The NASCAR playoffs are rolling into New York this weekend.
Watkins Glen International, an 11-turn road course in the Finger Lakes region, will host its first ever postseason race after an exciting opener at Atlanta Motor Speedway last week.
There are just two races remaining in the Round of 16 before four drivers are eliminated from title contention, so the stakes will be elevated on Sunday.
So, who is racing at Watkins Glen? What’s the schedule for TV and streaming? And what drivers could contend for the win? Here’s everything you need to know for 2024 Go Bowling at The Glen:
NASCAR Watkins Glen entry list, drivers
Thirty-eight drivers will race in Watkins Glen – the 34 full-timers, plus four others.
Juan Pablo Montoya is the headliner as he returns to NASCAR for his first start in 10 years. The former Indy 500 and F1 race winner will drive the No. 50 for 23XI Racing. Road course aces Shane van Gisbergen and A.J. Allmendinger, who are both Xfinity Series regulars, will drive for Kaulig Racing. Then there’s Kaz Grala, who is back in the No. 15 car for Rick Ware Racing.
Here’s the full entry list for Watkins Glen:
Car number | Driver | Team | Sponsor |
1 | Ross Chastain | Trackhouse Racing | Busch Light |
2 | Austin Cindric | Team Penske | Autotrader |
3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Get Bioethanol |
4 | Josh Berry | Stewart-Haas Racing | Bed Bath & Beyond |
5 | Kyle Larson | Hendrick Motorsports | HendrickCars.com |
6 | Brad Keselowski | RFK Racing | King's Hawaiian |
7 | Corey LaJoie | Spire Motorsports | Gainbridge |
8 | Kyle Busch | Richard Childress Racing | Zone |
9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | NAPA Auto Parts |
10 | Noah Gragson | Stewart-Haas Racing | Bed Bath & Beyond |
11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | FedEx |
12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Menards/Pennzoil |
13 | A.J. Allmendinger | Kaulig Racing | Go Bowling |
14 | Chase Briscoe | Stewart-Haas Racing | HighPoint.com |
15 | Kaz Grala | Rick Ware Racing | Meat N' Bone |
16 | Shane van Gisbergen | Kaulig Racing | WeatherTech |
17 | Chris Buescher | RFK Racing | BuildSubmarines.com |
19 | Martin Truex Jr. | Joe Gibbs Racing | Reser's Fine Foods |
20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | DeWalt |
21 | Harrison Burton | Wood Brothers Racing | Freightliner |
22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Shell/Pennzoil |
23 | Bubba Wallace | 23XI Racing | Mobil 1 |
24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | Liberty University |
31 | Daniel Hemric | Kaulig Racing | Cirkul |
34 | Michael McDowell | Front Row Motorsports | Benebone |
38 | Todd Gilliland | Front Row Motorsports | Boozy Jerky! |
41 | Ryan Preece | Stewart-Haas Racing | Mohawk Northeast |
42 | John Hunter Nemechek | Legacy Motor Club | Dollar Tree |
43 | Erik Jones | Legacy Motor Club | Family Dollar |
45 | Tyler Reddick | 23XI Racing | Monster Energy |
47 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | JTG Daugherty Racing | Kroger |
48 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Ally |
50 | Juan Pablo Montoya | 23XI Racing | Mobil 1 |
51 | Justin Haley | Rick Ware Racing | Pinnacle |
54 | Ty Gibbs | Joe Gibbs Racing | CW Sports |
71 | Zane Smith | Spire Motorsports | Focused Health |
77 | Carson Hocevar | Spire Motorsports | Mattress Warehouse |
99 | Daniel Suarez | Trackhouse Racing | Freeway Insurance |
Watkins Glen predictions, picks, favorites
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The beauty of road courses is that you can firmly rule some drivers out of contention. The difficulty is that there are now well over a dozen competitors who are standout road racers.
When it comes to Watkins Glen specifically, Hendrick Motorsports has had a stranglehold on victory lane. The organization hasn’t lost a race in Upstate New York since 2017. Elliott won consecutively in 2018 and 2019, the COVID-19 pandemic canceled the 2020 race, Larson won in 2021 and 2022, then Byron won last summer.
Aside from the Hendrick stable, a pair of Toyota drivers and a pair of road ringers stand out.
Elliott (9.4 average finish in seven starts), Larson (12.2 in nine starts) and Byron (11.6 in five starts) all figure to be contenders again in 2024, as well as their final HMS teammate Bowman (who won the Chicago Street Race in July).
Bell (6.0) and Reddick (8.3) have the two best average finishes at Watkins Glen among active drivers, although the caveat is that they both only have three starts. Despite the small sample size, both Toyota stars have been stout on all different types of road courses in their young careers.
Then there’s Xfinity Series regulars Allmendinger and van Gisbergen for Kaulig Racing. The ‘Dinger has three Cup road course wins, including his maiden victory at The Glen in 2014. SVG, though he hasn’t ever raced at this track, has three Xfinity road wins in his rookie season. Both drivers will be joining the Cup Series full-time next season.
Some longshots to monitor are McDowell (17 laps led at Watkins Glen in 2023) and Suarez (three career top-fives at Watkins Glen).
When is the NASCAR race in Watkins Glen?
The Go Bowling at The Glen is set for Sunday, Sept. 15, at 3 p.m. ET.
Before the race on Sunday, there will be practice and qualifying sessions. The 38 drivers will be split into two groups (found here), with 20 minutes of practice scheduled for each.
The field will then compete in two-round qualifying. Here’s how it works:
- The 38 drivers will remain split into their two groups.
- First round: 15 minutes for each group. Drivers can make unlimited laps.
- The five fastest drivers from each group advance to the second round. Starting positions 11 through 38 are set based on speeds from the first round.
- Second round: 10 minutes for the 10 drivers who advanced. Drivers can make unlimited laps. The top 10 starting positions are determined based on the best single-lap speeds from the second round.
What is the NASCAR TV schedule this weekend?
NBC Sports’ signature “Radio Style” broadcast returns at Watkins Glen with announcers Leigh Diffey (play-by-play), Steve Letarte (analyst), Jeff Burton (analyst), Mike Bagley ("The Esses") and Dillon Welch ("The inner-look" and "The carousel"). Marty Snider, Kim Coon, and Parker Kligerman will serve as pit reporters. Here’s the full TV and streaming schedule:
Saturday, Sept. 14 (USA Network and streaming)
- Practice: 11:30 p.m. ET, USA Network, NBC Sports app
- Qualifying: 1 p.m. ET, USA Network, NBC Sports app
Sunday, Sept. 15 (USA Network and streaming)
- Countdown to Green: 2:30 p.m. ET, USA Network, NBC Sports app
- Go Bowling at The Glen: 3 p.m. ET, USA Network, NBC Sports app
- NASCAR Cup Series Post Race: 5 p.m. ET, USA Network, NBC Sports app
NASCAR playoff standings entering Watkins Glen
The playoff opener was kind to many of the 16 competitors, but others weren’t so lucky. Nine of the top-10 finishers in Atlanta were playoff drivers, while three championship hopefuls finished outside the top-30. Watkins Glen is the second race in the Round of 16 as drivers now have just two weeks to secure their position in the Round of 12.
You can find a full explanation of NASCAR’s playoff format right here.
Here’s the playoff standings entering Watkins Glen, with only Logano locked into the next round due to his Atlanta win:
Rank | Driver | Points |
1. | Ryan Blaney | 2,071 |
2. | Christopher Bell | 2,066 |
3. | Tyler Reddick | 2,059 |
4. | William Byron | 2,059 |
5. | Joey Logano | 2,054 |
6. | Alex Bowman | 2,054 |
7. | Austin Cindric | 2,054 |
8. | Chase Elliott | 2,050 |
9. | Daniel Suarez | 2,048 |
10. | Kyle Larson | 2,041 |
11. | Denny Hamlin | 2,028 |
12. | Ty Gibbs | 2,027 |
13. | Brad Keselowski | 2,026 |
14. | Harrison Burton | 2,011 |
15. | Martin Truex Jr. | 2,008 |
16. | Chase Briscoe | 2,006 |
NASCAR Watkins Glen winners list, race history
Eight of the 38 drivers in the field are past winners at Watkins Glen, including three with multiple victories.
Larson (2021, 2022), Elliott (2018, 2019) and Busch (2008, 2013) are two-time winners, with Byron (2023), Truex (2017), Hamlin (2016), Logano (2015) and Allmendinger (2014) scoring one win apiece.