The NASCAR drivers who are not locked into the playoffs will be hoping to get in at The Glen this weekend as they race the road course at Watkins Glen International in the Go Bowling at The Glen.
Racing on a road course in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series is not easy. Drivers have to deal with long, fast straights, multiple turns of different specifications, shifting to go uphill and downhill, use the brakes without wearing them out and trying to pass on a track with little room to do so.
The crew chiefs and teams have to set-up and adjust the cars to have the ability to do all of those things. A driver can pit under green without losing a lap, but mistakes are lost time and distance on the track that can be nearly impossible to get back.
A mishandling car or a driver that gets too aggressive can send that car off the track through any of the many turns. While some may think that a crash on a road course is less spectacular than on the oval tracks … that would be a wrong assessment. There are spots at Watkins Glen where a crash can be as devastating than one on a track where speeds can reach 200 mph as we have seen in recent years.
The good news is this: with the right strategy, a good car, no mistakes and a little luck quite literally any driver can find themselves in position to win the race at the end.
Here’s the data for the track and race that all the drivers and teams will have to deal with.
Watkins Glen International Data
Track Size: 2.45-miles
Number of Turns: 7
Go Bowling at The Glen Data
Season Race #: 22 of 36 (08-05-18)
Race Length: 90 laps / 220.5 miles
Stage 1 & 2 Lengths: 20 laps (each)
Final Stage Length: 50 laps
These are the active drivers that have performed the best when racing at Watkins Glen during their careers in NASCAR’s top division.
Top 10 Driver Ratings at Watkins Glen
Daniel Suarez……………………… 113.1
Kyle Busch…………………………. 110.7
Brad Keselowski………………….. 102.8
AJ Allmendinger……………………. 97.1
Martin Truex Jr……………………… 95.8
Kurt Busch…………………………… 93.4
Jimmie Johnson…………………….. 93.0
Erik Jones……………………………. 92.2
Chase Elliott…………………………. 91.5
Kevin Harvick……………………….. 89.7
Note: Driver Ratings compiled from 2005-2017 races (13 total) among active drivers at Watkins Glen International.
There are only six active drivers that have ever won a cup series race at Watkins Glen. Among those only Kyle Busch has won multiple races. Kyle has two victories at The Glen.
Martin Truex Jr. got his first and only win at Watkins Glen in his cup series career in this race last year.
The other drivers with a single win at The Glen are AJ Almendinger, Denny Hamlin, Joey Logano and Kevin Harvick.
Including this weekend there are just five races remain until the Chase Grid is set and the NASCAR Playoffs begin. Seven drivers have locked their position on the Chase Grid leaving nine spots open to be filled by either points or a new winner in the 2018 season. That will create and urgency to take advantage of getting every point possible or getting the win is this weekend’s opportunity race to make the playoffs. You can see what the Chase Grid looks like heading into the race at Watkins Glen at the bottom of the page.
Adding to the challenge this week is that the race is driven in the opposite direction as every other race of the season. That also means the cars will pit in the opposite orientation on pit row than other races. You may think these are small things, but to the drivers and teams it can equate to writing with your opposite hand. It can be done, but there is more likelihood of mistakes being made.
What driver will have the right strategy to be there for the win in the end? Which drivers and teams will make mistakes that will take them out of contention for the win? Will there be a repeat winner? Will a driver get their first win of 2018 to make a dramatic change to the Chase Grid?
We will find out when the green flag waives to start the Go Bowling at The Glen Sunday, August 5th at 1:30 PM central time (2:30 PM eastern time) at Watkins Glen International.
By: Buck Stevens
