The Cup Series drivers travel to central New York state to Watkins Glen International for some road racing in the Go Bowling at the Glen. A total of 38 drivers have come to The Glen including Juan Pablo Montoya making a return to NASCAR after a 10 year absence. A one time deal, Montoya has won races in Formula One and IMSA.
Goodyear has brought a new tire to Watkins Glen; a tire that has a lot of fall off; losing two and three seconds over the course of a tire cycle. Crew chiefs are concerned over how to get the best speed and save the tires. The teams only have four sets of tires for the race.
There have also been some changes to the track itself with new rumble strips added into the track and an elimination of “the turtles”.
Race two of round one in the Playoffs, Joey Logano is the only driver who has secured a spot in the next round of the Playoffs after his win at Atlanta last week. Currently Brad Keselowski, Harrison Burton, Martin Truex Jr, and Chase Briscoe are all in danger of elimination and “on the bubble”. Just one and two points above the “cut line” Ty Gibbs and Denny Hamlin are also in danger of elimination.
The drivers have been divided into two groups for a two 20 minute practice sessions each for a total of 40 minutes of practice. The drivers will also be in group mode for qualifying with the top five from each group moving on to a second round of qualifying to set the pole.
Unable to make it into the top 10 of the starting grid in the Xfinity Series qualifying; Shane van Gisbergen is in the top five of Group A practice.
Denny Hamlin spins out during practice but keeps it off the wall and does not hit anyone.
At the end of Group A’s first practice, Tyler Reddick tops the leaderboard with Ross Chastain in second.
Kyle Busch spins out during practice but keeps the car off the wall in a single car incident. He was running second at the time of the spin out.
Ty Gibbs reported that he had no grip; adding the car was terrible.
Austin Cindric tops the leaderboard after the first practice session for Group B.
Group A returns to the track for their second round of practice and the track has slowed down considerably.
When Group A’s second round of practice is concluded, Tyler Reddick continues to top the leaderboard with Ross Chastain, Kyle Larson, Shane van Gisbergen, and Denny Hamlin rounding out the top five.
Group B drivers are back on the track for their final practice session.
The new softer tire is depositing a great deal of “marbles” on the track. So far, they are not a part of the racing surface.
Tyler Reddick said that the new tire has them all searching around for answers.
At the end of practice, AJ Allmendinger gets into the marbles and off the track.
With the clock down to 0:00, practice is complete with Austin Cindric holding on to the lead in Group B.
Each group has 15 minutes of group qualifying with the top five moving on to a second round of 10 minutes to set the pole.
There are a great deal of marbles all across the course. Drivers must be very careful not to “get into” those marbles because they will lose grip and control of the car.
With three minutes remaining in Group A qualifying, there is a frenzy of drivers on the course trying to make it into the top five. Bubba Wallace has yet to get out on the track.
Joey Logano is the only Playoff driver in the top five with Xfinity Series regular Shane van Gisbergen topping the leaderboard. Bubba Wallace finally made it on the track and ended up in 16th place.
The top five drivers from Group A are Shane van Gisbergen, Ross Chastain, Joey Logano, Noah Gragson, and Michael McDowell.
Austin Cindric sets the pace for Group B with a time of 62.042 seconds but Martin Truex Jr breaks the 62 second mark with a time of 61.811 seconds.
Carson Hocevar gets off the track and into the grass but the track stays green with Hocevar out of the way of the track.
The top five drivers in Group B moving on to round two are Martin Truex Jr, Alex Bowman, Austin Cindric, Daniel Suarez, and AJ Allmendinger. This time around four of the five drivers are Playoff drivers.
The round two drivers have 10 minutes to make their best lap in a run for the pole. Daniel Suarez set the pace with a time of 62.757 seconds and immediately gets eclipsed by his teammate The Melon Man with a time of 62.130 seconds.
With a time of 62.130 seconds, Melon Man Ross Chastain puts his number one car on the pole with Martin Truex Jr starting alongside.
The starting lineup for the Go Bowling at the Glen:
Ross Chastain
Martin Truex Jr
Shane van Gisbergen
Alex Bowman
Austin Cindric
AJ Allmendinger
Joey Logano
Daniel Suarez
Noah Gragson
Michael McDowell
William Byron
Chase Briscoe
Kyle Busch
Chase Elliott
Ty Gibbs
Tyler Reddick
Christopher Bell
Zane Smith
Kyle Larson
Ryan Preece
Denny Hamlin
Austin Dillon
Christ Buescher
Erik Jones
Ricky Stenhouse Jr
Daniel Hemric
Brad Keselowski
Carson Hocevar
Ryan Blaney
Josh Berry
Bubba Wallace
Harrison Burton
Juan Pablo Montoya
John Hunter Nemechek
Justin Haley
Todd Gilliland
Kaz Grala
Corey LaJoie
NBC is calling the race in what they call “radio style” with broadcasters scattered around the 2.45 eleven turn course.
Carson Hocevar and Todd Gilliland will start the race from the back of the field after the crews made unapproved adjustments to the cars.
Stages one and two are 20 laps each with stage three lasting 50 laps for a total of 90 laps around the 2.45 mile course.
Melon Man Ross Chastain brings his Busch Light car down for the green flag start of the race with Martin Truex Jr alongside. Chastain edges ut for the lead but Martin Truex Jr is on his bumper as they enter turn one.
Cars wreck going into the bus stop and brings out the caution flag.. Denny Hamlin, Kyle Busch, Christopher Bell, Ricky Stenhouse Jr, and Ryan Blaney were all involved. Busch got turned around after getting hit from behind by Corey LaJoie.
On the tow truck, Ryan Blaney reports a broken steering column and is out of the race.
Denny Hamlin has damage to his left front and left tow link.
Cars involved in wrecks have a total of seven minutes to make proper repairs to the car and make minimum speed. Ryan Blaney’s crew wanted to have the car towed to their pit box but the car was taken to the garage instead. Cars taken to the garage are considered out of the race unless they drive there with a mechanical issue; not a crash issue.
Denny Hamlin is back in the race but one lap down.
Ross Chastain brings the field down for the green flag restart on lap six and gets out in front as drivers get three wide back in the field.
AJ Allmendinger is falling through the field; he reports that something is broken.
Lap seven, Ross Chastain leads the race with Martin Truex Jr in second; Shane van Gisbergen, Alex Bowman, and Chase Briscoe round out the top five.
AJ Allmendinger is on pit road with the crew diagnosing a potential issue.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr is out of the race.
AJ Allmendinger takes his car to the garage for possible repairs.
Lap nine, Ross Chastain has a near one second lead on Martin Truex Jr; Shane van Gisbergen, Alex Bowman, and Chase Briscoe round out the top five.
Lap 12, Ros Chastain holds on to the elad with Martin Truex Jr nearly a second back; Shane van Gisbergen, Alex Bowman, and Chase Briscoe continue to round out the top five.
Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch are one lap down.
Lap 13, Ross Chastain has a lead of over a second on Martin Truex Jr; Truex and Shane van Gisbergen battle for second place. So far, Truex has held van Gisbergen off.
Lap 14, Ross Chastain has increased his lead to over two second.
Shane van Gisbergen passes Martin Truex Jr for second; Alex Bowman and Chase Briscoe round out the top five.
This is Cup Series start number 100 for the Melon Man Ross Chastain.
Lap 18, several drivers come down pit road to short pit the end of the stage including Joey Logano and Shane van Gisbergen. Ross Chastain is now over six seconds in front of Martin Truex Jr.
Lap 18, Ross Chastain comes down pit road and gives the lead over to Martin Truex Jr.
Brad Keselowski was caught speeding on pit road.
Martin Truex Jr wins stage one.
The top 10 at the end of stage one:
Martin Truex Jr
Alex Bowman
Chase Briscoe
Daniel Suarez
Austin Cindric
Chase Elliott
Tyler Reddick
Kyle Larson
Erik Jones
Daniel Hemric
Denny Hamlin is the “lucky dog” and is back on the lead lap.
Drivers who did not short pit come down pit road for service. Some of the drivers are reporting issues with no rear grip. Martin Truex Jr wins the race off of pit road.
AJ Allmendinger is out of the race with an axle/trans axle issue.
Ross Chastain brings the field down for the green flag start of stage two with Michael McDowll alongside.
Drivers are spewing dirt and dust everywhere.
Lap 25, Ross Chastain has a near half second lead on Michael McDowell; Shane van Gisbergen, Joey Logano, and Zane Smith round out the top five.
There is plenty of beating and banging among the drivers; spinning some drivers around, but the track stays green.
Lap 27, Ross Chastain has pulled out to a lead of over a second with Shane van Gisbergen in second and Michael McDowell in third; Joey Logano and Zane Smith round out the top five.
Lap 29, Ross Chastain leads the race but Shane van Gisbergen has closed the gap to under a second.
Lap 31, Ross Chastain’s lead is now down to just a tenth of a second on Shane van Gisbergen; Michael McDowell, Joey Logano, and Zane Smith round out the top five.
Lap 34, Ross Chastain and Shane van Gisbergen have broken away form the rest of the field by over eight seconds.
Lap 37, drivers are beginning to come down pit road to short pit the end of the stage. A tire gets loose on pit road.
Daniel Suarez spins out and is stuck in the gravel pit to bring out the caution flag.
It was a tire from Brad Keselowski’s car that got loose on pit road and will result in a penalty for an uncontrolled tire.
Stage two ends under caution with Ross Chastain winning the stage.
The top 10 at the end of stage two:
Ross Chastain
Shane van Gisbergen
Joey Logano
Ty Gibbs
William Byron
Harrison Burton
Chase Briscoe
Alex Bowman
Ryan Preece
Denny Hamlin
Drivers who pitted at the end of stage one, were not able to work their way through the field. Drivers up front now are considering staying out on the track until they need to make a pit stop. Drivers can run around 40 laps on a single load of fuel.
Tyler Reddick comes down a closed pit road after a spin on the track; saying the car doesn’t feel right.
Pit road is open with some of the drivers coming down pit road, while other stay out on the track. William Byron has a slow stop after the crew works on the car.
Kyle Larson was cited for vehicle interference after crossing into Erik Jones’ pit box.
Zane Smith was caught speeding on pit road.
Bubba Wallace, Tyler Reddick, and Daniel Suarez were charged with pitting too soon.
After staying out on the track, Ross Chastain brings the field down for the green flag start of stage three on lap 43 with Shane van Gisbergen alongside. Chastain gets out in front after Chase Briscoe tries to make it a three way battle. Shane van Gisbergen holds on to second.
Kyle Busch was the “lucky dog” and is back on the lead lap.
Lap 44, ross Chastain has a lead of over half a second on Shane van Gisbergen; Chase Briscoe, Michael McDowell, and Corey Lajoie round out the top five.
Lap 46, ross Chastain has a near half second lead on Shane van Gisbergen; Michael McDowell, Chase Briscoe, and Corey LaJoie round out the top five. Hamlin brings out
Denny Hamlin brings out the caution flag on lap 47 when he spins out and hits the wall after getting into a three wide battle with Kyle Larson and Brad Keselowski. The crowd cheered after the wreck.
Joey Logano brings a parade of cars down pit road for service. Drivers are outside of their window to make it to the end of the race from here – lap 48.
Ross Chastain brings the field down for the green flag restart with Shane van Gisbergen alongside on lap 50. Chastain holds on to the lead as the drivers spread out across the asphalt of turn one.
The top five are Ross Chastain, Shane van Gisbergen, Michael McDowell, Corey LaJoie, and Chris Buescher.
Forty to go, Ross Chastain has a third of a second lead on Shane van Gisbergen.
Lap 53. Shane van Gisbergen is on the bumper of leader Ross Chastain. They are the only two drivers who are very low on fuel.
Lap 57, Chris Buescher passes Shane van Gisbergen for second.
Shane van Gisbergen reports that the tires are really going away.
Lap 58, Chris Buescher passes Ross Chastain for the lead.
Michael McDowell passes Shane van Gisbergen for third.
Lap 59, Ross Chastain and Shane van Gisbergen make their green flag pit stops.
The drivers are now in their pit window to make it to the
Chris Buescher gives up the lead to come down pit road. Michael McDowell is the new leader.
With 31 laps to go, Michael McDowell leads the race with Carson Hocevar in second.
More drivers make their green flag pit stops.
Thirty to go, Michael McDowell leads the race with Corey LaJoie in second; Noah Gragson, Martin Truex Jr, and Josh Berry round out the top five.
Christopher Bell spins out as he tries to make it down pit road. The track stays green.
Lap 63, after making their pit stops, Ross Chastain and Shane van Gisbergen are in 20th and 21st.
Lap 65, Michael McDowell has a lead of over three seconds on Corey LaJoie.
Lap 66, Michael McDowell makes his green flag pit stop and gives the lead over to Corey LaJoie.
Twenty-three laps to go, Joey Logano takes the lead when Corey LaJoie comes down pit road.
While many of the drivers been unable to work their way through the field after a pit stop, Shane van Gisbergen is not having an issue and is now back in the top 10 with Ross Chastain on his bumper.
Twenty to go, Joey Logano leads the race with Zane Smith in second; Brad Keselowski, Daniel Suarez, and Chris Buescher rounding out the top five.
Lap 72, Shane van Gisbergen is back in the top five!
Lap 74, the top five are Joey Logano, Chris Buescher, Brad Keselowski, Shane van Gisbergen, and Carson Hocevar. Ross Chastain is in sixth.
Chris Beuscher passes Joey Logano for the lead.
Kaz Grala is on pit road with a damaged car.
Lap 75, Shane van Gisbergen passes Brad Keselowski for third.
With 15 laps remaining in the race, Chris Buescher has pulled out to a lead of three and a half seconds on Joey Logano.
Lap 76, the top five are Chris Buescher, Shane van Gisbergen, Joey Logano, Carson Hocevar, and Ross Chastain.
Just 12 laps to go, Chris Buescher has a four second lead on Shane van Gisbergen.
Harrison Burton has a flat tire and is working his way to pit road with a flapping tire throwing debris everywhere. The caution flag comes out with 10 laps remaining in the race.
Of the 16 playoff drivers, 10 of them have had an issue in today’s race.
Several drivers come down pit road for fresh tires.
Chris Buescher brings the field down for the green flag restart of the race with Shane van Gisbergen alongside; there are just seven laps remaining in the race. Buescher gets out in front with Carson Hocevar taking second.
William Byron and Brad Keselowski are up against the wall and bring out the caution flag. Byron was in the air with Keselowski under him. Both drivers are moving again. Joey Logano makes contact with Keselowski, who then sends Byron in the air against the wall. William Byron reports that he has no steering to the right. He will get a push down pit road.
Chris Buescher brings the field down for the green flag restart with just three laps remaining in the race. Carson Hocevar starts alongside Buescher. Buescher gets out in front. Tyler Reddick and Kyle Buscher bring out the caution flag to put the race in overtime. Drivers were four wide at the time. Todd Gilliland hit Chase Elliott who got into Josh Berry before Reddick and Busch make contact.
Martin Truex Jr also received some damage in the wreck and has to come down pit road after contact from another car.
Chris Buescher brings the field down for the overtime shootout to the end with Carson Hocevar alongside. Shane van Gisbergen and Ross Chastain are in the second row. Shane van Gisbergen gets out in front with Chris Buescher in second; Carson Hocevar, Ross Chastain, and Chase Briscoe round out the top five.
Shane van Gisbergen takes the white flag with a third of a second lead on Chris Buescher.
Chris Buescher makes contact with Shane van Gisbergen in the rear right corner to take the lead and win the race!
The unofficial results of the Go at the Glen:
Chris Buescher
Shane van Gisbergen
Carson Hocevar
Ross Chastain
Zane Smith
Chase Briscoe
Michael McDowell
Corey LaJoie
Ryan Preece
Austin Cindric
Noah Gragson
Kyle Larson
Daniel Suarez
Christopher Bell
Joey Logano
Todd Gilliland
Bubba Wallace
Alex Bowman
Chase Elliott
Martin Truex Jr
John Hunter Nemechek
Ty Gibbs
Denny Hamlin
Harrison Burton
Josh Berry
Brad Keselowski
Tyler Reddick
Austin Dillon
Justin Haley
Kyle Busch
Daniel Hemric
Juan Pablo Montoya
Erik Jones
William Byron
Kaz Grala
AJ Allmendinger
Ricky Stenhouse Jr
Ryan Blaney
After the race Denny Hamlin, Brad Keselowski, Martin Truex Jr, and Harrison Burton find themselves below the cut line with just one more race remaining in round one of the playoffs.
Joey Logano remains the only driver who has secured a spot in the next round of the playoffs.