CONCORD, N.C. - After opening the Round of 16 in the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs with a drafting track, Hendrick Motorsports will travel to another unique venue this weekend in the form of Watkins Glen International. Sunday afternoon's main event will be the first playoff event for the New York-based facility.
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William Byron will also return to the NASCAR Xfinity Series with the No. 17 HendrickCars.com team. Brandon McSwain returns atop the pit box for the weekend as the team aims to win for the third time in 2024.
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Watkins Glen has long been a popular road course among drivers and teams. From the large elevation changes to the high speed corners and heavy braking zones, opportunities to pass are plentiful. Also new for this weekend will be a softer tire compound from Goodyear, one that is expected to decrease lap times by about three seconds as the rubber wears out. The hope is for tougher-to-handle race cars, putting driving talent at the forefront.
Over the past few years, Watkins Glen has been nothing but fruitful for Rick Hendrick's team. The organization has swept the last five events in upstate New York with Chase Elliott and Kyle Larson each winning twice and Byron leading 66 of 90 laps while cruising to victory last year. All told, Hendrick Motorsports has visited victory lane 11 times at Watkins Glen, the most of any team by four. Jeff Gordon leads the way with four wins.
Where is the NASCAR race this weekend?
The Cup Series main event is at Watkins Glen. The tour will utilize the road course's 2.454-mile layout.
NASCAR on TV this week
Saturday, September 14
9:30 a.m. ET: Practice (Xfinity) - NBC Sports App
10 a.m. ET: Qualifying (Xfinity) - NBC Sports App
11:30 a.m. ET: Practice (Cup) - USA Network
1 p.m. ET: Qualifying (Cup) - USA Network
3 p.m. ET : Xfinity Series main event - USA Network
Cup Series practice will feature two 20 minute sessions instead of the usual one. This will give team extra time to see how the new tire compound fares under race-like conditions.
For the Cup Series, Larson and Elliott will be in Group A while Byron and Bowman will be in Group B. For the Xfinity Series, Byron will qualify in Group B.
Sunday, September 15
3 p.m. ET: Cup Series main event - USA Network
STAGES (XFINITY)
STAGE 1: LAP 20
STAGE 2: LAP 40
END OF RACE: LAP 82
STAGES (CUP)
STAGE 1: LAP 20
STAGE 2: LAP 40
END OF RACE: LAP 90
Will the NASCAR race be on the radio?
Yes, listeners can find both races on MRN Radio and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90).
Where can I stream online?
Yes. Download the NBC Sports App for online coverage. Fans can also keep up with the action on X by following @TeamHendrick.
Driver averages, statistics for Hendrick Motorsports drivers
Data provided by Racing Insights
Larson, No. 5 team
The driver of the No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet has seen success at Watkins Glen in recent memory. Of his five road course wins, five have come at the Glen. His five stage wins at serpentine layouts are the third-most of active Cup Series drivers. In general this season, he's led an astonishing 48% of all Chevrolet's laps in the Cup Series. Although Atlanta Motor Speedway proved to be a costly points day, Larson will look to improve upon his 15-point cushion to the cutline on Sunday.
Elliott, No. 9 team
Hard to imagine that six years ago, Elliott broke through to win for the first time in the Cup Series at Watkins Glen. In total, the Dawsonville, Georgia, native's success on road courses has not gone unnoticed. His average finish of 8.97 across 33 starts is nearly four positions better than second place. He also holds a tie with Denny Hamlin for the most stage victories on tracks turning left and right (8). For the playoffs, Atlanta proved to be fruitful as the team gained 15 markers on the projected cutline. They'll aim to back up those results this weekend.
Byron, No. 24 team
The No. 24 team has broken through in a big way over the past year at road courses. Last season, Byron scored his first career win at tracks of this type with a dominating victory at Watkins Glen. He followed that triumph up with another win at Circuit of The Americas, the first road course race of 2024. Another solid run on Sunday would also help build momentum into the final race of the Round of 16. Sitting with a 33-point margin over the cutline, the No. 24 team will aim to have a solid run, growing this point cushion to Bristol Motor Speedway's main event.
Bowman, No. 48 team
The most recent road course winner in the Cup Series heads to New York with momentum on his side. Not only did he and the No. 48 Ally Racing team score a long overdue road course victory after a history of solid runs, but Atlanta's main event proved the team has the ability to rise to the momentum. With this stellar finish in Georgia, Bowman now sits 22 points above the cutline and will look to improve upon his Cup Series leading 115 points scoters at road courses so far in 2024.
Hendrick Motorsports
Four of the last five road course races have gone to Hendrick Motorsports, including all three in 2024 so far. The group has also gone to victory lane in three of the six playoff events held at tracks turning left and right. As Watkins Glen draws near, the team will look to continue this successful streak at road courses and increase all four driver's positive standing relative to the cutline.
Did you know?
Hendrick Motorsports is the only team to have three drivers win at three road courses in Cup Series history.
Tune in on Sunday, September 15, to catch all of the racing action on USA Network, MRN Radio and Sirius XM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90).