2010 Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips at The Glen Preview:
This Sunday the NASCAR Sprint Cup series visits picturesque Watkins Glen New York for the final NASCAR Sprint Cup road race of the season. The 2010 Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips at The Glen will feature road course ringers such as P.J. Jones and Boris Saidbut NASCAR regulars such as Jeff Gordon. Mark Martin and Tony Stewart are the true threats this weekend.
Tickets:
Speedway ticket office 866-461-RACE or 607-535-2481
The Track:
Watkins Glen is a 2.45 mile 11 turn road course. This picturesque race track features some dramatic elevation changes and the dreaded "Inner Loop" which is a chicane at the end of the backstretch which never fails to confound a few drivers every year.
Race Distance:
90 laps = 220.5 miles
The Big Picture:
Last week Kevin Harvick finished up front once again. Harvick has been amazing in 2010. His consistent top ten finishes have made it impossible for any other teams to catch him in points.
The top twelve:
- Kevin Harvick
- Jeff Gordon -189
- Denny Hamlin -260
- Jimmie Johnson -277
- Jeff Burton -323
- Kyle Busch -356
- Kurt Busch -358
- Tony Stewart -361
- Matt Kenseth -398
- Carl Edwards -414
- Greg Biffle -428
- Clint Bowyer -516
Storylines:
Just two drivers account for nine of the last twelve race winners at Watkins Glen. Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart have nine wins between them dating all the way back to 1997.
The road course specialists like Boris Said and P.J. Jones will garner more than their fair share of attention this weekend. However the last road race ace to win a NASCAR Sprint Cup race was Mark Donohue who won at Riverside in 1973.
While the media makes a lot of noise about the interlopers I'd rather put my money on Gordon and Stewart.
Media Coverage:
TV: ESPN Sunday, August 8th, 12:00PM Eastern.
Radio: MRN and SIRIUS Satellite
Actual Race: 1:05PM Eastern
Recent Events:
2009 Polesitter: Jimmie Johnson
2009 Winner: Tony Stewart
Last Year:
Last year rain tested the patience of NASCAR fans and drivers before NASCAR finally got the race off on Monday. The day may have been new but the result looked familiar. For the fifth time in eight years Tony Stewart picked up the win in Watkins Glen.
Predictions:
There are a short list of NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers that can truly be considered a threat to win on a road course. Jeff Gordon, Mark Martin, Tony Stewart and Robby Gordon typically top the list of usual road racing suspects.
Looking at the list of recent Watkins Glen winners one name stands out. Tony Stewart won five of the last eight Watkins Glen races and finished first or second each of the last three years. Tony could use a good run and Watkins Glen provides a great venue for him to shine once again.
For my backup pick this week I am going with the old timer. Mark Martin won three in a row here from 1993-1995. He has always been fast in Watkins Glen and needs a strong run to push his way into the top twelve in points. Mark could find himself at the top of the heap on Sunday afternoon.
