The Finger Lakes area of New York is likely one of the most pretty spaces of the rustic. With the serenity of the surroundings comes a soothing presence that fills all who embark on a adventure to western New York.
Thirty mins south, then again, lies a the town that is been embedded in racing historical past because the Nineteen Fifties. Watkins Glen World has been a staple of the NASCAR agenda since 1986.
On Sunday, the observe will host a NASCAR Cup Collection playoff race for the primary time, with the 16 championship hopefuls traversing the twists and turns in the second one race of the outlet spherical.
Joey Logano could also be the one playoff motive force no longer feeling any power, as a win at Atlanta locked him into the Spherical of 12. That isn’t the case for the opposite 15 drivers taking a look to advance, then again, and a pair already in finding themselves in what may well be regarded as must-win scenarios.
With the primary race of the postseason within the books, listed here are the playoff drivers regarded as favorites for Sunday’s race, and one that may be regarded as a wild card.
Favourite: Kyle Larson
Spoiler alert: Hendrick Motorsports shall be very prevalent on this division, as the corporate hasn’t misplaced a race at WGI since 2017. Larson owns two of the ones victories in 2021 and 2022, and enters Watkins Glen short of a shot within the arm. A crash at Atlanta whittled his merit over the lower line down to simply 15 issues. He is a long way from a must-win state of affairs, however a 3rd Watkins Glen victory no doubt would not harm.
Favourite: Chase Elliott
Elliott used to be as soon as christened as NASCAR’s road-course wealthy person, however the creation of the Subsequent-Gen automotive in 2022 has stifled his good fortune. Elliott is winless on avenue lessons with the Subsequent-Gen automotive, even though his highest likelihood at a win got here at Watkins Glen in 2022. On that day, Elliott used to be bested by way of Larson, an result he hopes to turn this time round. Watkins Glen ended up being the demise knell for Elliott’s playoff hopes in 2023 after he ran out of fuel, making Sunday’s race a chance for the No. 9 group to get vengeance.
Favourite: Tyler Reddick
It would be too simple to place protecting Watkins Glen winner William Byron on this spot and provides Hendrick Motorsports a blank sweep, so how about introducing a Toyota motive force to the fold? If someone has taken Elliott’s road-course crown in NASCAR’s Subsequent-Gen technology, it is Reddick, who has gained 3 times on avenue lessons in NASCAR’s 7th era car. If someone can get a divorce Hendrick’s Watkins Glen monopoly, it is Reddick, who is been the most efficient motive force in NASCAR during the last 3 months.
Underdog: Martin Truex Jr.
4 years in the past, calling Truex an underdog going into any race weekend would’ve been exceptional. Because the 2017 champion rounds out his ultimate full-time season, then again, that declare has change into much more justifiable. A horrendous hunch landed Truex the remaining seed within the playoffs, and with a 19-point deficit to the lower line, Truex’s ultimate playoff run may just quickly come to an finish. That would not be the case if he had been in a position to wreck via at Watkins Glen, then again, the place he gained in 2017. In 18 begins at WGI, Truex has seven top-fives and 11 top-10s, a mark maximum drivers would envy. It should appear loopy to assume that Truex may just win a race after suffering for far of the summer time, however crazier issues have came about previously 3 weeks of racing on my own. If someone can snag a miraculous road-course victory, it is Truex.
–Samuel Stubbs, Box Degree Media
