Go Bowling at The Glen

With Joey Logano scoring his second win of the season at Atlanta Motor Speedway last Sunday (Sept. 8), he became the first driver to lock his spot into the Round of 12.

With two races left before the first round of eliminations, the NASCAR Cup Series will next head to Upstate New York to tackle the road course of Watkins Glen International, a long-time mainstay on the Cup schedule featuring technical turns and high-speed straights.

This season marks Watkins Glen’s first-ever appearance in the Cup playoffs, and with a new tire compound that is expected to create far more tire wear than last year, Sunday’s (Sept. 15) race is shaping up to be a 90-lap showdown between the most exquisite road course experts in the sport.

Weekend Primer has everything you need to know heading into this weekend’s Cup and NASCAR Xfinity Series races in the Finger Lakes region, with entry lists, TV schedules, up-to-date points standings and individual driver statistics in past Watkins Glen races.

Round of 16 Standings (2 Races Until Elimination)

Best of the Rest

Notable News:

• Two-time NASCAR Cup winner and 2010 Watkins Glen winner Juan Pablo Montoya will return to Cup this weekend in 23XI Racing’s part-time No. 50 car. Watkins Glen will be Montoya’s first Cup start since the 2014 Brickyard 400, more than 10 years ago.
• A new tire compound will be used at Watkins Glen, which is expected to provide approximately two-three seconds of lap-time falloff per run.

Quick Track Facts: Watkins Glen

Built: 1956

First Cup race: 1957, Annual stop since 1986

Last Repaved: 2015

Length: 2.45 miles

Number of Turns: 7 (excluding the bus stop chicane)

Pit road speed limit: 40 mph

Defending Winner: William Byron

Most Wins (active drivers): Kyle Busch, Chase Elliott & Kyle Larson (2)

Most Top Fives: Kyle Busch & Martin Truex Jr. (7)

Most Top 10s: Kyle Busch (13)

Most Poles: Kyle Busch, Chase Elliott & Denny Hamlin…