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As the NASCAR Cup playoffs head to Watkins Glen, the excitement ramps up (3 p.m. ET Sunday on USA Network).
This event marks the second of three races in the initial playoff round.
Currently, only Joey Logano has secured a spot in the upcoming round following his win last weekend in Atlanta.
Here’s an update on the status of various teams ahead of Sunday’s race:
23XI Racing — Positive note: Juan Pablo Montoya returns to the Cup Series, making his first start since 2014. … Tyler Reddick has achieved top-10 finishes in all three of his previous starts at Watkins Glen. … Reddick leads the series with 11 top-five finishes and 19 top-10 placements. … He ranks second overall in points accumulated on road courses this season. … Notably, Reddick has a remarkable streak of six consecutive top-10 finishes on road courses. Negative note: Bubba Wallace’s highest finish in five starts at Watkins Glen is 12th, which he achieved last year. Prior to that, he had not finished better than 23rd in Cup races at this venue.
Two new drivers have entered this week’s top 10.
Front Row Motorsports — Positive note: Michael McDowell and Todd Gilliland have both secured top-10 finishes in their last two road course races. … McDowell has achieved top-five finishes in the previous two road course events. … This season, all five of McDowell’s career poles have been obtained. … Gilliland will reach a milestone this weekend, making his 100th career Cup start. Negative note:
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McDowell has secured just one top-10 finish in 14 appearances at Watkins Glen.
Hendrick Motorsports — Positive news: This team has triumphed in the last five Cup races held at Watkins Glen. Chase Elliott clinched victories in 2018 and 2019. Kyle Larson took the win in 2021 and 2022, while William Byron emerged victorious in 2023. Hendrick cars have claimed victory in all three road course races this season, with Byron winning at COTA, Larson at Sonoma, and Alex Bowman at the Chicago Street Race. Additionally, Bowman leads the series in points accrued on road courses this year. Byron is also set to participate in the Xfinity race at Watkins Glen this weekend. Negative news: Bowman has not finished higher than 14th in his seven Cup starts at Watkins Glen.
Kyle Larson aims to compete in both the Indianapolis 500 and Coca-Cola 600 in 2025 after this year’s attempt was hindered by weather conditions.
Joe Gibbs Racing — Positive news: Christopher Bell has achieved top-10 finishes in all three of his Cup starts at Watkins Glen. His average finish of 6.0 at this venue is the best among active drivers. Ty Gibbs will also be racing in the Xfinity event at Watkins Glen this weekend. Moreover, Gibbs has placed in the top five in four of the last five road course races. Negative news: Denny Hamlin has only one top-10 finish across 15 Next Gen races on road courses, while Martin Truex Jr. has faced incidents in each of his last four races.
JTG Daugherty Racing — Positive news: Ricky Stenhouse Jr. has finished 14th or better in six of his last 11 races this season. Negative news: However, Stenhouse’s highest finish in ten Cup starts at the Glen is 13th, and he has recorded four DNFs in the last nine races due to accidents.
Kaulig Racing — Positive news:
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AJ Allmendinger drives the No. 13 car, while Shane van Gisbergen will take the wheel of the No. 16 car, joining Daniel Hemric for this weekend’s Cup race. … Allmendinger boasts one victory, five top-five finishes, and eight top-10 finishes over 12 starts at Watkins Glen. Bad news: Hemric has yet to achieve a top-10 finish in six starts at Watkins Glen across both Cup and Xfinity.
Legacy Motor Club — Good news: Erik Jones has placed in the top 10 in four of his six starts at Watkins Glen. … John Hunter Nemechek has recorded top-12 finishes in both of his Xfinity starts and one Truck start at the Glen. Bad news: It’s been 70 races since Jones last secured a Cup victory.
Richard Childress Racing — Good news: Kyle Busch has achieved a series-best four consecutive top-10 finishes. … Over the last four races, Busch has amassed 28 more points than any other competitor. Bad news: Austin Dillon, who is making his 400th career Cup start this weekend, has not placed better than 15th in nine Cup starts at Watkins Glen.
Rick Ware Racing — Good news: Justin Haley earned 12th place last week in Atlanta, marking his best finish in the last 12 races. Bad news: The team has not had a car finish better than 25th in Cup races at Watkins Glen.
RFK Racing — Good news: Chris Buescher is tied with Tyler Reddick for the most top 10s (12) at road courses in the Next Gen car. … Buescher holds the longest active streak of 58 races without a pit road speeding penalty, followed by Brad Keselowski, who has gone 51 races without such an infraction. Bad news: Keselowski, currently one point below the cutline, has not won in 46 career Cup starts on road courses.
Spire Motorsports — Good news: Carson Hocevar has finished 17th or better in 11 of the last 13 races this season. … Zane Smith is set to make his first Cup start at Watkins Glen after finishing sixth in a Truck race there in 2021. Bad news: Corey LaJoie has not finished better than 20th in five Cup starts at the Glen.
Stewart-Haas Racing — Good news: Ryan Preece has achieved three top 20 finishes in the last four races, tying his best four-race streak this season. Josh Berry has started in the top five in five of the last nine races. Bad news: Chase Briscoe has only two top 10 finishes in the last 17 races on road courses. … Additionally, Noah Gragson has failed to finish the last three races due to accidents.
Team Penske — Good news: Fresh off his Cup victory in Atlanta, which advanced him to the second round, Joey Logano will participate in both the Xfinity and Cup races at Watkins Glen this weekend. … Ryan Blaney garnered a race-high 53 points at Atlanta, placing him atop the standings and 45 points clear of the cutline with two races remaining in the first round. … This season, Blaney ranks third in series points accumulated in road course“`html
While Team Penske excelled, other teams find themselves in a precarious situation as they approach Watkins Glen.
