Pictured is Race Winner Kyle Larson with V-Ry Reporting From “The Pit,” At Watkins Glen International Raceway, 8/11/21
Sunday was the perfect day to “Go Bowling At The Glen,” the name given to the yearly NASCAR Cup Series race held at Watkins Glen International Speedway. There was a full weekend of racing that culminated in the running of the big boys on Sunday. Luckily, the thunderstorms held off and the 200 mile, 90-lap race was completed as scheduled. The Glen is a road course, so it was sure to bring the excitement and it did not disappoint.
The favorite heading into the race was the #9 car driven by Chase Elliott, who had won the event in both 2018 and 2019. Earlier in the week, Elliott was quoted as saying that the crowd at Watkins Glen makes it “feel like home.” However, the day started rough for Elliott’s team with the ejection of the crew chief due to a failed inspection. Before the race, a pit crew member told me that their toughest competition would be the “#18 car and the number #19 car,” which finished 4th and 3rd respectively.
The #2 car driven by Brad Keselowski led early in the race, but he had braking issues all day that caused him to spin out multiple times. He ended up finishing near the bottom. Kurt Busch in the #1 car led for awhile, eventually finishing out of the top ten. However, there were clearly two drivers setting the pace on Sunday, Kyle Larson in the #5 car and Chase Elliott. The back half of the race featured Larson and Elliott in a dual for the top spot. Kyle Larson would inevitably take the checkered flag for his 5th victory of the season remarking, “all in all I was really happy with my racecar.”
Chase Elliott would finish in a close second with Larson exclaiming that Elliott was “so fast.” Kyle Larson and Denny Hamlin are tied for the playoff points lead with three races remaining. It will likely take the final weekend at Daytona to crown a Cup Champion where Larson said Hamlin is “so good.” Next on the schedule is another road course at the Brickyard in Indianapolis.
