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Buescher Stuns Playoff Field in Victory at Watkins Glen

By
Official Release
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BuildSubmarines.com Earns First Win, Also Buescher’s First Victory on a Road Course

WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. (Sept. 15, 2024) – Chris Buescher finally got the road course victory he’d been searching for, winning Sunday’s race at Watkins Glen in dramatic fashion. The victory marks Buescher’s first of the season and also the first for BuildSubmarines.com.

“That’s such a good BuildSubmarines.com Ford Mustang,” Buescher said after the win. “This team is so great. Our long run speed was just phenomenal. I thought we lost it there on that last one and to stay right there with him.

“That was the spot he was better than us and he missed it, so I tried a crossover. He went to cut and just hard racing there. It’s just such an awesome finish. To be that good for so much at the end of the race, all race, to get a win is good. We came here to be a spoiler and we did that.”

It took two restarts in the final laps to decide it, as Buescher maintained his lead the first two attempts before immediate yellows were again displayed. The third – in NASCAR Overtime – was a different story as road course ringer Shane Van Gisbergen got the best of the No. 17 on the initial restart. However, Buescher chased him down, ultimately overcoming the No. 16 on the back of WGI to take the checkered flag.

The win marks RFK’s second of the year after Brad Keselowski won Darlington back in May. It is the sixth victory under the RFK banner (since 2022) and 143rd overall for Jack Roush in NASCAR Cup Series action.

6 Recap
Keselowski had an eventful afternoon in the 220+ mile race. After starting 28th, Keselowski pitted just prior to the opening stage break to finish 25th. However, he was caught speeding on the stop and was forced to restart at the tail of the field.

He rolled 31st at lap 24, and 12 laps later hit pit road again for service. This time the team was assessed a uncontrolled tire penalty, again putting the King’s Hawaiian Ford to the rear.

He restarted 26th for the third stage, and when the caution flew just four laps later, he pitted in what – at the time – looked to be the final stop. That strategy kept Keselowski on track until 11 laps remaining, as he got as high as second trying to stretch the run on fuel.

However, he ultimately pitted at lap 79 from the eighth position, just prior to a caution a lap later. At that point his fuel was ample to the finish, but five laps later he was involved in a caution with the No. 24, forcing him to pit road for multiple damage repairs. From there, Keselowski crossed the line 26th.

17 Recap
Buescher slowly but surely used his long-run speed to reverse the course of a starting spot of 24th. Like Keselowski, Buescher hit pit road prior to the stage one end for the first service of the day at lap 17. He would finish the stage in 22nd, but restarted ninth for stage two at lap 24.

His next stop came under green-flag conditions at lap 36 from P10, before finishing stage two 15th.

Buescher fired off 10th for stage three at lap 42, and had worked his way to sixth by lap 49. From there, he quickly picked off spot after spot in the next few laps, working all the way to second by lap 56, before taking the lead at lap 57 for the first time.

With many of the cars at the time short on fuel, all Buescher needed was a clean stop and a clean race track, and he got both. It took 15 laps from the time of the stop (lap 58) to when he retook the lead, but he did just that at lap 73, leading the next 16 laps on the field.

Then, with 10 to go, the No. 21 lost a tire resulting in debris on the track. A handful of cars pitted for fresh tires, but Buescher remained on track, leading the field back to green at lap 83. That sequence happened again, this time resulting in a restart with three to go. He maintained the lead again in that sequence, before the final yellow flew immediately.

Van Gisbergen initially took over the lead from the No. 17, but Buescher maintained and set up the perfect pass in the carousel, driving past for the victory. In all, Buescher led 19 laps, second-most of any driver.

Up Next
Bristol Motor Speedway hosts the final race in the Round of 16 of the NASCAR Playoffs. Race coverage next Saturday night is set for 7:30 p.m. ET on USA, with radio coverage on PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90).

About RFK Racing
RFK Racing, in its 37th season in 2024, features an ownership lineup pairing one of the sport’s most iconic names, Jack Roush, along with NASCAR Champion, Brad Keselowski, and Fenway Sports Group owner John Henry. Roush initially founded the team in 1988 and it has since become one of the most successful racing operations in the world, propelling him to be the first NASCAR owner to amass three hundred wins and capturing eight championships, including back-to-back NASCAR Cup titles in 2003 and 2004. Keselowski, a former owner in the NASCAR Truck Series, is the 2012 NASCAR Cup Series Champion. In 2007, Roush partnered with Henry, who also owns Major League Baseball’s Boston Red Sox, English Premier League’s Liverpool F.C., and the NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins, to form Roush Fenway Racing. Off the track, RFK is a leader and proven winner in NASCAR marketing solutions, having produced multiple award-winning social media, digital content and experiential marketing campaigns. Visit rfkracing.com, and follow the team on all social platforms @rfkracing.

Rick Ware Racing: Go Bowling at The Glen from Watkins Glen International

By
Official Release
-

RICK WARE RACING
Go Bowling at The Glen
Date: Sept. 15, 2024
Event: Go Bowling at The Glen (Round 28 of 36)
Series: NASCAR Cup Series
Location: Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International (2.45-mile, seven-turn road course)
Format: 90 laps, broken into three stages (20 laps/20 laps/50 laps)
Note: Race extended two laps past its scheduled 90-lap distance due to a green-white-checkered finish.

Race Winner: Chris Buescher of RFK Racing (Ford)
Stage 1 Winner: Martin Truex Jr. of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)
Stage 2 Winner: Ross Chastain of Trackhouse Racing (Chevrolet)

RWR Race Finish:

● Justin Haley (Started 36th, Finished 29th/ Running, completed 92 of 92 laps)
● Kaz Grala (Started 38th, Finished 35th/Running, completed 87 of 92 laps)

RWR Points:

● Justin Haley (32nd with 399 points)
● Kaz Grala (35th with 171 points)

RWR Notes:

● This was Haley’s fourth NASCAR Cup Series start at Watkins Glen. His best finish remains 18th, earned in August 2022.
● This was Grala’s first NASCAR Cup Series start at Watkins Glen.

Race Notes:

● Chris Buescher won the Go Bowling at The Glen to score his sixth career NASCAR Cup Series victory, his first of the season and his first at Watkins Glen. His margin of victory over second-place Shane Van Gisbergen was .979 of a second.
● Buescher was the 15th different winner in the 28 NASCAR Cup Series races run this season.
● This was Ford’s 737th all-time NASCAR Cup Series victory, its eighth of the season and its fourth straight. Ford driver Harrison Burton won Aug. 24 at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway, Briscoe won Sept. 1 at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway, and Joey Logano won last Sunday at Atlanta.
● This was Ford’s ninth NASCAR Cup Series victory at Watkins Glen. The manufacturer won its first race at the track on July 18, 1965 with Marvin Panch.
● Thirty-one of the 38 drivers in the race finished on the lead lap.

Next Up:

The next event on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the Bass Pro Shops Night Race on Saturday, September 21 at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway. The race begins at 7:30 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by USA and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

ABEL Motorsports Back on INDY NXT podium to close season

By
Official Release
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Yuven Sundaramoorthy scores best INDY NXT by Firestone season finish of his rookie season

LEBANON, Tenn. (15 September, 2024) – Yuven Sundaramoorthy saved the best for last, moving from 11th to second through the INDY NXT by Firestone field to capture his top series finish to date in the 65-lap Music City Grand Prix at Nashville Speedway.

Rain halted series qualifying on Saturday midway through the session, with Sundaramoorthy (No. 22 Optima Batteries/Clarios/ABEL Motorsports) at the top of the speed charts. The cancellation meant the field would start based on points, with Jacob Abel (No. 51 ABEL Construction) starting second, Sundaramoorthy 11th and Taylor Ferns (No. 55 Bradford Allen/ABEL Motorsports) 18th. Knowing he had the speed, Sundaramoorthy was determined to go for the win.

But drama started even before the green flag, as Abel experienced a steering wheel failure, with the wheel refusing to click into place. He immediately came to pit lane for a new one – which meant he took the green from the back of the 18-car field.

At the drop of the green, Sundaramoorthy headed straight for the high line, moving up to seventh by lap three then using the low line to steadily continue passing cars as he took third on lap 17.

Abel also began making moves, up to 15th by lap 10 and 13th by lap 19. But unfortunately for Ferns, an issue brought her to pit lane on lap 20, ending her day.

By lap 28, the leaders had caught the tail of the field, and Sundaramoorthy balanced getting through traffic and tracking down the two leaders – all while laying down lap times one or more miles an hour quicker. After a multiple-laps battle, Sundaramoorthy made a move in Turn 1 to take second, while Abel moved into the top 10, taking eighth position several laps later.

Slight contact between two cars on lap 53 prodcuced the only yellow of the race, bringing the leaders together with lapped cars behind. Going green with seven laps remaining, Sundaramoorthy stapled himself to the leader, looking for a way by, but at the checkered flag, he was happy with the second-place finish – and a positive start to his 2025 season with the team.

“That’s everything I could have hoped for,” said Sundaramoorthy. “The ABEL team gave me the best car. If quali hadn’t been rained out, I think we would have checked out, but Louis (Foster) ran a perfect race, he didn’t give me an opening. He was breaking the draft as he needed to do and I just couldn’t hold it. I didn’t warm my tires up enough initially on the restart so the first couple of laps were a bit sketchy but once I got rolling, I just caught him. I think we should have had a go there at the end, but I made the pass in the wrong corner and that was that.

“But this has been a great learning year for me,” continued Sundaramoorthy. “I signed a two-year deal with the team so we always knew that was the focus. But the second half of the year, I felt super comfortable. I can’t wait for next year.”

An eighth-place finish was not how Abel wanted to end his INDY NXT – and his junior formula – career, but looking back over a season that includes 10 podiums and three wins in 14 races, and second place in the championship battle, he knows that he’s made a statement as he looks toward a move to the NTT INDYCAR SERIES.

“When I left pit lane, I turned the wheel and it wouldn’t click into place,” said Abel. “I don’t know what it was but it was just something mechanical. Definitely not how I wanted my INDY NXT career to end, but we made a few moves through the field and hopefully showed what we can do when things don’t go our way.

“I’m proud of the entire team this season – everyone on the team worked so hard to get me where I got in the end, I’m glad we were able to do this as a group. Some of these guys have been with me through my whole junior formula career so I’m happy with how the season went – that obviously wasn’t how it was supposed to end but I’m really proud of everything.”

Team principal Bill Abel looked back on the season for his two full-time drivers, noting the progression that both Abel and Sundaramoorthy have accomplished.

“In my mind, this season exceeds our expectations,” said Abel. “The championship didn’t quite go like we wanted it to, but Jacob led the first part of the season and was never out of second place, so that’s a pretty good run at it. We had the pace to win today, Yuven showed that.

“And I think one of the big achievements for us is watching Yuven’s progression this season, from where he started to the way he finished up,” said Abel. “That’s what we predicted with him, similar to what we’ve seen with Jacob over the last three years. Yuven will be back with us next, definitely one of the championship contenders. We hope to have a few other drivers with him to help him that effort, drivers that are going to be really good, able to share good supporting data and video. It’s exciting – the team is in a really good spot.”

The race might not be a “home” one for the Speedway, Ind.-based team, or for Louisville, Ky.-based ABEL Construction, but family, friends and employees made it feel like one, as over 125 people gathered in the team’s hospitality area and in the grandstands for the race.

“We really appreciated everyone who came out,” said Abel. “It was great to see all the ABEL Construction shirts everywhere!”

ABEL Motorsports thanks partners ABEL Construction Company, Advance Ready Mix, Boyd Cat®, S Team Motorsports, Quest Global and OMP for their continued support.

The first event of the 2025 season for ABEL Motorsports and the INDY NXT by Firestone series will be the Chris Griffis Memorial Test at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Friday, October 18. Live timing and scoring of the test will be available at racecontrol.indycar.com.

About ABEL Motorsports: Team principal Bill Abel began racing motocross in 1972, earning numerous championship titles as he continued the family racing tradition. In 2015, ABEL Motorsports was launched, starting in the USF2000 series and building up the junior open wheel ladder. The team captured the inaugural Formula Regional Americas Championship with driver Kyle Kirkwood in 2018.

ABEL Motorsports currently competes in the INDY NXT by Firestone series, the official development series for the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, led by third-generation driver Jacob Abel. The team made its INDYCAR debut in 2023 with driver RC Enerson in the Indianapolis 500. For more information visit the official team website at abelmotorsports.com.

About Abel Construction Company: ABEL Construction is one of the largest general contractors in Kentucky, holding licenses in thirteen states. The company has offices in Lexington, Kentucky and Indianapolis, Indiana, with the corporate office in Louisville. Their expertise spans many areas, including general contracting, construction management, design-build, Integrated Project Delivery (IPD), and facilities maintenance.

Abel Construction has helped build some of the region’s most recognizable landmarks. Their projects cover diverse sectors, including automotive, healthcare, post-secondary education, commercial, food/beverage, tech, and industrial/manufacturing. They prioritize client satisfaction, focusing on efficient project delivery regardless of size or cost. The company’s skilled professionals utilize cutting-edge technology and software to ensure successful outcomes. abelconstruct.com/.

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NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Watkins Glen

By
Jeffrey Boswell
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Ross Chastain, driver of the #1 Busch Light Chevrolet, leads the field to the green flag to start the NASCAR Cup Series Go Bowling at The Glen at Watkins Glen International on September 15, 2024 in Watkins Glen, New York. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)

Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.

1. Joey Logano: Logano finished 15th at Watkins Glen.

“Luckily,” Logano said, “I won at Atlanta, so I could afford a mediocre finish. When you Go Bowling At The Glen, it’s good to have a spare (win).”

2. Kyle Larson: Larson was caught up in the Lap 1 chaos and was shuffled to the back of the field. But Larson methodically worked his way back into position and finished 12th.

“I’ve worked my way back from bigger messes,” Larson said.

“I just announced that I’ll be attempting the Indy 500-Coca Cola 600 double in 2025. If I win both, you can bet I’ll let Max Verstappen know about it.”

3. Chase Briscoe: Briscoe finished sixth on a chaotic day at Watkins Glen.

“I started the day below the cut line,” Briscoe said, “and ended the day above it. And speaking of ‘cut lines,’ I know there are some playoff drivers that would like to give one to some non-playoff drivers.”

4. Tyler Reddick: Reddick finished 27th at Watkins Glen.

“This race was called the ‘Go Bowling! At The Glen,'” Reddick said. “Last week at Atlanta, I also needed to ‘go bowling.’ Unfortunately, it was a toilet bowl.”

5. Christopher Bell: Bell finished 14th at the Go Bowling! At The Glen.

“First,” Bell said, “I got caught in a spin caused by Corey LaJoie. Then later, I got spun by Austin Dillon. It’s the NASCAR equivalent of being ‘Punk’d.'”

6. Ryan Blaney: Tragedy struck early for Blaney at Watkins Glen, where he was collected in a crash started when Corey LaJoie spun Kyle Busch. Blaney’s car suffered a broken steering column, and his day was done.

“I’m not surprised it was Corey LaJoie,” Blaney said. “Corey LaJoie is known for sucking, and sucking all the joy out of racing.”

7. Denny Hamlin: Hamlin’s No. 11 Toyota was collected in the first lap melee and suffered significant damage. Hamlin was able to continue and finished 23rd.

“You hear that beeping noise?” Hamlin said. “It could be one of two things: either an alarm going off telling me I’m about to be eliminated from the Playoffs, or it’s a reverse sound because I’ve backed myself into a corner.”

8. Martin Truex Jr.: Truex won Stage 1 but was victimized by a number of late skirmishes and finished 20th at Watkins Glen.

“For once,” Truex said, “I’d like to see a NASCAR race conclude without an overtime restart. And I’d like to see some irrelevant drivers give me a little respect. ‘Scrubs’ should only refer to tires, and not my competitors.”

9. Chris Buescher: Buescher made a daring last lap pass of Shane Van Gisbergen after the New Zealander made a mistake into the inner loop, opening the door for Buescher.

“This somewhat eases the pain of missing the playoffs,” Buescher said. “But I’ll take that pain anytime. Tony Stewart was a glutton for food; I’m a glutton for punishment.”

10. Chase Elliott: Elliott finished 19th at Watkins Glen.

“That was the first playoff race ever held at Watkins Glen,” Elliott said. “And it certainly didn’t disappoint. That is, it didn’t disappoint the fans. Many drivers were, in fact, disappointed.”

Chris Buescher outduels Shane van Gisbergen in overtime for wild Cup victory at Watkins Glen

By
Andrew Kim
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WATKINS GLEN, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 15: Chris Buescher, driver of the #17 BuildSubmarines.com Ford, celebrates in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Cup Series Go Bowling at The Glen at Watkins Glen International on September 15, 2024 in Watkins Glen, New York. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images).

In a season mired with missed opportunities that resulted in him missing the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs by a single points position, Chris Buescher took advantage of the chance to cap off this season on a strong note by winning the Go Bowling at The Glen (Watkins Glen International) on Sunday, September 15, amid a wild overtime shootout and a final lap bump and pass on Shane van Gisbergen.

The 2015 Xfinity Series champion from Prosper, Texas, led three times for 19 of 92 over-scheduled laps in an event where he qualified 24th and utilized pit strategy to methodically carve his way up the leaderboard. With a bevy of Playoff contenders encountering on-track issues from start to finish, Buescher, who pitted prior to the second stage’s conclusion, utilized fresher tires than the leaders to briefly lead for the first time with 33 laps remaining before he pitted two laps later. He then cycled back to the lead with 17 laps remaining during a late round of green flag pit stops.

Then among three late-race caution and restart periods, including the third and latest restart that sent the event into overtime, Buescher, who had maintained the lead during all restart periods, was bumped out of the lead by van Gisbergen, who proceeded to lead the penultimate lap while Buescher remained within striking distance. Van Gisbergen then made the slightest contact with the guardrails through the Bus Stop that got him loose through the curbs and the turns, which enabled Buescher to reassume the lead amid another round of contact between both through the Inner Loop. With van Gisbergen unable to return the favor within the course’s final pair of turns, Buescher drove away to claim his first victory of the 2024 Cup Series season and become the first non-Playoff competitor to win a Playoff event this season.

With on-track qualifying that determined the starting lineup occurring on Saturday, September 14, Ross Chastain notched his first Cup Series pole position of the 2024 season and the second of his career after he posted a pole-winning speed at 122.279 mph in 72.130 seconds. Joining him on the front row was Playoff contender Martin Truex Jr., who posted the second-fastest qualifying speed at 122.052 mph in 72.264 seconds.

Prior to the event, Todd Gilliland and rookie Carson Hocevar dropped to the rear of the field due to unapproved adjustments made to their respective entries.

When the green flag waved and the race started, Ross Chastain launched ahead with an early advantage through the frontstretch and he maintained the top spot through the opening set of turns through the Esses and the backstretch while the field behind jostled for early spots amid multiple lanes.

Then through the Bus Stop corner, early trouble struck as Corey LaJoie bumped and sent Kyle Busch, who was running towards the top-15 mark, for a spin towards the middle of the turn, where he clipped Playoff contender Christopher Bell as Bell spun while his teammate and Playoff contender Denny Hamlin clipped Busch and sustained damage to his No. 11 FedEx Toyota Camry XSE entry after he got bumped by Ryan Preece. Among other competitors who were involved included Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Bubba Wallace, both of whom hit the guardrails while going off the course, while Busch’s wrecked No. 8 zone Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 entry was left stalled in the Inner Loop turn.

During the chaos, Ryan Blaney, the reigning Cup Series champion and a 2024 Playoff contender, drove his No. 12 Menards/Pennzoil Ford Mustang Dark Horse entry off the course and came to a stop due to a broken steering column as a result of hitting Brad Keselowski while avoiding the opening lap carnage. The issue was enough for NASCAR to rule Blaney out of contention to continue without having completed the first lap, though Blaney was left heated at NASCAR for not allowing his team to repair the car despite not sustaining any significant damage from the carnage. By then, Bell continued without sustaining any significant damage to his No. 20 DeWalt Toyota Camry XSE entry while Hamlin and Busch dropped out of the lead lap category with damage to their respective entries.

When the race restarted under green on the fifth lap, Chastain, who led the opening four laps under caution, rocketed ahead with another strong start through the frontstretch and the Esses while the rest of the field behind fanned out. In the process, Allmendinger, who restarted in the top five, was dropping off the pace due to a mechanical issue with his No. 13 Go Bowling Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 entry. With Allmendinger dropping out of contention, the rest of the field navigated smoothly through the backstretch, Bus Stop, Inner Loop and the final set of turns from Turns 5 to 7 as Chastain retained the lead and led the following lap.

Over the next three laps, Chastain stabilized his early advantage to six-tenths of a second over Truex while van Gisbergen, Bowman and Playoff contender Chase Briscoe were running in the top five ahead of Playoff competitors Austin Cindric, Daniel Suarez and Chase Elliott. With Michael McDowell occupying ninth place, he was ahead of five Playoff contenders that included Tyler Reddick, Joey Logano, William Byron, Kyle Larson and Ty Gibbs while Erik Jones occupied 15th place ahead of Chris Buescher, rookie Zane Smith, Noah Gragson, Daniel Hemric and Corey LaJoie.

Through the first 10 scheduled laps, Chastain continued to lead by six-tenths of a second over Truex while van Gisbergen, Bowman and Briscoe continued to run in the top five ahead of Cindric, Suarez, Elliott, McDowell and Reddick. By then, 11 of 15 remaining Playoff contenders on the track were running in the top 14 on the track while Brad Keselowski, Harrison Burton and Bell were mired back from 25th to 27th, respectively. In addition, Denny Hamlin was mired a lap down in 34th place following repairs to his No. 11 Toyota.

Five laps later, Chastain extended his advantage to three seconds over van Gisbergen, who overtook Truex for the runner-up spot a lap earlier, while Bowman and Briscoe battled for fourth place in front of Suarez. Behind, Cindric, Elliott, McDowell and Reddick were racing in the top 10 ahead of Larson, Logano, Zane Smith, Byron and Ty Gibbs while Keselowski, Bell, Burton and Hamlin all continued to be mired outside the top-20 mark.

Another lap later, McDowell pitted his No. 34 Benebone Ford Mustang Dark Horse entry under green from ninth place. A host of names that included van Gisbergen, Logano, Zane Smith, Byron, Buescher, Ty Gibbs, Corey LaJoie, rookie Carson Hocevar, Noah Gragson, rookie Josh Berry, Justin Haley, Keselowski, Juan Pablo Montoya, Harrison Burton, John Hunter Nemechek, Todd Gilliland and Austin Dillon pitted during the next lap period before the leader Chastain pitted his No. 1 Busch Light Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 entry on Lap 18. As a result, Truex cycled into the lead as he was followed by Bowman, Briscoe, Suarez and Cindric while Keselowski was penalized for speeding on pit road.

When the first stage period concluded on Lap 20, Truex, who came into the event 19 points below the top-12 cutline in the Playoff standings, notched his fourth Cup stage victory of the 2024 season. Playoff rivals Bowman, Briscoe, Suarez, Cindric, Elliott, Reddick and Larson followed suit in the top eight, respectively, while non-Playoff competitors Erik Jones and Daniel Hemric were scored in the top 10. By then, the remaining Playoff contenders on the track that included Logano, Ty Gibbs, Byron, Keselowski, Bell, Burton and Hamlin were scored in 17th, 20th, 21st, 25th, 28th, 30th and 34th, respectively. Despite being mired a lap down, Hamlin was able to fend off Kyle Busch to be the first competitor scored a lap down at the first stage’s conclusion and receive the free pass to cycle back on the lead lap.

Under the stage break, some led by Truex, including a host of competitors who remained on the track before the first stage’s conclusion, pitted while the rest led by Chastain, including those who pitted prior to the stage’s conclusion, remained on the track. Among the Playoff contenders who pitted with Truex included Bowman, Briscoe, Suarez, Cindric, Elliott, Reddick and Larson.

The second stage period started on Lap 24 as Chastain and McDowell occupied the front row in front of van Gisbergen and Logano. At the start, Chastain fended off both McDowell and van Gisbergen through the frontstretch and the first set of turns including the Esses as the field fanned out while navigating up the Esses. With Suarez making contact and sending Reddick for a spin in the first turn amid a stack-up as the race remained under green flag conditions, Chastain would proceed to lead the first through the backstretch, the Bus Stop and the Inner Loop before he navigated his way through the final set of turns and led the following lap.

Over the next five laps, starting on Lap 26, and with most of the field settling in a long single-file line, Chastain increased his advantage to as high as a second over van Gisbergen before the advantage shrunk to two-tenths of a second by Lap 29. Chastain would stabilize his lead to two-tenths of a second over van Gisbergen by the Lap 30 mark while McDowell, Logano, Zane Smith, LaJoie, Ty Gibbs, Byron, Hocevar and Buescher were scored in the top 10 ahead of Gragson, Bell, Berry, Montoya and Nemechek. By then, Playoff contenders Burton, Truex, Briscoe and Bowman were mired just inside the top-20 mark while Elliott, Cindric, Larson, Suarez and Keselowski were mired in the top-30 mark. In addition, Reddick was down in 33rd place in front of team owner Hamlin.

At the Lap 35 mark, Chastain maintained the top spot by eight-tenths of a second over van Gisbergen while McDowell and Logano battled fiercely for third place. Behind, Zane Smith trailed in fifth place ahead of teammate LaJoie while Ty Gibbs, Byron, Hocevar and Buescher were running in the top 10. By then, Bell was in 13th as Burton, Briscoe, Truex and Bowman were mired inside the top-20 mark. With Elliott, Cindric, Larson and Keselowski trailing back in 22nd, 24th, 25th and 28th, respectively, Reddick was still mired in 32nd in front of Suarez and Hamlin.

A lap later, a host of names including Buescher, Montoya, Erik Jones, Larson, Justin Haley, Keselowski and Kaz Grala pitted under green. More names including McDowell, Zane Smith, LaJoie, Noah Gragson, Bell, Berry, Nemechek, Truex, Gilliland, Elliott, Hemric, Cindric, Austin Dillon and Reddick pitted during the following lap before the caution flew due to Suarez spinning and getting his No. 99 Freeway Insurance Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 entry stuck in the gravel trap in Turn 6. During the pit stops, Keselowski was penalized for a second time, this time for an uncontrolled tire violation as a tire rolled out of his pit stall. Larson was also penalized for causing vehicle interference.

With the second stage period scheduled to conclude on Lap 40 officially concluding under caution, Chastain, who was unable to enter pit road to pit under green before the caution being flown for teammate Suarez spinning and instead remained on the track, proceeded to claim his second Cup stage victory of the 2024 season. Van Gisbergen, who was also trying to pit with Chastain, followed suit in second along with Playoff contenders Logano, Ty Gibbs, Byron, Burton, Briscoe and Bowman while Ryan Preece and Hamlin were scored in the top 10. By then, the remaining Playoff contenders on the track that included Bell, Truex, Cindric, Elliott, Larson, Keselowski, Reddick and Suarez were mired in 20th, 21st, 23rd, 24th, 25th, 26th, 33rd and 35th, respectively.

During the stage break, some led by Ty Gibbs and Byron pitted while the rest led by Chastain remained on the track.

With 48 laps remaining, the final stage commenced under green as Chastain and van Gisbergen occupied the front row. At the start and with the field fanning out through the frontstretch, Chastain maintained the top spot ahead of van Gisbergen and a hard-charging Briscoe while the rest of the field scrambled while bumping and navigating through the Esses, the backstretch and the Bus Stop corner. With the field still jostling for spots through the Inner Loop and the final set of turns, Chastain led the following lap ahead of van Gisbergen, Briscoe, McDowell and LaJoie.

At the halfway mark with 45 laps remaining, Chastain retained the lead by nearly six-tenths of a second over van Gisbergen, Briscoe, McDowell and LaJoie while Buescher, Hocevar, Montoya, Gragson and Logano were running in the top 10 ahead of Truex, Nemechek, Berry, Bell, Elliott, Cindric, Haley, Bowman, Kaz Grala and Hemric. By then, Playoff contenders Ty Gibbs, Byron, Hamlin, Burton, Keselowski, Larson, Reddick and Suarez were mired outside the top 20.

A lap later, the caution returned when Hamlin, who was pinned in a tight three-wide battle with Keselowski and Larson just outside the top-20 mark towards the entry of the Esses, was sent sideways and into the guardrails by Keselowski as he sustained more damage to his No. 11 FedEx Toyota Camry XSE entry. Despite continuing, the incident jeopardized Hamlin’s hopes of advancing to the Round of 12 in the Playoffs following his final lap accident at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

During the caution period, some including Logano, Keselowski and Larson pitted while the rest led by Chastain remained on the track. Hamlin also pitted to continue to have more repairs made to his entry.

The start of the next restart period with 41 laps remaining featured Chastain rocketing away from the field with the lead through the frontstretch and the first set of turns leading up to the Esses as the field scrambled for late spots. The field proceeded to navigate through the backstretch, the Bus Stop and the Esses smoothly as van Gisbergen and McDowell tried to keep the leader Chastain within close pursuit. As Chastain led the following lap, LaJoie and Buescher were scored in the top five while Briscoe was trying to fend off Hocevar and teammate Gragson for sixth place while Truex and Montoya were up into the top 10.

With 35 laps remaining, Chastain retained a narrow lead by three-tenths of a second over a hard-charging van Gisbergen as McDowell, Buescher, LaJoie, Hocevar, Gragson, Briscoe, Truex and Elliott were scored in the top 10. By then, the following Playoff contenders that included Bell, Cindric, Bowman, Byron and Ty Gibbs were mired in the top-20 mark while Reddick, Logano, Larson, Keselowski, Suarez and Burton were mired in the top-30 mark. Meanwhile, Hamlin was down in 34th place.

Two laps later, Buescher, who had fresher tires than the leader Chastain, rocketed past Chastain through the frontstretch as he assumed the lead. By then, van Gisbergen was down in third place and losing the spot to McDowell entering the first turn while LaJoie and Hocevar followed suit in the top six. Another lap later, Chastain and van Gisbergen pitted for fresh tires and fuel before Buescher pitted from the lead during the following lap.

With 30 laps remaining, some including Montoya, Byron, Hocevar, Erik Jones and Haley pitted under green as Bell was bumped and sent for a spin by Austin Dillon in Turn 7 while trying to enter pit road. With the race remaining under green flag conditions, Bell pitted along with Nemechek and Ty Gibbs. As the pit stop cycle continued with a bevy of names including Gragson and Elliott pitting, McDowell retained the lead before he pitted with 25 laps remaining.

Down to the final 20 laps of the event, Logano was leading ahead of Zane Smith as third-place Larson pitted under green. By then, Cindric, LaJoie, Bubba Wallace, Austin Dillon and Gilliland had pitted. Shortly after, Zane Smith pitted from the runner-up. With Buescher cycling his way up the leaderboard, he would then overtake Logano for the lead with 17 laps remaining while Keselowski, van Gisbergen, Hocevar and Chastain trailed in the top six. As Kaz Grala crashed in Turn 7 with help from Hemric, the race remained under green flag conditions.

With 15 laps remaining, Buescher extended his advantage to four seconds over Logano as van Gisbergen, Keselowski and Hocevar were scored in the top five ahead of Chastain, McDowell, Preece, Briscoe and LaJoie. By then, Playoff contenders Truex, Byron and Elliott were scored in the top-14 mark on the track while Cindric, Bowman and Larson were trailing in the top-20 mark. Meanwhile, Ty Gibbs, Suarez, Bell, Reddick and Burton were mired in the top-30 mark while Hamlin was back in 33rd place.

Four laps later, the caution flew due to debris reported in Turn 6 as a result of Playoff contender Harrison Burton blowing a left-rear tire and leaving debris scattered in the turn. By then, Keselowski and Logano had pitted while Buescher was leading ahead of a hard-charging van Gisbergen. During the caution period, some including Playoff contenders and teammates Bowman, Byron and Elliott pitted while the rest led by Buescher remained on the track. Among those who pitted included Playoff contender Reddick.

With the race restarting with seven laps remaining, Buescher and Hocevar, both of whom restarted on the front row in front of van Gisbergen and Chastain, dueled for the lead through the frontstretch and the first turn as the field fanned out entering the Esses. In the midst of the battles, Buescher maintained the lead in front of Hocevar and van Gisbregen through the backstretch. Just then, the caution returned when Logano made contact with Keselowski in the Esses resulting in Keselowski turning into Byron and Byron’s No. 24 Liberty University Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 entry coming off the ground and on top of the left side of Keselowski’s No. 6 King’s Hawaiian Ford Mustang Dark Horse entry while being pinned towards the guardrails as both were left with heavily damaged race cars.

The start of the next restart period with three laps remaining did not last long as Elliott and Berry, both of whom were running in the middle of the pack, were bumped into one another by Gilliland entering the Esses, which in turn ignited an accordion effect as both hit the guardrails along with Truex and Logano while Reddick was sent sideways and in front of Kyle Busch. Amid the incident, Buescher had maintained the lead ahead of Hocevar, Chastain, van Gisbergen, McDowell and Briscoe while the event was sent into overtime.

The start of the first overtime attempt featured Buescher and Hocevar dueling for the lead through the frontstretch until van Gisbergen gave Buescher a little tap entering the first turn. The contact caused both Buescher and Hocevar to go wide as van Gisbergen made a three-wide pass on both to assume the lead through the Esses. With van Gisbergen leading, Buescher remained within striking distance of the former up the Esses and through the backstretch, Bus Stop and Inner Loop corners while the field behind jostled for late spots.

When the white flag waved and the final lap started, van Gisbergen remained as the leader by three-tenths of a second over Buescher while Chastain was trying to fend off Hocevar and a bevy of competitors for third place. From the first turn to the backstretch, van Gisbergen maintained a reasonable lead over a hard-charging Buescher.

Then through the Bus Stop, van Gisbergen made the slightest of contact with the right-side guardrails, which got him through the corner and the curbs as Buescher quickly closed the gap. Buescher then veered to the right and despite van Gisbergen’s effort to defend, made contact with the leader as he muscled his No. 17 BuildSubmarines.com Ford Mustang Dark Horse entry into the lead through the Inner Loop. Van Gisbergen then tried to close the gap back through a brief straightaway leading up to Turn 6, but he got loose in Turn 6 and had to step out of the gas to keep his No. 16 WeatherTech Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 entry running straight in Turn 7. With van Gisbergen losing ground after going sideways, Buescher was able to smoothly navigate his way through Turn 7 and muscle back to the frontstretch victorious and to his first elusive checkered flag of the 2024 Cup Series season by nine-tenths of a second over van Gisbergen.

With the victory, Buescher, who missed the 2024 Playoff field by a single points position amid a strong regular-season stretch, notched his sixth NASCAR Cup Series career win in his 321st series start, his first both at The Glen and on a road course venue, and his first since winning the 2023 regular-season finale at Daytona International Speedway. The victory was also the ninth of the season and the fourth in recent weeks for the Ford nameplate while Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing notched its second Cup victory of the 2024 season and first since teammate/co-owner Brad Keselowski won at Darlington Raceway in May. As an added bonus, this season marks the first time where Roush’s Nos. 17 and 6 entries won in the same Cup season since 2011.

Buescher’s Cup victory at The Glen over van Gisbergen marked the first time a last-lap pass for the win was made since Joey Logano made the last accomplishment over Kevin Harvick in 2015. It also marked the first time a non-Playoff competitor won a Playoff event since AJ Allmendinger made the last accomplishment last October at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course.

“I thought we lost it there on the last [restart],” Buescher said on the frontstretch on USA Network. “Man, to stay right there with [van Gisbergen]. [The Bus Stop] was the spot that he was better than us and he missed it, so I tried to cross over. He went to cut. Just hard racing there. Just such an awesome finish. To be that good for so much at the end of the race, all race. To get a win, it’s good. We came here to be [Playoff] spoiler. We’re going to do that. Man, we would’ve like to have won a couple of weeks ago, but this is huge. It’s such a big win for us. Everybody at [Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing]’s worked so hard. To finally get a road course win, we’ve been so close so many times. To finally pull that off is fantastic.”

Meanwhile, as Buescher celebrated in Victory Lane, van Gisbergen, who only led the penultimate lap, managed to smile despite being left “gutted” after capping off his strong run with his first top-two result of the season. His previous best result through his last seven Cup starts was 20th, which occurred at Circuit of the Americas in March. The three-time Supercars champion from Auckland, New Zealand, is scheduled to compete at Talladega Superspeedway and at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in October, which will also mark his final pair of races of the season and with Kaulig Racing overall before he graduates to a full-time Cup campaign in 2025 with Trackhouse Racing.

“I knew Chris [Buescher] was really going to send it and push me if [he] could get there,” van Gisbergen said. “As I turned [the car] and got a bit loose and clipped the inside wall, just driver error. I’m gutted. [The] WeatherTech Camaro was really good. The race was awesome with Ross [Chastain] and Chris and the others at the end. I’m gutted we couldn’t get [the win]. I had a lot of fun, but I’m pretty angry at myself. It was just a little bump to get [Buescher] wide [during the overtime shootout] and I knew I was going to get it back, so that’s why I was pushing so hard. It is what it is, but just gutted.”

Rookie Carson Hocevar notched a career-best third-place result ahead of the pole-sitter Ross Chastain, who led a race-high 51 laps, while rookie Zane Smith achieved his second Cup career top-five result by finishing fifth.

Chase Briscoe was the highest-finishing Playoff contender in sixth place while Michael McDowell, Corey LaJoie, Ryan Preece and Playoff contender Austin Cindric finished in the top 10.

The remaining Playoff contenders on the track that included Kyle Larson, Daniel Suarez, Christopher Bell, Joey Logano, Alex Bowman, Chase Elliott, Martin Truex Jr., Ty Gibbs, Denny Hamlin, Harrison Burton, Brad Keselowski, Tyler Reddick and William Byron ended up finishing 12th, 13th, 14th, 15th, 18th, 19th, 20th, 22nd, 23rd, 24th, 26th, 27th and 34th, respectively.

As a result, the four Playoff competitors who enter next weekend’s Round of 16 finale at Bristol Motor Speedway below the top-12 cutline are Denny Hamlin, Brad Keselowski, Martin Truex Jr. and Harrison Burton. Currently, Hamlin is six points behind Chase Briscoe and teammate Ty Gibbs for the 12th and final transfer spot into the Round of 12 while Keselowski, Truex and Burton trail the cutline by 12, 14 and 20 points, respectively.

There were 11 lead changes for nine different leaders. The race featured seven cautions 21 for laps. In addition, 31 of 38 starters finished on the lead lap.

Results.

1. Chris Buescher, 19 laps led

2. Shane van Gisbergen, one lap led

3. Carson Hocevar, one lap led

4. Ross Chastain, 51 laps led, Stage 2 winner

5. Zane Smith

6. Chase Briscoe

7. Michael McDowell, seven laps led

8. Corey LaJoie, two laps led

9. Ryan Preece

10. Austin Cindric

11. Noah Gragson

12. Kyle Larson

13. Daniel Suarez

14. Christopher Bell

15. Joey Logano, six laps led

16. Todd Gilliland

17. Bubba Wallace

18. Alex Bowman, one lap led

19. Chase Elliott

20. Martin Truex Jr., four laps led, Stage 1 winner

21. John Hunter Nemechek

22. Ty Gibbs

23. Denny Hamlin

24. Harrison Burton

25. Josh Berry

26. Brad Keselowski

27. Tyler Reddick

28. Austin Dillon

29. Justin Haley

30. Kyle Busch

31. Daniel Hemric

32. Juan Pablo Montoya, one lap down

33. Erik Jones, two laps down

34. William Byron, two laps down

35. Kaz Grala, five laps down

36. AJ Allmendinger – OUT, Transmission

37. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. – OUT, Accident

38. Ryan Blaney – OUT, Accident

*Bold indicates Playoff contenders

Playoff standings

1. Joey Logano – Advanced

2. Christopher Bell +46

3. Austin Cindric +43

4. Alex Bowman +41

5. Daniel Suarez +36

6. Tyler Reddick +30

7. Chase Elliott +30

8. Ryan Blaney +29

9. Kyle Larson +26

10. William Byron +25

11. Chase Briscoe +6

12. Ty Gibbs +6

13. Denny Hamlin -6

14. Brad Keselowski -12

15. Martin Truex Jr. -14

16. Harrison Burton -20

The Round of 16 in the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs is set to conclude next Saturday, September 21, at Bristol Motor Speedway for the Bass Pro Shops Night Race and where the first of three elimination processes will occur. The event’s broadcast time is slated to occur at 7:30 p.m. ET on USA Network.

Stewart-Haas Racing: Go Bowling at The Glen from Watkins Glen International

By
Official Release
-

STEWART-HAAS RACING
Go Bowling at The Glen

Date: Sept. 15, 2024
Event: Go Bowling at The Glen (Round 28 of 36)
Series: NASCAR Cup Series
Location: Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International (2.45-mile, seven-turn road course)
Format: 90 laps, broken into three stages (20 laps/20 laps/50 laps)
Note: Race extended two laps past its scheduled 90-lap distance due to a green-white-checkered finish.

Race Winner: Chris Buescher of RFK Racing (Ford)
Stage 1 Winner: Martin Truex Jr. of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)
Stage 2 Winner: Ross Chastain of Trackhouse Racing (Chevrolet)

SHR Finish:

● Chase Briscoe (Started 12th, Finished 6th / Running, completed 92 of 92 laps)
● Ryan Preece (Started 21st, Finished 9th / Running, completed 92 of 92 laps)
● Noah Gragson (Started 9th, Finished 11th / Running, completed 92 of 92 laps)
● Josh Berry (Started 31st, Finished 25th / Running, completed 92 of 92 laps)

SHR Points:

● Chase Briscoe (11th with 2,049 points, six points ahead of top-12 cutoff)
● Josh Berry (24th with 481 points)
● Noah Gragson (25th with 460 points)
● Ryan Preece (27th with 442 points)

Playoff Standings (with one race to go before Round of 12):

  1. Joey Logano (2,084 points) 1 win
  2. Christopher Bell (2,089 points) +46 points
  3. Austin Cindric (2,086 points) +43 points
  4. Alex Bowman (2,084 points) +41 points
  5. Daniel Suarez (2,079 points) +36 points
  6. Tyler Reddick (2,073 points) +30 points
  7. Chase Elliott (2,073 points) +30 points
  8. Ryan Blaney (2,072 points) +29 points
  9. Kyle Larson (2,069 points) +26 points
  10. William Byron (2,068 points) +25 points
  11. Chase Briscoe (2,049 points) +6 points
  12. Ty Gibbs (2,049 points) +6 points
  13. Denny Hamlin (2,043 points) -6 points
  14. Brad Keselowski (2,037 points) -12 points
  15. Martin Truex Jr. (2,035 points) -14 points
  16. Harrison Burton (2,029 points) -20 points

SHR Notes:

● Briscoe earned his eighth top-10 of the season and his second top-10 in four career NASCAR Cup Series starts at Watkins Glen.
● Today’s finish equaled Briscoe’s best road-course result in the NASCAR Cup Series. He finished sixth in 2021 at both Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, and Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin.
● Briscoe’s sixth-place result bettered his previous best finish at Watkins Glen – ninth, earned in his first NASCAR Cup Series start at the track in 2021.
● Briscoe finished third in Stage 1 to earn eight bonus points and seventh in Stage 2 to earn four more bonus points.
● Preece earned his third top-10 of the season and his first top-10 in four career NASCAR Cup Series starts at Watkins Glen.
● This was Preece’s third straight result of 18th or better. He finished 12th Sept. 1 at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway and 18th last Sunday at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
● Preece’s ninth-place result bettered his previous best finish at Watkins Glen – 17th, earned last year.
● Preece finished ninth in Stage 2 to earn two bonus points.
● Gragson earned his 13th top-15 of the season and it came in his first career NASCAR Cup Series starts at Watkins Glen.
● This was Gragson’s best road-course finish in the NASCAR Cup Series. His previous best was 14th, earned in July in the Grant Park 165 on the streets of downtown Chicago.
● This was Berry’s milestone 40th career NASCAR Cup Series start.
● This was Berry’s best road-course finish in the NASCAR Cup Series. His previous best was 32nd, earned in June at Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway.

Race Notes:

● Chris Buescher won the Go Bowling at The Glen to score his sixth career NASCAR Cup Series victory, his first of the season and his first at Watkins Glen. His margin of victory over second-place Shane Van Gisbergen was .979 of a second.
● Buescher was the 15th different winner in the 28 NASCAR Cup Series races run this season.
● This was Ford’s 737th all-time NASCAR Cup Series victory, its eighth of the season and its fourth straight. Ford driver Harrison Burton won Aug. 24 at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway, Briscoe won Sept. 1 at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway, and Joey Logano won last Sunday at Atlanta.
● This was Ford’s ninth NASCAR Cup Series victory at Watkins Glen. The manufacturer won its first race at the track on July 18, 1965 with Marvin Panch.
● There were seven caution periods for a total of 21 laps.
● Thirty-one of the 38 drivers in the race finished on the lead lap.

Sound Bites:

“It was huge. It’s what we needed to do – score stage points and run good in the race, and we were able to do that. It was a really good, solid day for our HighPoint.com Ford. I felt like I could’ve gotten a couple more points, but just didn’t want to risk it there at the end. I knew I was in a pretty good position compared to a lot of the field, so we did what we needed to do and now we just need to go do that same thing next week. We need to just hit singles and doubles and don’t do anything crazy. As long as we just execute all day long, it should be enough. We’ll just go on to Bristol and see what we can do.” – Chase Briscoe, driver of the No. 14 HighPoint.com Ford Mustang Dark Horse

“The day didn’t start out very well, but it got a lot better. It was pretty chaotic and, ultimately, we had a pretty good car. Track position was everything today. Knowing where we were and never having it. Chad (Johnston, crew chief) was aggressive on the strategy and made the right calls to get us track position and we kept it. Ultimately, we got the race finish that we deserved, even with those late-race cautions” – Ryan Preece, driver of the No. 41 Mohawk Northeast Ford Mustang Dark Horse

“I just had a good practice and qualifying and tried to figure this place out. I’d never raced here, so I lost some spots early in the race. Then we worked really hard getting track position. Drew (Blickensderfer, crew chief) and the rest of the Bed Bath & Beyond team called a great race, strategy-wise. I just need to clean some stuff up on my part. But I’m grateful for this team.” – Noah Gragson, driver of the No. 10 Bed Bath & Beyond Ford Mustang Dark Horse

“We had, honestly, a really good day, I just hate that we didn’t finish where we should’ve. We were poised there to take an easy top-10, which would’ve been a great improvement for us, but unfortunately it just didn’t pan out there at the end. Everybody did a great job and we’ll get ready for the next one.” – Josh Berry, driver of the No. 4 Bed Bath & Beyond Ford Mustang Dark Horse

Next Up:

The next event on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the Bass Pro Shops Night Race on Saturday, Sept. 21 at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway. The third race in the 10-race NASCAR Playoffs starts at 7:30 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by USA and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

RCR NCS Race Recap: Watkins Glen International

By
Official Release
-

Austin Dillon and the No. 3 Get Bioethanol Chevrolet Team Survive Wild Watkins Glen International Race with Never-Give-Up Mentality

Finish: 29th
Start: 23rd
Points: 30th

“Our No. 3 Get Bioethanol Chevrolet team never gave up today, but it was definitely a challenging race for us at Watkins Glen International. The handling of our Chevy was evil all day. We had no grip and we were sliding everywhere. Crew chief Justin Alexander made great calls for adjustments throughout the race, but we’ll have some work to do before we come back to this track. We were able to race our way to as high as seventh today, but we lacked downforce whenever we didn’t have track position. We were in a tough spot for a lot of the race, but luckily this team managed to avoid some big wrecks today. We’ll regroup and head to Bristol Motor Speedway on Saturday night.” -Austin Dillon

Kyle Busch and the No. 8 zone Chevrolet Team Persevere with Lead Lap Finish Despite Lap One Incident at Watkins Glen International

Finish: 30th
Start: 13th
Points: 20th

“We had a lot of confidence heading into Watkins Glen International based on my past success at this track and our RCR team’s performance over the past several weeks. It’s a shame we got turned around on the first lap of the race. I got whacked in the left rear and spun around in the bus stop. From then on out, it was about survival and salvaging what we could. Crew chief Randall Burnett and all the guys on the No. 8 zone Chevrolet team did a great job making repairs and we were able to finish on the lead lap. It was certainly not the day we wanted though. We’ll regroup and head to Bristol Motor Speedway.” -Kyle Busch

Kaulig Racing Race Recap | Go Bowling at The Glen

By
Official Release
-

SHANE van GISBERGEN
No. 16 WeatherTech Camaro ZL1

  • Shane van Gisbergen qualified third for the Go Bowling at The Glen.
  • As the field took the green flag and came up to speed, an incident on lap one resulted in a caution. Van Gisbergen maintained his starting position of 3rd. On lap 14, he advanced one position to second. Immediately following, on lap 15, Crew chief Travis Mack made the call to bring the No. 16 WeatherTech Chevrolet to pit under green flag for four tires and fuel. Van Gisbergen rejoined the field in 15th. Maintaining position, Van Gisbergen completed the stage in the 15th position.
  • The No. 16 WeatherTech team strategized to stay out during the stage-break caution and started the second stage in second place. Van Gisbergen reported the car was really, really good with just a little tightness when approaching the leader. Consistent in his lap times and positioning, the plan was to battle for the lead for 18 laps before planning to pit. A caution occurred with two laps remaining in the stage, resulting in the decision to alter the race strategy. The No. 16 WeatherTech team elected to stay out and concluded the stage second on the leaderboard.
  • The No. 16 team chose to stay out at the stage-break caution, starting the final stage in second, where he battled for 15 laps before dropping to fourth.The No. 16 team opted to pit for fuel and four fresh tires with 32 laps remaining in the race, and Van Gisbergen re-entered the field 33rd. Advancing through the field, Van Gisbergen was scored second when a caution occurred with 10 laps remaining. After a series of late-race cautions, Van Gisbergen restarted third, as the field went into overtime. After taking over the lead, Van Gisbergen made contact with a competitor on the final lap and lost the lead position, ultimately finishing second.

“Gutted for the whole team, just had a driver error. I knew Chris [Buescher] was really going to send it and push me if he could get there. As I turned and got a bit loose, I clipped the inside wall. Our WeatherTech Chevrolet was really good. The race was awesome with Ross [Chastain] and Chris [Buescher] and the others at the end. I’m gutted we couldn’t get it, but I had a lot of fun, but I’m pretty angry at myself.” – Shane van Gisbergen  

DANIEL HEMRIC
No. 31 Cirkul Camaro ZL1

  • Daniel Hemric qualified 27th for the Go Bowling at The Glen.
  • The field completed only one lap, before the first caution flag flew, and Hemric made it through unscathed, restarting 22nd on lap 26. He quickly drove into the top 20 on the restart and remained on track, while some elected to short pit the stage. Hemric finished the opening stage in 10th place.
  • Hemric radioed that the No. 31 Cirkul Camaro ZL1 was initially tight handling throughout the first stage. He pitted during the first stage break for tires, fuel, and adjustments, before starting the second stage from 28th place. The team elected to short pit the second stage, taking four tires and fuel. The second caution of the day came out as Hemric blended back onto the track, ending the stage under caution. Hemric was scored 32nd.
  • Having just pitted before the caution, Hemric stayed out during the second stage break and started the final stage from 21st place. The next caution came out on lap 46, as Hemric had worked his way up to 20th place. He was called to pit road for four tires and fuel, before restarting 26th with 41 laps remaining. Crew Chief, Trent Owens made the call to pit under green from 17th place on lap 61. After briefly veering off track, Hemric settled back into the top 25. The fifth caution of the day came with just 10 laps remaining, and Hemric pitted for four tires and fuel to finish out the race. He restarted 27th with seven laps remaining, but a wreck on the restart brought the yellow flag back out, as Hemric sat 25th. During the caution, Hemric voiced concerns of an axel issue on the No. 31 Chevy. He laid back, restarting 30th, before an overtime-inducing wreck brought out the final caution. Hemric nursed the No. 31 Chevy to finish 31st.

“Super frustrating finish to what started out as a solid day for this No. 31 Cirkul team. We had a really good first stage, and Trent [Owens] had a good strategy that we thought would put us in a good position there at the end. Unfortunately, the same axel issue that the No. 13 had, plagued us as well with just a couple laps to go.” – Daniel Hemric  

AJ ALLMENDINGER
No. 13 Go Bowling Camaro ZL1

  • AJ Allmendinger qualified sixth for the Go Bowling at The Glen.
  • On the initial start, Allmendinger gained one position before the caution came early on lap two. The field restarted on lap six when Allmendinger’s day ultimately came to an end due to a mechanical failure. Allmendinger finished the day in 36th place.

“It’s disappointing. It’s hard to tell, but I thought the initial first lap there, it felt like it fired off really well. The No. 13 Go Bowling Chevy, we’ll never know. It was a good weekend. I’m disappointed, just because Go Bowling put their belief in me and put their product on the race car. I felt like we were going to at least have a shot at running up front and maybe win this thing. It’s just one of those years.” – AJ Allmendinger  
 
About Kaulig Racing

Kaulig Racing™ is a full-time, multi-car NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) and NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) team, owned by award winning entrepreneur, Matt Kaulig. Established in 2016, Kaulig Racing™ has earned 23 NXS wins, made the NXS Playoffs consecutively each season since the playoff system started, and won two regular-season championships. In 2021, the team competed in select NCS events, before expanding to a two-car, full-time NCS team in 2022 and adding a third, part-time entry during the 2023 season. Since its first NCS start in 2021, the team has earned two wins. Kaulig Racing is currently fielding two full-time entries in the NCS and continues to field three full-time NXS entries, with a part-time fourth entry at select events. To learn more about the team, visit kauligracing.com.

Alex Palou: 2024 NTT IndyCar Series Champion

By
Andrew Kim
-
Photo by Simon Scoggins for SpeedwayMedia.com.

A year after joining an exclusive club of 28 competitors to record multiple championships in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES division, Alex Palou elevated his status to another exclusive club, this time comprised of 13 names who have recorded three or more championships in IndyCar at the conclusion of an eventful and strong 2024 season.

Palou, a native of Sant Antoni de Vilamajor, Spain, muscled through a season that was highlighted with two race victories, six podiums, three poles, 263 laps led and an average-finishing result of 6.5 throughout the 17-race schedule. Despite finishing outside the top-10 mark during the final two-scheduled events of the season, including an 11th-place run during the season-finale event at Nashville Superspeedway, Palou was not overthrown by a pair of Team Penske competitors (Scott McLaughlin and Will Power) serving as his title rivals as he wrapped up the big crown by 31 points.

The start of the 2024 season featured an overhaul to Palou’s No. 10 Chip Ganassi Racing (CGR) Dallara-Honda livery as DHL ended its dozen-year partnership with Andretti Global by joining forces with CGR to serve as a primary sponsor for Palou. By then, the Spaniard was coming off his dominant season to date, where he won his second IndyCar championship and notched career-high season stats in race victories (five), podiums (10) and laps led (379) along with a personal-best average-finishing result of 3.7.

When the 2024 season commenced at the Streets of St. Petersburg for the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg during the second weekend of March, Palou kicked off his quest to win his third IndyCar title by initially finishing in sixth place. He would later be promoted to fourth place amid a massive penalty and disqualification layout levied on Team Penske and its race-winning competitor Josef Newgarden along with third-place finisher Scott McLaughlin due to both violating the IndyCar’s “Push to Pass” parameters.

Then during IndyCar’s inaugural $1 Million Challenge at The Thermal Club in Thermal, California, in late March, Palou capped off a dominant weekend where he was the fastest competitor during the event’s practice sessions and led all the laps during both his heat event and the main event to win. He would proceed to notch his first podium result of the season at the Streets of Long Beach and finish fifth at Barber Motorsports Park, the site where he achieved his maiden IndyCar victory in 2021.

Palou then commenced the series’ month of May competition at Indianapolis Motor Speedway by notching his first points-paying victory of the 2024 season in the Sonsio Grand Prix at Indianapolis’ Road Course venue. The victory was enough for him to assume the points lead for the first time of the season. After qualifying in 14th place for the 108th running of the Indianapolis 500, Palou would proceed to finish in fifth place during the main event.

Despite stumbling to a 16th-place result during the following Grand Prix weekend at the Streets of Detroit which caused him to lose the championship lead, Palou responded with three consecutive top-four runs that allowed him to reassume the lead. Mired within the three-race span was his second victory of the season in the Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, which marked his second victory at the venue overall.

The series’ doubleheader feature at Iowa Speedway that occurred during the second weekend of July featured mixed results for Palou, who wrecked out of the first event and was strapped with his first DNF of the season in 23rd place. Initially having his points lead decrease from 48 to 37, the Spaniard would lose another two points during the second Iowa feature of the weekend despite rallying to finish second behind Will Power.

Over his next four starts, Palou finished no lower than fifth while he picked up another podium result by finishing second at Portland International Raceway in late August. Despite Power winning at Portland during the four-race stretch, Palou both increased and maintained his points lead to 43 points.

Then after finishing 19th during the second of a Milwaukee Mile doubleheader feature in late August, Palou had his points lead cut to 10 points over Power as Scott McLaughlin, Power’s teammate, kept himself within the championship game after he won the second Milwaukee feature. Despite qualifying in 24th place for the season-finale event at Nashville Superspeedway, where he started 20 spots behind Power and 15 spots behind McLaughlin, Palou quickly took care of early business by mathematically eliminating McLaughlin from title contention by starting the race.

Then on Lap 13 of 206 of the finale, Power’s hopes for a third IndyCar championship and second in three seasons evaporated due to the Australian making an unscheduled pit stop under green to have a lap belt adjusted as he lost multiple laps in the process. Despite continuing, Power could only work his way up to 24th place in the final running order as he was trapped eight laps down. For Palou, he cruised his No. 10 DHL Honda entry to an 11th-place run, which was enough to wrap up the title by 31 points over Colton Herta, who leap-frogged McLaughlin and Power to end up a career-best second place in the final standings.

Despite being aware of Power’s early issues, Palou did not hesitate nor let off the throttle for the remainder of the event on the track as he maximized all opportunities to cap off his championship season on a strong note.

“We just had to keep on going,” Palou said on NBC. “I have to thank everybody working on the 10 car. Everybody at [Chip Ganassi Racing] back at the shop. Super proud. It’s been an amazing year and I’m happy we got the championship back home.”

With his accomplishment, Palou, who became the first Spaniard to win an IndyCar title in 2021, became the first competitor to achieve three IndyCar championships and the first to defend a title since Dario Franchitti last made both accomplishments in 2011. Palou also delivered the fourth IndyCar drivers’ championship for Honda over the last six seasons and the 16th IndyCar title overall for Chip Ganassi Racing, which places the organization one title away from tying Team Penske for the most all-time at 17.

Palou joins Louis Meyer, Ted Horn, Jimmy Bryan, Rick Mears, Al Unser, Bobby Rahal and Sam Hornish Jr. as competitors to currently have three IndyCar championships. The Spaniard is one away from tying Mario Andretti, Sebastien Bourdais and Franchitti for the third-most IndyCar titles all-time at four.

Despite being pleased with adding another IndyCar championship to his resume, Palou sets his sights on being more competitive which would enable him to win more races compared to this season while also defending his crown.

“What a year,” Palou said on the championship stage. “I think we’ve been really close. Just didn’t maximize in some places. We’ll learn from what we can improve from this year and hopefully next year, we can do it.”

Palou’s 2024 IndyCar championship received high praise from team owner Chip Ganassi, whom Palou steered with to his 11 current victories and three championships in IndyCar since they first joined forces at the start of the 2021 season.

“[Palou] never broke a sweat,” Ganassi said. “Just unbelievable [with] the way he drives. The way he came into our team a few years ago down in Alabama. Won his first race out. It’s been smooth sailing since. [The team] like winning. It helps.”

With the NTT IndyCar Series’ teams and competitors entering an off-season period, Alex Palou’s quest to both win his fourth INDYCAR championship and defend his title is scheduled to commence at the Streets of St. Petersburg for the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on March 2, 2025. While the event will be aired on FOX, the event’s start time remains to be determined.

Palou Claims Third Title; Herta Gets First Oval Win at Nashville

By
Official Release
-

LEBANON, Tenn. (Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024) – Alex Palou joined the immortals of more than a century of North American open-wheel racing Sunday, winning his third NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship at the Big Machine Music City Grand Prix Presented by Gainbridge at Nashville Superspeedway.

Palou finished 11th in the No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda, more than enough to clinch his third Astor Challenge Cup in the last four years. His closest title rival, Will Power, went five laps down early in the race due to a disconnected seat belt in the No. 12 Verizon Business Team Penske Chevrolet and finished 24th, eight laps down.

“We just had to keep on going,” Palou said of his focus after he learned of Power’s troubles. “I have to thank everyone working on the 10 car. Super proud. It’s been an amazing year, and I’m happy we got the championship back home.”

With the title race all but over just 13 laps into the 206-lap race due to Power’s troubles, Colton Herta hunted down and passed Pato O’Ward on Lap 202 to earn his first career oval victory in the No. 26 Gainbridge Honda of Andretti Global with Curb-Agajanian. Nashville-area resident Herta outraced O’Ward’s No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet to victory by 1.8106 seconds and climbed from fourth to a career-best second in the final NTT INDYCAR SERIES standings, 31 points behind champion Palou.

It was the first oval victory for the Andretti team since Alexander Rossi won in 2018 at Pocono Raceway.

“I’m so happy,” Herta said. “We knew we were going to have a hot rod in the race. It’s been an amazing year. I just saw I finished second in the championship, which is awesome. Hoping to do a little bit better next year.”

Nashville-area resident Josef Newgarden finished third in the No. 2 Hitachi Astemo Team Penske Chevrolet. NTT P1 Award winner Kyle Kirkwood was fourth in the No. 27 AutoNation Honda of Andretti Global after leading a race-high 67 laps, while Scott McLaughlin rounded out the top five in the No. 3 DEX Imaging Team Penske Chevrolet.

Palou’s list of accolades matches many of the all-time greats of INDYCAR SERIES racing. He became just the 13th driver in history to earn at least three championships and just the seventh to win three titles in four years; Dario Franchitti was the last – also for Chip Ganassi Racing – when he won three straight from 2009-11.

Spaniard Palou, 27 years, 5 months, 14 days, became the second-youngest driver to win three INDYCAR SERIES championships. Only Sam Hornish Jr. was younger, 27 years, 2 months, 8 days in 2006.

Chip Ganassi Racing also continued its climb into rare air, winning its 16th series championship, including four in the last five seasons. Only Team Penske has more, with 17 titles.

Herta prevailed over O’Ward in a duel of differing strategies created by use of Firestone Firehawk alternate tires in addition to the standard primary tires. It was only the second time the softer, grippier red-sidewall alternates have been used on an oval in series history.

O’Ward made his final pit stop at the end of Lap 161, taking the Firestone alternate tires for the mandatory second time. David Malukas was forced to pit from the lead on Lap 201 in the No. 66 AutoNation/Arctic Wolf Honda of Meyer Shank Racing, as he made his previous stop on Lap 139 and didn’t have enough fuel to make it to the finish.

Meanwhile, Herta was hunting down O’Ward after he made his final stop at the end of Lap 180, 19 laps after O’Ward’s final trip to pit lane. Herta took more durable Firestone primary tires after using his two mandatory alternate sets earlier in the race and used that fresher rubber to claw ground on O’Ward, also helped by slower traffic blunting O’Ward.

As Malukas was in pit lane for his final stop, Herta dove under the lapped No. 41 Goodheart Vet/Pray.com Chevrolet of A.J. Foyt Enterprises in Turn 1 at the start of Lap 202, with O’Ward on the outside in a nerve-fraying race for the win. O’Ward was forced slightly up the 1.33-mile concrete oval by the three-wide action, and that let Herta power past for the lead for good at the end of the back straightaway and into Turn 3.

Herta never trailed thereafter for his second victory of the season – he also won on the streets of Toronto in July – and his ninth career victory. The decisive pass was one of 653 on track and 237 for position, records for the INDYCAR SERIES at this track in its return here for the first time since 2008.

Meanwhile, Palou wasted no time from the drop of the green flag to erase the predicament he found himself in after qualifying Saturday. He only needed to finish ninth or better to clinch the title, but he started 24th in the 27-car field after qualifying a mystifying 15th and dropping nine spots on the starting grid due to a penalty for an unauthorized engine change after the race Sept. 1 at Milwaukee.

Palou already had gained 10 spots, running 14th, when calamity struck Power on Lap 13. Power had started fourth – he needed to place third or better to have any mathematical chance of winning his third title – but had slipped to sixth when he called to his pit box on his radio that his lap belt dislodged.

Power immediately pitted, and the field circled the track five times before the belt was fixed and Power was back on track. His title hopes were over.

“I was driving down the front stretch there, and I just felt a pop on the lap belt,” Power said. “That’s a very abnormal thing. I don’t know what went wrong. Very strange failure. I’ve never had that before. You have engine failures, gearbox failures; I had a belt failure.

“Disappointing, but big congrats to Alex. A tough guy to beat. Ganassi did a great job. It’s been fun racing those guys this year.”

The 2025 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season starts Sunday, March 2 with the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg presented by RP Funding at St. Petersburg, Florida, live on FOX and the INDYCAR Radio Network.

Big Machine Music City Grand Prix Race Results

LEBANON, Tenn. – Results Sunday of the Big Machine Music City Grand Prix Presented by Gainbridge NTT INDYCAR SERIES event on the 1.33-mile Nashville Superspeedway, with order of finish, starting position in parentheses, driver, engine, laps completed and reason out (if any):

  1. (9) Colton Herta, Honda, 206, Running
  2. (7) Pato O’Ward, Chevrolet, 206, Running
  3. (2) Josef Newgarden, Chevrolet, 206, Running
  4. (1) Kyle Kirkwood, Honda, 206, Running
  5. (18) Scott McLaughlin, Chevrolet, 206, Running
  6. (14) Santino Ferrucci, Chevrolet, 206, Running
  7. (12) Marcus Armstrong, Honda, 206, Running
  8. (8) Linus Lundqvist, Honda, 206, Running
  9. (5) David Malukas, Honda, 206, Running
  10. (6) Conor Daly, Chevrolet, 205, Running
  11. (24) Alex Palou, Honda, 205, Running
  12. (10) Rinus VeeKay, Chevrolet, 205, Running
  13. (20) Jack Harvey, Honda, 205, Running
  14. (25) Christian Rasmussen, Chevrolet, 205, Running
  15. (26) Alexander Rossi, Chevrolet, 205, Running
  16. (13) Romain Grosjean, Chevrolet, 204, Running
  17. (11) Scott Dixon, Honda, 204, Running
  18. (27) Nolan Siegel, Chevrolet, 204, Running
  19. (21) Christian Lundgaard, Honda, 204, Running
  20. (23) Sting Ray Robb, Chevrolet, 204, Running
  21. (16) Pietro Fittipaldi, Honda, 204, Running
  22. (17) Kyffin Simpson, Honda, 202, Running
  23. (19) Graham Rahal, Honda, 202, Running
  24. (4) Will Power, Chevrolet, 198, Running
  25. (15) Marcus Ericsson, Honda, 136, Contact
  26. (22) Katherine Legge, Honda, 85, Contact
  27. (3) Felix Rosenqvist, Honda, 55, Contact

Race Statistics
Winner’s average speed: 159.207 mph
Time of Race: 01:43:15.2534
Margin of victory: 1.8106 seconds
Cautions: 3 for 31 laps
Lead changes: 8 among 6 drivers

Lap Leaders:
Kirkwood, Kyle 1 – 53
Newgarden, Josef 54 – 91
Rossi, Alexander 92 – 123
Newgarden, Josef 124 – 139
O’Ward, Pato 140 – 160
Herta, Colton 161 – 179
Kirkwood, Kyle 180 – 193
Malukas, David 194 – 201
Herta, Colton 202 – 206

NTT INDYCAR SERIES Point Standings:
Palou 544, Herta 513, McLaughlin 505, Power 498, O’Ward 460, Dixon 456, Kirkwood 420, Newgarden 401, Ferrucci 367, Rossi 366, Lundgaard 312, Rosenqvist 306, VeeKay 300, Armstrong 298, Ericsson 297, Lundqvist 279, Grosjean 260, Rahal 251, Fittipaldi 186, Robb 185, Simpson 182, Rasmussen 163, Siegel 154, Malukas 148, Harvey 143, Daly 119, Agustin Canapino 109, Theo Pourchaire 91, Legge 61, Tom Blomqvist 46, Ed Carpenter 45, Toby Sowery 45, Callum Ilott 39, Luca Ghiotto 27, Helio Castroneves 26, Kyle Larson 21, Takuma Sato 19, Tristan Vautier 12, Juri Vips 11, Colin Braun 10, Ryan Hunter-Reay 6, Hunter McElrea 6, Marco Andretti 5

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