Official Release

Nationwide has extended its relationship with 12-time NASCAR Cup Series champions Hendrick Motorsports with a new two-year agreement that will increase its majority sponsorship of Alex Bowman and the No. 88 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 team to 20 races per season beginning in 2019.

Matt Kenseth will make his 19th start at Watkins Glen International this weekend. In 18 previous starts, the 2003 NASCAR Cup Champion has two top-five and eight top-10 finishes.

Roush Fenway Racing heads north to the Empire State and the concrete jungle where dreams are made of as the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series (MENCS) and NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) get set to tackle the 2.45-mile road course at Watkins Glen International. Jack Roush has six wins all-time at WGI, including three in the Cup series, two in trucks and one in Xfinity action.

Watkins Glen Preview: The Series heads to Watkins Glen International for the second and final road course race of the 2018 season. Hamlin captured his first win at “The Glen” in 2016, making his pass for the lead with only 10 laps left in the 90-lap race. In 12 starts at “The Glen,” Hamlin has secured three top-five finishes, including last year’s fourth-place result.

Truex the Road Course Ace… 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series (MENCS) champion Martin Truex Jr. has become quite the road course ace over the last two seasons. Truex captured his first win at Watkins Glen International in 2017 and followed it with another victory at Sonoma Raceway earlier this year after also winning in a Toyota at the track in 2013. Now two for two on road courses in one year’s time, the defending Cup Series champion returns to Watkins Glen where it all started. In 12 career-series starts at The Glen, Truex has one win and four top-five finishes, finishing outside the top-25 only twice. With a win this weekend, Truex would be the first driver since Toyota teammate Kyle Busch (2008) to claim victory at both Sonoma and Watkins Glen in the same season.

News and notes: After recording his sixth top 25 finish in the last seven races, Boyd is preparing to head North for the Zippo 200 at The Glen, which will be the first of four road course races scheduled for the Xfinity Series. "Let's just say I've been on the simulator non stop the last several days," says Boyd. "The simulator is a great tool to really learn the track, practice shifting, and getting familiar with my braking patterns. I really don't know what to expect, especially with the weather being a threat for this weekend as well. We're just going to go out there, try to stay on the pavement, and learn as much as we possibly can."

This weekend, Paul Menard and the No. 21 Menards/Sylvania team return to Watkins Glen International, where in 2003 Menard made his debut in the series now known as Monster Energy Cup.

There are three good reasons why Martin Truex Jr. is considered one of the strong favorites to win Sunday’s road race at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International.

“This weekend is going to give us a good idea of what our road-course package is going to be like for this year. We’ve had some good runs in the past, but we need to step up our road course game. We’re only a few races away from the playoffs and we want to win the regular season championship for a second year in a row –those playoff points are key. Hopefully we can keep our Textron Off Road Wildcat XX Chevrolet out of trouble and get ourselves another solid finish.” –Elliott Sadler

Chevrolet has more wins at Watkins Glen than any other manufacturer. The Bowtie Brigade has been to Victory Lane at Watkins Glen 17 times in the 35 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series events held at the 2.45-mile road course.