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Everything to Know about NASCAR’s Go Bowling at the Glen: How to Watch, Schedule
Sunday’s event marks the 41st time upstate New York’s historic course has hosted a Cup Series race.
After defending champion Ryan Blaney pushed his fellow Team Penske teammate and two-time NASCAR Cup Series victor Joey Logano to his 34th career win this past weekend in Atlanta, Georgia – a win that vaults Sliced Bread into fifth on the playoff table and automatically punches his ticket into the Round of 12 – Logano and the other 15 playoff contenders in NASCAR’s top flight will descend upon the Empire State for the second event of the postseason with the Go Bowling at the Glen.
While those in the league’s elite circuit are well acquainted with the seven-turn 2.45-mile road course, this weekend’s race marks Watkins Glen International’s Cup Series playoff debut, ratcheting up the pressure on a track layout that’s intrinsically designed with complexity in mind. But before the high-octane action shifts into gear, here’s everything you need to know.
RELATED: Where to Watch the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs
Location
First held in 1957 with Buck Baker coming out victorious, the Go Bowling at the Glen, the second event in the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs Round of 12, will take place at Watkins Glen International, located in Watkins Glen, New York. In addition to a myriad of turns, the track features 141 feet of elevation change, creating a challenging dynamic as drivers seek to maintain optimal speed throughout the 90 laps of the 220.5-mile race.
When is NASCAR's Go Bowling at the Glen?
The Go Bowling at the Glen takes place Sunday, September 15, 2024 at 3:00 p.m. ET. Prior to the Cup Series race, the NASCAR Xfinity Series will host the Mission 200 there on Saturday, September 14 at 3:00 p.m. ET.
How to Watch the Go Bowling at the Glen?
Fans can watch the Go Bowling at the Glen live broadcast on USA Network, or stream it live on the NBC Sports app.
Key Storylines
The shakeup in the NASCAR Cup Series standings after the overtime result in last week’s Quaker State 400 creates an interesting paradigm as the elite contenders prepare for the second race in the Round of 16.
Hendrick Motorsports Dominates the Glen
In addition to Chase Elliott winning his first Cup Series victory at Watkins Glen International back in 2018, the future Cup Series winner followed up his success with a repeat performance on the track in 2019. But he’s not the only driver on his team to capture the checkered flag there. Kyle Larson won there in 2021 and 2022, and William Byron completed the trifecta of recent Hendrick Motorsports winners by seizing victory there in 2023.
Can Kyle Larson Rebound?
Despite getting caught up in a scary crash that also ended Chase Briscoe’s day early at Atlanta Motor Speedway last week, Larson is well positioned for success at the Go Bowling at the Glen race this weekend in New York. Along with Kyle Busch and Chase Elliott, Larson boasts two wins there, so look for him to come out of the gate hungry. According to Racing Insights, Larson's currently projected for a third-place finish.
Qualifying and Tires
In the latest of episode of his Actions Detrimental podcast, Denny Hamlin revealed to his co-host Jared Allen why qualifying at Watkins Glen is so important to a driver’s success during the main event.
“It's got a handful of passing zones,” noted Hamlin. “Qualifying is really, really important there. I can't emphasize how important qualifying is because the speeds that we run, aerodynamics meaning so much and really the one lane track that it is, it's just, you gotta qualify well. That's going to be the key.”
Hamlin also went on to explain how the new tires will impact drivers in the race.
"This will be the X-Factor,” Hamlin stated. “With this new tire, if it does wear as quick as they're talking about, you're going to have one shot at it because if you have to go and re-run again, the lap time likely is just going to be so far off. I remember last year, the more times that you ran in on the tires, the more cycles you put on it, it just kept getting faster. But this one doesn't sound like it's going to be like that.”
The new tires are part of a partnership between Goodyear and NASCAR. According to the league, the “dramatic” level of fall-off from the tires, which amounts to three seconds of lap time from the start of a race to finish, is in place as the partners “work hand-in-hand to create better passing opportunities for drivers.”
Former Cup Champs in Peril
Having fallen below the playoff cut line, past Cup Series champions Brad Keselowski and Martin Truex Jr. find themselves in a precarious situation coming into Watkins Glen. For Keselowski, his lackluster performances on road courses leaves much to be desired, and Truex Jr. has been on a steady descent over the last few races. If he doesn’t fix it, he’ll skid into an early retirement.
23 XI Racing and Tyler Reddick
Michael Jordan’s racing outfit is poised to have an eventful day, thanks to the past success of Tyler Reddick. While he ranks second in points on road courses, per NBC Sports, Reddick leads the Cup Series in top-five finishes at Watkins Glen with 11 in addition to his 19 top-10 finishes.
Playoff Standings
After Joey Logano’s thrilling, two-lap overtime victory in Atlanta, here is the current breakdown of the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs standings.
- Joey Logano, +0, Advanced
- Ryan Blaney, +45
- Christopher Bell, +40
- Tyler Reddick, +33
- William Byron, +33
- Alex Bowman, +27
- Austin Cindric, +27
- Chase Elliott, +24
- Daniel Suárez, +22
- Kyle Larson, +15
- Denny Hamlin, +2
- Ty Gibbs: +1
ON THE BUBBLE - Brad Keselowski, -1
- Harrison Burton, -16
- Martin Truex Jr., -19
- Chase Briscoe, -21
