NASCAR O'Reilly Series

Still riding a strong summer stretch, Ross Chastain will drive the Protect Your Melon Chevrolet in Saturday’s Zippo 200 Xfinity Series race at Watkins Glen.

It’s Race One for Harrison Rhodes at Watkins Glen International, the world-famous road racing course in New York. Rhodes will drive the Great Outdoors RV Superstore Chevrolet in Saturday’s Zippo 200, an 82-lap race around the 2.45-mile course.

Smithley will drive the Taughannock Aviation and Ithaca Tompkins Regional Airport Chevrolet in Saturday’s Zippo 200 Xfinity Series race on the Glen road course. Smithley made his debut at Watkins Glen last season, but he had a very short day. He parked after only 13 laps with overheating problems.

The Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee (GTSC) and Xfinity Series driver Ross Chastain today held a meet-and-greet at Watkins Glen State Park to promote seat belt use. Chastain’s GTSC-sponsored race car sports the “Protect Your Melon” logo that is part of the campaign to promote the safe driving habit of buckling up.

Roush Fenway Racing returns to the asphalt jungle where dreams are made of, as the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series (MENCS) prepares for the second road course race of the 2017 season at Watkins Glen International, just off the corner of 53rd and 3rd. A Roush Fenway Ford has visited victory lane six times at the historic road course.

Richard Childress Racing at "The Glen" ... In 68 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series starts at Watkins Glen International, RCR boasts two wins (Robby Gordon 2003 and Kevin Harvick 2006), eight top-five and 21 top-10 finishes. Dale Earnhardt won three poles (1990, '92, '96) at the high-speed, seven-turn, upstate New York facility.

Chip Ganassi Racing (CGR) announced today that Justin Marks, 36, will return to pilot to the No. 42 Chevrolet Camaro in the NASCAR XFINITY Series (NXS) road-course races at Mid-Ohio (Aug. 12) and Road America (Aug. 26). Katerra, a Silicon Valley commercial construction company, will serve as a primary sponsor for both races.

Continuing the underfunded team series and how low budget teams make it to each race. This week we take a look at MBM Motorsports who is a team owned by Carl Long. The team fields the number 66 on a part-time basis in the Monster Energy Cup Series and part-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series fielding the 13 and 40. Both of these rides have numerous drivers throughout the year.

AMG & 200 Productions new unscripted reality series, OPERATION THANK YOU, will follow two Carolina-based NASCAR racing teams, JD Motorsports and MBM Motorsports, as they build five special stock cars to honor the U.S armed forces. The series will culminate with the ‘Visit Myrtle Beach 200,’ a private racing event this fall at the Myrtle Beach Speedway.

"I am really excited about going back to Watkins Glen. We ran there last year and I gained some experience and my No. 23 Allegiant team got some valuable data to build on for this year. I hope we can get the No. 23 up front and come home with a good finish that this team needs and deserves."