The first round of NASCAR’s Playoffs in 2024 is as varied as they come.
The postseason drivers have already tackled superspeedway-style Atlanta Motor Speedway in the next round and have short-track Bristol Motor Speedway to come in the final race of the round. Now, though, they must turn their focus to the upstate New York road course that is Watkins Glen for Sunday’s Go Bowling at The Glen (3 p.m. ET on USA Network, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
The 2.45-mile, eight-turn road course has racing heritage in spades, but, like any old racetrack, it has its challenges. Filled with high-speed corners, it’s been likened to the superspeedway of road courses. The track’s most prominent feature is a complex of fast esses up a hill leading to a straight before the bus-stop right-left chicane and a long carousel corner.
Odds via BetMGM
+625 – Kyle Larson
+725 – William Byron
+750 – Shane van Gisbergen
+825 – Tyler Reddick
+900 – Chase Elliott
+1100 – Christopher Bell
+1300 – AJ Allmendinger
+1300 – Christopher Bell
+1400 – Ty Gibbs
+1700 – Martin Truex Jr
However, the bus stop will pose a special new challenge this season, as the track has replaced curbing on the outside of the track with rumble strips. At the high speeds that complex is navigated, those rumble strips have the potential to cause damage or a loss of control, limiting drivers’ ability to use the line they might be used to over the old curbs.
“They basically added recessed rumble strips,” Austin Cindric described the changes. “Like on the highway you have the little thing that buzzes when you drive over the line and it’s pretty much what those are, but they’re like on steroids, so they’re expected to try and take grip out of the car without providing a large surface, like a big curb for the cars to go over without completely killing the runoff area, so I think that’s the intention.
Cindric, a driver with extensive road course experience from sports car racing before entering NASCAR, doesn’t expect big changes to the racing itself as a result, although he can’t be sure until they go on track.
“The intent is to not use as much of the runoff as we have in the Next Gen car at the exit of turn one. Don’t ask me why that is, it’s just kind of where it’s gone with it, whether it’s because it’s more of a momentum car or what. And then having the same thing in the carousel. I think it will limit it to the same amount. I feel like there’s a couple tenths of a second into each corner that you can gain by using a lot of the runoff, but, otherwise, I really think it will all look really similar,” he explained.
Cindric comes in with some experience with the other big change. He, along with Playoff contenders Tyler Reddick and Daniel Suarez, tested a new softer tire compound earlier in the summer that will be in use. That is designed to increase wear and introduce new strategy and encourage passing on track.
For Cindric, a road course in the first round of the Playoffs is a big opportunity. A win would guarantee him a spot in the next round, the Round of 12, but simply a good points day would help his chances of advancing. Cindric put himself in very good position after Atlanta, where he finished tenth after winning Stage 2 and coming second in Stage 1 for a large points haul that gives him a 27-point buffer entering.
Round of 16 Standings
ADV – Joey Logano
+45 – Ryan Blaney
+40 – Christopher Bell
+33 – Tyler Reddick
+33 – William Byron
+27 – Alex Bowman
+27 – Austin Cindric
+24 – Chase Elliott
+22 – Daniel Suarez
+15 – Kyle Larson
+2 – Denny Hamlin
+1 – Ty Gibbs
—————————-
-1 – Brad Keselowski
-16 – Harrison Burton
-19 – Martin Truex Jr
-21 – Chase Briscoe
Four drivers, though, will be eliminated, and Atlanta has put several drivers in the hole early. Martin Truex and Chase Briscoe tangled at Atlanta, ending their races early and putting them well below the cutline entering Watkins Glen. Harrison Burton was also involved in an accident later in the race, hurting his finish despite a strong day where he ran in the top-ten, beating expectations after coming into the Playoffs as the lowest-ranked full-time driver in regular season points. Brad Keselowski, the other driver entering below the cutline, wasn’t involved in a wreck at Atlanta but could finish no better than 19th at Atlanta.
Other drivers found trouble at Atlanta, including Kyle Larson and Denny Hamlin. Larson slammed into the wall midway through the race, ending his day, and Hamlin ran in the back all day before getting caught in a last-lap wreck. They both, however, entered the Playoffs with large points buffers that mean they still have an advantage to the cutline entering Watkins Glen, but they no longer have any buffer to lean on.
On the other end of the spectrum, it was Cindric and his Penske teammates who came out the best. Joey Logano got the lead and automatically advanced, and Ryan Blaney has the most points in hand leaving Atlanta with a stage win and a strong third-place finish.
But in NASCAR’s Playoffs, it’s not just the Playoff drivers who are on track. The full field is still competing, and there’s no preferential treatment. That means that postseason drivers can qualify behind drivers who didn’t make it and still have to race them before getting to any Playoff competitors.
It also means a non-Playoff driver can play spoiler. The odds-on favorite to do that is NASCAR’s own road course ace, Shane van Gisbergen. The former three-time Australian Supercars champion made his mark on the sport by winning the Chicago Street Course on his debut, and he’s gone on to win three times on road courses in the Xfinity Series this season. SVG will be in the Cup Series next year with Trackhouse driving the famed No. 88, and he’s getting extra seat time in advance behind the wheel of the No. 16 for Kaulig Racing.
Don’t count out SVG’s Kaulig Racing teammate AJ Allmendinger either. Allmendinger knows how to play spoiler in the Playoffs – he won at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval last year, denying any postseason driver the automatic advancement to the next round.
To give drivers extra time to adapt to the track and tire changes, there will be extra practice. That will start at 11:30 a.m. ET and will air on the USA Network, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio and the NBC Sports App. Qualifying will follow on the same channels at 1 p.m. ET.
Playoff pressure is on for the Xfinity Series at The Glen
Xfinity racing at Watkins Glen is characteristically edgy, with the series racing stock cars more like NASCAR racecars of old that are less balanced and planted on road course tracks than the Cup Series machines. It all increases the difficulty for drivers in NASCAR’s second series in Saturday’s Mission 200 at The Glen (3 p.m. ET on USA Network, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
The track features a few changes to enhance the challenge even further, with rumble strips replacing curbing at the bus stop at the end of the long straight, a crucial section for passing and one in which the cars are very much on the edge. The curbing is often used in that section to cut distance and find speed, and drivers will have to adapt to avoid the rumble strips that could upset their cars or even cause damage.
And a challenge is just what some drivers really don’t want as they try to secure their spot in the Xfinity Series Playoff grid. There are just two races to go before that field is set.
There are eight winners who have already clinched a spot in the twelve-driver postseason – Justin Allgaier, Austin Hill, Shane van Gisbergen, Chandler Smith, Sam Mayer, Jesse Love, Cole Custer, and Riley Herbst. That means there’s four spots currently available for drivers on points, though a new winner would also clinch a spot and a possible two new winners in the final two races mean that just two points spots are guaranteed.
AJ Allmendinger enters with the biggest point advantage of 144 above the cutline. He’s followed by Sheldon Creed, who enters Watkins Glen 123 points to the good. Parker Kligerman carries a 74-point advantage in, and Sammy Smith enters +44.
On the other hand, Ryan Sieg is 44 points out, a big margin but not an insurmountable one. He could take advantage with a big points day if Smith falters in the final two races. Behind Sieg, no other driver has a chance on points; Brandon Jones’ 139-point deficit is the next-lowest.
It might be Allmendinger’s time to relieve that point pressure and lock in. He has plenty of wins on road courses in the series in the past, but his teammate Shane van Gisbergen has collected the trophies on the twisty tracks so far this season. Watkins Glen could be Allmendinger’s chance to get one back on his rookie teammate.
It’s Sam Mayer who’s won once this year who’s the defending winner at The Glen. He narrowly beat Sheldon Creed in an exciting finish last year, and, entering thirteenth in points, he’s looking to improve his team’s performance leading into the postseason so he has motivation.
The other race is the race at the top. Justin Allgaier leads Cole Custer by 34 points for the regular season championship – a big margin, but it’s not locked up yet. Custer has one win to Allgaier’s two, but he also has 10 top-fives to Allgaier’s seven. Both have shown plenty of speed this season, and it could still be a race to the end.
The winner gets a crucial Playoff point bonus that carries through to each successive round of the Playoffs, plus a trophy, so there’s plenty of motivation. Custer is hoping for a good performance to bolster his chances at that title, and thinks Watkins Glen could be a good chance for him.
“Watkins Glen is a fun track for me,” Custer said. “I’ve never finished outside the top-12 there, but it’s honestly just a high-speed, fast road course. It’s difficult for sure, but I think that’s what makes it more fun as a driver.
“You have to be careful not to overstep or lose your temper too quickly. Road courses are all about patience so you can stay out of trouble and be there at the end. You’ve seen that countless times – including my win at Portland when I passed the leaders who got tangled up on a restart. If you’re too aggressive, you can put yourself in a worse position. I think the No. 00 team will be one of the ones to watch this weekend.”
Chasing Custer and others, however, will be a few one-off drivers to watch. Most notably, Connor Zilisch will make his Xfinity Series debut in the No. 88 JR Motorsports Camaro. The Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona class winner impressed in his Truck Series debut at Circuit of The Americas earlier this year, sitting on pole and ultimately finishing fourth, and he’ll look to turn even more heads at Watkins Glen.
Cup Series drivers Joey Logano, William Byron, Ty Gibbs, and Ross Chastain will also be competing. Former Cup Series driver and current part-time Xfinity driver Aric Almirola will also be in the field.
The field will also feature the Emirati-born Brit Ed Jones, who races in IMSA sports cars and part-time in the Xfinity Series, and Israeli part-time Xfinity competitor Alon Day.
Xfinity drivers will get practice ahead of the race to try out the new changes to the track. That will air at 9:30 a.m. ET on the NBC Sports App, followed by qualifying at 10 a.m. ET.
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