CONCORD, N.C. – The challenging aspects of Watkins Glen International make for a thrilling second and final road-course race of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season.
In addition to left and right turns, the Hendrick Motorsports teams will also be performing at least two backward pit stops in Sunday’s 220-mile race.
“It’s an interesting track. It’s a fun track. It’s tough to pass at times,” said Kasey Kahne, driver of the No. 5 Chevrolet SS. “If you can get on the right pit sequence you can usually make up a lot of time and a lot of ground.”
Be sure to tune in this Sunday to see which drivers are able to make the right pit stop sequence, leading them to Victory Lane. But before you watch the green flag wave, take a look at what you should know:
BROADCAST INFORMATION: Sunday's race will air live on NBC Sports Network at 2 p.m. ET. Can’t make it to a television? Tune into MRN or SiriusXM to catch the Watkins Glen radio coverage. This weekend’s qualifying session will take place Saturday afternoon on NBC Sports Network. Tune in to this weekend’s two practice sessions, also on NBC Sports Network, this Friday. Here is the full broadcast schedule:
Friday, August 7:
11:30 a.m. ET, Sprint Cup Series Practice, NBC Sports Network
4:40 p.m. ET, Sprint Cup Series Final Practice, NBC Sports Network
Saturday, August 8:
1:15 p.m. ET, Sprint Cup Series Qualifying, NBC Sports Network
Sunday, August 9:
2 p.m. ET, Sprint Cup Series Race, NBC Sports Network / MRN/ SiriusXM (2:18 p.m. ET green flag)
THIS WEEK’S PAINT SCHEMES: This weekend, Kahne will drive the No. 5 Time Warner Cable Chevrolet SS in this season’s second road-course race. Jeff Gordon will pilot the No. 24 Axalta Chevrolet SS, while teammate Jimmie Johnson competes in the No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet SS. Dale Earnhardt Jr. will race the No. 88 Nationwide Chevrolet SS this Sunday at the Watkins Glen track.
HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS AT WATKINS GLEN: In 29 races at Watkins Glen, Hendrick Motorsports has six wins, six pole positions, 18 top-five finishes and 34 top-10 finishes. Gordon ranks second on the all-time wins list at Watkins Glen International with four victories. He earned Hendrick Motorsports’ most recent victory at the road course when he won the 2001 event. With 262 laps led, Gordon is the all-time leader in that category at the serpentine track.
KAHNE AT WATKINS GLEN: In the last 10 Sprint Cup road-course races, Kahne has completed the sixth-most laps among active drivers (996 laps).
GORDON AT WATKINS GLEN: Gordon’s 262 laps led are the most all-time at Watkins Glen. He is tied for most pole positions at the serpentine track with Dale Earnhardt and Mark Martin, and his four wins there rank behind only Tony Stewart’s five.
JOHNSON AT WATKINS GLEN: According to NASCAR's loop data statistics, Johnson has the fourth-best driver rating at Watkins Glen with a score of 100.1 during the past 10 years at the track. Of the 74 career wins Johnson has accumulated over his 15 year career, none of them have come at Watkins Glen. The other "winless" tracks Johnson has his sights set on include Chicago, Kentucky and Homestead-Miami.
EARNHARDT AT WATKINS GLEN: In 15 Sprint Cup starts at Watkins Glen International, Earnhardt has posted six top-15 finishes and completed 92.7 percent of the laps he has attempted (1,255 laps of 1,354 total). He scored a career-best third-place finish at the road course in 2003.