The Cup Series made its yearly August trip to Watkins Glen International for the GoBowling 220. William Byron took home the checkered flag, as strategy was the name of the game all afternoon long. The 25-year-old stayed mistake free out front, after the first green flag pit stop cycle gave the #24 team the lead.
Byron cruised for a road course career high of 66 laps out front, as he was the class of the field. This is his fifth win of the season, which translates to the ninth of his career. Once receiving the lead, the Charlotte, North Carolina native managed the endurance testing race to perfection.
To keep it simple, once at the helm, that was all she wrote for the rest of the field.
The biggest threats to Byron were the Joe Gibbs Racing teammates of rookie Ty Gibbs, and Denny Hamlin.
The two battled for second-place, and fought for every inch each time they got to each other. In race pace, this hurt both drivers’ chances at chasing down the #24 car, as at times Hamlin was holding up the field in the final stage.
Byron’s lead stretched to three-seconds, which was realistically too much to overcome before the checkered flag waved. The first opportunity for the Joe Gibbs teammates came from Michael McDowell’s pit road penalty on lap 23, as driving through too many pit boxes wasn’t the only issue for the #34 team, as he later blew an engine in lap 75.
Gibbs stayed behind Hamlin, as arguably his best shot to crack the playoffs with a win was slipping away.
The 18-year veteran of Hamlin was able to use the preferred line around the 7-turn road course while making timely blocks, which stumped the rookie’s attempt to chase down the race leader. Gibbs later fell back to finish fifth, as Hamlin crossed the line second.
The biggest winner behind Byron on the day was Bubba Wallace, who finished 12th. The 29-year-old was able to stay afloat at The Glen, as no new winner came to fruition across 90 laps.
Now holding the final playoff spot, Wallace won’t have to win his way into the playoffs, but he’ll need to race clean, and stay up front next Saturday night. The 23XI driver is in the best spot of his career to make the postseason, not needing to only win now 16th in points (+32).
Joining Wallace in the good category on the day is Brad Keselowski, and Kevin Harvick. With Byron’s win, the two have clinched playoff spots on points.
Both drivers qualified poorly on Saturday, but with today’s results of a non-cut line driver winning, Keselowski clinches his first playoff appearance since 2021, and his first since moving to RFK Racing. For Harvick, the chance to run for a title in his final full-time Cup season is now a reality, in a slump-full year for SHR.
Leaving 17th overall (-32) in points is Ty Gibbs, who finished fifth. The #54 could’ve possibly won, but his window of opportunity fell short, with the inability to pass his teammate Hamlin.
Daniel Suarez, who spun coming out of the bus stop on lap five is 18th in points, (-43) after finishing 22nd. This was his best chance to possibly win on a road course that he’s known to be good at. In reality, another opportunity slipped away, which forces the #99 team to test their luck in Daytona.
A.J. Allmendinger is 19th in the standings, (-72) after finishing fourth in what was his best weekend since a third-place effort at Atlanta in July. The #16 team prioritized Watkins Glen, along with Indy, but fell just short.
Alex Bowman is 20th, (-96) after coming home 23rd for Hendrick Motorsports. Simply, the #48 team were subpar today, as the heat of missing the playoffs has only increased.
In 20th, the biggest loser on the day was Chase Elliott. After starting 15th, collecting four stage points, and cycling his way to eighth after pit stops, the #9 team were on their way to a top-10. All was going well until a blown strategy of gambling on fuel struck.
The move that came from crew chief Alan Gustafson, has drawn an ample amount of criticism. The team had a top-10 day in store, but crossed the line 32nd. Winning at Daytona is the only answer to turn around a dreadful season, but this move might’ve put the championship crew chief on the hot seat.
Today at Watkins Glen was solid. Besides Byron, the biggest storyline throughout the race was the cutline.
But in reality, what “could’ve been” should be the main focus. While one thought could be to Ty Gibbs and what could have been if he passed his teammate Hamlin, the most important takeaway should be on NASCAR to improve the road course/short track package this winter.
This afternoon at Watkins Glen could’ve been a lot better in terms of the on-track product, as passing was difficult at times, which was a letdown in terms of the weekend hype.
A race that carried the burden of expectations delivered a storyline in terms of the playoffs, but the on-track package truly needs work.
Most of the attention from this race is likely directed toward the playoff picture and Chase Elliott’s day turned upside down. But for this evening, we leave with the fact that everyone 16th and below needs to win, as points simply don’t matter anymore. You must win to get into the playoffs, with one remaining spot.
Anything could happen at Daytona, as everything will be put on the table next Saturday night to make the postseason cut. Tempers will flare, as the make-or-break point in everyone’s season lays at the feet of a well-known beast— the regular season finale at Daytona International Speedway.
Will we see a new winner, or will Bubba Wallace advance on to make the cut? We’ll find out next weekend, as the regular season is soon to come to a close.
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The Slow Restart 