The race will then proceed as normal. These comments came in light of the forecast for this weekend showing a chance of rain both Saturday during the Xfinity series race, and Sunday during the Sprint Cup Series race. It could happen this weekend – I’ve been thinking about this race for a while. He missed the final 15 races of the Cup season because of the gruesome injuries, which still limit him. “All you got to do is get into The Chase and you’ve got a shot”. Busch sits 32nd in the standings, 13 points behind David Gilliland and Cole Whitt, who are each tied for 30th. Busch has 318.
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The Cheez-It 355 at The Glen takes place August 7-9 at Watkins Glen global.
“The biggest thing is pit strategy”. “You at least have that in the back of your mind that you have done it before and it can be done”, Stewart said.
Fresh off last weekend’s fuel mileage chess match and Matt Kenseth’s second victory of the year, NBCSN heads to Watkins Glen global for a full weekend of NASCAR coverage. “I think it’s a little early to pass judgment whether we got it figured out”.
Busch comes to The Glen on the cusp of making The Chase in what has become a great comeback story.
But let’s be honest: If a driver is now outside the Chase and hasn’t won in the first 21 races, the chances aren’t so great a victory is coming in the next five weeks.
Those in a Chase qualifying position who have yet to win are Jamie McMurray, Jeff Gordon, Ryan Newman, Paul Menard, Kasey Kahne and Clint Bowyer.
“It’s been a lot of work for everybody at the shop in China Grove (N.C.)”, said Rick Gdovic, an area businessman who runs part of the PPM team out of its flagship shop in Gloucester. Busch has to finish 30th or higher in the driver standings to be eligible for the Chase, regardless of how many wins he has this season. He placed 28th in the Cheez-It 355 last year and has never won a Cup race at The Glen.
NBCSN presents NASCAR road course racing from lovely upstate New York with XFINITY Series Racing from Watkins Glen Saturday at 3 p.m. ET and Sprint Cup Racing on Sunday at 2 p.m. ET.
Stewart gives rides in a stock vehicle to the participants but skipped his appearance last year as it fell during a three-week mourning period in which Stewart was in seclusion dealing with the trauma of Wards death. Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Greg Biffle rounded out the top five. The 19-year-old defending champion has cut Buescher’s advantage from 36 to 20 over the last four races. Last season he finished 35th, but look for another finish fighting for the win. He came to The Glen with just four top-10s a year ago compared with this year’s 12. He had only one top-10 finish in 12 races after the tragedy. In 2002 (and as seen in Random Recap), he won his first race at the road course a week after he punched a photographer at Indianapolis and was punished by Joe Gibbs Racing and NASCAR. Hamlin was 24th in last year’s affair at The Glen. Stewart earned only his second top-10 of the season last week at Pocono. Edwards won at Sonoma last season.
The new PPM Xfinity team has been idle since, reorganizing for a return to the series. The Ganassi camp, which includes Kyle Larson, is struggling.
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Jeff Gordon is a four-time Watkins Glen victor, and his nine career road wins is a NASCAR record. Maybe even top three. In 2011, he went into the Chase as the No. 9 seed and won his third season championship with five Chase wins, including the TMS stop. This season, again, he is winless. He returns to one of his favorite tracks a different person. He finished 41st and openly criticized The Glen’s safety standards.
