Richard Childress Racing in the NASCAR Cup Series at Watkins Glen International… Richard Childress Racing has two NASCAR Cup Series victories at Watkins Glen International. Robby Gordon won the 2003 event, leading the final 30 laps and scoring his third victory with RCR over the span of three seasons. Kevin Harvick captured the 2006 race at the New York road course, edging Tony Stewart for the victory, and claiming his first win at Watkins Glen. The victory was Harvick’s first on a road course and came in his 200th career Cup start. Dale Earnhardt won three poles (1990, 1992, 1996) for the Welcome, N.C.-based organization. RCR drivers have racked up eight top-five and 23 top-10 finishes in 81 starts at the New York road course.
RCR in the NASCAR Xfinity Series at Watkins Glen International… RCR has captured one victory in NASCAR Xfinity Series competition at Watkins Glen: Kevin Harvick (2007). Harvick dominated the race, leading 49 of 82 laps and led a one-two finish with Jeff Burton scoring a second-place finish. RCR owns 10 top-five and 24 top-10 finishes at the 2.45-mile road course including a runner up result by Sheldon Creed in 2023.
Catch the Action… The NASCAR Xfinity Series Mission 200 at the Glen at Watkins Glen International will be televised live Saturday, September 14, beginning at 3 p.m. ET on USA Network. The race will be broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.
The Go Bowling at the Glen at Watkins Glen International will be televised live on Sunday, September 15 beginning at 3 p.m. ET on USA Network. The race will be broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.
Austin Dillon and the No. 3 Get Bioethanol Chevrolet at Watkins Glen International… Austin Dillon has made nine career starts in the NASCAR Cup Series at Watkins Glen International, posting a career-best 15th-place finish in August 2021. The North Carolina native has made four appearances at Watkins Glen in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, securing his best finish of 12th in 2013. Dillon also finished 12th in a NASCAR K&N Pro Series East Division race at the New York facility in 2008.
Road Course Experience… Dillon has racked up 37 Cup Series starts on road courses with a pair of top 10 finishes at Circuit of the Americas and the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL in 2022.
Going the Distance… Dating back to 2014, Dillon has completed 806 of a possible 810 laps in Cup Series competition at Watkins Glen International. This marks a 99.5 overall completion percentage at the 11-turn road course.
Number 400… Dillon will make his 400th career Cup Series start this weekend at Watkins Glen International. The veteran racer made his Cup Series debut at Kansas Speedway on Sunday, October 9th, 2011, finishing 26th. Dillon’s five wins in premier series competition include some of the sport’s most prestigious events, including the 2017 Coca-Cola 600 and the 2018 Daytona 500. Dillon has 23 top-fives, 78 top-10s, and six pole awards overall.
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AUSTIN DILLON QUOTE:
What are your thoughts heading into Watkins Glen International?
“Watkins Glen International is a fast road course. Each lap requires you to be at your best and to give your all. We have had good races at Watkins Glen in the past, and I am confident that our No. 3 team will continue to do so. We’ve been working hard on our road course program for the last few years. You can gain a lot by getting after it in the braking zones and it’s just a high-speed place with all of the grip on the pavement. This is going to be one of those races where if you stay on track, you’re going to have a pretty good run.”
Kyle Busch and the No. 8 zone™ Chevrolet at Watkins Glen International… Kyle Busch will make his 19th NASCAR Cup Series start at Watkins Glen International this weekend, which will tie him for most Cup Series starts among active drivers at the 2.45-mile road course. The driver of the zone Chevrolet has two wins at Watkins Glen, scoring victories in 2008 and 2013. His first victory at The Glen came in dominating fashion, where Busch led the most laps (52 of 90) and finished with an average running position of 2.84, best of all drivers. The Las Vegas native added another victory in 2013, leading the final 29 laps. Among active drivers, Busch is tied for most wins (2), most top-fives (7) and most poles (2) at Watkins Glen. He leads all drivers in top-10 finishes (13) and laps led (249). Busch has been running at the finish in all 18 previous Cup starts, best among active drivers, completing 98.6 percent of the possible laps (1,602 of 1,624).
Late-Season Surge… In the five races since the Olympic break (Richmond through Atlanta), Busch has scored more NASCAR Cup Series points than any other driver (177).
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KYLE BUSCH QUOTES:
What are your goals for the remainder of the season?
“Our goal is to get to Victory Lane – pure and simple – and try to build off what we’ve done over the last few weeks. We want to keep that going through the rest of this year and into next season. It seems like we’ve found a little bit of a path towards what works. I was pleasantly surprised and happy with the result from Darlington, with what we were able to do there.”
Do you enjoy going competing at Watkins Glen International?
“I enjoy going to Watkins Glen. I think it’s a really fun road course. I’ve had good success there with a lot of top-10s. It’s just a neat racetrack. I always enjoyed going to Sonoma and to Watkins Glen when we only had two road races on the schedule. It was always felt like off weeks where you did something different. You turn right, you turn left, you didn’t really have to take it too seriously and be pretty good at it. Now there are seven road courses on the schedule, so everybody is getting better at it.”
What makes Watkins Glen International unique from other road courses?
“I think what makes Watkins Glen unique from other road courses is that it feels like a superspeedway because you’re going so fast. Through the esses is pretty fast and it’s 190 miles per hour down the backstretch. Your minimum speed drops a little bit into Turn 1, Turn 11 and through the Bus Stop. It’s just a really cool place with good braking zones to make some passes. It’s a fun course.”
Jesse Love and the No. 2 Whelen Chevrolet at Watkins Glen International… Jesse Love will make his NASCAR Xfinity Series debut at Watkins Glen International on Saturday. The 19-year-old has completed two ARCA Menards Series races at the New York road course, earning a win and third place result, respectively. In 2023, Love started from the fourth position, led only one lap, and captured the victory.
Pole Position, Again… Continuing his impressive Sunoco Rookie of the Year campaign, Love secured his fourth Xfinity Series pole position last week at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Three of Love’s four poles have come on drafting tracks – one at Daytona International Speedway and two at Atlanta Motor Speedway – and one has come on an intermediate circuit – at Texas Motor Speedway.
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Meet Love… On Saturday, September 14 at 12:15 p.m. ET, Love and his RCR teammate Austin Hill are scheduled to sign autographs at the RCR Merchandise Hauler located in the Fan Zone at Watkins Glen International. Stop by to get your Whelen gear and meet Love before the green flag waves.
JESSE LOVE QUOTE:
Overall, the No. 2 team has found success on road courses this season. What is the outlook heading into Watkins Glen International?
“I’m very excited to be heading back to Watkins Glen International. I won the ARCA Menards Series race there last season, by only leading the last lap but it was the one that mattered most. The track itself is a fast road course compared to others, and we have been successful so far this year on road courses. The only one that we didn’t hit the balance and speed was Portland International Raceway. If you take that one race out, our runs have been top five efforts. I expect our Whelen crew to continue that path again this weekend.”
Austin Hill and the No. 21 Global Industrial Chevrolet at Watkins Glen International… Austin Hill has made two career NASCAR Xfinity Series starts at Watkins Glen International, posting a best finish of 14th in 2023 after the No. 21 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet received contact in the closing laps while battling for the win. In addition, Hill has competed in one NASCAR Truck Series race and one ARCA Menards Series event (started third, finished second) at the New York road course. Both in 2021, the Winston, Georgia native started from the pole, led 35 laps, and captured the checkered flag in his lone Truck Series start at the 2.45-mile circuit.
Three and Counting… Last week at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Hill and the No. 21 team secured their third victory of the 2024 Xfinity Series season. Hill, driving a special 50th Anniversary scheme for Bennett Transportation & Logistics, battled a loose handling Chevrolet but was able to strategically maneuver his way to the front. The 30-year-old now holds seven Xfinity Series wins at drafting tracks – three at Daytona International Speedway and four at Atlanta Motor Speedway. This accomplishment ties Dale Earnhardt Jr. and places Hill one win behind current record holders, Dale Earnhardt and Tony Stewart.
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Meet Hill… On Saturday, September 14 at 12:15 p.m. ET, Hill and his RCR teammate Jesse Love are scheduled to sign autographs at the RCR Merchandise Hauler located in the Fan Zone at Watkins Glen International. Stop by to get your No. 21 gear and have Hill sign the items purchased.
AUSTIN HILL QUOTE:
You have said in the past that Watkins Glen International is your favorite road course. Is this true and if so, why?
“Watkins Glen International is by far my favorite road course that we go to, because of the high speed that we carry around the track. I’ve won there in the Truck Series in 2021, which always gives you more confidence heading into the weekend. The track is such a high-speed circuit that makes it a lot of fun. It doesn’t really have any technical corners like other road courses. When you go into Turn 1, you go down to second gear and get on the brakes hard. But when you throttle up coming out of the hill and through the esses, if your car is good, you are really close to wide open. You carry a lot of speed down the backstretch and through the bus stop. If you hit it right, there is so much time you can make there. If you can get through the bus stop and carousel really well, you can put the rest of the racetrack together. The guys who typically win at Watkins Glen can get through that section the best.”
