Busch started on the pole as a result of a rainout for qualifying to slid back a few positions, but not many at the start of the race to come back and lead 52 of the 90 laps ran on the track. 

Busch had a good day with pit stops and being able to hit all the marks on the track. This was one of his better races. 

Busch takes home his 8^th win of the season and hits the top of the points bonus for race wins when the chase starts in a few short weeks. 

Busch held off many challenges from Tony Stewart, Marcos Ambrose, Jeff Burton and Juan Pablo Montoya. Out of sequence pit stops had place him back in the field, but with the cautions that came out as well as a few drivers not pitting at the correct time, allowed Busch to hop back in front and not look back. 

Dale Earnhardt Jr. led the second most laps with 33, but the team had not called him in to pit for an extended period of time. All the leaders had pitted, but Earnhardt remained on track when the caution would come out. 

This had placed Earnhardt in the back of the field, as he needed to pit for fuel and tires, while the rest of the drivers remained on track. Earnhardt had moved back up in the field from restarting 38^th to a finish of 22^nd.  

With Earnhardt’s finish, this allowed Carl Edwards (9^th) to move up in the points chase to 2^nd and Jimmy Johnson (7^th) 3^rd. Earnhardt runs 25 points behind Johnson in 4^th overall. 

Edwards started the race 3^rd, had many battles, including a near miss with slamming Ryan Newman spinning out in front of him late in the race. Johnson himself had to fight back from adversity of a flat tire, falling to the back of the pack to get in the fight in the top 10. 

With eight to go, a big crash brought out a red flag for almost 1 hour. We saw Michael McDowell tag David Gilliland coming into the last turn of the race track and both spun out in the path of 6 other drivers. One driver being Bobby Labonte who has been taken to a local hospital to be checked out. 

The hard charger of the race was Marcos Ambrose. He started in the back of the field to finish 3^rd for his first NASCAR Sprint Cup race. This coming for Ambrose after winning the Nationwide race, being run the day before. 

The tough luck award goes to Jeff Gordon who started 6^th wound up 29^th after a hard day on the track. His team as well as himself fought the car and attempted to make numerous changes to the car, but Gordon would continue to struggle for the rest of the day. 

PRE RACE CHATTER 

As the defending race champion, Stewart’s pursuing not only a second consecutive win at the upstate New York track, but his fourth in the last five series races there.

Lastly, he and four-time series champion Jeff Gordon (No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet) — NASCAR’s all-time leader with nine road-course wins — have combined to win 15 of the last 22 series events at road courses. That includes eight of the last 11 at Watkins Glen. 

Stewart, who’s ninth in the series standings, has two top-five finishes in his last three races, the latest a runner-up finish last Sunday at Pocono Raceway.

As for pre-race Loop Data for Watkins Glen, he leads Driver Rating (137.9), Average Running Position (3.3), Fastest Laps Run (76), Laps in the Top 15 (264) and Average Green Flag Speed (119.360 mph). He has four wins, five top fives and seven top 10s in nine career starts there. 

Standings leader Kyle Busch (No. 18 M&M’s Toyota) holds the top spot with a series-high seven wins (70 bonus points). 

Carl Edwards (No. 99 Office Depot Ford), thanks to Sunday’s win at Pocono (his fourth in ‘08), would be seeded second, followed by Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet) and Kasey Kahne (No. 9 Budweiser Dodge). Kahne and Johnson each have two wins; based on tiebreakers, Johnson earns the third seed. 

Four other drivers currently in the top 12 have one win in ‘08 — Dale Earnhardt Jr. (No. 88 National Guard/AMP Energy Chevrolet), Clint Bowyer (No. 07 DirecTV Chevrolet), Denny Hamlin (No. 11 FedEx Ground Toyota) and Jeff Burton (No. 31 AT&T Mobility Chevrolet). 

Earnhardt, Bowyer, Hamlin and Burton would be seeded fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth, respectively.  

Tony Stewart, Jeff Gordon, Greg Biffle (No. 16 3M Ford) and Kevin Harvick (No. 29 Shell/Pennzoil Chevrolet) — winless thus far in ‘08 — would be seeded ninth, 10th, 11th and 12, respectively. 

Combined, those 15 drivers have an impressive 363 total career victories.

In fact, it’s not usual for series champions to battle for wins at The Glen. Exhibit A: Gordon and Stewart were part of a suspenseful finish to last year’s event; Gordon, the polesitter, spun in Turn 1 while leading late, and saw Stewart usurp his lead for the win. 

Gordon, who celebrated his 37th birthday on Monday, is NASCAR’s all-time leader with nine road-course wins.  

“I love racing at Watkins Glen,” he said. “It's fast, and it’s a track that suits our cars very, very well “
Watkins Glen’s winning history may present the next hurdle for standings leader Kyle Busch.

Busch’s series-high seven wins include a victory earlier this season in the schedule’s only other road-course event, at Infineon Raceway.  

A win on Sunday would mean the ‘08 road-course sweep for Busch, who also won the NASCAR Nationwide Series event in Mexico City in March.  

If he does prevail, he’ll become the first driver to win three national-series road-course events in one season. Busch could use the boost; he’s coming off two consecutive finishes outside the top 10. 

Watkins Glen Winners      Career Wins

Buck Baker                           46 
Billy Wade                            4
Marvin Panch                        17
Tim Richmond                      13
Rusty Wallace                       55
Ricky Rudd                           23
Ernie Irvan                           15
Kyle Petty                            8
Mark Martin                          35
Geoffrey Bodine                    18
Jeff Gordon                          81
Steve Park                           2
Tony Stewart                       32
Robby Gordon                      3
Kevin Harvick                       11
TOTAL                                 363 

TO WIN QUALIFYING IS ESSENTIAL – WELL, SORT OF 

If it didn’t rain, this statement would be true. So we start the race by owner’s points. 

NOW LET’S GET IT ON!! 

Kyle Busch and Dale Earnhardt Jr. will lead the 43 drivers out onto the track. We will see three drivers going to the back of the pack at the start of the race. David Ragan for going to a backup car, Michael Waltrip for getting a replacement engine and the 45 that is normally Kyle Petty going to a backup driver of Boris Said. 

Out of turn 10 and down the hill… 

GREEN FLAG as the front part of the field makes it through the tight right hand turn 1, but we see Bristol style bumps and bangs towards the back of the field. Lap 2 in the bus stop area, Dale Earnhardt Jr. takes the lead as he cuts to the inside of Busch. Jimmy Johnson is able to take the same advantage moving into second. A few corners later Jeff Gordon passes Busch to take 3^rd. Team Hendrick is the top 3. 

Lap 3 David Reutimann breaks loose behind A.J. Allmendinger and spins out on the outside of turn 1. Lap 4 Earnhardt pulls away from the field to a 1.5 second lead. Lap 5 early movers on the track – P.J. Jones from 38^th to 28^th, Michael McDowell from 36^th to 25^th, Sam Hornish Jr. from 34^th to 22^nd, Juan Pablo Montoya from 25^th to 15^th and Ryan Newman from 16^th to 10^th. 

Lap 7 Earnhardt remains 1.5 seconds in front of Johnson and 3.2 seconds in front of 3^rd place Jeff Gordon. Lap 8 heading from turn 8 to turn 9 Kyle Busch moves back into 3^rd passing Gordon. Lap 9 Tony Stewart takes 4^th from Gordon. 

Lap 10 Jr. is now up to  a second lead over Johnson. Lap 12 Kevin Harvick takes over 6^th place from Jeff Gordon, who is slowly sliding back in positions. Lap 13 so where are the road course ringers? Max Papis started 39^th is up to 34^th, Boris Said started 37^th is 32^nd, P.J. Jones started 38^th and is 30^th, Marcos Ambrose from the back to 28^th and Ron Fellows from 32^nd up to 24^th. 

Lap 15 trouble in turn one as P.J. Jones and Patrick Carpentier connect heading to turn one, sliding to the run off area. Both drive away. Lap 16 Jeff Gordon slides back to 8^th with Martin Truex Jr., Jeff Burton and Ryan Newman looking to get by. 

Lap 17 Earnhardt Jr. leads Johnson by 2.2 seconds and 3^rd place Kyle Busch by 3.2 seconds. Lap 18 Reed Sorenson spins out the trouble turn one area. Lap 20 we start to see early pit stops. Allmendinger stopped about 3 laps ago. This lap Carl Edwards, Matt Kenseth and Greg Biffle pit. 

Lap 21 Harvick pits along with Ryan Newman. Robby Gordon makes a pit stop. Lap 22 Clint Bowyer, Jamie McMurray, Jeff Burton and Fellows pit. Lap 23 Kyle Busch and Tony Stewart along with Denny Hamlin and Sam Hornish Jr. pit. Lap 24 Martin Truex Jr. is in with Ambrose, Casey Mears and Joe Nemechek. 

Lap 25 your top 10 drivers during the pit stops cycle are Earnhardt Jr., Johnson, Montoya, Kahne, Jeff Gordon, Kurt Busch, McDowell, Paul Menard, Elliott Sadler and Bobby Labonte. 

Lap 26 Johnson pits who is followed in by Kurt Busch, Aric Almirola, Jones and Papis. Lap 27 Montoya and Said are in along with Kasey Kahne. Lap 28 Earnhardt Jr. is in. Jeff Gordon’s radio must not be working as the team has to ask NASCAR to black flag him to make his pit stall. 

Lap 30 Kyle Busch is the leader followed by Johnson, Harvick and Stewart. Lap 31 Johnson is behind by ¾’s of a second, Stewart 7 seconds, Harvick 7.6 seconds, Edwards 8.4 seconds and Earnhardt Jr. 10 seconds. 

Lap 33 our movers of the race are Papis from the back to 32^nd, Said from the back to 30^th, McDowell from 36^th up to 24^th, Ambrose from the back to 21^st, Allmendinger from 37^th up to 19^th, David Gilliland from 26^th to 16^th, Montoya from 25^th up to 11^th and Truex Jr. from 18^th to 7^th. 

Lap 36 our shakers of the race are Kahne from 7^th down to 14^th, Jeff Gordon from 6^th to 23^rd, Vickers from 17^th to 26^th, Ragan from 14^th to 34^th, Almirola from 15^th to 26^th and Travis Kvapil from 23^rd to 43^rd. 

Lap 38 drivers currently a lap down are Kvapil, Reed Sorenson, David Reutimann, Scott Riggs and Robby Gordon. The next drivers who may be added to the list would be Jones, Nemechek and Waltrip. 

Lap 41 we hear that Johnson has a flat tire. He will come into pit road. The team makes the stop, but it does not look like he had one. Lap 43 Stewart runs second place 5 seconds behind Kyle Busch. 

Lap 45 (Halfway) as Kyle Busch leads by 4 seconds now over Stewart and 28 seconds over 10^th place Newman. Lap 47 as Hornish Jr. slides through the gravel pit of turn nine to make it back to the track. 

YELLOW FLAG lap 47 for debris, not for Hornish Jr.’s issue but for someone getting into trouble in turn seven area. This allows the field to make a challenge on Kyle Busch. 

GREEN FLAG lap 50 (40 to go) your top 20 drivers are – Kyle Busch, Stewart, Edwards, Harvick, Montoya, Burton, McMurray, Kurt Busch, Bowyer, Mears, McDowell, Labonte, Johnson, Papis, Earnhardt Jr., Truex Jr., Biffle, Newman, Kahne and Hamlin. 

Lap 52 Stewart is all over Kyle Busch wanting the lead. Lap 53 Edwards is in to pit. This should be his last stop. We are now in the window for last stops today. Stewart takes the lead. Lap 55 Kyle Busch is back in the lead. Biffle and Nemechek are in for their stops. 

Lap 56 Kyle Busch, Stewart, Burton, Harvick, Hamlin, McMurray, Robby Gordon and a few others make stops. Lap 57 Ambrose, Sadler, Labonte, Waltrip, Mears pit. Lap 58 Montoya is in along with Gilliland. 

Lap 60 (30 to go) your top 10 are Johnson, Earnhardt Jr., Kahne, Menard, Said, Jones, Newman, Truex Jr., Ambrose, Hamlin and Fellows as we are mid pit stops. 

Johnson and Kahne pit. Lap 62 Earnhardt has not been called into pit road. At the moment he leads by 22.5 seconds. Kvapil runs through the gravel trap in the bus stop, scattering gravel all over the track. 

YELLOW FLAG lap 64 this is not what Earnhardt Jr. wanted to have happen. He was one of a few who did not stop. He also has a broken brace for the front splitter and he reports to the team that his dashboard gauges are not working. This could be an electrical issue. 

25 to go as Kyle Busch is back in the lead, followed by Stewart, Newman, Truex Jr., Ambrose, Hamlin, Fellows, Montoya, Johnson and Harvick. Sorenson is the lucky dog. 

GREEN FLAG lap 66 By the time we get to the bus stop, Edwards and Fellows battle for 10^th.  

20 to go Earnhardt Jr. restarted 38^th. He has moved back up to 28^th. We see a battle between Jones and Jeff Gordon on the track. In the last corner before the front straight, Jones is clipped on the right rear by Hornish Jr. sending him backwards into the outside wall. Jones re-fires the car and gets moving again. 

Lap 72 Jones spins out again and limps his car off the track, the race stays green. 17 to go Kyle Busch leads by 1.3 seconds over Stewart and 2.8 seconds over Newman. We hear that some drivers may have to stop for a gas and go. This could be a benefit for Earnhardt Jr. 

Lap 75 (15 to go) Ambrose has been the man on the move, who is running 4^th. Montoya is up in the standings running 5^th.  

YELLOW FLAG with 13 to go as Newman spins out in the turn one run off. He spins back into the path of everyone. He is almost nailed by Edwards, Fellows, Johnson and several others. Newman cannot get the car restarted. Hornish Jr., who was running in the back of the pack pulls in behind Newman and will push him around back to pit road. 

We will see who comes in. The leaders stay out. We see a scattering of drivers in the back pit. Robby Gordon is the lucky dog. Newman is back on the track which is dead again on the back side of the track. 

GREEN FLAG and 9 to go with Kyle Busch and Stewart leading the field into turn one.  

8 to go Kyle Busch leads Stewart by a half second. 

YELLOW FLAG 8 to go a huge wreck on the front. McDowell connects with Gilliland out of the last turn. They both head to the outside wall. Gilliland heads nose first into the outside wall as McDowell tears up the left side of the car and continues on. 

Gilliland spins a few 360’s into the path of drivers coming out of the turn. He is in the path of Labonte, who has nowhere to go who slams the right front of Gilliland’s car, sending him around for another 360 in the path of Dave Blaney who plows into him. At the same time Labonte’s rear end flies up in the air as he shoots to the pit road entrance. 

Waltrip slams the back of Blaney as he spins in the path of other drivers. Labonte slams the inside wall. Hornish is spun out and slams the water barrels as they explode. 

Gilliland spins out into other cars as well as Blaney’s car, blocking the track. Several other drivers of Joe Nemechek and Sorenson with Papis. We also saw one of the driver’s cars catch fire. 

Labonte took a hard hit himself as he got out of the car, holding his right side and we hear that he will be taken to a local hospital for be checked out. NASCAR will be speaking to Gilliland and McDowell to the oval office for a talk. We go to RED FLAG. 

We are back to YELOW FLAG after about a 45 minute delay. 

GREEN FLAG 6 to go for Kyle Busch and Stewart. And back to yellow for debris. 

GREEN FLAG 5 to go as they race down to turn one. Busch and Stewart are no change, Ambrose is third. Truex Jr. takes over 4^th from Montoya. On the back side of the track Montoya takes it back. 

4 to go Allmendinger moves up to 8^th. Single file for the field. 

3 to go as they cross the start finish line, Johnson tries for the position on the inside of Allmendinger, but it does not happen. 

2 to go Busch is ahead of Stewart by 1.5 seconds. Johnson makes the pass on the inside of Allmendinger. On the back side of the track, Ambrose tries for 2^nd on the inside of Stewart. 

WHITE FLAG for Kyle Busch 2.2 seconds in front of Stewart. Ambrose all over Stewart for 2^nd place. Big trouble for Jeff Gordon in turn one and a big cloud of smoke. Gordon has damage. 

CHECKERED FLAG for Kyle Busch as he sweeps both road course races. 

Your top ten drivers for the race are Kyle Busch, Stewart, Ambrose, Montoya, Truex Jr., Harvick, Johnson, Hamlin, Edwards and Kurt Busch. 

Busch led the most laps with 52, Earnhardt Jr. 33, Johnson and Montoya 2 and Stewart 1. 

The race lasted for 3 hours. We saw 8 lead changes among 5 leaders. We also lived through 4 cautions for 9 laps and one red flag for 45 minutes. 

Kyle Busch won the Centurion Boats at The Glen, his 12th victory in 136 NASCAR  Cup Series races.

This is his eighth victory and 14th top-10 finish in 2008.

This is his first victory and third top-10 finish in four races at Watkins Glen International.

Tony Stewart (second) posted his eighth top-10 finish in ten races at Watkins Glen International.  It is his 11th top-10 finish in 2008.

Marcos Ambrose (third) posted his first top-10 finish in just his third NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race.

Patrick Carpentier (20th) was the highest finishing rookie.

Kyle Busch leads the point standings by 242 points over Carl Edwards.