JUSTIN HALEY | KAZ GRALA
Watkins Glen Advance
Event Overview

● Event: Go Bowling at The Glen (Round 28 of 36)
● Time/Date: 3 p.m. EDT on Sunday, Sept. 15
● Location: Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International
● Layout: 2.45-mile, seven-turn road course
● Laps/Miles: 90 laps / 220.5 miles
● Stage Lengths: Stage 1: 20 laps / Stage 2: 20 laps / Final Stage: 50 laps
● TV/Radio: USA / MRN / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Justin Haley, Driver of the No. 51 Pinnacle Home Improvements Ford Mustang Dark Horse

● Justin Haley will make his fourth start at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International with the No. 51 Pinnacle Home Improvements team in Sunday afterrnoon’s Go Bowling at The Glen. Haley earned an 18th-place finish at The Glen in 2022, marking his best result on the 2.45-mile, seven-turn road course.

● The 25-year-old racer from Winamac, Indiana, has shown strength on road courses this year. Haley qualified 13th, his best effort this season, and ran inside the top-10 in the first road-course event of the year March 24 at Circuit of theAmericas (COTA) in Austin, Texas. He crossed the finish line 17th but the car was disqualified following post-race technical inspection. The No. 51 faced steering issues at Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway in the second road-course event of 2024, but when the NASCAR Cup Series visited the downtown streets of Chicago in July for the Grant Park 165, Haley was back to form. He qualified 23rd, found his way into the top-five and was in position to earn his best finish of the season before a costly penalty during late-race pit stops. Haley left Chicago with a 16th-place finish.

● Haley has two top-five finishes and three top-10s in 22 career Cup Series road-course starts. Best of those was his runner-up finish in last year’s inaugural Chicago Street Race, in which he led 23 laps.

● In the NASCAR Xfinity Series, Haley owns three starts at Watkins Glen with a best finish of ninth in 2021. He has four top-fives and 10 top-10s in 16 career Xfinity road-course starts, including two runner-up finishes – 2020 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and 2021 at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington.

● The No. 51 Pinnacle Home Improvements team enters Watkins Glen after a 12th-place effort at Atlanta. The result was Haley’s second-best finish of the season behind two ninth-place finishes in the spring races at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway and World Wide Technology Raceway in Madison, Illinois. Haley’s average finish to date (22.9) is 4.1 positions higher than any other driver who has made 10 or more starts in a season for Rick Ware Racing (RWR) in team history.

● Pinnacle Home Improvements returns to the No. 15 this weekend after last appearing at Richmond (Va.) Raceway. Headquartered in Alpharetta, Georgia, Pinnacle is a direct-to-homeowner provider of home improvement services, with a focus on roof replacement, window replacement and other exterior services for existing single-family homes. With additional offices in Knoxville, Chattanooga, and Nashville, Tennessee, as well as Charlotte, North Carolina, the company’s existing service footprint covers a range of attractive Southeast U.S. markets, with planned expansion into new Southeastern markets.

Kaz Grala, Driver of the No. 15 Meat N’ Bone Ford Mustang Dark Horse

● Kaz Grala is set to make his first Cup Series start at Watkins Glen in the No. 15 Meat N’ Bone Ford Mustang Dark Horse. In five starts on road courses in the Cup Series, the 25-year-old has one top-10 finish, earned in his first start in the series. It came in 2020 on the Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway road course, where Grala started 10th in the field of 39 cars piloting the No. 3 Richard Childress Racing entry, and he led three laps en route to a seventh-place finish.

● Grala has finished on the lead lap in all three road-course events this season. He finished 27th at COTA, 23rd at Sonoma and 26th at Chicago.

● Though Grala has yet to compete at Watkins Glen in the Cup Series, he has three NASCAR Xfinity Series starts at the track, which include a best finish of fifth, earned in 2022. The Boston native has four top-fives and eight top-10s in 19 Xfinity Series starts on road courses with a best finish of fourth earned in 2020 at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin.

● Road-course racing is nothing new for Grala. In 2014, at the age of 15, Grala became the youngest driver ever to compete in an IMSA event when he drove in the Michelin Pilot Challenge. Two years later, he made his debut in the Rolex 24 At Daytona, where he was the youngest driver in the field, co-piloting a GT3-class car for RWR president Robby Benton.

● Meat N’ Bone returns to the No. 15 RWR Ford Mustang Dark Horse after debuting with Grala at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon on June 23. Meat N’ Bone is an online butcher shop offering premium quality meats delivered locally and shipped nationally. Customers can order from over 300 products, including USDA Prime and Wagyu A5, and have it delivered fresh to their door. Meat N’ Bone also offers local pickup and a personalized retail experience in its boutiques.

Rick Ware Racing Notes

● It’s Championship Weekend for the Progressive American Flat Track (AFT) series, which is set to make its inaugural visit to Lake Ozark Speedway in Eldon, Missouri. AFT Singles rider Kody Kopp enters the weekend with a 22-point lead in the standings. The two-time defending champion will need to earn only a minimal number of points at the Parts Plus Lake Ozark Short Track presented by Arrowhead Brass & Arby’s to become the first-ever three-time AFT Singles champion. Mission Foods SuperTwins rider Briar Bauman looks for one more win to close the season. Though he sits fourth in the standings, with a third win he could end the season in a three-way tie for most wins in 2024.

● The Mission Foods NHRA Drag Racing Series heads this weekend to Maple Grove Raceway in Reading, Pennsylvania, with Clay Millican riding a wave of momentum following his Top Fuel win at the prestigious U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis on Labor Day Weekend. It was the seventh career win for the native of Drummonds, Tennessee, and it officially locked him into the Countdown to the Championship playoffs, which kick off this weekend and concludes Nov. 15-17 with the In-N-Out Burger NHRA Finals in Pomona, California.

● Rick Ware has been a motorsports mainstay for more than 40 years. It began at age six when the third-generation racer began his driving career and has since spanned four wheels and two wheels on both asphalt and dirt. Competing in the SCCA Trans Am Series and other road-racing divisions led Ware to NASCAR in the early 1980s, where he finished third in his NASCAR debut – the 1983 Warner W. Hodgdon 300 NASCAR Grand American race at Riverside (Calif.) International Raceway. More than a decade later, injuries would force Ware out of the driver seat and into fulltime team ownership. In 1995, Rick Ware Racing was formed, and with wife Lisa by his side, Ware has since built his eponymous organization into an entity that fields two fulltime entries in the NASCAR Cup Series while simultaneously campaigning successful teams in the Top Fuel class of the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series, Progressive American Flat Track and FIM World Supercross Championship (WSX), where RWR won the 2022 SX2 championship with rider Shane McElrath.

Justin Haley, Driver Q&A

There has been talk of more tire wear than we’ve seen in past races at Watkins Glen this weekend. Does that change how you and the team will execute strategy?

“It’s really hard to pass at Watkins Glen. A lot of the wrecks we saw in the past were guys getting aggressive to gain position and it just going wrong. Like we see on ovals, you can get to someone but can’t make the pass. It should help with that. Conserving tires would be more important and would give a few options as far as pit strategy. You know all the ways it can be different, but you really never know what you’ll get until we’re on track.”

You have had some positive moments at the road-course events this season. What will it take to come out of Watkins Glen with a finish that reflects that?

“Just putting it all together. Every time we’ve just had one thing go wrong that takes that finish away from us. I think we can do it. I have all the confidence in the world in Chris (Lawson, crew chief) and the guys on the No. 51 team. We’ll have some things to work on during practice with the changes that have been made with the track, but we’re all in that situation. We’ve had a lot of speed and I really enjoy road-course racing, so I think we can leave with a good finish.”

Kaz Grala, Driver Q&A

You’ve raced at Watkins Glen in NASCAR and other series. Where does it rank on your list of road courses?

“Watkins Glen is one of my favorite tracks. I’ve gotten the chance to race there many times, run a few endurance races and got a top-five in Xfinity a few years ago. It’s just a really fun track to drive and is a place that will really keep you on your toes.”

What do you hope to achieve at Watkins Glen and in the last stretch of races to close out the season?

“I’d like to run more consistently at the front and get a top-10 or two. Those are lofty goals, but we’ve come close and I feel like we’re on the path of getting there.”

Ford Performance Notes and Quotes
NASCAR Cup Series
Go Bowling at The Glen Advance | Watkins Glen International
Wednesday, September 11, 2024

Austin Cindric, driver of the No. 2 Autotrader Ford Mustang Dark Horse for Team Penske, is coming off a 10th-place finish last Sunday after winning the second stage and moving into seventh place in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoff standings. He answered questions from the media on Wednesday in advance of Sunday’s race at Watkins Glen International.

AUSTIN CINDRIC, No. 2 Autotrader Ford Mustang Dark Horse – TELL US ABOUT HOW YOUR TEAM IS PREPARING FOR THIS WEEKEND? “I think it’s really cool that Watkins gets a playoff race. It’s one of the more traditional races that happens throughout the calendar and always super well attended. Having a road course race, the only one that’s been in the playoffs so far has been the Roval, and I’d say it’s pretty different than many most traditional road courses, but I would also argue that Watkins Glen is also very different compared to most traditional road courses, so it should be a fun one.”

WHERE IS YOUR CONFIDENCE LEVEL AFTER SUNDAY AND LOOKING AT YOUR POINTS SITUATION? “After the first race we got some good points and put ourselves in a reasonable position to execute the next two weeks. I don’t think it changes my job for this weekend or my outlook for this weekend. From that standpoint, I still feel fairly neutral about all of it, but we’re in a great spot due to having a fast car and a solid race.”

A FEW CHANGES TO THE TRACK IN TERMS OF RUMBLE STRIPS AND THE RACING LINE INTO TURN ONE. CAN YOU WALK US THROUGH WHAT YOU ARE SEEING AND ANTICIPATING? “The changes you described, they basically added recessed rumble strips, which like on the highway you have the little thing that buzzes when you drive over the line and it’s pretty much what those are, but they’re like on steroids, so they’re expected to try and take grip out of the car without providing a large surface, like a big curb for the cars to go over without completely killing the runoff area, so I think that’s the intention. You don’t really know how much it’s gonna limit the cars. Is it just gonna chew up tires? Is it not gonna change anything at all? I think that’s up until practice – we’ll have a pretty good read at that, but, otherwise, it’s gonna change the racing line a little bit. The intent is to not use as much of the runoff as we have in the Next Gen car at the exit of turn one. Don’t ask me why that is, it’s just kind of where it’s gone with it, whether it’s because it’s more of a momentum car or what. And then having the same thing in the carousel. I think it will limit it to the same amount. I feel like there’s a couple tenths of a second into each corner that you can gain by using a lot of the runoff, but, otherwise, I really think it will all look really similar.”

DO ANTICIPATE THINGS BEING MORE CHAOTIC? “I think with how it changes the racing, like with the runoff being kind of the preferred line, like you dive down in the apex and just kind of drift all the way out to the runoff. The outside car can play a lot of defense, where if you make it more of a tighter corner, maybe the inside car has a bit more of an advantage just getting straight drive and have a better angle up off the corner. I feel like it also gives the inside car a lot of leverage on the outside car if there’s something that’s gonna take grip away or a worse area for a car to be placed if this runoff is really difficult to drive through, then the car on the inside can probably just shove that guy into the runoff. So, I feel like there’s a Catch-22 there, but I feel like it’ll change it probably not much more than what I just described.”

WERE ALL THE CHANGES THERE WHEN YOU DID THE TEST? “The bus stop was the same as the tire test. Basically, the elimination or the flattening of the first curb entering the bus stop, so that was the same. They had like one or two rows all the way outside of turn one pretty much where you wouldn’t even drive it in the runoff, so they added more and I think they’d even add more a step after the OEM tests. I don’t have really a read on what that will be like going into the race weekend, but, otherwise, I think it’s pretty new. The one thing that we did do at the tire test is NASCAR put some cones out just to try to get a look at what not using the runoff would look like. I would say traditionally it looked like probably five years ago at Watkins Glen and every year before, but that was the intent is just to keep us more on the other side of the curb in turn one.”

DO YOU HAVE A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF POINTS ABOVE THE CUT LINE YOU WOULD FEEL COMFORTABLE WITH? “I like the ADV – that points number. That looks really good. That’s my favorite number is when it has letters next to your name. Otherwise, there were guys that came in over 20 points good going into Atlanta, so I can’t say that looking that far ahead I feel like that’s overly – not optimistic – but I feel like it’s somewhat of a distraction. I think my guys did do the math like based off of the last handful of years if I finish 13th in both races, then I’m fine, which kind of makes sense anyway, but with those stages points and anything like that, but it’s not really something that I’ve really diverted a ton of focus on. We just need to go out and do our jobs this weekend and see where it falls.”

THE STRENGTH AT ATLANTA AS A WHOLE TEAM MUST GIVE EVERYONE A LOT OF CONFIDENCE. “It’s a great way to start, but it is just the start and it’s not a surprise to be able to run well on tracks like that. I’m not trying to downplay the run, but I think we all expected to be able to go out there and qualify well and have a chance at a win with all of our cars because that’s pretty much what every speedway event has been this year for our company. Like I said, I’m not trying to downplay the performance. It’s the playoffs and everything around it, but it’s important for us to capitalize on days like that, and I feel like we did a reasonable job at capitalizing on some of our strengths.”

AT WHAT POINT DURING THE WEEKEND DO YOU START KNOWING WHAT KIND OF CAR YOU HAVE? “I don’t feel like this weekend I really have points on my radar, other than how they normally would be as far as what’s the least I can do to move on in the next round. I don’t feel like that’s really ever how I think, so, otherwise, it’s very important to maximize every opportunity we have, whether if that’s through points and we don’t know if we go into Bristol – mechanical failures, tire failures, all these other things. You still want to be able to go out this weekend and give yourself as much of a cushion going into that final race if not a win, so I don’t think my mentality changes regardless of how Atlanta went.”

AS THE SPORT LOOKS AT PUTTING MORE FOCUS ON GETTING TIRES TO WEAR OUT MORE, WHAT WOULD YOU AS A DRIVER HAVE TO CHANGE AS THAT HAPPENS? “I think there’s a lot of different avenues I feel like I could go down on why tire wear either can make good racing or why drivers want it more or why maybe race fans might want it more, but at the end of the day, it does give more of an option for variance and I feel like variance is what creates racing, whether if that’s guys getting big runs off corners and passing people, or guys really struggling and falling back to others who are just getting into their strengths. It creates a more dynamic race other than just a bunch of cars going out there at the same speed. You can still have a bunch of cars going out there at the same speed with tire degradation. We see it out at the racetracks we go to on the schedule, whether it’s Darlington or Richmond or these other places that have tire wear. We do have tracks that have some tire wear, maybe not massive tire wear. I also don’t look at Watkins Glen as a very abrasive surface, so I think when we have changes that creates variance because there is a difficulty in trying to figure things out without a lot of data points, and I feel like that’s what this weekend and really next weekend at Bristol are going to be. There’s a lot of people scratching their heads on what data they want to believe and how they’re going to approach the weekend, and the more you get things refined is when the racing looks a little bit more similar and guys are a lot closer and the field is a lot closer. But as far as what I have to do behind the wheel of the car, I think it depends on what kind of falloff you’re experiencing. Is it due to heat? Is it due to actual wear in the tire? And then what about the racetrack and what about the layout of the racetrack is really causing this because I think road courses are a bit different than ovals. Imagine that your right-front and your right-rear are gonna be going through the biggest challenges at an oval racetrack, specifically the right-rear, whereas you think about a road course like how does this affect my braking? How does this affect traction? How does this affect high-speed stability? How does this affect my ability to use curbs? Because road courses are inherently you’re challenging a lot more parts of the car and tire wear can challenge a lot more of how you have to drive the car throughout the run, so it should be a very interesting weekend to see where that all kind of lands and how severe or how much it changes the strategy of the race.”

DO YOU GET A SENSE OF HOW MUCH YOU’RE GOING TO HAVE TO ADJUST OR CHANGE IN DRIVING AT WATKINS GLEN AS OPPOSED TO HOW YOU’VE DRIVING IT IN THE PAST? “I think since I’ve raced in a stock car around Watkins Glen, it’s kind of coming off – I think back to 2018 when I did my first Xfinity race there. It was kind of coming off a repave from a few years before, so the tires had to be a lot harder to not blister and because it is such a high-speed racetrack and as the years have kind of gone on you have some tire wear, but otherwise since we’ve started with the Next Gen car out of all the road courses you have to drive the car extremely hard. It’s like you’re hanging your tongue out every lap. I would say last year’s tire, the year before, doesn’t have a ton of lap time falloff, so you’re kind of keeping that pace the entire time, whereas when you think about having some tire fall off, you might have to prioritize some different corners on the racetrack to complement that. I’m not saying that I know what those might be, but it could definitely change where your priorities lay after your first run of practice.”

DO YOU STILL HAVE AN ADVANTAGE ON ROAD COURSES OR HAVE THE OTHER GUYS CAUGHT UP IN BEING ABLE TO RACE AT WATKINS GLEN? “I think of any road course, regardless of my experience, out of any road course on the schedule I feel like whether if it’s veteran drivers or younger drivers all have a lot of reps at Watkins Glen, and I would say it’s the most similar to an oval race just because of how high-speed the track is and somewhat one direction with the exception of the bus stop. Do I go in there thinking that I have a massive advantage over other guys? No, I don’t think so, but there’s a comfort level of driving at tracks like that for me that might not exist for other drivers, but past that I think there are some pretty talented guys in the field and road course racing has become definitely more important over the last decade in stock car racing than it has in decades prior, so I think everyone has really stepped up their game. You see that with the gap in the field. I’m sure in qualifying it will be separated by only a tenth of a second for probably 15 or 20 spots. That’s how it was last time we were there, so it should be no different. I’m not expecting a cake walk by any means.”

WHAT DO YOU THINK THE FANS MIGHT NOT UNDERSTAND WHEN YOU’RE WATCHING THE RACE ABOUT RACING AT A TRACK LIKE THAT IN THE PLAYOFFS? “If I think about just driving a track like Watkins Glen and watching it on TV or watching the onboards is that you don’t feel the sensation of speed that you do in the race car through the esses. In the Next Gen car, you’re trying to hold the thing wide-open at the top of the hill in turn three, whereas that’s kind of like a cinematic shot for the TV camera, where they’re not really even paying attention to what we’re doing, but trying to hold a car wide-open, cresting a hill at probably 130-140 miles an hour and trying to thread it between and Armco Barrier, it’s fun. It’s super on the edge. You have to relax your body because you have a tendency to tense up through those areas. It is definitely a very fast road course and that section in particular would probably catch people off guard if they sat in the passenger seat with me, or if I had one, but as far as from a driving standpoint the bus stop is probably the most unique because it’s not really a traditional corner and you have to be very careful with your car placement through there.”

TEAM CHEVY ADVANCE

Watkins Glen International

 The NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR Xfinity Series will pay their annual visit to Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International this weekend, with the 2.45-mile, seven-turn, road course marking a penultimate race within each series’ respective seasons. For the first time in history, the upstate New York circuit will host a playoff race for NASCAR’s top division, with Sunday’s ‘Go Bowling at The Glen’ marking the second race of the Round of 16. For the Xfinity Series, Saturday’s ‘Mission 200 at The Glen’ will provide playoff hopefuls with one of the final two opportunities to solidify a postseason position.

 Chevrolet in the NASCAR Cup Series at Watkins Glen:

Chevrolet owns a winning percentage of 55 percent in the NASCAR Cup Series’ 40-race history at Watkins Glen, with the manufacturer heading into the weekend with 22 all-time victories at the circuit. The Bowtie brand’s rich history at Watkins Glen dates back to the Cup Series’ inaugural race at the circuit (Aug. 1957), with Buck Baker earning the victory in his ’57 Chevrolet. Throughout the years, Chevrolet has posted a five-race win streak on three separate occasions – first accomplished between Aug. 1997 – Aug. 2001 and Aug. 2003 – Aug. 2007. The manufacturer will head to the upstate New York circuit with an active streak of five-straight trips to victory lane – courtesy of victories by Hendrick Motorsports’ Chase Elliott (Aug. 2018; Aug. 2019), Kyle Larson (Aug. 2021; Aug. 2022) and William Byron (Aug. 2023).

ONE DOWN, TWO-TO-GO

An eventful opening race for the Round of 16 provided for quite the shakeup throughout the NASCAR Cup Series playoff standings. However, one thing remained the same: Chevrolet is the only manufacturer with all of its playoff contenders still above the cutline.

Entering postseason competition as the top-seeded driver, Kyle Larson was showing early signs of a robust performance at Atlanta Motor Speedway when an unexpected loss of control resulted in a hit to the outside wall that ended the No. 5 team’s day in Stage One. But thanks to a points cushion he had built during the regular season; Larson still found himself above the playoff cutline following the conclusion of the Quaker State 400, with the former series champion now sitting 10th with a 15-point advantage over the bubble. Putting the misfortune in the rearview mirror, Larson will head to a pair of tracks that have fared well for him throughout his career, including wins in two of the past three Cup Series races at Watkins Glen.

Each of the other four Team Chevy playoff contenders were able to notch top-10 results at the 1.5-mile Georgia venue and maintain a position above the playoff cutline. The biggest mover up the playoff standings was Hendrick Motorsports’ Alex Bowman. The 31-year-old Tucson, Arizona, native netted a fifth-place result and a 48-point day in his No. 48 Camaro ZL1 – jumping up six positions in the standings to sixth with a now 27-point advantage over the elimination line. Larson and Bowman’s fellow Team Chevy playoff teammates hold a double-digit points advantage over the cutline, with William Byron in fifth (+33 points), Chase Elliott in sixth (+24 points) and Daniel Suarez in ninth (+22 points).

Heading to the upstate New York circuit, all five Team Chevy playoff contenders are among the favorites to build onto their points cushions. Hendrick Motorsports’ Elliott, Larson and Byron have collectively earned the Chevrolet organization victories in the past five consecutive Cup Series races at Watkins Glen. The trio’s teammate, Bowman, has proven to be a top contender when it comes to making left- and right-hand turns, with the driver earning a fourth-place result at Circuit of The Americas (March 2024) and the victory at the Chicago Street Course (July 2024). Suarez, who captured his first career victory in NASCAR’s top division on a road course, has also proven that Watkins Glen suits his driving style – collecting top-fives in three of his six starts at the circuit.

William Byron, No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Camaro ZL1

5th in Playoff Standings (+33 points)

Victories: 3

Top-Fives: 8

Top-10s: 14

Laps Led: 261

Average Finish: 14.1

Stage Wins: 1

Of Note:

• The 2024 season marks Byron’s sixth consecutive appearance in the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs.
• Bryon’s career-best finish in the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs came last season during his first career appearance in the Championship 4 – finishing the season third in the final points standings.
• Byron has scored 11 of his 13 career NASCAR Cup Series victories during the Next Gen era.
• Byron has at least one victory at six of the 10 tracks on the playoff schedule: Atlanta Motor Speedway (two wins), Martinsville Speedway (two), Homestead-Miami Speedway (one), Las Vegas Motor Speedway (one), Phoenix Raceway (one), Watkins Glen (one).

Alex Bowman, No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Camaro ZL1

6th in Playoff Standings (+ 27 points)

Victories: 1

Top-Fives: 7

Top-10s: 13

Laps Led: 19

Average Finish: 15.0

Stage Wins: 0

Of Note:

• The 2024 season marks Bowman’s sixth appearance in the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs.
• Bowman has advanced to the Round of 12 in each of his NASCAR Cup Series playoff appearances – making it to the Round of Eight in the 2020 season to score a career-best sixth in the final standings.
• Bowman has one victory at two of the 10 tracks on the playoff schedule: Las Vegas Motor Speedway (one win) and Martinsville Speedway (one).

Chase Elliott, No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Camaro ZL1

8th in Playoff Standings (+24 points)

Victories: 1

Top-Fives: 7

Top-10s: 13

Laps Led: 213

Average Finish: 11.5

Stage Wins: 1

Of Note:

• The 2024 season marks Elliott’s eighth appearance in the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs.
• Elliott has advanced to the Championship 4 three times in his career, with his first coming in his championship-earning season (2020).
• Elliott has scored seven of his 19 career NASCAR Cup Series victories in the playoffs.
• Elliott has at least one victory at seven of the 10 tracks on the playoff schedule: Watkins Glen (two wins), Talladega Superspeedway (two), Kansas Speedway (one), Charlotte ROVAL (one), Martinsville Speedway (one), Atlanta Motor Speedway (one), Phoenix Raceway (one).

Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Trackhouse Racing Camaro ZL1

9th in Playoff Standings (+ 22 points)

Victories: 1

Top-Fives: 3

Top-10s: 7

Laps Led: 152

Average Finish: 17.7

Stage Wins: 1

Of Note:

• The 2024 season marks Suarez’s second career appearance in the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs.
• Suarez’s career best finish in the NASCAR Cup Series standings came in 2022 – earning 10th in the final points standings.
• Suarez has two career NASCAR Cup Series victories – both of which were earned in the Next Gen era.
• Suarez earned his playoff berth in the second race of the season at Atlanta Motor Speedway – the track that will open the Round of 16.

Kyle Larson, No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Camaro ZL1

10th in Playoff Standings (+ 15 points)

Victories: 4

Top-Fives: 10

Top-10s: 13

Laps Led: 1,089

Average Finish: 14.5

Stage Wins: 10

Of Note:

• The 2024 season marks Larson’s eighth appearance in the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs.
• Larson has made it to the Championship 4 twice, including his championship-earning season (2021) and, most recently, in 2023.
• During the playoff era (2004-present); Larson leads the series in multiple playoff race wins in a single season with five in 2021 (Bristol, Charlotte ROVAL, Texas, Kansas, Phoenix).
• Nine of his 27 career NASCAR Cup Series victories have come in the playoffs.
• Larson has at least one victory at eight of the 10 tracks on the playoff schedule: Las Vegas Motor Speedway (three wins), Watkins Glen (two), Kansas Speedway (two), Bristol Motor Speedway (one), Charlotte ROVAL (one), Homestead-Miami Speedway (one), Martinsville Speedway (one), Phoenix Raceway (one).

RACKING-UP ROAD COURSE WINS

Sunday’s ‘Go Bowling at The Glen’ will mark the 14th road course event in NASCAR’s Next Gen era. Team Chevy’s Kyle Larson took the Bowtie brand to victory lane in the series’ most recent road course race at Sonoma Raceway (June 2024), giving Chevrolet its ninth road course win in the Next Gen car. Larson is one of six different Team Chevy drivers to earn a road course victory in the Next Gen Camaro ZL1, with others including Larson’s Hendrick Motorsports teammate William Byron (two wins); Kaulig Racing’s AJ Allmendinger (one win); Trackhouse Racing’s Ross Chastain and Daniel Suarez (one win each); and Tyler Reddick with Richard Childress Racing (two wins).

ZILISCH SET FOR XFINITY SERIES DEBUT

Trackhouse Racing development driver, Connor Zilisch, will make his much-anticipated NASCAR Xfinity Series debut this weekend at Watkins Glen. The 18-year-old Charlotte, North Carolina, native will make his first career start in the series behind the wheel of the No. 88 JR Motorsports Camaro SS – the same ride in which he will run full-time in the series next season. The last time the organization’s No. 88 entry made it to victory lane also came at Watkins Glen – recorded in Aug. 2022 with Kyle Larson.

Zilisch has just two career starts in the NASCAR national ranks – both of which came in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series earlier this season. Pressure proved to not be a problem in his first career Truck Series start (Circuit of The Americas; March 2024) – picking up the pole win and ultimately coming home with a fourth-place finish.

XFINITY SERIES HITS PENULTIMATE REGULAR SEASON RACE

Richard Childress Racing’s Austin Hill once again proved his mastery on drafting-style tracks – driving his No. 21 Camaro SS to the win to cap off the season sweep at his home track of Atlanta Motor Speedway. With a late-race accident collecting the top-two drivers in the points standings, Hill was able to inch closer to points leader Justin Allgaier, with the Georgia native now sitting 71-markers out of the top position.

The three Team Chevy playoff hopefuls that entered Atlanta Motor Speedway above the playoff cutline were able to build on their points cushion – each tallying top-10 results. The series’ road course ringer, AJ Allmendinger, earned a third-place finish and a 44-point day, giving the Kaulig Racing driver a 144-point gap over the elimination line. Big Machine Racing’s Parker Kligerman and JR Motorsports’ Sammy Smith also collected a pair of strong finishes at the 1.5-mile Georgia oval, with Kligerman heading to Watkins Glen sitting in the 11th position in the standings (+74 points) and Smith rounding out the top-12 (+44 points).

Chevrolet in the NASCAR Xfinity Series at

Watkins Glen:

The Bowtie brand will look to make it three-in-a-row in Saturday’s ‘Mission 200 at The Glen’ – the NASCAR Xfinity Series’ 30th appearance at Watkins Glen International. Most recently, JR Motorsports’ Sam Mayer delivered Chevrolet its series-leading 12th triumph at the upstate New York circuit. Throughout the series’ tenure at the circuit, the Bowtie brand reeled off eight-straight Xfinity Series victories from June 1994 to July 2001 – a record streak by any manufacturer.

 
BOWTIE BULLETS:

· With 69 races complete across NASCAR’s three national series this season, Chevrolet has earned a winning percentage of 47.8% with 33 victories (NASCAR Cup Series – 11 wins; NASCAR Xfinity Series – 13 wins; NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series – nine wins).

· Active Chevrolet drivers with a NASCAR Cup Series win at Watkins Glen International:

Kyle Larson – two wins (2021, 2022)

Chase Elliott – two wins (2019, 2018)

Kyle Busch – two wins (2013, 2008)

William Byron – one win (2024)

· In 40 NASCAR Cup Series races at Watkins Glen International, Chevrolet has amassed a series-leading 22 victories and 16 pole wins.

· Chevrolet has an active streak of five-straight NASCAR Cup Series victories at Watkins Glen International – courtesy of wins by Hendrick Motorsports’ Chase Elliott (2018-19), Kyle Larson (2021-22) and William Byron (2023). Six drivers in series’ history have posted consecutive wins at the upstate New York circuit, with Larson and Elliott being only two active drivers to accomplish the feat.

· Chevrolet has earned 19 victories in the past 24 NASCAR Cup Series road course events – dating from Chase Elliott’s victory at Watkins Glen International in Aug. 2019, to Kyle Larson’s victory at Sonoma Raceway in June 2024.

· In 13 NASCAR Cup Series road course races in the Next Gen era, Chevrolet leads the series with nine victories – recorded by six drivers from four different Chevrolet organizations.

· Chevrolet has recorded 66 all-time NASCAR Cup Series wins on road courses – starting with Buck Baker’s victory at Watkins Glen International in 1957.

· Since the debut of the 16-driver playoff field and elimination rounds to the NASCAR Cup Series in 2014, at least five Chevrolet drivers have been represented in the playoffs each season.

· In 99 points-paying races in the Next Gen era, Chevrolet leads all manufacturers with 48 victories – a winning percentage of 48.48%.

· With its 42 NASCAR Cup Series Manufacturer Championships, 33 NASCAR Cup Series Driver Championships, and 862 all-time NASCAR Cup Series wins, Chevrolet continues to hold the title as the winningest brand in NASCAR Cup Series history.

Manufacturer Points Standings

Chevrolet: 979
Toyota: 962 (-17)
Ford: 948 (-31)

Manufacturer Points Standings

Chevrolet: 892
Toyota: 856 (-36)
Ford: 767 (-125)

Manufacturer Points Standings

Chevrolet: 637
Toyota: 593 (-44)
Ford: 563 (-74)
 
TUNE-IN:

NASCAR Cup Series

Round of 16: Race Two of Three

Go Bowling at The Glen

Sunday, Sept. 15, at 3 p.m. ET

(USA Network, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90)

NASCAR Xfinity Series

Misson 200 at the Glen

Saturday, Sept. 14, at 3 p.m. ET

(USA Network, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90)

 
QUOTABLE QUOTES:

Ross Chastain, No. 1 Busch Light Camaro ZL1

Do you enjoy going to upstate New York?

“I love getting back up to New York. I spend a lot of time in the state for various things with different partners. I’ll fly up a few days before the race weekend for appearances and enjoy doing it every year. I probably spend more time in New York than I do most other states.”

What is your outlook on Watkins Glen?

“I’m looking forward to this weekend’s race at Watkins Glen. I’m going to get a little warm up in with the Xfinity Series car, so that will be fun. It’ll be another fun weekend with SVG (Shane van Gisbergen) behind the wheel in a Cup car on a road course. I’ve been working really hard on my road course racing and feel like I’m improving each year which is good. Our cars are faster and I’m ready to climb back in the Busch Light Chevy.”

Austin Dillon, No. 3 Get Bioethanol Camaro ZL1

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 Larson, No. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM Camaro ZL1

Larson on going to Watkins Glen International after crashing at Atlanta:

“I’m definitely excited to get to Watkins Glen. I read a stat last night I don’t think Hendrick Motorsports has lost there since 2017. We’ll see. I think it’s going to be a little different. It seems like there will be a little more tire falloff than normal, I don’t know how that will play a factor into things but regardless, I think our road course package and especially Watkins Glen is a really good package so, we should have some speed it’s just still a road course, so a lot of things can happen.”

Corey LaJoie, No. 7 Gainbridge Camaro ZL1

You’ve had the pace to qualify up front at the road courses over the past year. What’s the key to keeping it in the mix this weekend?

“Our road course package has been making a lot of strides. We have had the speed to qualify up front at the road courses this year, but really only have Sonoma to show for it. The tire wear will throw a wrench in the strategy, but I’m looking forward to the opportunity for a good finish on Sunday with Gainbridge on the hood.”

Kyle Busch, No. 8 Zone Camaro ZL1

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 and keep that going through the rest of this year and into next year. It seems like we’ve gotten a little bit of a path to towards what does work I was pleasantly surprised and happy with the result from Darlington of what we were able to do there and getting into contention with a second-place there.

Do you enjoy going competing at Watkins Glen?

“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 kind of like off weeks where you just 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’s seven road courses on the schedule so everybody is getting better at it.”

What makes The Glen 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 there. 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 just a fun course.”

Chase Elliott, No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Camaro ZL1

Elliott on the biggest change he’s seen with the Next Gen car on road courses:

“Just the difficulty in passing. It has become, in my opinion, way harder to do and to get the rear tires to live. It’s just hard. Anywhere that we go, the corner entry, the part of the corner that is narrow, is going to be an extreme challenge to pass. You look at Darlington very much the same way. It’s not like you can fan out and have a bunch of different options when you first turn off the wall. Martinsville is a great example of that, the road courses are a prime example of that. Phoenix is a little bit that way in (turns) three and four. So, when you leave the wall and you can’t get outboard or inboard of someone’s wake, it’s going to be a real challenge. And with road courses, there is one spot that you want to be on corner entry. Unless you are just dive bombing a guy. And even if you are doing that, that is not the optimum way to make a lap time either.”

AJ Allmendinger, No. 13 Go Bowling Camaro ZL1

“Watkins Glen in the Cup car has been really good for us over the last couple of years. We’ve had top five speed, opportunities to win the race, and we’ve finished second and fourth there in the last two years. I’m really pumped about the opportunity to run the No. 13 Go Bowling Chevy at Watkins Glen. With that car, we don’t have to worry about points and can focus on using our strategy to win the race. I think we can run up front all day and have a great opportunity to steal a win.”

William Byron, No. 24 Liberty University Camaro ZL1

Byron on how new tires at Watkins Glen will affect strategy:

“I think it depends on pace in practice, how much they fall off. We’re going to have 40 minutes instead of 20, so you’re going to have more time to figure out what that pace drop off is and I think you’ll make your adjustments from there. Confident in my group that they’ll go through all those notes and look at the information and make good decisions.”

Daniel Hemric, No. 31 Cirkul Camaro ZL1

“I’m really excited for some road course racing this weekend at Watkins Glen. Kaulig Racing is typically really good at road courses, and with my teammates Shane [Van Gisbergen] and AJ [Allmendinger] who are some of the best on these types of tracks, I’ll be able to lean on them. Hopefully we can carry some momentum from Atlanta into this weekend.”

Alex Bowman, No. 48 Ally Camaro ZL1

Bowman on Hendrick Motorsports success, personal struggles at Watkins Glen:

“I feel like that’s the one road course that I’ve still kind of got to get a hold of a little bit but obviously, Hendrick Motorsports on road courses has been really good for a long time but Chase (Elliott) really got a hold of Watkins Glen and kind of developed all of our stuff to be really good there right off the bat. Trying to play catch up a little bit but I’m excited to get there.”

Zane Smith, No. 71 Focused Health Camaro ZL1

You’ve posted some of your best finishes this year on road courses, how is your confidence heading into this weekend at Watkins Glen?

“I really enjoy racing road courses, so I’m looking forward to Watkins Glen this weekend. I’m definitely ready to get some momentum on our side after the last couple of weekends and I think we have a good shot there. We’ve had some good results in the road races this season and I am hoping for our best one yet this weekend. Excited to have Focused Health back on board my Spire Motorsports Chevrolet for another fun weekend in upstate New York.”

Carson Hocevar, No. 77 Mattress Warehouse Camaro ZL1

This will be your first time running at Watkins Glen in the Cup Series. This year has been full of new tracks with a lot of unknowns. Do you find the unknown to be detrimental or beneficial?

“I’m excited to get back to the Glen. I ran there in 2021 with the trucks and had a lot of fun. I’ve wanted to go back since and I’m finally getting the opportunity. The unknown this year has helped me and everyone else has some unknowns this week too, with the tire changes from Goodyear. It seems so hard to pass there and if what they’re saying about the new tire is true, it rewards guys who don’t qualify well and could add a little more fun to the race. Spire qualified top 10 last year there with Corey (LaJoie) so I think we could be legit.”

Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Freeway Insurance Camaro ZL1

What are your thoughts on last Sunday’s second-place finish in Atlanta?

“Whenever you finish second you are disappointed. It was a great race and weekend with the team, Quaker State, going to the Braves game, everything. But I so wish we could have finished one spot better. We are in a good position right now in the playoffs, but we must keep pushing. You can’t relax or take anything for granted.”

Is the No. 99 team an underdog in the playoffs?

“If you compare Trackhouse this year against the Gibbs teams, the Hendrick teams and things like that, yes. 2022, Trackhouse was actually one of the best teams. This year hasn’t been the same. This year we’ve been working extremely hard, but the results have been slower than what we thought they were going to be. I wouldn’t consider myself one of the favorites for the championship right now, but is that going to change my mentality of who am I as a racecar driver and the potential of the 99 and Trackhouse in the playoffs? Of course not. I know how good we are on road courses and how good we can be at some of these racetracks and the first two rounds are very critical. If we have good execution days in the first couple of rounds we can get to the Round of 8. And once you are there you have to be perfect. Anything can happen. We’ve seen it time and time again. We just have to continue to push hard, give it everything we got and see where we stand.”

Have you found some performance gains that can help you over these last 10 races?

“We found some stuff in the last couple months. We definitely got in the right direction. With that being said, we are not winning races yet. We still have work to do. Right now, we can compete consistently in the top 10. But we know that to make it to a championship that’s not going to be enough. We have to continue to push and continue to learn.”

 
Chevrolet NASCAR Cup Series Statistics

Manufacturers Championships:

Total (1949-2023): 42

First title for Chevrolet: 1958

Highest number of consecutive titles: 13 (2003-15)

Years Won: 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1998, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2021, 2022, 2023

Drivers Championships:

Total (1949-2021): 33

First Chevrolet champion: Buck Baker (1957)

Highest number of consecutive titles: 7 (2005-11)

Most Recent: Kyle Larson (2021)

Years Won: 1957, 1960, 1961, 1973, 1976, 1977, 1979, 1980, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2020, 2021

Event Victories:

Record for total race wins in single season: 26 (2007)

2024 STATISTICS:

Wins: 11

Poles: 7

Laps Led: 2,275

Top-five finishes: 49

Top-10 finishes: 105

Stage wins: 16

· Chase Elliott: 1

· Kyle Larson: 10

· Ross Chastain: 1

· William Byron: 1

· Shane van Gisbergen: 1

· Daniel Suarez: 1

· Kyle Busch: 1

CHEVROLET IN NASCAR CUMULATIVE STATISTICS:

Total Chevrolet race wins: 862 (1949 to date)

Poles won to date: 750

Laps led to date: 251,430

Top-five finishes to date: 4,347

Top-10 finishes to date: 8,965

Total NASCAR Cup Wins by Corporation, 1949 to Date:

       General Motors: 1,196

       Chevrolet: 862

       Pontiac: 154

       Oldsmobile: 115

       Buick: 65



       Ford: 836                                                           

       Ford: 736

       Mercury: 96

       Lincoln: 4



       Fiat Chrysler Automobiles: 467

       Dodge: 217

       Plymouth: 191

       Chrysler: 59



       Toyota: 188

 

About Chevrolet

Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is now one of the world’s largest car brands. Chevrolet models include electric and fuel-efficient vehicles that feature engaging performance, design that makes the heart beat, passive and active safety features and easy-to-use technology, all at a value. More information on Chevrolet models can be found at www.chevrolet.com.

5 KYLE LARSON
Age: 32 (July 31, 1992)
Hometown: Elk Grove, California
Last Week: 37th (Atlanta)
Crew Chief: Cliff Daniels
Standings: 10th (-30)
 
No. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

2024	Cup Career	Watkins Glen
Races	26	357	9
Wins	4	27	2
Poles	5	21	—
Top 5	10	114	3
Top 10	13	177	5
Laps Led	1,089	8,645	38
Stage Wins	10	60	—
Average Finish	14.5	14.2	12.2

• Kyle Larson is the only driver to have eclipsed the 1,000-laps-led barrier in 2024 with 1,089. That ranks second through 27 races behind only his 2021 championship season (1,722).
• The 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champion is 15 points above the elimination cutoff while the No. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM entry is 20 markers ahead in the owners standings.
• Larson is tied for the most stage wins this year with 10 and is one of only two drivers with double-digit stage victories.
• The 32-year-old driver has run a series-high 3,555 laps in the top five in 2024 and his average running position of 10.11 also tops the series.
• The Elk Grove, California, native led 19 laps en route to victory on the road course at Sonoma Raceway earlier this year.
• Larson has won two of the last three races (2021 and 2022) at Watkins Glen International.

9 CHASE ELLIOTT
Age: 28 (Nov. 28, 1995)
Hometown: Dawsonville, Georgia
Last week: 8th (Atlanta)
Crew Chief: Alan Gustafson
Standings: 8th (-21)
 
No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

2024	Cup Career	Watkins Glen
Races	27	313	7
Wins	1	19	2
Poles	—	12	2
Top 5	7	100	4
Top 10	13	165	4
Laps Led	213	5,308	170
Stage Wins	1	37	3
Average Finish	11.5	12.9	9.4

• Chase Elliott heads to Watkins Glen International eighth in the NASCAR Cup Series playoff standings, 24 points above the elimination line.
• The 28-year-old driver has two victories at Watkins Glen, including his first career Cup Series win in 2018.
• Elliott has seven premiere series wins on serpentine tracks, which leads active drivers, is third on the all-time list and makes up 37% of his career Cup victories.
• The Dawsonville, Georgia, native leads active Cup drivers in average finish on road courses (8.97) and holds the sixth-best average finish all-time.
• Elliott has earned the fifth-most points (439) in the Next Gen car on road courses and has the third-best average finish (10.43).
• The 2020 Cup Series champion is tied with Denny Hamlin for the most stage wins on road courses among active drivers with eight.
• Alan Gustafson leads active Cup Series crew chiefs with seven victories on road courses.
• Elliott’s autographed Desi9n to Drive uniform worn in last week’s race is up for grabs as part of a sweepstakes fundraiser that runs through Oct. 9.

24 WILLIAM BYRON
Age: 26 (Nov. 29, 1997)
Hometown: Charlotte, North Carolina
Last Week: 9th (Atlanta)
Crew Chief: Rudy Fugle
Standings: T-4th (-22)

No. 24 Liberty University Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

2024	Cup Career	Watkins Glen
Races	27	243	5
Wins	3	13	1
Poles	1	13	—
Top 5	8	49	1
Top 10	14	97	3
Laps Led	261	2,882	66
Stage Wins	1	22	1
Average Finish	14.4	15.4	11.6

• After the first race of the Round of 16, William Byron is tied for fourth in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoff standings, 33 points above the cutoff.
• The Charlotte, North Carolina, native won last season’s race at Watkins Glen International, starting second and leading 66 laps en route to the victory.
• In 2024, Byron has led the most laps on road courses with 42, earned 83 points and has run 59 laps in the top five.
• In Next Gen events on road courses, the 26-year-old driver has earned 429 points and has an average finish of 12.93.
• This Saturday, Byron will compete in the NASCAR Xfinity Series race in the No. 17 HENDRICKCARS.COM Chevy for Hendrick Motorsports. This will also be the fourth race that No. 24 lead engineer, Brandon McSwain, will serve as crew chief of the No. 17. McSwain and Byron have worked together previously in the Xfinity Series, collecting four wins in Byron’s 2017 championship campaign with Hendrick Motorsports affiliate JR Motorsports.

48 ALEX BOWMAN
Age: 31 (April 25, 1993)
Hometown: Tucson, Arizona
Last Week: 5th (Atlanta)
Crew Chief: Blake Harris
Standings: 6th (-18)
 
No. 48 Ally Racing Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

2024	Cup Career	Watkins Glen
Races	27	316	7
Wins	1	8	—
Poles	—	4	—
Top 5	7	39	—
Top 10	13	92	—
Laps Led	19	1,320	—
Stage Wins	—	6	—
Average Finish	15.0	19.5	21.4

• In the first race of the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Alex Bowman led Hendrick Motorsports with a fifth-place finish and scored 48 points, his third most in a race this season.
• Of the 16 playoff drivers, Bowman gained the second-most points on the bubble. He currently ranks sixth in the playoff standings, 27 clear of the cutline.
• Heading to Watkins Glen International, Bowman has contributed one victory to Hendrick Motorsports’ 30 all-time road course wins, conquering the Chicago Street Course in July this season. He leads the Cup Series in points earned on road courses in 2024 (115), five more than anyone else and has run the fifth-most laps in the top five on this track type this season (75).
• Among active drivers, the Tucson, Arizona, native holds the eighth-best average finish (14.7) in 33 starts on road courses. His mark of 13.36 is fifth in the Next Gen era. In his most recent six starts on this track type, he has a victory, three top fives, four top 10s, an average start of 12.67 and average finish of 9.33. He has finished in the top 10 in three of the last four road course events.
• For four years, Bowman and Ally have teamed up to support Best Friends Animal Society and their vast network of partners. Every race weekend, the pair donates a total of $4,800 to help homeless pets. When the No. 48 team wins, the donation is increased to $10,000 for that race’s shelter. This weekend, the charitable donation will go to Chemung County Humane Society & SPCA, Inc., located approximately 20 miles south of Watkins Glen International.
•  
• HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS

2024	All-Time	Watkins Glen
Races	27	1,372	37
Wins	9*	310*	11*
Poles	6**	252*	8*
Top 5	32*	1,264*	25
Top 10	53*	2,165*	44
Laps Led	1,582	81,339*	759*
Stage Wins	12	110	4*

*Most
**Tied for most

• Hendrick Motorsports has won 30 times on road courses, the most by 15. Organizations in the second-through-fourth positions have combined for 30.
• With William Byron (COTA), Kyle Larson (Sonoma) and Alex Bowman (Chicago Street Course) claiming wins this season, Hendrick Motorsports became the first organization to send three different drivers to victory lane at three consecutive road courses.
• All four current Hendrick Motorsports crew chiefs have at least one victory at a road course, led by Alan Gustafson, leader of the No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts team, with seven.
• Hendrick Motorsports has won five consecutive races at Watkins Glen International, the most by any organization at any track since Hendrick Motorsports claimed six straight victories at Phoenix (2007-2009).
• Standing at 58 playoff victories, Hendrick Motorsports is the winningest organization in the postseason by 21 wins.
• All four Hendrick Motorsports pit crews rank in the top eight in terms of average four-tire stops. The No. 9 over-the-wall squad tops that list at 10.798 seconds and also registered the fastest stop of the year at Texas Motor Speedway (9.078 seconds).

QUOTABLE
 
Kyle Larson, driver of the No. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on going to Watkins Glen International after crashing at Atlanta: “I’m definitely excited to get to Watkins Glen. I read a stat last night I don’t think Hendrick Motorsports has lost there since 2017. We’ll see. I think it’s going to be a little different. It seems like there will be a little more tire falloff than normal, I don’t know how that will play a factor into things but regardless, I think our road course package and especially Watkins Glen is a really good package so, we should have some speed it’s just still a road course, so a lot of things can happen.”

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Chase Elliott, driver of the No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on the biggest change he’s seen with the Next Gen car on road courses: “Just the difficulty in passing. It has become, in my opinion, way harder to do and to get the rear tires to live. It’s just hard. Anywhere that we go, the corner entry, the part of the corner that is narrow, is going to be an extreme challenge to pass. You look at Darlington very much the same way. It’s not like you can fan out and have a bunch of different options when you first turn off the wall. Martinsville is a great example of that, the road courses are a prime example of that. Phoenix is a little bit that way in (turns) three and four. So, when you leave the wall and you can’t get outboard or inboard of someone’s wake, it’s going to be a real challenge. And with road courses, there is one spot that you want to be on corner entry. Unless you are just dive bombing a guy.  And even if you are doing that, that is not the optimum way to make a lap time either.”

William Byron, driver of the No. 24 Liberty University Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on how new tires at Watkins Glen will affect strategy: “I think it depends on pace in practice, how much they fall off. We’re going to have 40 minutes instead of 20, so you’re going to have more time to figure out what that pace drop off is and I think you’ll make your adjustments from there. Confident in my group that they’ll go through all those notes and look at the information and make good decisions.”

Alex Bowman, driver of the No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on Hendrick Motorsports success, personal struggles at Watkins Glen: “I feel like that’s the one road course that I’ve still kind of got to get a hold of a little bit but obviously, Hendrick Motorsports on road courses has been really good for a long time but Chase (Elliott) really got a hold of Watkins Glen and kind of developed all of our stuff to be really good there right off the bat. Trying to play catch up a little bit but I’m excited to get there.”

JOHN HUNTER NEMECHEK
POINT STANDINGS: 33RD

ERIK JONES
POINT STANDINGS: 28TH

CLUB NOTES

EJ Stats: Since racing full time in the NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) in 2017, Jones has earned four top-10s at Watkins Glen. With an average finish of 14, the No. 43 Family Dollar Toyota Camry XSE is prepared to have a great run in the Finger Lakes of New York.

Elenz Stats: Before joining Jones in 2022, crew chief Dave Elenz captained the now NASCAR Cup Series drivers William Byron, Tyler Reddick, and Noah Gragson at JR Motorsports in the NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) for full time seasons in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. His best finish was 7th in 2021 with Gragson. Aside from a 29th place finish at “The Glen” in 2023, Elenz has not finished worse than the 11th position in any event.

JHN Stats: While this is John Hunter Nemechek’s second full-time season in the NCS, he will be making his first NCS start at Watkins Glen this weekend as the Series didn’t attend the western-New York track in 2020. However, he is no stranger to the track as he two NXS starts with a best finish of sixth and a runner-up finish coming in the NASCAR Truck Series in 2021.

Beshore Stats: Ben Beshore, the crew chief on the No. 42 Dollar Tree Toyota Camry XSE entry, has called the shots as a crew chief in the NCS two previous times with a fourth-place finish on his resume. Of his 99 NXS starts, Beshore has two top-10 starting spots. One of those was a pole earned by Kyle Busch in 2019.

Appearances: Nemechek will make multiple appearances during race weekend at Watkins Glen. He will be signing autographs at the LEGACY M.C. merchandise trailer on Sunday at 11:45 a.m. Also, on Sunday at 12:30 p.m. he will have a question and answer session located at the pre-race stage.

Erik Jones will also be making an appearance at the Jack Daniel’s Infield Club for a 15-minute question and answer session on Sunday, Sept. 15th at 11:30 a.m. ET.

Partner Spotlight: This weekend at Watkins Glen, the No. 42 Dollar Tree Toyota Camry will sport the partners of Coca-Cola, Tyson, Jack Links, and Colgate on the Toyota Camry XSE. The No. 43 Family Dollar Toyota Camry will have Pepsi, 5-Hour Energy, Snuggle and Dove Men riding along with them on their Toyota Camry XSE.

Going for G.O.L.D.: Partners Dollar Tree and Family Dollar will honor store #1936 this weekend as a part of the company’s “Go for G.O.L.D.” (Grand Opening Look Daily) program. The Dollar Tree and Family Dollar primaries will highlight these stores on the deck lid of all three LEGACY M.C. entries throughout the race season. Store #1936 is located in Johnson City, New York.

PETTY 75TH ANNIVERSARY

ABOUT PETTY 75th: The 2024 season marks a significant milestone in the history of the Petty family as they have helped define stock car racing for 75 years. Their commitment to the sport and the people who make it possible – behind the wheel, under the hood, in the back office, and beyond – has shaped the growth and success of NASCAR. Their LEGACY lives on with the countless fans, drivers, technicians, and team members they touched. Throughout 2024, LEGACY M.C. will celebrate the Petty family and share countless memories with friends and fans at racetracks across the country.

This Week in Petty History: On Sept. 10, 1965, Richard Petty claimed his 39th career victory during the Buddy Shuman 250 at Hickory (N.C.) Speedway.

The King’s Hat: This weekend, Watkins Glen International and Richard Petty will unveil a new look to the King’s Hat on Sunday at 12:45 p.m. The Kings Hat will be located in the fan zone area.

CLUB QUOTES

John Hunter Nemechek, Driver of the No. 42 Dollar Tree Toyota Camry XSE:

“There have been a lot of changes made to Watkins Glen [International], including to some of the rumble strips; I am not sure if this is going to help the racing or hurt it. I think that it may create some more passing zones and being able to set up passes a little bit better. I am looking forward to getting in the car at Watkins Glen and back on a road course. I feel like we’ve made gains on the [road course] program which showed at Chicago, so far so looking forward to getting back.”

Ben Beshore, Crew chief of the No. 42 Dollar Tree Toyota Camry XSE:

“There was a wheel force transducer test a few weeks ago that we were able to gather some data on the new tire that we’ll see this weekend. It shows a lot of tire fall off, so that will be a new wrinkle for Watkins Glen. Typically, we don’t see any fall-off here due to the newer pavement but this weekend we’ll see several seconds of fall-off. This week is just as important as any other for unloading with good speed. We do have two practice sessions and an extra set of tires for practice so hopefully we’ll be able to dial the car in for qualifying.”

Erik Jones, Driver of the No. 43 Family Dollar Toyota Camry XSE:

“I think racing with a different tire at Watkins Glen will be interesting. The fall off is faster so strategy will be different than what has been done in the past. I think The Glen is a good race in the playoffs, we’ve raced there for a while and offers a different kind of racing.”

Dave Elenz, Crew chief of the No. 43 Family Dollar Toyota Camry XSE:

“I think Watkins Glen deserves a spot in the playoffs. We’ve been going there a long time. All of the teams have good information there, good history there, drivers know that race track very well and it showcases a road course driving ability, and I think as many road courses as we have, I think that’s a really good one to represent. You know, the best of the best at a road course. I enjoy the race and I think it’s fun to watch. It’s neat to have it in the playoffs.

“It will be interesting, and I think even better for racing this year, you know now that the fall off is going to be much greater. You’re not going to be able to stay out on old tires and keep your track position. Like some of these guys have done in the past, you’re going to have to put tires on them when the caution comes out and work hard to get that position back. This will be the most fall off we’ve ever had.

I think these other tracks we go to you have cars that are good on the short run and cars that are good on the long run. Being at the road course, a lot of these tire options that we’ve brought, especially Watkins Glen, if you’re good, you’re good, you’ll stay good throughout the run, so now there’s going to be a difference. People going to the front as tires get older, swapping around on new tires. It will be interesting because Watkins Glen the past couple of years with this car and the tire combination has been flat out, charging as hard as you can and now you’re going to have to save tires. Know that you have to run 20-25 laps and they might go away completely, so I’m excited to see what they do.”

PHOTO OF THE WEEK

Motor Racing Outreach (MRO) is a nonprofit organization that plays a vital role in supporting the NASCAR community and its families! From chapel services and counseling to providing trackside childcare during races, MRO does so much.

This past weekend in Atlanta, the Erik Jones Foundation was proud to sponsor the MRO Community Center. Erik even stopped by to read to the kids and hand out some books!

BROADCAST INFO

WATKINS GLEN INTERNATIONAL
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 15TH @ 3:00 PM ET

ABOUT OUR PARTNERS

ABOUT LEGACY MOTOR CLUB: LEGACY MOTOR CLUB™ is a professional auto racing club owned by businessman and entrepreneur Maurice “Maury” J. Gallagher and seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson. The CLUB competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series fielding the No. 42 Toyota Camry XSE of John Hunter Nemechek, the No. 43 Toyota Camry XSE of Erik Jones, and the No. 84 limited schedule entry for Johnson. LEGACY M.C. also competes in the Extreme E Series. Seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion and NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty “The King” serves as CLUB Ambassador. With a unique title signifying a nod to car clubs of past eras, LEGACY M.C. is an inclusive club for all motorsport enthusiasts to celebrate the past and future legacies of its members, while competing for wins and championships at NASCAR’s elite level. To keep up-to-date with the latest news, information and exclusive content, follow LEGACY MOTOR CLUB™ on Facebook, X, Instagram and at www.LEGACYMOTORCLUB.com.

ABOUT DOLLAR TREE, INC.: Dollar Tree, a Fortune 200 Company, operated 16,622 stores across 48 states and five Canadian provinces as of October 28, 2023. Stores operate under the brands of Dollar Tree, Family Dollar, and Dollar Tree Canada. To learn more about the Company, visit www.DollarTree.com.