Despite running out of fuel earlier this season at Michigan and Indianapolis, William Byron saved enough to win at Iowa Speedway, scoring his first win since the season-opening Daytona 500. With only three races remaining before the playoffs, the NASCAR Cup Series heads to Watkins Glen International on Sunday for the running of the Go Bowling at The Glen (2 p.m. ET, USA Network, HBO Max, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, NBC Sports App).
With just three more opportunities for drivers to lock up a playoff spot, the pressure is real as drivers tackle the 2.45-mile twists and turns of Watkins Glen in the fifth road/street race of the season. If the last three are any indication, Shane van Gisbergen will be the driver to beat all weekend after winning the pole and the race in each of them at Mexico City, Chicago and Sonoma.
For those outside the current playoff field or looking to bounce back after Iowa, Watkins Glen has been known for its wild finishes and exciting racing, as Chris Buescher's last-lap pass for the win over van Gisbergen one year ago proved. For these three drivers, a rebound cannot come soon enough at Watkins Glen.
Kyle Larson, No. 5 (Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet)
While back-to-back top-fives at Dover (fourth) and Indianapolis (second) were a step in the right direction for Larson, a 28th-place finish at Iowa was his fifth finish outside the top 10 in the last eight races. Larson qualified third, but contact on separate restarts with Hendrick Motorsports teammate Chase Elliott and Christopher Bell and a late incident with Ty Dillon 80 laps from the checkered flag made for a frustrating day.
Watkins Glen has been hit-or-miss for Larson in his career. He is a two-time winner (2021, 2022), but has not led a lap or finished inside the top 10 since his most recent win there. He also has three finishes of 32nd or worse in the four road/street course races this season, so it is hard to get a solid read on Larson going into the weekend.
Denny Hamlin, No. 11 (Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota)
Hamlin leads the Cup Series in wins this season with four, but heads to Watkins Glen after a rare off-weekend at Iowa in 24th. Hamlin was never in contention and was spun by AJ Allmendinger on Lap 221 to compound the frustration. With that only being the second Cup Series race at Iowa Speedway, Hamlin said he did not have a good feel for the setup he needed during a pre-race interview with NBC Sports and it certainly showed on the track.
Hamlin has not had much success on road courses in his career, but he is a past winner at Watkins Glen (2016) and has three top-fives in his last five starts there. The 2.45-mile New York venue has statistically been Hamlin's strongest road course on the schedule, so there is a good chance he responds from the adversity at Iowa and reestablishes some momentum ahead of the playoffs.
Chris Buescher, No. 17 (RFK Racing Ford)
The defending Watkins Glen winner has picked a poor time to put inconsistent results together. With four finishes outside the top 10 in his last five starts, including a 22nd-place finish at Iowa, Buescher finds himself only 23 points to the good over RFK Racing teammate Ryan Preece for the final playoff spot. To make matters worse, Preece has put together consecutive top-five results the last two weeks, only tightening the battle at the cutline.
No one has been better at Watkins Glen in the Next Gen Car (since 2022) than Buescher, who is the only driver with a top 10 in all three races there in that span. He even came from 24th in his win last season, which was the deepest in the field that a driver has won from at Watkins Glen. Buescher also owns wins at Richmond and Daytona as well, so it would not be a surprise if he erases any playoff doubts and wins his way in over the next three weeks.