FORD PERFORMANCE NASCAR: WATKINS GLEN
Kevin Harvick will be going for his third straight NASCAR Cup Series win when the circuit stops at Watkins Glen International for Sunday’s Go Bowling at The Glen. That race will be preceded by the NASCAR Xfinity event on Saturday.
This Week’s Schedule:
Saturday, August 20 – NASCAR XFINITY Series, 3 p.m. (USA)
Sunday, August 21 – NASCAR Cup Series, 3 p.m. (USA)
FORD IN THE MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES AT WATKINS GLEN
· Ford has 8 all-time series wins at Watkins Glen.
· Joey Logano and Kevin Harvick have series victories at Watkins Glen.
· Mark Martin and Marcos Ambrose are the only Ford drivers to win this race more than once.
FORD IN THE NASCAR XFINITY SERIES AT WATKINS GLEN
· Ford has 9 series victories at Watkins Glen.
· Ford has won 7 of the last 9 series races held at Watkins Glen.
· Team Penske won this event 4 of the last 6 years it fielded an entry.
FORD DRIVERS CURRENTLY IN THE PLAYOFF HUNT
Joey Logano and Kevin Harvick have clinched spots in the 16-driver playoff field for the NASCAR Cup Series thanks to a pair of victories each, but Ford’s three other drivers currently in the field will have to wait before officially celebrating. Chase Briscoe and Austin Cindric have one win apiece while Ryan Blaney sits on the bubble as the top driver currently in on points. Should one of the 15 drivers who have already won a race this season take the checkered flag first on Sunday, that will lock in Cindric and Briscoe.
BLANEY ON THE BUBBLE
As noted above, Ryan Blaney is firmly on the bubble as the highest positioned driver in the point standings without a win this season. Blaney currently holds a 26-point advantage over Martin Truex Jr., but the only thing that would guarantee him a spot in the postseason with two races to go would be a victory. Blaney goes into Sunday’s race at Watkins Glen with a pair of top 10 finishes in five career starts with his best effort being a fifth-place run in 2019.
HARVICK NOW 10TH ON ALL-TIME FORD CUP WIN LIST
Kevin Harvick’s second straight NASCAR Cup Series win enabled him to break a tie with Matt Kenseth for 10th on the all-time Ford win list with 25. Harvick, who has won more Cup races in Mustang (15) than any other driver, is now only one victory away from tying Brad Keselowski, Junior Johnson and Fred Lorenzen. Here is a look at Ford’s all-time winningest drivers.
- Ned Jarrett…………….. 43
- Bill Elliott………………. 40
- Mark Martin…………… 35
- Dale Jarrett……………. 30
- David Pearson………… 29
- Joey Logano…………… 27
- Fred Lorenzen………… 26
Junior Johnson........... 26 Brad Keselowski......... 26 - Kevin Harvick…………. 25
GURNEY IS FORD’S ALL-TIME ROAD COURSE WINNER
NASCAR has competed on 16 different road courses during its history and Ford has had 21 drivers win 33 times overall. Dan Gurney leads the way with five, which included four straight wins at Riverside International Raceway from 1963-66 while driving for the Wood Brothers. Mark Martin, on the strength of three straight triumphs at Watkins Glen International from 1993-95, is second.
FORD’S ALL-TIME CUP ROAD COURSE WINNERS
5 – Dan Gurney
4 – Mark Martin
2 – Fireball Roberts, Marvin Panch, Parnelli Jones, Ricky Rudd, Marcos Ambrose
1 – Chuck Stevenson, Eddie Gray, Richard Petty, A.J. Foyt, Bobby Allison, Bill Elliott, Davey Allison, Geoffrey Bodine, Ernie Irvan, Rusty Wallace, Carl Edwards, Joey Logano, Kevin Harvick, Ryan Blaney.
FORD’S ACTIVE WINNERS
There are three current drivers who have won a NASCAR Cup Series race on a road course with Ford. The most recent winner was Ryan Blaney, who captured the inaugural event at the Charlotte Roval in 2018. Kevin Harvick, who goes into this weekend with 25 career Ford victories in just over five years, got his first with the Blue Oval in 2017 when he won at Sonoma. Joey Logano scored his Cup victory at Watkins Glen International in 2015, which completed a weekend sweep after he won the NASCAR XFINITY Series race one day earlier.
OTHER FORD WINNERS
Besides the drivers mentioned above, Ford has five other competitors who have won on a road course in either the NASCAR Cup or NASCAR XFINITY Series. Brad Keselowski (Watkins Glen NXS with Ford, 2013); Chris Buescher (Mid-Ohio NXS with Ford, 2014); Michael McDowell (Road America NXS, 2016); Chase Briscoe (Charlotte Roval, 2018 and Indianapolis, 2020); and Austin Cindric (Road America NXS, 2020).
66-FOR-66
The first time Ford won a NASCAR Cup Series race at Watkins Glen International was when Marvin Panch drove the Wood Brothers to victory on July 18, 1965. There were only 19 cars in the field that day and it proved to be a Ford show as all 66 laps were led by three drivers sporting the Blue Oval. Ned Jarrett, who finished second, led the first lap before Junior Johnson passed him on lap 2. Johnson led the pack for 12 circuits until his engine blew, which enabled Panch to inherit a lead he never gave up, going the final 53 laps and making it first to the checkered flag. The win was Panch’s fourth of the season and next-to-last in his career, which ended with 17 victories.
THREE STRAIGHT
Mark Martin became the first driver to win three straight NASCAR Cup Series races at Watkins Glen International, and he capped that streak on Aug. 13, 1995 after passing Wally Dallenbach, Jr. on lap 84 of the 90-lap event. Martin, who led a race-high 61 circuits overall, held off the road racing specialist to win by one second. That victory completed a three-year run that saw him not only sit on the pole every time but lead 183-of-270 laps (68%).
FINAL VICTORY
When Chemung, NY, native Geoffrey Bodine took the checkered flag in the No. 7 QVC Ford Thunderbird on Aug. 11, 1996 he established a strategy that hadn’t been used to that point. He, along with crew chief Paul Andrews, employed an “only stop when you have to” strategy and that resulted in making only two stops in the 90-lap event, compared to three for everyone else. Bodine passed Ken Schrader with eight laps to go and then held off Terry Labonte over the final laps to win. That marked the 18th and final victory of his NASCAR Cup Series career, and it came in front of his hometown fans.
CLASSIC FINISH
One of the all-time classic finishes at Watkins Glen International came when Marcos Ambrose went slip sliding away on the final lap, but still resulted in him winning the NASCAR Cup Series race for the second straight time on August 12, 2012. In a race that had more twists and turns over the final three laps than many can remember in recent years, Ambrose was the one who survived a massive streak of oil that had been laid down on the track, allowing him to pass Kyle Busch and Brad Keselowski for Ford’s third win of the season. Busch appeared to be headed toward victory, but as he came into turn one on the final lap, he slipped in some oil and got loose. Keselowski came up from behind and hit Busch, sending him spinning off the track. A battle between Ambrose and Keselowski ensued from that point with both drivers trying to avoid the slickness that had covered the course. Ambrose followed Keselowski through the grass at one point, but was able to get by in the treacherous carousel when Keselowski slid one final time.
HISTORIC SWEEP
Joey Logano became the first driver to sweep a NASCAR XFINITY/Cup weekend at Watkins Glen International when he did it in 2015. Fuel mileage ended up deciding the Cup race as leader Kevin Harvick ran out on the last turn, which allowed Logano to pass him and make it to the finish line first. The win was Logano’s first on a road course and also marked the first series triumph for car owner Roger Penske at the historic track.
FORD NASCAR CUP SERIES WINNERS AT WATKINS GLEN
1965 – Marvin Panch
1993 – Mark Martin
1994 – Mark Martin
1995 – Mark Martin
1996 – Geoffrey Bodine
2011 – Marcos Ambrose
2012 – Marcos Ambrose
2015 – Joey Logano
FORD NASCAR XFINITY SERIES WINNERS AT WATKINS GLEN
1993 – Bill Elliott
2008 – Marcos Ambrose
2012 – Carl Edwards
2013 – Brad Keselowski
2014 – Marcos Ambrose
2015 – Joey Logano
2016 – Joey Logano
2018 – Joey Logano
2019 – Austin Cindric
