THE RACE: Go Bowling at the Glen
TRACK: Watkins Glen International
Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Race #22 of 36
Date: Sunday, August 5, 2018 in Watkins Glen, NY
Scheduled Green Flag (approx): 2:58 pm/et
Sections on this page:
Television | Radio/Streaming | Schedule | Track/Race Info | Race Rundown
Qualifying / Practice / Entry Info | Weather Links | Tire Notes | Odds
NASCAR America: 1:00pm/et on NBCSN
NASCAR Countdown to Green: 2:00pm/et on NBCSN
Television Race Coverage: NBC, 3:00pm/et
Practices:
Saturday, August 4, 10:05-11:20am/et, TV-NBCSN;
Saturday, August 4, 1:00-2:15pm/et, TV-NBCSN.
Qualifying for positions 1-40, Saturday, August 4 at 6:35 pm/et, TV-NBCSN;
re-air scheduled: None
In the Booth: Rick Allen, Jeff Burton, Steve Letarte, Dale Earnhardt, Jr.
Pre/Post-Race and Hosts: Krista Voda, Kyle Petty, Dale Jarrett
Pit Reporters: Marty Snider, Kelli Stavast, Dave Burns
Features Reporter: Rutledge Wood
Breaking News: Nate Ryan
Scheduled Race Re-Air Dates/Times:
TBA
TV Listings, Links and Info:
see the TV Listings and Links page
Motor Racing Network (MRN)
SiriusXM Satellite NASCAR Channel 90
ONLINE STREAMING
NBC Sports - Live
Radio: MRN Live Streaming
SiriusXM Internet Radio (available via internet connected device, with subscription)
EVENT SCHEDULE
Event Schedule times are local to the track
Friday, August 3
7:00 PM-9:00 PM MENCS HAULERS ENTER (EQUIPMENT UNLOAD)
Saturday, August 4B>
7:00 AM-9:30 PM MENCS GARAGE OPEN
9:00 AM MENCS ROOKIE MEETING, SPOTTER MEETING, & RANDOM DRAWING
10:05 AM-11:20 AM MENCS 1ST PRACTICE
1:00 PM-2:15 PM MENCS FINAL PRACTICE
6:35 PM MENCS QUALIFYING IMPOUND (MULTI-VEHICLE / TWO ROUNDS)
Sunday, August 5
11:00 AM MENCS GARAGE OPENS
12:30 PM MENCS DRIVER / CREW CHIEF MEETING
1:50 PM MENCS DRIVER INTRODUCTIONS
2:30 PM MENCS RACE (90 LAPS, 220.5 MILES)
MENCS = Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
SCHEDULE SUBJECT TO CHANGE
Watkins Glen International Track News, Stats & Links page
August 2017: see the Watkins Glen Race Info page
Race Festivities/Officials:
Grand Marshal: Scott McLaughlin, President of the New York State Bowling Proprietors Association
Command to start engines: Scott McLaughlin
Honorary Starter/Wave Green Flag: TBA
Honorary Pace Car Driver: TBA
Color Guard: New York State Police, Troop E, Zone 3
Invocation: Reverend David Fife, Bentley Creek Wesleyan Church
National Anthem: U.S. Army SFC Keith Beyer, 380th Army Band
Flyover: C-17, 105th Air Wing, Stewart Air Force Base, Newburgh, NY
Sunday Watkins Glen Notebook: After pit road snafu, Kyle Busch fights his way to third at the Glen; Erik Jones, Daniel Suarez score top fives at Watkins Glen; The numbers line up for father and son in Chase Elliott's win.[More](8-5-2018)
Saturday Watkins Glen Notebook: Karting has accelerated Daniel Suarez's road course learning curve; Is Martin Truex Jr. a bona fide road course ace? Short Strokes.[More](8-4-2018)
Watch to Watch for - Watkins Glen International: Kyle Busch's Historic Pace; Busch, Harvick Race to 7 Wins; Daniel Suárez Getting Closer; Who Could Steal a Playoff Berth at the Glen; Ring that Bell... 3 Times; Who's Hot and Who's Not - Watkins Glen[More](8-4-2018)
Friday Watkins Glen Notebook: Search for speed continues for Joey Logano and Team Penske; Quest for four straight wins presents major challenge for Christopher Bell; Watkins Glen voted top NASCAR track for third straight year. [More](8-3-2018)
A look at many news, notes and story lines for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Watkins Glen, see the stats on the NASCAR National Series News & Notes -- Watkins Glen International
A look at some of the top statistical performers and top-10 driver ratings at Watkins Glen, see the stats on the Statistical Advance - Analyzing Watkins Glen International page
Chase Elliott wins thriller at Watkins Glen to score first Cup victory: History will record that Chase Elliott won his first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race by a whopping 7.560 seconds over reigning champion Martin Truex Jr. That description, however, doesn't do justice to Elliott's magnificent drive over the final 32 laps of Sunday's Go Bowling at the Glen, with Truex hounding him every inch of the way before running out of fuel with two corners left. "Holy cow, I don't know what to say-just so thrilled, so emotional, so much relief," said Elliott, who notched his first win in NASCAR's foremost series in his 99th start, after recording eight second-place finishes. "Working on three years, I hadn't won one.[More](8-5-2018)
Chase Elliott won the Go Bowling at the Glen Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Watkins Glen International. The win is the first of his career in his 99th start.
#78-Truex, Jr. finished 2nd followed by #18-Busch, #19-Suarez, #20-Jones, #42-Larson, #1-McMurray, #24-Byron, #41-Busch, and #4-Harvick.
Elliott led 50 of the 90 laps, including the final 32. He held off a hard charge by Truex, Jr over the final laps of the race before Truex ran out of gas on the final lap.
Pole sitter #11-Hamlin finished 13th after late pit stop problems.
There were 9 lead changes among 5 drivers and 4 cautions for 11 yellow flag laps.
The average speed of the race was: 98.928mph.
See unofficial race results, awards, laps led, cautions and more at:
Unofficial Race Results (pdf)
Cumulative Report (pdf)
Penalty Report (pdf)
See OFFICIAL race results & points standings on the Official Race & Points Report (pdf).
Race Fast Facts - Watkins Glen
Chase Elliott won the 33rd Annual Go Bowling at The Glen, his first victory in 99 NASCAR Monster Energy Cup Series races.
This is his first victory and 11th top-10 finish in 2018.
This is his first victory and first top-10 finish in three races at Watkins Glen International.
Martin Truex Jr. (second) posted his eighth top-10 finish in 13 races at Watkins Glen International. It is his 15th top-10 finish in 2018.
Kyle Busch (third) posted his 12th top-10 finish in 14 races at Watkins Glen International.
William Byron (eighth) was the highest finishing rookie.
Kyle Busch leads the point standings by 70 points over Kevin Harvick.
(NASCAR Integrated Sports Marketing)(8-5-2018)
2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Driver Playoff Standings:
[after Watkins Glen, race 22 of 36] - 4 races left until the playoffs.
#18-Kyle Busch [6 wins], 934
#4-Kevin Harvick [6 wins - 5 can be used for playoffs], 864
#78-Martin Truex Jr. [4 wins], 813
#14-Clint Bowyer [2 wins], 703
#22-Joey Logano [1 win], 691
#9-Chase Elliott [1 win], 619
#20-Erik Jones [1 win], 572
#3-Austin Dillon [1 win], 412
#41-Kurt Busch, 691, -243
#2-Brad Keselowski, 670, -264
#42-Kyle Larson, 660, -274
#11-Denny Hamlin, 650, -284
#12-Ryan Blaney, 639, -295
#10-Aric Almirola, 602, -332, +141 pts ahead of 17th
#48-Jimmie Johnson, 563, -371, +102
#88-Alex Bowman, 523, -411, +62
Outside the top 16:
#17-Ricky Stenhouse Jr., 461, -472, -62 pts behind 16th
#21-Paul Menard, 451, -483, -72
#19-Daniel Suarez, 434, -500, -89
See the Unofficial Drivers Points Standings page (pdf) and Unofficial Owners Points Standings page (pdf)
See OFFICIAL race results & points standings on the Official Race & Points Report (pdf).
Top-Ten Stage 2 Results (lap 40) of the Go Bowling at the Glen Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Watkins Glen International (lap 40/90):
#9-Elliott, 10pts, 1 playoff point
#18-Busch, 9pts
#11-Hamlin, 8pts
#20-Jones, 7pts
#78-Truex, Jr., 6pts
#1-McMurray, 5pts
#4-Harvick, 4pts
#42-Larson, 3pts
#12-Blaney, 2pts
#19-Suarez, 1pt
Top-Ten Stage 1 Results (lap 20) of the Go Bowling at the Glen Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Watkins Glen International (lap 20/90):
#78-Truex, Jr. 10pts, 1 playoff point
#48-Johnson, 9pts
#24-Byron, 8pts
#34-McDowell, 7pts
#2-Keselowski, 6pts
#31-Newman, 5pts
#88-Bowman, 4pts
#37-Buescher, 3pts
#21-Menard, 2pts
#6-Kenseth, 1pt
Lucky Dogs, drivers that got a lap back during the cautions (and their finish):
Caution 1: None, no one on track a lap or more down.
Caution 2: #10-Almirola, 22nd
Caution 3: #38-Ragan, 26th
Caution 4: #00-Cassill, 31st
See the starting lineup for the Go Bowling at the Glen Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Watkins Glen International on the Starting Lineup Page (pdf).
To the rear: #13-Dillon (unapproved adjustments), #00-Cassill (unapproved adjustments)
Watkins Glen pre-race schedule (Eastern time):
2:38pm: Canadian National Anthem by Anna Heerdt
2:40pm: Presentation of Colors by New York State Police, Troop E, Zone 3
2:40pm: Invocation by Reverend David Fife, Bentley Creek Wesleyan Church
2:41pm: National Anthem by U.S. Army SFC Keith Beyer, 380th Army Band
2:47pm: "Drivers, start your engines" by Scott McLaughlin, President of the New York State Bowling Proprietors Association
2:58pm: Green flag
NASCAR Overtime Race Procedure: Rule and notes on the NASCAR Overtime rules/news/stats page.
Wave Around: how the wave around rule works: All vehicles between the leader and the caution vehicle at the start/finish line when the "one to go" signal is given by the starter are considered "Wave Around" eligible. "Wave Around" vehicles will not be permitted to enter pit road at any time during this yellow flag/caution period. "Wave Around" vehicles must receive the green flag on the race track before being permitted to enter pit road without a penalty. Vehicles under a penalty and the "Free Pass" vehicle will not be eligible to receive a "Wave Around".
Pit Stall Selections: The selections of pit stalls for the Go Bowling at the Glen Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Watkins Glen International have been made.
With 37 cars running, pit stalls 6, 12, 18, 24, 31, 43 are not in use.
Pole winner #11-Hamlin chose pit stall 1, the first stall available [as do most pole sitters].
Outside pole winner #18-Busch took pit stall 25, with an opening in front of it.
#9-Elliott, who starts 3rd, took the 38th stall, with an opening in front of it.
The final pit stall was taken by #22-Logano, who starts 6th.
To see where the drivers/teams pit stall is, see the pit selection chart on Jayski.com's Pit Stall Selection chart.(8-4-2018)
Links to results, practices, qualifying PDF's: (will be added as available)
Official Race & Points Report
Race Results
Drivers Points
Owners Points
Cumlative Race Report
Penalty Report
Pitstalls
Starting Lineup
Qualifying Results
Qualifying Order
Happy Hour Practice Speeds
Practice 1 Speeds
Crew Rosters
Latest / Final Entry List
Preliminary Entry List
See the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race results page
QUALIFYING INFO, PRACTICE SPEED and ENTRIES
Denny Hamlin charges to provisional pole at Watkins Glen: Denny Hamlin blitzed the Watkins Glen road course with the fastest lap of the day on Saturday to win the provisional pole for Sunday's Go Bowling at the Glen (3 p.m. ET on NBC, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), pending post-qualifying inspection on Sunday morning. Hamlin covered the 2.45-mile distance in 70.260 seconds (125.534 mph), edging Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Kyle Busch (125.427 mph) by .060 seconds. First-round leader Chase Elliott was third fastest in the final session at 125.421 mph, just .003 seconds slower than Busch. [More](8-4-2018)
#11-Denny Hamlin won the Busch pole for the Go Bowling at the Glen Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Watkins Glen International with speed of 125.534mph for his 1st pole of 2018, 1st at Watkins Glen and 27th of his career. Hamlin has won 4 times from the 26 previous poles.
#18-Busch will start 2nd followed by #9-Elliott, #78-Truex, Jr., #42-Larson, #22-Logano, #10-Almirola, #47-Allmendinger, #20-Jones, #95-Kahne, #12-Blaney, and #34-McDowell.
#9-Elliott was quickest in the first round with a speed of 125.126mph, will start 3rd.
Driver(s) who will miss the race: none as 37 were entered for 40 spots.
Note: Post-qualifying inspection was held Sunday morning. Paul Menard and Kurt Busch failed and will start in the rear for the race after their qualifying times were disallowed.
See round-by-round qualifying results on the Qualifying results page (pdf) and the complete starting lineup on the Starting Lineup page (pdf).(8-4-2018)
Watkins Glen International - Qualifying Fast Facts:
Denny Hamlin won the provisional Busch Pole Award Pole Award for the 33rd Annual Go Bowling at The Glen with a lap of 70.260 seconds, 125.534 mph.
This is his 27th pole in 456 NASCAR Monster Energy Cup Series races.
This is his first pole and 14th top-10 start in 2018.
This is his first pole in 13 races at Watkins Glen International.
Kyle Busch (second) posted his 15th top-10 start of 2018 and his 12th in 14 races at Watkins Glen International.
Chase Elliott (third) posted his second top-10 start at Watkins Glen International. It is his 12th in 22 races this season.
William Byron (17th) was the fastest qualifying rookie.
(NASCAR Statistics)(8-4-2018)
First Round of Qualifying for the Go Bowling at the Glen Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Watkins Glen International is over, after 25 scheduled minutes.
#9-Elliott 125.126
#18-Busch 124.689
#20-Jones 124.657
#78-Truex, Jr. 124.613
#22-Logano 124.476
the rest of the top 12: 11 42 47 10 12 34 95
out of the top 12 and not advancing to round 2: 48 21 1 4 24 2 14 31 41 37 19 88 17 3 38 6 96 32 43 13 72 15 51 23 00
Drivers who will miss the race: none, 37 entered.
(8-4-2018)
Coverage of Qualifying for the Go Bowling at the Glen Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Watkins Glen International is scheduled for Saturday, August 4, 2018 at 6:35pm/et.
Television (TV): NBCSN, 6:30pm/et
Radio: Live online at Motor Racing Network (MRN)
Road Course Qualifying Format: Qualifying for the road courses consist of two elimination rounds to determine the starting grid. The first elimination round will last 25 minutes and include all cars, setting starting spots 13-40. Then there will be a ten-minute break. The 12 cars that post the fastest single lap will advance to the final round. The final qualifying round will last 10 minutes, include all cars and the fastest single lap time will determine positions 1 through 12. The fastest driver in the final round will earn the pole position for the race.
Road Course Events Qualifying Format:
a) Qualifying will consist of two scheduled rounds.
b) The first Qualifying round is twenty-five (25) minutes in duration, unless otherwise authorized by the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Managing Director.
c) Upon completion of the first Qualifying round, eligibility for the forty (40) NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starting grid positions will be determined. Each Charter Team will be eligible for one of the available forty (40) starting grid positions. Open Teams will be eligible for the next available starting grid positions based on the fastest single lap speed posted to each Open Team's Designated Vehicle in the first Qualifying round.
d) The twelve (12) eligible Designated Vehicles that post the fastest single lap speed from the first Qualifying round will advance to the final Qualifying round.
e) The remaining eligible Designated Vehicles will be assigned starting grid positions 13th - 40th based on their fastest single lap speed posted in the first Qualifying round in descending order in accordance with the rules book.
f) There will be a ten-minute break after the completion of the first Qualifying round and the twelve (12) remaining Designated Vehicles that advance to the final Qualifying round will have their previously posted speed reset.
g) The final Qualifying round is ten minutes in duration and the fastest single lap speed posted in the final Qualifying round will be used to assign starting grid positions 1st - 12th in descending order.
Qualifying Order for the Go Bowling at the Glen Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Watkins Glen International is posted.
The first driver to be lined up on pit road will be #31-Newman
The final driver lined up on pit road will be #11-Hamlin.
The order is set by a random draw, how cars park on pit road before they qualify, held about an hour before the first practice.
After the first round, the cars lined up by speed.
For the qualifying order, see the Qualifying Order page (pdf).(8-4-2018)
Happy Hour (final) practice for the Go Bowling at the Glen Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Watkins Glen International is over, after 75 scheduled minutes, the top five, slowest and notes:
#9-Elliott 124.520
#11-Hamlin 124.365
#10-Almirola 123.979
#24-Byron 123.977
#34-McDowell 123.750
most laps run: #42-Larson, 35 laps.
best 10 consecutive lap avg (of 8 drivers): #18-Busch 122.345
slowest: #23-Gallagher 119.580 & #00-Cassill 117.955
See the fastest speeds, best 10 consecutive lap average, laps run on the Happy Hour Practice speeds page (pdf) (8-4-2018)
First practice for the Go Bowling at the Glen Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Watkins Glen International is over, after 75 scheduled minutes, the top-five, slowest and notes:
#20-Jones 125.165
#18-Busch 124.255
#22-Logano 123.654
#14-Bowyer 123.545
#78-Truex, Jr. 123.434
most laps run: #48-Johnson, 25 laps.
#48-Johnson was the only driver to run 10 consecutive laps. His average speed was 121.944mph.
slowest: #23-Gallgaher 118.796 & #00-Cassill 118.386
notes: #11-Hamlin and #31-Newman each made contact with outside walls in separate incidents, but the teams will repair the cars.
See the fastest speeds, best 10 consecutive lap average, laps run on the Friday Practice speeds (pdf) (8-4-2018)
Entry List for the Go Bowling at the Glen Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Watkins Glen International is posted, 37 teams/drivers [for 40 spots] are listed.
Some of the drivers entered include: #6-Kenseth, #15-Chastain, #23-Spencer Gallagher, #51-McLeod, #72-Whitt, #96-Kligerman.
Since only 37 cars are entered, all drivers will make the race.
UPDATE: Josh Bilicki will be in the #51.
See the full entry list on the Entry List (pdf)
For qualifying rules and formats, see the Qualifying Rules page
How to Calculate Track Speeds: use the formula Speed = Distance divided by Time. Distance is Track Length, and Lap Time into Hours. Once hour is 3600 seconds, so the calculation for a 48 second lap at Watkins Glen(2.5 miles) would be: Speed = 2.5 x (3600/48), = 2.5 x 75 = 187.500mph. For a 19 second lap at Watkins Glen(.533 miles): Speed = .533 x (3600/19), = .533 x 189.474 = a speed of 100.990mph
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Aaron Studwell @RaceWeather
Watkins Glen Goodyear Tire Notes See complete tire information for the race weekend across all series on the [Goodyear Tire Notes - Watkins Glen International page.(7-31-2018)
RACE & CHAMPIONSHIP ODDS
Vegas Insider
Race and Championship odds
NASCAR Top-Five Finish Prediction
Watkins Glen Race Preview by Micah Roberts
Bovada Sportsbook:
Race and the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Championship