So what did we learn at the Glen on Sunday? Well, road course aces usually do not end up with the great finish the owner had hoped for when they made the change. Tommy Drissi drove for Joe Nemechek while Victor Gonzalez Jr got in a car for Tommy Baldwin. They crashed on Lap 39 and finished 42nd and 41st. Ron Fellows (35th), Alex Kennedy (29th), Owen Kelly (24th), and Boris Said (22nd) gave ‘er a go and we thank them for coming out. In the end, they participated, rather than competed.
If you are looking for a road course specialist, maybe go with a name you know. Kyle Busch dominated the final 30 laps to claim his second career victory at Watkins Glen, his eighth straight Top Ten at the New York facility, his third win of the season, and 27th of his career. However, this gun for hire already has a job as Joe Gibbs’ top sheriff.
Marcos Ambrose won the last two races there and dominated the first 60 laps starting from the pole. Then Petty team-mate Aric Almirola had something go wrong with his left front and buried the car deep into the tires. Ambrose pitted on the resulting caution, sat about fifteen deep, and never recovered. When an issue in his back end caused him to crash with six to go, he dropped from tenth to 31st.
Mark Martin has three wins at the Glen, but he was in his rocking chair last weekend. Jeff Gordon only wishes he was, as the four-time Glen winner touched one wall on Lap 14, and traded it in for the one on the other side as he quickly became a stripped down limping hot rod for the rest of the event. Gordon was 36th.
Tony Stewart, literally spent the weekend with a broken leg up, as Max Papis sat in for him and a 15th place result. Austin Dillon makes a special guest appearance behind the wheel of that car this Sunday at Michigan.
Among other contenders, with ten to go Kasey Kahne got punched up and out, to wind up in the path of Dale Earnhardt Jr . Kahne was 34th and Junior 30th when the parts quit flying, as the only Hendrick driver to have any kind of decent day was Jimmie Johnson at eighth.
Eighth is where defending Cup champ Brad Keselowski sits after finishing second over the weekend. He sits 11 points ahead of the equally winless Kurt Busch, who lies in 11th place in the standings. Martin Truex converted a third place result to pop up to 10th as Kahne drops out, but his two wins look solid for one wild card position. The other is held by Ryan Newman, who replaced his injured boss in the hunt, with Gordon, Jamie McMurray, and Joey Logano still able to make it tight if any of them can pick up a win at Michigan, Bristol, Atlanta, or Richmond before the Chase cut off.
Rating Watkins Glen – 8/10 – If you know what is going on in the sport, how what is taking place on the track affects the dreams of each driver, the more entertaining a race gets. The same might apply to the NBA or Premier League soccer, which I find dull, dull, dull. If I did some homework, just maybe I would get a lot more out of them. The Glen was entertaining for those who are in the know, but I believe there was more than enough action to keep even fair weather fans tuned in.
Newman, the elder Busch, and Gordon all have a pair of Michigan wins to their credit but it has been a bunch of years since any of them have turned the trick. No, I would expect the good news this weekend will go to someone who already has had enough good news to already be Chase bound.
So, Michigan might not promise to really shake up the Chase race except if we have another surprise or two coming our way. In the meantime, I shall continue my ESPN drinking game. You use the PVR to speed past the commercials, but if at any time you stop it and hear the voice of either Rusty or Brad, you have to take a drink. At Watkins Glen, I got away with two. Here is to even greater sobriety this Sunday at Michigan. Enjoy the week.
