When the green flag waves for the 2016 Cheez-It 355 it will be the 22nd race of the NASCAR season in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. The Xfinity Series has presented three road-course races yearly since 2010 – Watkins Glen, Mid-Ohio and Road America are on the schedule in August – when there were none between 2002-04. “We’d better have the attitude that we can do that, or else we shouldn’t be here”, Logano said. The forecast looks clear today which is a great change of pace after what we saw last weekend in Pocono.
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Carl Edwards is on the pole for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Cheez-it 355 at the Glen.
A player in last year’s Chase for the Sprint Cup championship until a run-in with Matt Kenseth at Martinsville derailed his title hopes, Logano is on pace to be a factor again when the postseason gets underway in September. He has a total of nine road course wins making him one of the possible contenders towards the end of the race. Only five races remain before the Chase begins.
XFINITY: Joey Logano won at Watkins Glen International for the second straight year. “So, I think riding up through those S’s that first lap is going to be a real battle”. “I figured it was a good time for me to get come road course practice in a Cup vehicle and to come and try to improve, hopefully, on what we’re going to try to going this weekend, set-up-wise and hopefully be acclimated to the track a little sooner”. I don’t feel like we’re behind. “The new pavement, nobody knows how that’s going to go along deep into the runs with tire build-up. We’ve got to peak at the right time”. Track: Watkins Glen International (road, 2.45 miles). The 2.45-mile layout also features new concrete for the rumble strips that border the turns and run-off areas.
Paul Menard finished second, followed by Larson, Daniel Suarez, Trevor Bayne and points leader Elliott Sadler. Goodyear held a tire testing session at the track in May, and teams were able to test there in late July.
Kyle Busch is a solid driver on road courses, including two wins at Watkins Glen.
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Back in the middle of June, Dale Earnhardt Jr. crashed at MI knocking him out of contention in the race. Stewart won the previous road course race at Sonoma and is looking to win his sixth race at the Glen and his ninth victory at a road course. He also won the pole at NASCAR’s other road course in Sonoma, California. If there is another race to count on Stewart to win, this would be it.
