NASCAR

NASCAR at Watkins Glen: Schedule, watch info, favorites for playoff race

Here are all the details for the second race of the 2024 NASCAR playoffs.

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The first race of the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season kicks off Feb. 18. Here are the keys dates for the upcoming season.v

The NASCAR playoffs are rolling into New York this weekend.

Watkins Glen International, an 11-turn road course in the Finger Lakes region, will host its first ever postseason race after an exciting opener at Atlanta Motor Speedway last week.

There are just two races remaining in the Round of 16 before four drivers are eliminated from title contention, so the stakes will be elevated on Sunday.

So, who is racing at Watkins Glen? What’s the schedule for TV and streaming? And what drivers could contend for the win? Here’s everything you need to know for 2024 Go Bowling at The Glen:

NASCAR Watkins Glen entry list, drivers

Thirty-eight drivers will race in Watkins Glen – the 34 full-timers, plus four others.

Juan Pablo Montoya is the headliner as he returns to NASCAR for his first start in 10 years. The former Indy 500 and F1 race winner will drive the No. 50 for 23XI Racing. Road course aces Shane van Gisbergen and A.J. Allmendinger, who are both Xfinity Series regulars, will drive for Kaulig Racing. Then there’s Kaz Grala, who is back in the No. 15 car for Rick Ware Racing.

Here’s the full entry list for Watkins Glen:

Car numberDriverTeamSponsor
1Ross ChastainTrackhouse RacingBusch Light
2Austin CindricTeam PenskeAutotrader
3Austin DillonRichard Childress RacingGet Bioethanol
4Josh BerryStewart-Haas RacingBed Bath & Beyond
5Kyle LarsonHendrick MotorsportsHendrickCars.com
6Brad KeselowskiRFK RacingKing's Hawaiian
7Corey LaJoieSpire MotorsportsGainbridge
8Kyle BuschRichard Childress RacingZone
9Chase ElliottHendrick MotorsportsNAPA Auto Parts
10Noah GragsonStewart-Haas RacingBed Bath & Beyond
11Denny HamlinJoe Gibbs RacingFedEx
12Ryan BlaneyTeam PenskeMenards/Pennzoil
13A.J. AllmendingerKaulig RacingGo Bowling
14Chase BriscoeStewart-Haas RacingHighPoint.com
15Kaz GralaRick Ware RacingMeat N' Bone
16Shane van GisbergenKaulig RacingWeatherTech
17Chris BuescherRFK RacingBuildSubmarines.com
19Martin Truex Jr.Joe Gibbs RacingReser's Fine Foods
20Christopher BellJoe Gibbs RacingDeWalt
21Harrison BurtonWood Brothers RacingFreightliner
22Joey LoganoTeam PenskeShell/Pennzoil
23Bubba Wallace23XI RacingMobil 1
24William ByronHendrick MotorsportsLiberty University
31Daniel HemricKaulig RacingCirkul
34Michael McDowellFront Row MotorsportsBenebone
38Todd GillilandFront Row MotorsportsBoozy Jerky!
41Ryan PreeceStewart-Haas RacingMohawk Northeast
42John Hunter NemechekLegacy Motor ClubDollar Tree
43Erik JonesLegacy Motor ClubFamily Dollar
45Tyler Reddick23XI RacingMonster Energy
47Ricky Stenhouse Jr.JTG Daugherty RacingKroger
48Alex BowmanHendrick MotorsportsAlly
50Juan Pablo Montoya23XI RacingMobil 1
51Justin HaleyRick Ware RacingPinnacle
54Ty GibbsJoe Gibbs RacingCW Sports
71Zane SmithSpire MotorsportsFocused Health
77Carson HocevarSpire MotorsportsMattress Warehouse
99Daniel SuarezTrackhouse RacingFreeway Insurance
2024 Go Bowling at The Glen entry list

Watkins Glen predictions, picks, favorites

The beauty of road courses is that you can firmly rule some drivers out of contention. The difficulty is that there are now well over a dozen competitors who are standout road racers.

When it comes to Watkins Glen specifically, Hendrick Motorsports has had a stranglehold on victory lane. The organization hasn’t lost a race in Upstate New York since 2017. Elliott won consecutively in 2018 and 2019, the COVID-19 pandemic canceled the 2020 race, Larson won in 2021 and 2022, then Byron won last summer.

Aside from the Hendrick stable, a pair of Toyota drivers and a pair of road ringers stand out.

Elliott (9.4 average finish in seven starts), Larson (12.2 in nine starts) and Byron (11.6 in five starts) all figure to be contenders again in 2024, as well as their final HMS teammate Bowman (who won the Chicago Street Race in July).

Bell (6.0) and Reddick (8.3) have the two best average finishes at Watkins Glen among active drivers, although the caveat is that they both only have three starts. Despite the small sample size, both Toyota stars have been stout on all different types of road courses in their young careers.

Then there’s Xfinity Series regulars Allmendinger and van Gisbergen for Kaulig Racing. The ‘Dinger has three Cup road course wins, including his maiden victory at The Glen in 2014. SVG, though he hasn’t ever raced at this track, has three Xfinity road wins in his rookie season. Both drivers will be joining the Cup Series full-time next season.

Some longshots to monitor are McDowell (17 laps led at Watkins Glen in 2023) and Suarez (three career top-fives at Watkins Glen).

When is the NASCAR race in Watkins Glen?

The Go Bowling at The Glen is set for Sunday, Sept. 15, at 3 p.m. ET.

Before the race on Sunday, there will be practice and qualifying sessions. The 38 drivers will be split into two groups (found here), with 20 minutes of practice scheduled for each.

The field will then compete in two-round qualifying. Here’s how it works:

  • The 38 drivers will remain split into their two groups.
  • First round: 15 minutes for each group. Drivers can make unlimited laps.
  • The five fastest drivers from each group advance to the second round. Starting positions 11 through 38 are set based on speeds from the first round.
  • Second round: 10 minutes for the 10 drivers who advanced. Drivers can make unlimited laps. The top 10 starting positions are determined based on the best single-lap speeds from the second round.

What is the NASCAR TV schedule this weekend?

NBC Sports’ signature “Radio Style” broadcast returns at Watkins Glen with announcers Leigh Diffey (play-by-play), Steve Letarte (analyst), Jeff Burton (analyst), Mike Bagley ("The Esses") and Dillon Welch ("The inner-look" and "The carousel"). Marty Snider, Kim Coon, and Parker Kligerman will serve as pit reporters. Here’s the full TV and streaming schedule:

Saturday, Sept. 14 (USA Network and streaming)

Sunday, Sept. 15 (USA Network and streaming)

NASCAR playoff standings entering Watkins Glen

The playoff opener was kind to many of the 16 competitors, but others weren’t so lucky. Nine of the top-10 finishers in Atlanta were playoff drivers, while three championship hopefuls finished outside the top-30. Watkins Glen is the second race in the Round of 16 as drivers now have just two weeks to secure their position in the Round of 12.

You can find a full explanation of NASCAR’s playoff format right here.

Here’s the playoff standings entering Watkins Glen, with only Logano locked into the next round due to his Atlanta win:

RankDriverPoints
1.Ryan Blaney2,071
2.Christopher Bell2,066
3.Tyler Reddick2,059
4.William Byron2,059
5.Joey Logano2,054
6.Alex Bowman2,054
7.Austin Cindric2,054
8.Chase Elliott2,050
9.Daniel Suarez2,048
10.Kyle Larson2,041
11.Denny Hamlin2,028
12.Ty Gibbs2,027
13.Brad Keselowski2,026
14.Harrison Burton2,011
15.Martin Truex Jr.2,008
16.Chase Briscoe2,006

NASCAR Watkins Glen winners list, race history

Eight of the 38 drivers in the field are past winners at Watkins Glen, including three with multiple victories.

Larson (2021, 2022), Elliott (2018, 2019) and Busch (2008, 2013) are two-time winners, with Byron (2023), Truex (2017), Hamlin (2016), Logano (2015) and Allmendinger (2014) scoring one win apiece.

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