Watkins Glen 101: Trends to watch, Goodyear tire info, interactive ways to follow action
Two races remain in the NASCAR Cup Series regular season, and Watkins Glen International may be the final track where drivers can control their own fate before returning to the unknowns that await in the postseason preamble at Daytona.
Before cars hit the track this weekend for Sunday’s Go Bowling at The Glen (3 p.m. ET, USA Network, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, NBC Sports App), check out trends to watch, important info on Goodyear tires and interactive ways to follow all the action.
RELATED: See paint schemes for Watkins Glen | Betting favorites for Sunday’s Cup race
CHASE ELLIOTT’S LAST CHANCE?
After Michael McDowell’s win at Indianapolis last weekend, the 2020 Cup Series champion currently sits 80 points below the playoff cutline and needs a win to compete for the title this year.
Elliott has proven to be one of the best road-course racers in the Cup Series, and Watkins Glen is where he scored his first career Cup Series win in 2018. Since then, the 27-year-old scored six more wins on left- and right-turn circuits to land third on the all-time road-course winners list.
Destiny is in Elliott’s control this weekend, and if he doesn’t score the victory on Sunday, it’s off to Daytona, where he will need to hit a walk-off.
MORE: How the playoff picture looks heading into Sunday
📉 TRENDS TO WATCH 📈
— Hendrick Motorsports won the last four races at Watkins Glen; before 2018, the team had not won at the track since 2001.
— Twelve lead changes at Watkins Glen in 2022 was the most in the last 10 races.
— All four road-course races in 2023 were won by different drivers from different organizations.
(Via Racing Insights)
NOTABLE MOMENTS 🎥
2012: Brad Keselowski, Marcos Ambrose’s epic final-lap battle for the win | WATCH
2014: AJ Allmendinger holds off Ambrose for first Cup victory | WATCH
2018: Chase Elliott holds off Martin Truex Jr. for first Cup victory | WATCH
ON-TRACK SCHEDULE 🗓️
Saturday, Aug. 19
— 12:30 p.m. ET: Practice (USA, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, NBC Sports App)
— 1:30 p.m. ET: Qualifying (USA, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, NBC Sports App)
Sunday, Aug. 20
— 3 p.m. ET: Go Bowling at The Glen (USA, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, NBC Sports App)
MORE: Full weekend schedule at Watkins Glen
RULE CHANGES/GOODYEAR TIRE NOTES 🛞
The GEICO Restart Zone returned to its 2022 dimensions after being extended for this season’s first five races.
Goodyear will bring the same tire setup that has been used on all road courses this season. Cup teams will be issued one set for practice, one set for qualifying and an additional five sets for Sunday’s race.
Wet-weather tires will also be available this weekend in the event of rainfall.
NASCAR implemented safety updates to the Next Gen car.
Along the right-side door bars and extending toward the rear clip, teams are mandated to run a steel plate in addition to the chassis adjustments made for the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The right-side door bar gussets and the removal of the front clip V-brace are changes that remain, in addition to the removal of other front-clip components, to create a softer and larger crush zone for frontal impacts.
Also included in the updates are front bumper strut softening (modifications to existing parts), the requirement of an empty front ballast box and a modified cross brace. NASCAR incurs the cost of all these updates.
In the event of a lost wheel that is contained to pit road, the offending team will be subject to a pass-through penalty under green-flag conditions. If the infraction occurs during a caution period, the offending team will restart at the tail end of the field.
If the wheel breaks free outside of pit road, the new rules guidelines mandate a two-lap penalty plus a two-race suspension for two crew members. Each penalty is series-specific: Violations in one series will not impact those crew members‘ eligibility to participate in other series.
RELATED: See rules changes for 2023
FAN REWARDS 🫵
Fans can get in on the action all season long with NASCAR Fan Rewards, a free program that rewards fans for participating in the action when they watch races and play NASCAR Fantasy.
There‘s no cost to join. Fans must be 18 years or older to participate in the program.
Earn points by checking into a race from home or at the track, setting your Fantasy Live lineup, making purchases on the NASCAR.com shop and more. Points can be redeemed for race tickets, merchandise and VIP experiences at the track, including pace car rides and waving the green flag at qualifying.
FOLLOW THE RACE 📲
NASCAR Mobile has now added support for fans to “Follow the Race” and access live leaderboard and race information from Live Activities in the current app release (v13.2.0), available now. Android users, we didn‘t forget you — the same functionality has been custom-built for Android devices, as well.
How to access Live Activities on iPhones:
Make sure your iOS device has been updated to 16.1 or higher.
Available on the leaderboard of all NASCAR Series races.
Click on the three-dot menu near the top right of screen.
Select “Follow the Race.”
Swipe up to access the home screen and you will see the Live Activities at the top.
Lock the device and you will see Live Activities on the Lock Screen.
To turn off, simply visit the leaderboard, click the three-dot menu and “Unfollow the Race.”
FANTASY LIVE 🏆
Want to manage a team and race your way to the top of the leaderboards? Check out NASCAR Fantasy Live, which is open now. The free-to-play game lets you choose your drivers each week and show off your crew-chief instincts by garaging a driver by the end of Stage 2, and there is a $25,000 prize for the winner.
How to play: Fantasy Live | Set up a team today!
ALSO ON NASCAR.COM 💻
Get additional camera views by logging on to NASCAR Drive, where each week a select number of in-car cameras will be available — as well as a battle cam and an overhead look.
NASCAR has partnered with LiveLike to add fan engagement to the NASCAR Mobile App. Log in to the mobile app during the race for polls, quizzes, the cheer meter and more — and see instant results from NASCAR fans like you.
