NASCAR Watkins Glen preview

The NASCAR Cup Series heads to upstate New York for the second race of the playoffs.

This Sunday’s Go Bowling at the Glen marks the first time that the track will be featured in the NASCAR postseason.

Last weekend, Team Penske’s Joey Logano clinched a spot in the second round. It was Logano’s second points-paying win of 2024 and his second at Atlanta since the track was reconfigured into a drafting circuit prior to 2022.

Logano outlasted his teammate Ryan Blaney and the Atlanta Spring winner, Daniel Suarez, to take victory in overtime after an advertising board falling on the track brought out the yellow.

Looking towards Watkins Glen, Joe Gibbs Racing’s Ty Gibbs sits on the bubble 12th in the playoff standings. He is one point ahead of RFK Racing’s Brad Keselowski. Harrison Burton, Martin Truex Jr. and Chase Briscoe join Keselowski as the drivers below the cutline and facing elimination in two weeks.

The 2023 edition of the Watkins Glen race saw Hendrick Motorsports driver William Byron take the checkered flag. This was Byron’s fifth of six wins on the season on his way to a Championship 4 appearance.

Watkins Glen is the fourth road course race of the 2024 season. The previous three have all been won by Hendrick Motorsports. William Byron won at Circuit of the Americas, Kyle Larson found victory lane at Sonoma and Alex Bowman broke his winless streak at the Chicago Street Course.

Thirty-eight drivers will start this weekend’s race. The field is composed of the 36 chartered entries and two part-time cars.

Kaulig Racing will field the No. 13 for 2014 Watkins Glen winner A.J. Allmendinger alongside his teammate and former Australian Supercars champion Shane Van Gisbergen in the No. 16.

The other entry is from 23XI Racing who is adding Juan Pablo Montoya to their lineup. The Colombian won the 2010 Watkins Glen race and is making his first NASCAR Cup Series start since the 2014 Brickyard 400.

The eyes of the NASCAR world will certainly be on these two road course ringers to see if they can make an impact.

Watkins Glen presents a challenge to drivers with the difficulty of overtaking on road courses with the Gen7 car. Strategy and track position will be at a premium in order to stay near the front.

Playoff drivers will also be looking to gain valuable points as the final race of the Round of 16 is at Bristol Motor Speedway. Bristol’s spring race saw a ton of unpredictability due to the accelerated tire falloff that the track had.

The early races of the playoffs looked to provide intriguing storylines and they are not disappointing. The green flag drops on Sunday, Sep. 15 at 3 p.m. EST.

Jack Rachinsky is a second-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email jjr6682@psu.edu.