NASCAR Cup Series Predictions at Watkins Glen
Kyle Larson taking the checkered flag at the 2022 Go Bowling at the Glen.
The penultimate NASCAR Cup Series regular season race heads to Watkins Glen for the Go Bowling at The Glen at 3PM EST on USA.
Kyle Larson won last year’s rainy Watkins Glen race, after contact with teammate Chase Elliott forced the #9 NAPA Chevy Camero wide in the first corner, allowing Larson to scoot by and win.
Chase Elliott will be looking for vengeance as he enters this Sunday as the favorite to win. He earned his first career Cup win on this track in 2018 and won in 2019 as well. His worse finish at The Glen was 13th in ‘16 and ‘17. Not to mention road courses are Chase Elliott’s specialty, as his 2023 results have all been inside the Top 5. With finishes of 5th at Sonoma, 3rd at Chicago, and 2nd last week at Indianapolis. Elliott enters in a must win scenario to qualify for the Playoffs, sitting 80 points behind the cutoff after missing six races due to suffering a fractured tibia in a snowboarding accident. This could be the best chance he has at winning before next weekend’s regular season finale in Daytona.
Kyle Larson has conquered Watkins Glen since NASCAR’s return in 2021 after skipping in 2020 due to COVID restrictions. Winning both Cup races in 2021 and 2022, Larson looks for his second career three race winning streak at a single race track, the first one coming at Michigan after winning in 2016 and sweeping both races in 2017. Larson has an average finish of 8th on road courses in 2023, including a season best 4th at the Chicago Street Course. Expect strong speed out of the #5 HendrickCars.com Chevy Camero this Sunday.
Michael McDowell dominated last week at Indianapolis, winning his second career race and locking himself into the Playoffs. With all this momentum that he and Front Row Motorsports are on, what’s stopping them from letting it continue this weekend? McDowell finish 6th in last year’s race, on top of his abilities to run well on the road courses. He’s got an average finish of 7th on road courses in 2023, with his worse finish being 12th at COTA. There’s a strong chance the #34 Ford Mustang goes back-to-back this weekend at The Glen.
Kyle Busch is in need of some good finishes before the Playoffs begin, having just one Top 5 in his last five races. Watkins Glen is one of the more consistent tracks on the NASCAR Cup schedule for Busch, having two wins, seven Top 5’s, 13 Top 10’s and an average finish of 10th in 17 starts at The Glen. Busch also has solid finishes on road courses in 2023, finishing 2nd at COTA and Sonoma, and 5th in Chicago. After encountering a tire issue last week at Indianapolis resulting in 36th, the #8 RCR Chevy Camero will look to bounce back this Sunday.
AJ Allmendinger heads back to Watkins Glen as a full time Cup driver for the first time since 2018. He scored his first career Cup win at The Glen in 2014, cementing himself as a driver to always keep an eye on in the years following that win. Allmendinger finished 2nd in last year’s race, and entering 87 points behind the cutoff, it’s a must win this week for the #16 Kaulig Chevy Camero.
Alex Bowman enters Sunday 80 points outside the cutoff to make the Playoffs, tied with Hendrick teammate Chase Eillott for 19th in points. After last week’s 5th place run at Indianapolis, the #48 Ally Chevy Camero heads into Watkins Glen with some much needed momentum as they move into a must win scenario. Bowman’s best finish of the season was 3rd at COTA, showing that Bowman has the capability of running in the front at road courses, looking to continue that at The Glen.