Stewart looking to master The Glen again
Watkins Glen, NY (Sports Network) - The Sprint Cup Series will run its second and final road course race of the season this weekend at Watkins Glen International in Upstate New York. The series competed at the Sonoma, CA course in June.
Tony Stewart and Jeff Gordon are the "road course aces" at Watkins Glen, with Stewart winning here a record five times and Gordon having four victories.
Stewart claimed his most recent victory at Watkins Glen one year ago, a race that was delayed one day due to inclement weather. He conserved enough fuel late in the race and easily held off Marcos Ambrose at the finish for the win.
"It's a race that we always look forward to," said Stewart, who has finished either first or second in that last six races at Watkins Glen. "We've had a lot of success there, and it's just fun. It's like taking Sonoma and just multiplying the speed times three. It's just a lot faster track. It still has the same elevation changes, but you're just running a lot quicker. Both Sonoma and Watkins Glen are two places on the schedule that we really enjoy coming to."
Gordon holds the series record for most career road course wins. Five of them have come at Sonoma.
The last several races at both Sonoma and Watkins Glen have been wild affairs.
Last year at Watkins Glen, a spectacular multi-car crash occurred on lap 62 when Kasey Kahne got loose in turn nine and bumped Sam Hornish Jr., who spun hard into the tire barrier. Hornish then bounced back on the track and slammed violently into Gordon, who hit the barrier head on. Gordon spent additional time inside the track's infield medical center for evaluation, as a precaution for his recent back problems.
"I think the road courses are always intense and challenging in its own way," Gordon said. "I don't know if [Watkins Glen] will be as wild as Sonoma. In Sonoma, you can run side-by-side for half a lap on those double-file restarts. It's a special place.
"Watkins Glen is a lot faster, and you can't really run side-by-side up through the 'S's.' I don't think you'll see the same type of racing you saw at Sonoma, but you'll see a great race."
Gordon's wife, Ingrid, is expected to have the couple's second child in the coming days. Scott Pruett, a two-time Grand-Am Rolex Series champion and former NASCAR driver, is standing by if Gordon needs to leave Watkins Glen during the weekend to be with his wife.
In June, Gordon was a marked man in the Sonoma garage. Several drivers, particularly Martin Truex Jr., were furious with Gordon's aggressive driving throughout the 110-lap race.
Following the second restart on lap 61, Truex was running among the top-10, but Gordon slammed into the back of him and turned him around.
Gordon also tangled with Elliott Sadler and Kurt Busch during the 110-lap race. Gordon's Hendrick Motorsports teammate, Jimmie Johnson, claimed his first road course victory in the series at Sonoma. Johnson benefited from Ambrose's costly mistake in the closing laps. Ambrose held the lead, but the Australian driver turned his engine off in an effort to conserve fuel. He slowed down on the track and lost the top position, as he fell to seventh. After the final restart, Johnson pulled ahead of Robby Gordon and then drove to his first road course win in 17 starts.
Can Johnson, the four-time defending series champion, establish himself as this year's "road course king?"
The Glen's been the better of the two tracks for me, so I feel real good about going back there," he said.
Ambrose, a road-course expert, certainly will be a favorite at Watkins Glen. He has yet to win his first Sprint Cup race, but he has finished second and third in the last two races here. Ambrose also has won the Nationwide race at The Glen in the past two seasons.
"Well it's the right course; that helps for me," Ambrose said. "The competition is fierce, and that track is high speed. It's got an old style feel to it. There's a lot of banking in the turns, and a lot of high-speed corners. It fits what I like in a racetrack. It fits my style pretty well."
Forty-six teams are on the preliminary entry list for the Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips at The Glen.
Watkins Glen Odds & Ends
Watkins Glen International Data
Race #: 22 of 36 (8-8-10)
Track Size: 2.45 miles
Race Length: 90 laps/220.5 miles
Driver Rating at Watkins Glen
Tony Stewart 135.0
Marcos Ambrose 106.9
Jimmie Johnson 106.5
Kyle Busch 104.9
Denny Hamlin 104.6
Juan Pablo Montoya 101.4
Kurt Busch 99.4
Carl Edwards 91.4
Robby Gordon 89.2
Jeff Gordon 88.9
Note: Driver Rating compiled from 2005-2009 races (4 total) at Watkins Glen.
Qualifying/Race Data
2009 pole winner: Jimmie Johnson (71.340 mph, 123.633)
2009 race winner: Tony Stewart, 90.297 mph, 8-10-09)
Track qualifying record: Jeff Gordon (124.580 mph, 70.798 seconds, 8-8-03)
Track race record: Mark Martin (103.300 mph, 8-13-95)
Estimated Pit Window: Every 30-32 laps, based on fuel mileage.
Watkins Glen Tale of the Tape: The Favorites
Marcos Ambrose (No. 47 Little Debbie Toyota)
· Enters Watkins Glen 28th in points
· Two top fives, two top 10s
· Average finish of 2.5
· Average Running Position of 13.8, sixth-best
· Driver Rating of 106.9, second-best
· 27 Fastest Laps Run, fourth-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 119.041 mph, second-fastest
Kurt Busch (No. 2 Miller Lite/Vortex Dodge)
· Seventh in points
· Three top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 19.8
· Average Running Position of 15.4, 10th-best
· Driver Rating of 99.4, seventh-best
· 39 Fastest Laps Run, second-most
· 212 Green Flag Passes, 12th-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 118.672 mph, seventh-fastest
· 305 Laps in the Top 15 (67.5%), fourth-most
· 116 Quality Passes, third-most
Kyle Busch (No. 18 M&M's Toyota)
· Sixth in points
· One win, two top fives, four top 10s
· Average finish of 10.8
· Average Running Position of 13.3, fifth-best
· Driver Rating of 104.9, fourth-best
· 32 Fastest Laps Run, third-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 118.745 mph, sixth-fastest
· 292 Laps in the Top 15 (64.6%), fifth-most
· 106 Quality Passes, fourth-most
Carl Edwards (No. 99 Aflac Ford)
· 10th in points
· Two top fives, four top 10s
· Average finish of 8.8
· Average Running Position of 14.2, seventh-best
· Driver Rating of 91.4, eighth-best
· 13 Fastest Laps Run, seventh-most
· 255 Green Flag Passes, fourth-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 118.247 mph, 11th-fastest
· 289 Laps in the Top 15 (63.9%), sixth-most
· 103 Quality Passes, fifth-most
Jeff Gordon (No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet)
· Second in points
· Four wins, six top fives, eight top 10s; two poles
· Average finish of 14.8
· Average Running Position of 15.2, ninth-best
· Driver Rating of 88.9, 10th-best
· 17 Fastest Laps Run, fifth-most
· 219 Green Flag Passes, ninth-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 118.349 mph, ninth-fastest
· 228 Laps in the Top 15 (50.4%), 11th-most
Robby Gordon (No. 7 Robby Gordon Motorsports Toyota)
· 33rd in points
· One win, seven top fives, seven top 10s
· Average finish of 11.3
· Driver Rating of 89.2, ninth-best
· 11 Fastest Laps Run, eighth-most
· 218 Green Flag Passes, 10th-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 118.505 mph, eighth-fastest
Denny Hamlin (No. 11 FedEx Freight Toyota)
· Third in points
· One top five, four top 10s
· Average finish of 7.5
· Average Running Position of 9.8, third-best
· Driver Rating of 104.6, fifth-best
· 11 Fastest Laps Run, eighth-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 118.772 mph, fifth-fastest
· 306 Laps in the Top 15 (85.0%), third-most
· 101 Quality Passes, sixth-most
Kevin Harvick (No. 29 Shell/Pennzoil Chevrolet)
· NASCAR Sprint Cup Series points leader
· One win, two top fives, five top 10s
· Average finish of 13.9
· Average Running Position of 16.0, 11th-best
· Driver Rating of 88.7, 11th-best
· 286 Laps in the Top 15 (63.3%), seventh-most
· 85 Quality Passes, 13th-most
Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet)
· Fourth in points
· Three top fives, four top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 13.0
· Average Running Position of 7.5, second-best
· Driver Rating of 106.5, third-best
· 11 Fastest Laps Run, eighth-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 118.794 mph, fourth-fastest
· 407 Laps in the Top 15 (90.0%), second-most
· 90 Quality Passes, 10th-most
Juan Pablo Montoya (No. 42 Target Chevrolet)
· 21st in points
· One top five, two top 10s
· Average finish of 16.3
· Average Running Position of 10.6, fourth-best
· Driver Rating of 101.4, sixth-best
· 15 Fastest Laps Run, sixth-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 118.907 mph, third-fastest
· 238 Laps in the Top 15 (88.1%), ninth-most
· 91 Quality Passes, ninth-most
Tony Stewart (No. 14 Old Spice Chevrolet)
· Eighth in points
· Five wins, seven top fives, nine top 10s
· Average finish of 5.3
· Series-best Average Running Position of 3.9
· Series-best Driver Rating of 135.0
· Series-high 104 Fastest Laps Run
· Series-best Average Green Flag Speed of 119.570 mph
· Series-high 438 Laps in the Top 15 (96.9%)
· Series-high 126 Quality Passes
Martin Truex Jr. (No. 56 NAPA Auto Parts Toyota)
· 20th in points
· One top five, two top 10s
· Average finish of 16.8
· Average Running Position of 14.4, eighth-best
· Driver Rating of 83.1, 12th-best
· 240 Laps in the Top 15 (66.7%), eighth-most
· 92 Quality Passes, eighth-most
Sour Cream Dips at The Glen
By Micah Roberts
VegasInsider.com
There are only five races to the Chase for the Championship remaining and many of the drivers outside looking in to the current rop-12 in points will have to somehow utilize this weeks race on the road course at Watkins Glen to their advantage. Many of the drivers don’t care for the road courses and some teams don’t even put any testing in to get their program ready for the racing like they do at all the other type of tracks.
There are only two road courses races a year so it doesn’t make a lot of sense to put too much effort into the road racing programs, but it’s still two point races on a season that count just as much as any other race does. With five races to go, those drivers who are fighting for position better start liking road racing real quick or their season will be theoretically over.
Following Watkins Glen, the series rolls into four vastly different tracks to determine the final 12 drivers. We get a little wide open horsepower racing at Michigan, some bumping and banging at Bristol, then some high speed racing of the multi-grooves of Atlanta, and finally culminating at Richmond’s unique track under the lights.
Currently, the only drivers I can see that have a real legitimate shot of making the Chase -- who currently are borderline top-12 -- would be the winner of the battle between Clint Bowyer and Mark Martin for the final position. Dale Earnhardt Jr has been hanging around with consistent, better than average runs, but comes no where close to be a weekly top-10 contender on the varied tracks. Ryan Newman and Jamie McMurray have shown flashes of greatness, but not enough consistency to expect them to make a serious run.
The one driver who could make it interesting is Kasey Kahne just because of how he can distance himself with the others on the road course of Watkins Glen this week. Kahne has become quite accomplished on the road courses over the last two seasons. Prior to his win last year at Sonoma, Kahne had never even cracked the top-10 in any road race. He followed that great performance with a fourth-place finish at Sonoma this year.
Kahne still has never managed better than 14th at Watkins Glen, but we do know he’s excited about the chance to race on the road courses again just because of having success. Drivers who repeatedly say they hate road racing say so just because they don’t finish well. If David Reutimann could ever get a top-10 in a road race, he may change his tune a little.
Even though we lump Sonoma and Watkins Glen together as road courses, the two couldn’t be more different. The Glen is almost a half mile bigger with longer straightaways and has less technical turns than Sonoma. The qualifying speed record is 30 mph faster at The Glen just to give some perspective. A less accomplished road racer can come to the New York track and run better than he could at Sonoma.
Jimmie Johnson was the perfect example of an inexperienced road course driver who managed quite well at Watkins Glen while struggling at Sonoma. Just because Johnson is greedy with his points and treats every race like those maximum points belong to him, he got better. He drove in sports cars in his spare time and asked questions to all the best road racers in the world to make him better in NASCAR, and it worked. Johnson has become quite the road racer over the last two seasons and it all culminated with his first ever road win at Sonoma in June,
Bettors who wanted Johnson in a road race could fetch prices of 20 to 1 and higher prior to this season, but now you can expect his odds to be right up there with the favorites just like he’s at every track. The cat is out of the bag, Jimmie is really good everywhere now. There won’t be double-digit prices on Johnson for a few years, he’s just too good. And now with his crew chief Chad Knaus locked up, there is nothing to slow Johnson down through his run as we have seen in the past from great drivers that tailed off, like Jeff Gordon who crumbled after his crew chief Ray Evernham left to form his own team.
The favorite for this race is Tony Stewart who has won five times at The Glen. His worst finish in his last six starts has been runner-up, which he’s done twice. He didn’t do anything special at Sonoma with a ninth-place finish, but somehow, he always manages to find his way better around the course in August.
Marcos Ambrose will be leaving his current team after the end of the season which should cause some concern for those looking to play him this week. It’s hard to bet on a lame-duck driver, but it’s also hard to ignore that Ambrose may be the best road course driver in the series. He was ill-advised to save fuel at Sonoma while leading -- even though his tank was full -- and when he tried to re-start with only a few laps left while in a caution lap, his car wouldn’t start and he no longer was able to keep up with the pace car and lost positions. It may have been the dumbest call by a crew chief ever. That sixth-place finish in June was his worst finish on the road courses in two years. At Watkins Glen, Ambrose has finished third and runner-up the last two years. He’s kind of hard to ignore, lame-duck or not.
Top-5 Finish Prediction:
1) #14 Tony Stewart (5/1)
2) #29 Kevin Harvick (10/1)
3) #47 Marcos Ambrose (8/1)
4) #48 Jimmie Johnson (8/1)
5) #24 Jeff Gordon (6/1)
Road course aces gear up for Watkins Glen
By: Steve Makinen
Just five races remain until the start of the Chase, with the next top scheduled for Sunday in up-state New York at Watkins Glen International. The Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips at the Glen, the second and final road course event of the season, is a 90 lap jaunt around The Glen’s 2.45 mile course, complete with 11 turns and banking between 6 and 10 degrees. Any mention of favorites for Sunday’s race would have to include Jimmie Johnson, the winner of the June Sonoma event, Tony Stewart, one of the hottest road course drivers of late, plus Marcos Ambrose and Juan Montoya, two drivers with a ton of career experience on this type of track with other series’. Not coincidentally, that group of drivers represents the Top 4 in average finish at road course events since the start of the ’07 season.
Tony Stewart is an obvious choice for favorite, as he leads the circuit in average finish at road courses since 2007, at 4.3. He is the defending champion of this race, and moreover, has actually won five of the last eight Watkins Glen events. It’s quite obvious that he prefers this road course over the Sonoma track. Still, he has scored a Top 10 finish in all seven of the road course events run in the COT. Jimmie Johnson hasn’t been recognized as a road course ace throughout his career, but understanding these tracks were one of his “weak spots”, he has worked hard at improving on them. The work paid off in June when he scored his first road win of his career at Sonoma. Over the last seven road events, Johnson has an average finish of 8.4 with four Top 10’s. However, he would not have won in June without benefitting from a caution flag minimum speed violation by Marcos Ambrose, who was on pace for a first ever win before the problem. Ambrose has a solid career road course average finish of 11.2 with four Top 10’s in five starts. Juan Montoya has been a bit better with six Top 10’s in seven starts and an average finish of 10.3.
Kyle Busch has to be given strong consideration as well as the series heads to Watkins Glen. He has been out front at the road course events more than any other driver since 2007, leading 155 laps. That is 66 more than Jimmie Johnson, and 81 more than Tony Stewart. He has two wins to his credit as well during that time span, with one of them coming at the Glen in 2008. Along with that, he owns four other Top 10’s in the seven starts. The other two drivers who figure to be in the mix are Denny Hamlin and Jeff Gordon, both of whom are the only other drivers not mentioned to this point with five Top 10’s in the last seven road course races. Although neither has a win in that span, Gordon has been out front for 51 laps, and Hamlin 36.
Beyond the seven drivers detailed up to this point, any other winner reaching Victory Lane would be a sizeable upset. Current Cup Series points leader Kevin Harvick is a possibility, with a win in 2006 here to his credit. Kasey Kahne could pull a surprise too, as he is the only other driver to have won a road race in the COT. Of course, it always makes sense to at least consider the drivers who have been running well of late, and that group would include Greg Biffle, last week’s winner at Pocono, Carl Edwards, the third place finisher a week ago, plus Jeff Burton and Clint Bowyer, Harvick’s Childress Racing teammates who seem to be getting hot at just the right time. As usual, there will be plenty of road course ringers on hand to substitute as drivers for their respective teams. The most notable one is Boris Said, who will be filling in for Reed Sorenson in the #83 Red Bull Toyota. Still, no non-regular driver has ever won a Cup series road event, a fact quite puzzling.
For every driver that loes the road course events, there is one that hates them. For Sunday, the list of drivers you might want to steer away from include David Reutimann, David Ragan, Jamie McMurray, Mark Martin, and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. Reutimann has an average finish of just 29.8 on road courses in the COT, without a single Top 10 finish nor lap led. Ragan & Martin share the same Top 10 and laps led deficiency and an average finish of at least 24.0. McMurray & Junior have combined to lead 69 laps during that stretch but neither has a Top 10 finish to show for it along with an average of 23.6 or worse.
Greg Biffle’s win last week enabled him to gain key ground in his quest to lock up a Chase spot. Sitting in 11th position, he is now 122 points in front of 13th place Mark Martin. Clint Bowyer is in between them, but 88 points behind Biffle. Martin is really the only driver who maintains a spot in contention for qualifying for the Chase, as 14th place Dale Earnhardt, Jr. is 129 points out of 12th place with Ryan Newman, Kasey Kahne, Jamie McMurray and David Reutimann all trailing him by less than 55 points. The top spot remains unchanged with Kevin Harvick holding a 189-point lead over Jeff Gordon. The big winner last week was Jeff Burton, who climbed two spots to 5th, while Kurt Busch fell a pair of spots to 7th.
This week’s qualifying is scheduled for 11:10 AM ET on Saturday. A recent statistical study by StatFox has revealed that the combination of qualifying and practice speeds has proven more critical at Watkins Glen than at any other track in terms of finishing in the Top 10. In fact, of the previous 23 races here, 12 winners have started in the top 3, and none have ever started outside 18th. The average starting position of the winner is 6.2. The average Happy Hour rank is 9.4. The green flag for the race drops at 1:18 PM ET on Sunday. As always, the StatFox NASCAR FoxSheet, Driver Pages, & Matchup Analyzer are here to prepare you for all of the race action…
Driver Handicaps: Watkins Glen
Racingone.com
This weekend the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series heads to Watkins Glen for Sunday's Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips at The Glen. To help you make your fantasy racing picks, Motor Racing Network brings you our weekly detailed look at some of the field for the 90-lap road course event.
Who's HOT at The Glen
• Tony Stewart leads all drivers with five wins,
• Marcos Ambrose leads all drivers with a 2.5 average finish.
• Four-time winner Jeff Gordon leads all drivers in laps led with 227.
• Denny Hamlin has a 7.5 average finish in four starts.
• Kyle Busch (2008 winner) and Carl Edwards have each finished ninth or better in the last four races.
• Juan Pablo Montoya has a 5.0 average in his last two starts.
• Infineon winner Jimmie Johnson has a 7.3 average finish in the three races with the COT.
• Three-time winner Mark Martin leads all drivers with 12 top fives.
Keep an Eye on at The Glen
• 2003 winner Robby Gordon has finished in the top five in three of the last five races at Watkins Glen.
• Kevin Harvick has one win and four top 10s in his last seven starts at Watkins Glen.
• Kurt Busch has a 9.3 average finish with the COT at Watkins Glen.
• Boris Said will be racing the No. 83 Red Bull Toyota this weekend.
• AJ Allmendinger has a 16.2 average finish in five overall road course starts.
• Greg Biffle is coming off his first top five at Watkins Glen and finished seventh at Infineon in June.
Top 30 Driver Notes - Ordered by current standings
(All stats/notes are in regards to Watkins Glen unless noted)
1. Kevin Harvick: Winner of the 2006 race; 25.7 average finish in the three races with the COT; Sixth-place finish in 2008 was last of five top 10s in nine starts; 15.4 average finish in 19 overall road course starts; Will debut a new car (chassis No. 321) in the Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips at The Glen.
2. Jeff Gordon: Four wins and eight top 10s in 17 starts; Leads all drivers with 227 laps led; 25.0 average finish in the three races with the COT; Has nine career road course victories; 11.9 average finish in 35 overall road course starts.
3. Denny Hamlin: Has yet to finish outside the top 10 in four starts; Best finish, of second, came in 2007; Has yet to lead a lap; Third-best average finish (6.7) among all drivers that have run in all three races with the COT; 13.1 average finish in nine overall road course starts; Will put chassis No. 248 through its first road course paces this weekend. This particular chassis has gone to Victory Lane in three previous occasions.
4. Jimmie Johnson: Won the pole and finished 12th in this event last year; Has four finishes of seventh or better in eight starts; 7.3 average finish in the three races with the COT; Coming off first road course win in June at Infineon; 14.4 average finish in 17 overall road course starts; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 543) that he won with at Infineon.
5. Jeff Burton: 29.8 average finish in five starts with Richard Childress Racing; Last of three top 10s (seventh) came with Roush Racing in 2002; 21.2 average finish in 33 overall road course starts; Will make 17th track start in the same car (chassis No. 245) that he finished 27th with at Infineon after being spun off course in the closing laps.
6. Kyle Busch: 2008 winner; Has finished ninth or better in last four starts; Has led the most laps (67) in the three races with the COT; 15.9 average finish in 11 overall road course starts; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 240) that he qualified second and finished 22nd with at Infineon after suffering brakes problems in the race.
7. Kurt Busch: 11.8 average finish in four starts with Penske Racing; Coming off consecutive top 10s; Seventh-place finish in 2009 is best in nine starts; 19.9 average finish in 19 overall road course starts; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 722) that he was running in the top five with at Infineon in June up until an incident with Jeff Gordon.
8. Tony Stewart: Coming off fifth win in 11 starts; 2009 win came in first track start with Stewart-Haas after leading 34 laps; Recorded eight top 10s with Joe Gibbs Racing in previous 10 starts; 7.3 average finish in 23 overall road course starts.; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 546) that he finished second and ninth, respectively, with in the past two races at Infineon.
9. Matt Kenseth: 12.7 average finish in the three races with the COT; Last of three top 10s, in nine starts, came in 2004; 19.2 average finish in 21 overall road course starts; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 663) that he finished 30th with at Infineon.
10. Carl Edwards: Coming off four consecutive top 10s; 8.8 average in five starts; Has yet to lead a lap; 14.3 average finish in 11 overall road course starts; Will pilot the same car (chassis No. 656) that he finished 29th with at Infineon.
11. Greg Biffle: Coming off best finish (fifth) in seven starts; Only other top 10 (10th) came in 2007; 12.0 average finish in the three races with the COT; Has yet to lead a lap since 2003; 19.7 average finish in 15 overall road course starts; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 659) that he finished seventh with at Infineon.
12. Clint Bowyer: Scored first top 10 in four starts last year in ninth; 15.5 average finish; Has yet to lead a lap; 13.9 average finish in nine overall road course starts; Will return in the same (chassis No. 300) that finished 31st at Infineon after last race contact took him out of contention.
13. Mark Martin: Finished 23rd in 2009 in first track start since 2006; Won three consecutive races in the mid 90s; Scored 12 consecutive top 10s from 1989-2000; 9.5 average finish in 44 overall road course starts; Will pilot the same car (chassis No. 608) that finished 14th at Infineon.
14. Dale Earnhardt Jr: Led 33 laps and finished 22nd in track debut with Hendrick Motorsports in 2008; Finished 39th in 2009; Posted three top 10s with Dale Earnhardt Inc. in eight previous starts; 21.5 average finish in 21 overall road course starts; Will pilot the same car (chassis No. 514) that he finished 11th with at Infineon.
15. Ryan Newman: Finished 21st in first track start with Stewart-Hass in 2009; 20.0 average finish in the three races with the COT; Scored three top 10s with Penske Racing from 2002-2008; 13.8 average finish in 17 overall road course starts.
16. Kasey Kahne: Has yet to finish in the top 10 in six starts; Equaled best finish, of 14th, in 2008; Won first road course race in 2009 at Infineon; 21.1 average finish in 13 overall road course starts.
17. Jamie McMurray: Only top 10 in six starts came in 2006 when he finished third; The third-place finish came in his first track start with Roush Fenway; Will make track debut in a Chevrolet; Best finish with Ganassi came in 2004 and 2005 in 13th; 18.5 average finish in 15 overall road course starts; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 1012) that finished 15th at Infineon; The chassis was also recently tested at Road Atlanta.
18. David Reutimann: Coming off best finish (25th) in two starts; 29.0 average finish; 29.8 average finish in five overall road course starts.
19. Joey Logano: Finished 16th in first Sprint Cup track start in 2009.
20. Martin Truex Jr: 28th-place finish in 2009 ended streak of two consecutive top 10s; Will make track debut with Michael Waltrip Racing.
21. Juan Pablo Montoya: Coming off second consecutive top 10 in three starts; Was running sixth in 2007 until he was sent spinning on lap 72 to a 39th-place finish; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 1014) that finished 10th at Infineon; The chassis was also tested at Virginia International Raceway.
22. AJ Allmendinger: 12.0 average finish in two starts; Best finish came with Team Red Bull in 2008 in 11th; 16.2 average finish in five overall road course starts; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 257) that he finished 13th with at Infineon.
23. Paul Menard: Equaled best finish (19th) in six starts last season; 25.3 average finish in nine overall road course starts; Will pilot the same car (chassis No. 254) that he finished 22nd with at Infineon.
24. David Ragan: Coming off best finish (24th) in three starts; 28.7 average finish; 28.1 average finish in seven overall road course starts; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 660) that finished 25th at Infineon.
25. Brad Keselowski: Will make first start driving the same car (chassis No. 723) that finished 35th at Infineon.
26. Scott Speed: Finished 22nd in first start last season; 25.7 average finish in three overall road course starts.
27. Sam Hornish Jr: 34.0 average finish in two starts; 34.6 average finish in five overall road course starts.
28. Marcos Ambrose: 2.5 average finish in two starts; Led nine laps and finished second in 2009; 11.2 average finish in five overall road course starts.
29. Elliott Sadler: Scored only top 10 (seventh) in 11 starts in 2006 with Yates Racing; 18.1 average finish in 23 overall road course starts; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 243) that he finished 17th with at Infineon.
30. Regan Smith: Only start came in 2007 when he finished 37th; 35.0 average finish in three overall road course starts.
Who'll Win at the Glen?
By GREG ENGLE
The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series will make the second and last visit to a road course this season for Sunday’s Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips at the Glen.
Unlike the last stop however, there is a bit more pressure this weekend. We are halfway through the races that make up the 10-event stretch known as the ‘Race to the Chase’; in the first five races there have been five different winners.
The pressure builds to ensure a spot in the 10-race final playoff and to earn the 10 bonus points that go along with winning a race in the regular season.
No one is feeling that pressure more than this week’s favorite Tony Stewart (+350). Winless so far this season, Stewart has been on his usual summer tear, having finished in the top 10 in seven of the eight races since Memorial Day. Five of those finishes have been in the top five, including a second place finish last week at Pocono.
At Watkins Glen, Stewart has won a total of five times, which leads all active drivers.
Even though this is the second road course of the season, Stewart pointed out this week that there are very few similarities between Sonoma and the Glen.
“If anything, Sonoma is probably more technical than Watkins Glen because there's hardly any time where you get a chance to rest,” Stewart. “You're always either shifting or accelerating or braking or turning or doing something. At Watkins Glen, at least on the front stretch and on the back stretch, there are three straightaways where you get a little bit of time to take a break.
“Watkins Glen seems to be more in the crew's hands and the engine builder's hands. Obviously, there's still a job that I need to do in the racecar, but I'm relying on the equipment and the crew a lot more at Watkins Glen."
He’s on the cusp of visiting Victory Lane and with his history of success here this could be Stewart’s weekend.
Jeff Gordon (+800) is right behind Stewart when it comes to winning at the Glen. Gordon has four wins along with six top five and eight top 10s. If Gordon and his crew can overcome their struggles this season, Gordon could put on a show this weekend.
Others To Watch
Jimmie Johnson (+800)
He scored his first career road course victory at Sonoma in June and with a record of three top five and four top 10 finishes here he may be looking to follow up with a second road course win.
Mark Martin (+6000)
Mark Martin? Seriously? He’s been off many people’s radar this season but he won three consecutive races at the Glen from 1993-1995 and at Sonoma in 1997. He can’t be counted out with 12 top fives, 16 top 10’s and three poles.
Head To Head
Kyle Busch vs. Kurt Busch
Kyle has one win (2008) here along with two top fives and four top 10’s. His older brother Kurt has only three top 10’s. But Kyle was 39th at Sonoma and Kurt was 33rd. Look for Kurt to finish ahead of his younger brother at this road course as well.
Carl Edwards vs. Greg Biffle
In this battle of teammates, Carl has two top fives and four top 10’s while Biffle has one top five and one top 10. Edwards always seems to run better at road courses and won the Nationwide race at Road America in dominating fashion earlier this year. Look for Edwards to finish ahead of Biffle this week.
Kevin Harvick vs. Jeff Burton
Harvick has one win, two top five and five top 10 finishes here. Burton has no wins, two top fives and three top 10s. The difference this weekend will be Harvick wanting to protect his points lead while Burton always lets it all hang out as evidenced by his four DNFs. Look for Harvick to come out ahead in this matchup.
Practice Notes - Watkins Glen
By Micah Roberts
Top 8 Driver Rating Following All Watkins Glen Practice Sessions
Rating Driver Odds Practice 1 Practice 2 Qualifying Sonoma*
1 Tony Stewart 7/2 22nd 6th 6th 9th
Notes: All-time track leader with five career wins; six straight finishes on no worse than runner-up.
2 Marcos Ambrose 7/2 7th 3rd 11th 6th
Notes:Finished runner-up and third in only two Cup starts at The Glen; won last three Nationwide races.
3 Juan Pablo Montoya 8/1 6th 2nd 3rd 10th
Notes:Fourth and sixth-place finishes in his last two Watkins Glen starts; great practices Friday.
4 Greg Biffle 60/1 1st 1st 7th 7th
Notes:Dialed in strong during both practices; lots of momentum coming off of huge win at Pocono.
5 Kyle Busch 8/1 11th 7th 10th 39th
Notes:Swept 2008 road course season; will be using same chassis from Sonoma.
6 Kevin Harvick 12/1 18th 5th 20th 3rd
Notes:2006 winner at The Glen who is using a brand new chassis this week.
7 Carl Edwards 30/1 10th 11th 1st 29th
Notes:8.8 career average Watkins Glen finish that include two top-five finishes.
8 Kurt Busch 25/1 5th 4th 5th 32nd
Notes:Using same chassis that was running in top-five at Sonoma until punted by Jeff Gordon.
* June 20 Sonoma Results, the only other NASCAR Sprint Cup road course event of the year.