WATKINS GLEN INTERNATIONAL (2.45-MILE ROAD COURSE)
LOCATION: WATKINS GLEN, NEW YORK
EVENT: NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES (RACE 22 OF 36)
TUNE IN: 2 P.M. ET, SUNDAY, AUG. 9 (NBCSN/MRN/SIRIUSXM)
No. 5 Time Warner Cable Chevrolet SS / Kasey Kahne
Driver Kasey Kahne Hometown Enumclaw, Washington
Age 35 Resides Mooresville, North Carolina
2015 Season
15th in standings
21 starts
0 wins
1 pole position
2 top-five finishes
6 top-10 finishes
46 laps led
Career
417 starts
17 wins
27 pole positions
85 top-five finishes
152 top-10 finishes
4,587 laps led
Track Career
11 starts
0 wins
0 pole positions
0 top-five finishes
0 top-10 finishes
3 laps led
TIME WARNER CABLE CHEVROLET: The No. 5 Chevrolet will have a fast and reliable paint scheme this weekend at Watkins Glen International. Time Warner Cable will adorn the hood of Kasey Kahne’s Chevrolet SS, and will be the primary sponsor on the car for one additional NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race this year: Talladega Superspeedway on Oct. 25.
ROAD-COURSE COMPLETION: In the last 10 Sprint Cup road-course races, Kahne has completed the sixth-most laps among active drivers (996 laps).
GOING HOME: Watkins Glen International is the home track for Gene Pasquale, a mechanic on the Time Warner Cable Chevrolet SS. Pasquale originates from Rochester, New York, a city located approximately 86 miles northwest of The Glen.
SUMMER SESSION: Kahne is not known to take a summer break during the NASCAR Sprint Cup season, as 10 of his 17 career victories have been achieved between Memorial Day and Labor Day.
RACE TO THE CHASE: Kahne is currently 15th in the traditional points standings, having earned 559 points through the first 21 races. He is 221 points away from the leader and just 32 points out of 12th. Kahne is seeking his first win this year to solidify a Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup berth. Currently he is inside the Chase Grid’s top 16, but is not yet locked in.
No. 24 Axalta Chevrolet SS / Jeff Gordon
Driver Jeff Gordon Hometown Pittsboro, Indiana
Age 44 Resides Charlotte, North Carolina
2015 Season
10th in standings
21 starts
0 wins
3 pole positions
3 top-five finishes
12 top-10 finishes
166 laps led
Career
782 starts
92 wins
80 pole positions
323 top-five finishes
466 top-10 finishes
24,830 laps led
Track Career
22 starts
4 wins
3 pole positions
6 top-five finishes
9 top-10 finishes
262 laps led
Jeff Gordon, driver of the No. 24 Axalta Chevrolet SS, is scheduled to visit the Watkins Glen International media center at 1:45 p.m. local time Friday.
KING OF THE ROAD: Jeff Gordon, driver of the No. 24 Axalta Chevrolet SS, is the all-time leader in NASCAR road-course victories with nine. Along with four wins at Watkins Glen, the four-time NASCAR Cup Series champion has visited Victory Lane five times at Sonoma Raceway in California.
BIRTHDAY WEEK: Tuesday, Aug. 4, is Gordon’s 44th birthday, while No. 24 team crew chief Alan Gustafson’s 40th birthday is Wednesday, Aug. 5.
WATKINS GLEN LEADER: Gordon’s 262 laps led are the most all-time at Watkins Glen. He is tied for most pole positions at the serpentine track with Dale Earnhardt and Mark Martin, and his four wins there rank behind only Tony Stewart’s five.
ANOTHER TITLE FOR GORDON: Axalta Coating Systems (NYSE: AXTA), a leading global manufacturer of liquid and powder coatings, and Gordon announced a new multi-year partnership in February. Gordon was named Axalta’s Global Business Advisor and will serve as special advisor to Charlie Shaver, Axalta Chairman and CEO, bringing his winning skills and innovative thinking to Axalta, its leadership team and its customers worldwide.
No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet SS / Jimmie Johnson
Driver Jimmie Johnson Hometown El Cajon, California
Age 39 Resides Charlotte, North Carolina
2015 Season
4th in standings
21 starts
4 wins
0 pole positions
10 top-five finishes
14 top-10 finishes
467 laps led
Career
492 starts
74 wins
33 pole positions
203 top-five finishes
306 top-10 finishes
17,618 laps led
Track Career
13 starts
0 wins
1 pole position
4 top-five finishes
7 top-10 finishes
17 laps led
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MR. KNAUS: Six-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion crew chief Chad Knaus will celebrate a birthday on Aug. 5. Knaus, who got his racing start in hometown Rockford, Illinois, and has served as Jimmie Johnson’s crew chief since 2002, will turn 44.
HOMETOWN CONNECTION: Longtime engine tuner John Boydston hails from Oswego, New York, which is about 95 miles north of Watkins Glen.
FOURTH-HIGHEST DRIVER RATING: According to NASCAR’s loop data statistics, Johnson has the fourth-best driver rating at Watkins Glen with a score of 100.1 during the past 10 years at the track. The driver rating is a formula that combines wins, top-15 finishes, average running position while on the lead lap, average speed under green, fastest lap, most laps led and lead-lap finishes. The maximum a driver can earn in each race is 150 points. The driver rating number is used pre-race as a prediction tool and post-race as a performance evaluator.
WINLESS AT WATKINS GLEN: Of the 74 career wins Johnson has accumulated over his 15 year career, none of them have come at Watkins Glen. The other “winless” tracks Johnson has his sights set on include Chicago, Kentucky and Homestead-Miami.
UPCOMING JIMMIE JOHNSON FOUNDATION WELLNESS CHALLENGE EVENTS: Registration is open for the remaining two events of the 2015 Jimmie Johnson Foundation Wellness Challenge. The Cane Creek Sprint Triathlon will take place on Aug. 11 and the Lake Davidson Sprint Triathlon will take place on Sept. 13. Log on to www.jjfwellnesschallenge.org for more details.
STILL TIME TO ENTER GATORADE ‘SWEAT WITH THE BEST’: Until Aug. 31, fans can enter to win the experience of a lifetime with Johnson. The Gatorade “Sweat with the Best” experience will give a lucky winner the chance to take a tour of the Hendrick Motorsports facility, train with the No. 48 pit crew and ride around Darlington Raceway with Johnson. The experience includes travel and accommodations as well as a photograph with Johnson and an autographed firesuit. It is open only to participants 18 years or older. Enter here until Aug. 31.
No. 88 Nationwide Chevrolet SS / Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. Hometown Kannapolis, North Carolina
Age 40 Resides Mooresville, North Carolina
2015 Season
3rd in standings
21 starts
2 wins
0 pole positions
11 top-five finishes
13 top-10 finishes
204 laps led
Career
562 starts
25 wins
13 pole positions
138 top-five finishes
237 top-10 finishes
8,051 laps led
Track Career
15 starts
0 wins
0 pole positions
2 top-five finishes
3 top-10 finishes
46 laps led
EARNHARDT AT WATKINS GLEN: In 15 Sprint Cup starts at Watkins Glen International, Dale Earnhardt Jr. has posted six top-15 finishes and completed 92.7 percent of the laps he has attempted (1,255 laps of 1,354 total). He scored a career-best third-place finish at the road course in 2003.
ROAD-COURSE STATS: In 31 combined Cup starts at Sonoma Raceway and Watkins Glen, Earnhardt has scored three top-five finishes, five top-10s and 55 laps led. He has earned a career-best third-place finish at both Sonoma (2014) and Watkins Glen (2003).
BACKWARD PIT STOPS: At Watkins Glen, drivers will make a right-hand turn to enter pit road, which is opposite of every other track on the Sprint Cup circuit and gives teams a reverse view during pit stops. Nos. 48 and 88 pit coach Chris Krieg plans to keep front and rear tire carriers assigned to the same parts of the car as a typical race weekend. The tire changers, however, will swap places for pit stops, with the regular front-tire changer handling the rear and vice versa.
MY DALE STORY: Between now and Aug. 7, Nationwide is asking fans to show their support for Earnhardt and the No. 88 team by sharing their fondest memories, personal experiences and most exciting stories. Fans can submit their stories, photos or videos involving Earnhardt via Twitter, Instagram or Facebook using the hashtag #MyDaleStory. They can also submit them at www.mydalestory.com.
Hendrick Motorsports
HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS AT WATKINS GLEN: In 29 races at Watkins Glen, Hendrick Motorsports has six wins, six pole positions, 18 top-five finishes and 34 top-10s. Gordon ranks second on the all-time wins list at WGI with four victories. He earned Hendrick Motorsports’ most recent victory at the road course when he won the 2001 event. With 262 laps led, Gordon is the all-time leader in that category at the serpentine track.
RACING IN THE RAIN: In case Mother Nature doesn’t cooperate with NASCAR this weekend, the teams are ready. Goodyear has provided three sets of rain tires for practice and the race. In addition, the teams will be able to install a windshield wiper, brake light and defroster in the event the weather becomes an issue.
ORGANIZATION STATS: To date, Hendrick Motorsports has totals of 237 victories, 204 pole positions, 968 top-five finishes and 1,607 top-10 finishes in Sprint Cup competition. Its teams have led 64,724 laps since 1984.
