racing Express Facts – Watkins Glen International

by MikeSeptember 11, 2024

Watkins Glen Notes: Hamlin is a former NASCAR Cup Series winner at Watkins Glen International after capturing the checkered flag in 2016. He also owns two pole awards at the track, including last season when he qualified first and finished second. Overall, Hamlin has posted three top-five finishes in the past four races at Watkins Glen dating back to 2019.

Atlanta Recap: The No. 11 team finished 24th in the playoff opener at Atlanta Motor Speedway after being collected in a multi-car accident on the final lap. Hamlin is currently ranked 11th on the playoff grid, two points above the cutline. (more…)

Stewart-Haas Racing: Watkins Glen NXS Advance (Cole Custer | Riley Herbst)

by MikeSeptember 11, 2024

Cole Custer is ready to trade in the high banks and unpredictability of superspeedway-style racing for the high-speed, left-and-right turns of Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International in Saturday’s Mission 200 at The Glen. Custer’s strength on road courses has been prevalent throughout his career. In his 27 Xfinity Series starts on road courses, Custer has scored two wins, 20 top-10s and led 26 laps. Last season, he scored two of his three wins on a road course and a street course – June 3 at Portland (Ore.) International Raceway and July 1 on the Chicago Street Course. The series has visited three road courses – Circuit of the Americas (COTA) in Austin, Texas, Portland, and Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway – and the Chicago Street Course so far this season.

(more…)

Michael McDowell and Benebone Head to The Glen, Searching for a Road Course Win

by MikeSeptember 11, 2024

MOORESVILLE, N.C. (September 10, 2024) – The NASCAR Cup Series heads to the Finger Lakes of Upstate New York and Watkins Glen International for road course racing this weekend.

Michael McDowell returns to his road racing roots, looking for another solid finish. So far this season, the No. 34 has had two Top-5s on road courses, a 2nd place at Sonoma and a 5th place at the Chicago Street Race. (more…)

Bed Bath & Beyond Racing: Noah Gragson Watkins Glen Advance

by MikeSeptember 10, 2024

The Go Bowling at The Glen Sunday at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International is the fourth of five road-course races on the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series schedule. Noah Gragson, driver of the No. 10 Bed Bath & Beyond Ford Mustang Dark Horse for Stewart-Haas Racing, finished 34th in the series’ first road-course race of the year March 24 at Circuit of the Americas (COTA) in Austin, Texas. He then placed 26th in the series’ second road-course stop June 9 at Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway. In his most recent road-course start on the streets of downtown Chicago for the July 7 Grant Park 165, Gragson finished 14th. After Watkins Glen, the final road-course race of the year takes place Oct. 12 at the Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway Roval. (more…)

Reser’s Fine Foods Racing: Martin Truex Jr. Watkins Glen Advance

by MikeSeptember 10, 2024

Playoffs Underway: After being involved in an accident in last Sunday’s playoff opener at Atlanta Motor Speedway, the New Jersey native sits 15th out of 16 drivers in the playoff grid, 19 points below the top-12 cutline with two races remaining in the Round of 16.

Road-Course Ace: Truex has a total of five wins, 13 top-five finishes, and 19 top-10s at the three permanent road-course venues on the Cup Series schedule – Sonoma, Circuit of the Americas (COTA) in Austin, Texas, and Watkins Glen. Four of those wins came at Sonoma and one at Watkins Glen. (more…)

Joey Logano Wins The Opening Atlanta Playoff Race

by Chuck AbramsSeptember 10, 2024September 16, 2024

Kyle Larson entered the Atlanta race leading all drivers in wins and playoff points. He qualified P6. All he had to do was run a good race and stay out of trouble. Unfortunately, trouble found him when on lap 55, his car lost rear grip and sent him crashing hard into the wall with a smack by Chase Briscoe as his car meandered back down the banking, hidden by smoke.

That’s why playoff and stage points matter. Instead of falling below the cut line, he is in P10 and relatively safe heading to Watkins Glen. He has won 2 of the last 3 races there but was a dismal P25 last year when teammate William Byron dominated and took home the trophy.

(more…)

RFK Advance | Watkins Glen

by MikeSeptember 10, 2024

Race two of the NASCAR Playoffs rolls from New York this weekend as Watkins Glen International hosts a playoff race for the first time in its history.

The 2.45-mile course stands as the middle race in the opening slate in the Round of 16, with Bristol Motor Speedway set to determine the Round of 12 next weekend.

Despite recent struggles on road courses, Keselowski and the No. 6 team finished 13th in Sonoma back in June, and 18th in Chicago after qualifying 10th in that race. (more…)

HighPoint.com Racing: Chase Briscoe Watkins Glen Advance

by MikeSeptember 10, 2024

The Go Bowling at The Glen Sunday at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International is the fourth of five road-course races on the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series schedule. Chase Briscoe, driver of the No. 14 HighPoint.com Ford Mustang Dark Horse for Stewart-Haas Racing, finished 13th in the series’ first road-course race of the year March 24 at Circuit of the Americas (COTA) in Austin, Texas. He then placed 34th in the series’ second road-course stop June 9 at Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway after a broken transmission sent him to the garage. In his most recent road-course start on the streets of downtown Chicago for the July 7 Grant Park 165, Briscoe finished 32nd. After Watkins Glen, the final road-course race of the year takes place Oct. 12 at the Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway Roval. (more…)