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 [September 13, 2024]
The Finger Lakes region of New York is one of the most
beautiful areas of the country. With the serenity of the scenery
comes a calming presence that fills all who embark on a journey to
western New York.
Thirty minutes south, however, lies a town that's been embedded in
racing history since the 1950s. Watkins Glen International has been
a staple of the NASCAR schedule since 1986.
On Sunday, the track will host a NASCAR Cup Series playoff race for
the first time, with the 16 championship hopefuls traversing the
twists and turns in the second race of the opening round.
Joey Logano may be the only playoff driver not feeling any pressure,
as a win at Atlanta locked him into the Round of 12. That's not the
case for the other 15 drivers looking to advance, however, and a
couple already find themselves in what could be considered must-win
situations.
With the first race of the postseason in the books, here are the
playoff drivers considered favorites for Sunday's race, and one that
could be considered a wild card.
Favorite: Kyle Larson
Spoiler alert: Hendrick Motorsports will be very prevalent in this
department, as the company hasn't lost a race at WGI since 2017.
Larson owns two of those victories in 2021 and 2022, and enters
Watkins Glen in need of a shot in the arm. A crash at Atlanta
whittled his advantage over the cut line down to just 15 points.
He's far from a must-win situation, but a third Watkins Glen victory
certainly wouldn't hurt.
Favorite: Chase Elliott
Elliott was once christened as NASCAR's road-course magnate, but the
advent of the Next-Gen car in 2022 has stifled his success. Elliott
is winless on road courses with the Next-Gen car, though his best
chance at a win came at Watkins Glen in 2022. On that day, Elliott
was bested by Larson, an outcome he hopes to flip this time around.
Watkins Glen ended up being the death knell for Elliott's playoff
hopes in 2023 after he ran out of gas, making Sunday's race an
opportunity for the No. 9 team to get vengeance.
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Favorite: Tyler Reddick
It'd be too easy to put defending Watkins Glen winner William Byron
in this spot and give Hendrick Motorsports a clean sweep, so how
about introducing a Toyota driver to the fold? If anyone has taken
Elliott's road-course crown in NASCAR's Next-Gen era, it's Reddick,
who has won thrice on road courses in NASCAR's seventh generation
vehicle. If anyone can break up Hendrick's Watkins Glen monopoly,
it's Reddick, who's been the best driver in NASCAR over the past
three months.
Underdog: Martin Truex Jr.
Four years ago, calling Truex an underdog going into any race
weekend would've been unheard of. As the 2017 champion rounds out
his final full-time season, however, that claim has become a lot
more justifiable. A horrendous slump landed Truex the last seed in
the playoffs, and with a 19-point deficit to the cut line, Truex's
final playoff run could soon come to an end. That wouldn't be the
case if he were able to break through at Watkins Glen, however,
where he won in 2017. In 18 starts at WGI, Truex has seven top-fives
and 11 top-10s, a mark most drivers would envy. It may seem crazy to
think that Truex could win a race after struggling for much of the
summer, but crazier things have happened in the past three weeks of
racing alone. If anyone can snag a miraculous road-course victory,
it's Truex.
--Samuel Stubbs, Field Level Media
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