Centurion Boats at The Glen Race Preview

Watkins Glen International -- 08/10/08

Author: Becca Gladden

Published: Thursday Aug 7 2008 12:39pm

Most NASCAR fans feel strongly about road course racing. You either love it or you hate it.

Interestingly, the drivers fall into those same two categories, and it goes without saying that the drivers who love road course racing are the ones who've had the best results.

This weekend's "Centurion Boats at the Glen" in Watkins Glen is the second road course race of the year. The first took place at Sonoma in June and was won by (who elseΔ) Kyle Busch - one of his seven wins in 21 races this season.

Of the two road courses, Watkins Glen is the one that most drivers prefer in terms of the applying their NASCAR driving skills.

"One thing that jumps out at you every time we go to Watkins Glen is the sensation of speed that you get there," notes Bobby Labonte. "It really is a fast road course. Sonoma is more of a technical course. The Glen is like the Daytona of road courses. You’re in the gas for a majority of your lap. You need to be able to pick up the gas as soon as you can to get down the long straights. There are a lot of passing zones and a lot of areas to make up time."

The Cup series has visited Watkins Glen 25 times since 1957, though just once in the 1950s and twice in the '60s, then once a year starting with the 1986 race, won by Tim Richmond.

Every race at the Glen since 1997 - 11 straight races - have been won by GM drivers, 10 in a Chevy and one in a Pontiac. Four of those races were won by Jeff Gordon (+500) and another four by Tony Stewart (+475).

The other three winners during that time were Steve Park, Robby Gordon (+950), and Kevin Harvick (+1250). The last non-GM driver to win a race here was Geoff Bodine in 1996.

Gordon and Stewart are the two win leaders at Watkins Glen with four a piece. Gordon's last win here was in 2001, however, while Stewart has won three of the last four, including last year's race. Gordon has made 15 starts, Stewart nine.

Mark Martin has three wins here in 19 starts, all in the mid 1990s, but Aric Almirola will be in Martin's DEI ride this weekend.

Stewart's teammate Denny Hamlin (+1800) leads all regular Cup series drivers in the average finish category with a 6.0, though he has only made two Watkins Glen starts. He finished 10th and 2nd in those races, but never led a lap.
Following Hamlin in the average finish category is Stewart with a 6.1 including seven top 10s in his nine starts here. Mark Martin's average finish is 6.9, followed by Robby Gordon and Carl Edwards (+2000).

Over the course of the last five Watkins Glen races, Tony Stewart leads all drivers with points accumulated including bonus points. He's followed in that category by Robby Gordon, Kevin Harvick, Jimmie Johnson (+2000) and Elliott Sadler.

Points leader Kyle Busch (+850) has three starts here. After a 33rd-place finish in his first attempt, he scored two top 10s - a 9th and a 7th.

Also popular with nascar oddsmakers has been Juan Pablo Montoya (+850), the former open-wheel star. Though he's only made one start at the Glen with a 39th-place finish, Montoya won the Cup race at Sonoma and the Nationwide race in Mexico City last year, which are both road courses.

The field at Watkins Glen will include a number of substitute drivers - the so-called road course ringers. Among them is Ron Fellows (+1800), who won last week's Nationwide race on the Montreal road course, along with Brian Simo, Boris Said (+2200), Max Papis, and P.J. Jones.

Jones is sitting in for J.J. Yeley this week, but Yeley will not be returning to the No. 96 Hall of Fame ride. He was let go by the team and will replaced by Nationwide driver Brad Coleman starting next week.