The intensity builds as the NASCAR Cup playoffs moves to Watkins Glen (3 p.m. ET Sunday on USA Network).
This is the second of three races in the opening round of the playoffs.
Only Joey Logano has clinched a spot in the next round after his victory last weekend at Atlanta.
Here’s a look where things stand for each other organization heading into Sunday’s race:
23XI Racing — Good news: Juan Pablo Montoya makes his return to Cup. This will be his first Cup start since 2014. … Tyler Reddick has finished in the top 10 in all three starts at Watkins Glen. … Reddick leads the series in top-five finishes (11) and top-10 finishes (19). … Reddick ranks second in the series in points scored on road courses this year. … Reddick has scored a series-best six consecutive top 10s on road courses. Bad news: Bubba Wallace’s best finish in five starts at Watkins Glen is 12th. That came last year. Before that result, Wallace had not finished better than 23rd in Cup at Watkins Glen.
Atlanta alters top 10, but Tyler Reddick remains No. 1 in NBC Sports NASCAR Power Rankings
Two new drivers join this week’s top 10.
Front Row Motorsports — Good news: Michael McDowell and Todd Gilliland have each finished in the top 10 in the past two races on road courses. … McDowell has finished in the top five in the past two road course events. … All five of McDowell’s career poles have come this season. … Gilliland is making his 100th career Cup start this weekend. Bad news: McDowell has only one top-10 finish in 14 starts at Watkins Glen.
Hendrick Motorsports — Good news: The organization has won the last five Cup races at Watkins Glen. Chase Elliott won there in 2018 and ’19. Kyle Larson won there in 2021 and ’22. William Byron won there in 2023. … Hendrick cars have won all three road course races this season. Byron won at COTA, Larson won at Sonoma and Alex Bowman won the Chicago Street Race. … Bowman has scored the most points in the series on road courses this year. … Byron also is running the Xfinity race at Watkins Glen this weekend. Bad news: Bowman has not finished better than 14th at Watkins Glen in seven Cup starts.
Rick Hendrick makes it clear: Kyle Larson will leave Indy 500 for Coca-Cola 600 if needed
Kyle Larson will attempt to run in both the Indianapolis 500 and Coca-Cola 600 in 2025 after weather thwarted the attempt this year.
Joe Gibbs Racing — Good news: Christopher Bell has top-10 finishes in all three Cup starts at Watkins Glen. … Bell’s average finish of 6.0 at Watkins Glen is the best among active drivers. … Ty Gibbs is running the Xfinity race this weekend at Watkins Glen. … Gibbs has finished top five in four of the last five road courses. Bad news: Denny Hamlin has one top 10 in the 15 Next Gen races on road courses. … Martin Truex Jr. has been involved in an incident in each of the last four races.
JTG Daugherty Racing — Good news: Ricky Stenhouse Jr. has finished 14th or better in six of the last 11 races this season. Bad news: Stenhouse’s best finish in 10 Cup starts at the Glen is 13th. … He has had four DNFs in the last nine races for accidents.
Kaulig Racing — Good news: AJ Allmendinger is in the No. 13 car and Shane van Gisbergen will be in the No. 16 car, joining Daniel Hemric in this weekend’s Cup race. … Allmendinger has one win, five top fives and eight top 10s in 12 starts at Watkins Glen. Bad news: Hemric has not had a top-10 finish in six starts at Watkins Glen in either Cup or Xfinity.
Legacy Motor Club — Good news: Erik Jones has finished in the top 10 in four of his six Watkins Glen starts. … John Hunter Nemechek has top-12 finishes in the two Xfinity starts and one Truck start he has made at the Glen. Bad news: It has been 70 races since Jones last won in Cup.
Richard Childress Racing — Good news: Kyle Busch has scored a series-best four consecutive top-10 finishes. … Busch has scored 28 more points than any other driver in the past four races. Bad news: Austin Dillon, who is making his 400th career Cup start this weekend, has not finished better than 15th in nine Cup starts at Watkins Glen.
Rick Ware Racing — Good news: Justin Haley finished 12th last week at Atlanta, his best finish in the last 12 races. Bad news: The organization has not had a car finish better than 25th in Cup at Watkins Glen.
RFK Racing — Good news: Chris Buescher is tied with Tyler Reddick for most top 10s (12) at road courses in the Next Gen car. … Buescher has the longest active streak of 58 races without a pit road speeding penalty. … Next on the list is Brad Keselowski, who has gone 51 races in a row without a pit road speeding penalty. Bad news: Keselowski, who is one point below the cutline, is winless in 46 career Cup starts on road courses.
Spire Motorsports — Good news: Carson Hocevar has finished 17th or better in 11 of the last 13 races this season. … Zane Smith is making his first Cup start at Watkins Glen. He ran a Truck race there in 2021, finishing sixth. Bad news: Corey LaJoie has not finished better than 20th in five Cup starts at the Glen.
Stewart-Haas Racing — Good news: Ryan Preece has three top 20s in the last four races. That is tied for his best four-race streak of the season. Josh Berry has started in the top five in five of the last nine races. Bad news: Chase Briscoe has two top 10s in the last 17 races on road courses. … Noah Gragson has failed to finish the last three races due to accidents.
Team Penske — Good news: Fresh off his Atlanta Cup win that move him into the second round, Joey Logano will do double duty this weekend, running both the Xfinity and Cup races at Watkins Glen. … Ryan Blaney scored a race-high 53 points at Atlanta, putting him atop the standings and 45 points above the bubble with two races left in the first round. … Blaney ranks third in the series in points scored at road courses this year. … Austin Cindric won the 2019 Xfinity race at Watkins Glen. Bad news: Cindric has seven top 10s on road courses but none in the last six races.
Takeaways after the NASCAR Cup playoff opener at Atlanta
Team Penske dominated but others are in a more perilous position heading to Watkins Glen.
Trackhouse Racing — Good news: Ross Chastain will make his 100th start with Trackhouse this weekend. … Chastain also is running the Xfinity race this weekend. … Daniel Suarez has four top 10s in the last six races, including his runner-up finish last weekend at Atlanta. … Suarez has three top-five finishes in six Watkins Glen starts. Bad news: Suarez has one top 10 in the last 10 road course races.
Wood Brothers Racing — Good news: Harrison Burton finished fifth in an Xfinity race at Watkins Glen in 2021. Bad news: Burton is 16 points below the cutline after he was collected in a last-lap crash at Atlanta. … He has not finished better than 28th in two Cup starts at Watkins Glen.
