Going into the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs, the pressure is on for 23 full-time NASCAR Cup Series drivers who have not yet locked themselves into the post-season chase for the championship yet and Watkins Glen is always a huge opportunity to capitalize on both right and left turns for the field. The Go Bowling at the Glen is always one of the most exciting races of the season and in yesterday’s 90-lap event, we witnessed a clinic put on by the eventual winner, as he was able to earn this one and make the field realize they have work to do on the road courses.
Stage 1
The green flag dropped just after 2:00 PM local time, and pole sitter Ryan Blaney fired off coming to green alongside Shane van Gisbergen. Blaney was able to pull away from the rookie, but on Lap 6, Kyle Larson spun into Turn 1 due to a brake issue, and no caution was thrown. Larson took his #5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet to the garage so his team could work on the brakes and try to get him back out.
By Lap 11, Blaney led SVG by 1.2 seconds and looked to capitalize on SVG saving his tires to collect valuable stage points. Green-flag pit stops began on Lap 17, and on Lap 19, Blaney and SVG took four fresh tires, while Chris Buescher, last year’s Go Bowling at the Glen winner, took the lead and collected the Stage 1 victory.
Stage 1 Results:
- Chris Buescher – 10 Points + 1 Playoff Point
- Alex Bowman – 9 Points
- Ryan Preece – 8 Points
- Chase Elliott – 7 Points
- John Hunter Nemechek – 6 Points
- Ricky Stenhouse Jr. – 5 Points
- Ryan Blaney – 4 Points
- Shane van Gisbergen – 3 Points
- Chase Briscoe – 2 Points
- Cody Ware – 1 Point
Stage 2
The second stage began with Chris Buescher leading the field to green, but his RFK Racing teammate Ryan Preece took over the lead going into Turn 1 as the rest of the field battled for real estate. SVG passed Blaney and began working on the other Fords. On Lap 28, Josh Berry made contact with Zane Smith and spun into the Turn 5 wall. NASCAR didn’t throw the caution until Berry retired his #21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford and left debris on the racing surface.
The green flag waved again on Lap 32 after a quick cleanup, and SVG surged ahead of Blaney. With two to go in the stage, SVG and teammate Ross Chastain pitted for four fresh tires and raced each other out of the pits. Right before the stage ended, John Hunter Nemechek was sent into the wall by Ty Gibbs, causing heavy damage to his #42 Mobil 1 Toyota Camry. Ryan Blaney crossed the line to win the stage.
Stage 2 Results:
- Ryan Blaney – 10 Points + 1 Playoff Point
- William Byron – 9 Points
- Christopher Bell – 8 Points
- A.J. Allmendinger – 7 Points
- Brad Keselowski – 6 Points
- Riley Herbst – 5 Points
- Alex Bowman – 4 Points
- Ricky Stenhouse Jr. – 3 Points
- Ty Gibbs – 2 Points
- Ryan Preece – 1 Points
Final Stage
From Lap 45 onward, the race was on. Blaney led William Byron to the green and got the jump on last week’s winner. The field knew SVG’s road course skill meant that once he got to the front from sixth, anything could happen. On Lap 52, Carson Hocevar was spun by teammate Michael McDowell going into Turn 1 but continued without a caution.
Lap 56 proved decisive, as SVG overtook Blaney coming to the start/finish line. Pit stops followed, with Kyle Busch, Bubba Wallace, and Todd Gilliland among those taking tires, while Chris Buescher charged into second place. With two to go, SVG continued to dominate, as Christopher Bell and Buescher battled for second. SVG won his fourth race of the season, and his fourth straight road course race, with Bell edging Buescher for the runner-up spot.
What Drivers had to say after the race
With two races remaining before the Playoffs and 13 winners so far, at least one Playoff spot will be awarded on points, as there can only be a maximum of 15 new winners before the postseason starts. Currently, Chris Buescher holds the final spot on points, +34 over teammate Ryan Preece.
Chris Buescher – “The speed we had in this BuildSubmarines.com Ford Mustang was good out here at Watkins Glen. I am really proud of everybody. It was great execution all day. We were able to get a stage win and were still in the hunt for the win. I had a couple more laps on my tires and I used the rears up really hard trying to get by a few cars. At the end of the day, it is a really solid run. We are greedy. We want more.”
Christopher Bell – “Happy? Yeah. I’m thrilled. We’ve been struggling a little bit to find a rhythm. I feel like the car has been good, but executing the races has been tough for us. Really awesome to have a good day. Frustrated to get our butts kicked by the 88 (Shane van Gisbergen) car. He’s doing a really good job. That team has it going on. We need to find a little bit more, but certainly happy. It was a good day for the DEWALT Camry.”
Shane van Gisbergen – “Well, the 12 car (Ryan Blaney) was amazing. He was really good at the start. Driving well and I couldn’t pass him. Then all the strategies happened through Stage Two. I think it was that restart in the final stage that got me up closer to the front and we could run a bit longer. It’s amazing. Thank you to Trackhouse, Chevrolet, WeatherTech, and all of our partners. To get four of these is very, very special.”
This weekend, the NASCAR Cup Series heads to Richmond Raceway for its annual night race. With this now being the only race at the 0.75-mile track, expect drivers to make bold moves to keep their Playoff hopes alive, as well as risky gambles from crew chiefs on pit stops, making restarts all the more crucial. Catch all the action Saturday at 7:30 PM EST / 4:30 PM PST on USA Network.
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