NASCAR Xfinity Series Predictions at Watkins Glen
Kyle Larson celebrating his win following the 2022 Sunoco Go Rewards 200 at the Glen.
New York will host NASCAR Xfinity Series competition this weekend in the beautiful scenery of Watkins Glen for the Shriner’s Children 200 at The Glen at 3:30 PM EST on USA.
Kyle Larson double dipped last year, winning in both Xfinity and Cup races for the weekend, while he will only be racing in the Cup Series this weekend, there are other Cup regulars looking to accomplish what Larson did last year.
Kyle Busch enters as the favorite to win on Saturday, running in the #10 Kaulig Racing Chevy Camero. Busch hasn’t run an Xfinity race at The Glen since 2019, where he finished 31st, but has run well at this track. With 11 Xfinity starts at The Glen, he’s got one win dating back to 2017, six Top 10’s, seven Top 10’s, and an average finish of 13th. It will be intriguing to see how Busch contends on Saturday.
Ty Gibbs enters his eigth Xfinity race of the season, having come off a win last week at the Indianapolis G.P. circuit. Gibbs also has an Xfinity win at The Glen in 2021, but finished 27th last season after spinning out with five laps to go, battling with William Byron for the lead. Nonetheless, the #19 Joe Gibbs Toyota Supra will look to go back-to-back this Saturday.
Justin Allgaier will look to dethrone the Cup drivers on Saturday, coming off strong momentum with a 5th place finish last week at the Indianapolis G.P. circuit. Last year’s race was the shortest race of his career at The Glen, crashing out on Lap 4, resulting in his worst finish at the track in 38th. Other than that, Allgaier has gathered four Top 5’s and five Top 10’s since the switch to JR Motorsports in 2016. He enters only 34 points behind Austin Hill for the regular season title, which carries 15 bonus points heading into the Playoffs. The #7 JRM Chevy Camero will look to return to victory lane this weekend.
Sam Mayer enters Watkins Glen on a four race streak of Top 5’s, dating back to Pocono. He’s also finished inside the Top 10 in both races he’s started at The Glen, 10th in 2021 and 6th just a season ago. Coming off a 2nd place run last week at the Indianapolis G.P. circuit, only losing to Ty Gibbs, he’ll look to finish one spot better to continue his momentum as the Playoffs loom closer.
Austin Hill made his first Xfinity start at The Glen last year, finishing 30th. But a lot can change within the span of a year. Hill enters as the points leader heading into Watkins Glen, but only by 11 points over John Hunter Nemechek. He also signed an extension with Richard Childress Racing for multiple years earlier this week, securing his ride for the foreseeable future. Not to mention, he’s been one of the better road course racers in 2023. He’s averaging a 5th place finish over the last five Xfinity road course races, with four Top 5’s, five Top 10’s, and his only DNF coming at COTA due to an engine failure. The #21 RCR Chevy Camero will look to be the first one grabbing the checkered flag this Saturday.