Road course specialists hope to seize on opportunity at Watkins Glen
A.J. Allmendinger just needs a repeat of 2014 to make his 2025 right when the series arrives in upstate New York for the Go Bowling at the Glen on Sunday in Watkins Glen, N.Y.
Nearly 11 years ago, Allmendinger -- owning a reputation as a hot shoe driver on road courses -- led 29 laps at Watkins Glen International, tying superstar Jeff Gordon for the race high, but Allmendinger was around at the end of the 90-lapper while Gordon's famous No. 24 fell off the lead lap.
Driving the No. 47 Chevrolet for JTG Daugherty Racing, Allmendinger raced away from Australian Marcos Ambrose by more than a second to score the first of his three Cup victories over now 465 career starts at NASCAR's top level.
With only three races left, winning is about the only way the 43-year-old veteran of 18 Cup seasons will get to compete for this season's championship.
Slotting in at 20th and with just one top-five finish thus far (Charlotte), Allmendinger is 118 points behind Chris Buescher, who slides his seat up to the 16-car playoff table as the final competitor.
"Watkins Glen is always special to me; it's a racetrack that we're always really fast at as well," said Allmendinger, who had transmission trouble on Lap 1 at the Glen last year. "We have the opportunity to be in contention this weekend if we execute well. Obviously, we want a shot to win, but ultimately, we need a solid run, and this is a race track that we can do it at."
With a baker's dozen different winners occupying the locked-in title contenders, Buescher may be primed to turn the tables on Tyler Reddick and Alex Bowman -- both winless and gridding in 14th and 15th, respectively -- and leapfrog them.
That's because Buescher made a last-lap pass in September to beat Shane van Gisbergen in a race dominated by polesitter Ross Chastain, who led 51 circuits on the famous layout.
It's a race that still haunts the New Zealander, who was leading coming to the white flag but made a mistake that Buescher capitalized on for his most recent win.
"I still get frustrated thinking about that race," van Gisbergen said this week. "When I make a personal mistake like that, it makes me angry to think that I threw that one away myself, especially after how good of a day it was, and we had the fastest car all day. Then to do that."
After finishing sixth in Austin on March 2, van Gisbergen claimed checkers at the next three road courses in Mexico City, Chicago and Sonoma and is aiming for four straight on the twisty circuits.
Hendrick Motorsports driver Chase Elliott, who lost the top spot Sunday in the point standings to Iowa winner William Byron, has two victories at the Glen, taking the checkers in 2018 and 2019.
The sport's most popular driver also possesses the most road racing checkered flags of any active driver -- seven -- but his last one came at Elkhart Lake four years ago on July 4.
Sunday's Cup event will feature 19-year-old upstart Connor Zilisch and mark the fifth time in 2025 that NASCAR has gridded a full 40-car field.
--Field Level Media
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