The NASCAR Cup Series heads to Watkins Glen International for Sunday’s race (3 p.m. ET, USA Network).
This is the lone race at the New York road course. Kyle Larson is the defending winner.
Two races remain until the Cup playoffs begin. Here is a look at the drivers to keep an eye on during a pivotal afternoon at Watkins Glen:
FRONTRUNNERS
Kyle Larson
Points position: 5th
Best finish this season: 1st (Richmond I, Martinsville I)
Past at Watkins Glen: He has won three races at Watkins Glen in the past two seasons. He won the Cup race in 2021 and then he swept the Xfinity and Cup races last season. Larson has four straight top-10 finishes at Watkins Glen and five in his eight career starts.
Chase Elliott
Points position: 19th
Best finish this season: 2nd (Fontana, Indianapolis)
Past at Watkins Glen: Elliott has six career Cup starts at Watkins Glen. He has never finished worse than 13th. He won back-to-back races in 2018 and 2019. He was in a position to contend for the win last season, but he finished fourth after an incident with Larson on the final restart. He will now try to continue his success one week after finishing second at Indianapolis.
Michael McDowell
Points position: 15th
Best finish this season: 1st (Indianapolis)
Past at Watkins Glen: He struggled early at Watkins Glen with five DNFs in his first six starts. Finished sixth last season after qualifying third and leading 14 laps. He has three straight finishes of seventh or better on NASCAR’s road courses, including a win at Indianapolis.
Martin Truex Jr.
Points position: 1st
Best finish this season: 1st (Dover, Sonoma, New Hampshire)
Past at Watkins Glen: He has one career Cup win at Watkins Glen (2017), which was the first of four straight top-three finishes at the road course. He finished 23rd at the road course last season. Truex has five career Cup wins on road courses.
QUESTIONS TO ANSWER
Ross Chastain
Points position: 7th
Best finish this season: 1st (Nashville)
Past at Watkins Glen: Four starts with a career-best finish of 12th in 2021. Qualified 18th and finished 21st last season. Chastain finished 17th at Indianapolis after running in the middle of the pack throughout the day. Watkins Glen provides an opportunity for the No. 1 team to build some momentum after five finishes of 17th or worse in the past seven races.
Kyle Busch
Points position: 11th
Best finish this season: 1st (Fontana, Talladega I, Gateway)
Past at Watkins Glen: He has 13 top-10 finishes, seven top fives and two wins in 17 career starts. Finished 32nd last season. The No. 8 car had speed at Indianapolis before a mechanical issue led to him falling off the pace and finishing 36th. Busch has finished 36th or worse three times in the last five Cup races this season.
AJ Allmendinger
Points position: 21st
Best finish this season: 3rd (Atlanta II)
Past at Watkins Glen: He has 11 career Cup starts at Watkins Glen with seven top-10 finishes, four top fives and one win (2014). He has completed every one of the 992 possible laps at the road course. Finished second behind Kyle Larson last season in both the Xfinity and Cup races at Watkins Glen. This weekend could be his best opportunity to win and secure a spot in the playoffs.
Daniel Suarez
Points position: 17th
Best finish this season: 2nd (Atlanta II)
Past at Watkins Glen: Five career starts with three top-five finishes. His other two finishes were 17th and 31st. He finished fifth last season. Suarez was in a position to challenge for the win at Indianapolis, but an air hose pinned under a tire on pit road led to him losing more than 10 seconds to Michael McDowell and Chase Elliott. Watkins Glen could be Suarez’s best shot to win his way into the playoffs after the miscue.
