NASCAR races on road courses tend to be strategy and fuel economy races with minimal caution. That was not the case yesterday (9/15) at Go Bowling in the Glen.
There were seven yellow flags during Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Watkins Glen International. That might not sound like much, but it was on the road course. This was the second race of the first round of the playoffs. It was the first time the track has been part of a 10-race postseason schedule. Many playoff drivers have had bad luck during the race.
The only caution that did not occur as a result of the on-track incident was at the end of the first stage. The winner of that round was Martin Truex Jr. The second stage ended under a caution with Ross Chastain winning the stage. Ross appeared to be the car to beat as he led the race by a high 51 laps in what was scheduled to be 90 laps. However, the timing of the caution flags robbed him of that opportunity.
The final caution sent the race into NASCAR overtime with a green-white-checkered finish. Chris Buescher and Shane Van Gisbergen (both non-playoff drivers) restarted the race from the front row. Shane hit Chris from behind to break free and take the lead in the 91st lap.
Chris Buescher retaliated on lap 92 (last lap) to retake Shane for the lead. Chris was able to maintain that lead, crossing the finish line first and earning his first win of the 2024 season while playing spoiler for the NASCAR playoff drivers.
Shane Van Gisbergen is in second place and Carson Hotsavaar is in third place. Drivers not eliminated from the playoffs claimed the top five finishes in the race. Check out the full results of the Go Bowling race at the Glen here.
As the only playoff driver to win a Round of 16, Joey Logano remains atop the playoff standings after the race at Watkins Glen. Christopher Bell moved up to second and Austin Cindrich to third. View the full NASCAR Cup Series playoff standings here.
Things won’t get any easier for the playoff drivers this week. Next stop is a short drive to Bristol Motor Speedway for the Bass Pro Shops Night Race. The race this Saturday evening, September 21, is also the scheduled race for Round 16. Four play-off drivers who did not win the first round with the minimum points following the race at Bristol will not advance to Round 12. a lot exciting short track race.
Author: Buck Stevens
