WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. — The NASCAR Cup Series makes its annual stop in the Finger Lakes on Sunday for the second playoff race of the season. Here’s what to watch for:
Locked In
Joey Logano lives for pressure.
Leading just nine laps, Logano won Sunday’s Cup Series playoff opener at Atlanta Motor Speedway, securing a spot in the Round of 12.
The 34-year-old from Middletown, Conn., has already exceeded what he accomplished last year. Winning just one race — ironically Atlanta in the spring — Logano failed to advance out of the first round after crashing at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway. He became the first defending series champion to be eliminated in the first round of the playoffs.
But for whatever reason, Logano thrives in even years. Since the elimination format was introduced in 2014, he’s made the Championship 4 every other year: 2014, 2016, 2018, 2020 and 2022, winning the title twice. Is he on track to fight for another title this year?
Points Update
Though Logano is the only driver locked into the Round of 12, several other drivers are in great shape.
Ryan Blaney currently leads the driver’s points after the reset, sitting 45 points above the cutline. Christopher Bell is +40 with regular-season champion Tyler Reddick and Daytona 500 champion William Byron each +33.
Alex Bowman and Austin Cindric are each +27 after solid days at Atlanta, while Chase Elliott is +24. Daniel Suárez is +22 and nearly won last Sunday — almost making it consecutive victories at the mini-superspeedway.
Kyle Larson is 10th, just 15 points above the cutline after a catastrophic day, crashing at the end of Stage One and collecting Chase Briscoe in the process. Denny Hamlin is +2 after electing to ride in the back for most of the race before suffering damage in a final-lap crash. Ty Gibbs is +1 over Brad Keselowski and nearly won on Sunday but got hung out of the draft late and ultimately finished 17th.
Harrison Burton, the winner three weeks ago at Daytona (Fla.) Int’l Speedway, is -16 and Martin Truex Jr. is -19. Despite the crash with Larson and originally thinking he’d be in a must-win situation, Briscoe is -21.
A New Tire
After last year’s race at Watkins Glen featured limited passing and extended green-flag runs, Goodyear is bringing a new tire to the historic road course.
Teams are anticipating three seconds of falloff throughout a run using a tire that was tested by Tyler Reddick, Austin Cindric and Daniel Suárez in June. Because of a high-wear tire at a track not known for having an abrasive surface, it creates more unknowns for Sunday’s 90-lapper.
In previous races with stage breaks, many teams elected to surrender track position and pit with two or three laps remaining in the segment. The new tire may force teams to completely reconstruct their strategies on Sunday.
Because of the unpredictability, teams will have an extended practice session on Saturday. Each practice group will have two 20-minute sessions, rather than just one like most other weekends.
Teams have two sets of tires for practice, one for qualifying and six for the race. One of the six sets are qualifying scuffs.
Road Course Ringers
Sunday’s race features a few road course ringers who aren’t in the field every week.
A.J. Allmendinger and Shane van Gisbergen are in the field for Kaulig Racing, while Juan Pablo Montoya is making a one-off start for 23XI Racing.
Making his 12th start of the season, Allmendinger has three top 10s – including a sixth-place effort in the season-opening Daytona 500. He owns three Cup Series victories, including the 2014 race at Watkins Glen — the first of his career. Van Gisbergen hasn’t recorded a top-10 finish in seven starts but has competed in just two road course events this season.
Currently full-time in the Xfinity Series, both drivers will contest the full Cup Series season next year. Allmendinger returns to Cup with Kaulig – a seat he held full-time last year. Van Gisbergen will be in a third Trackhouse Racing car.
Meanwhile, Montoya is set for his first NASCAR start in 10 years. A two-time Indianapolis 500 and seven-time Formula 1 winner, Montoya is strapping into a stock car for the first time since the 2014 Brickyard 400. He ran seven Cup Series seasons and scored two victories, including the 2010 race at The Glen.
In preparation for Sunday’s start, Montoya completed a NASCAR-approved select driver orientation test at Virginia International Raceway.
Race Information
Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Watkins Glen is set for 3 p.m. ET on USA Network. Byron is the defending winner at the 2.45-mile road course.
Stage breaks are at laps 20 and 40. The purse is $7,572,831.