NASCAR at Watkins Glen 2016: Start Time, Ticket Info, Lineup, TV Schedule, More
A thick fog and a youngster by the name of Chris Buescher threw the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series into a frenzy last week at Pocono Raceway, making Sunday's Cheez-It 355 at Watkins Glen International one of the most important dates on the calendar.
Buescher emerged from the fog with the checkered flag after last Sunday's event bled into Monday, making the Chase scene more complicated than ever as notable names once again missed out on an automatic bid.
Random winners and shuffling on the leaderboard are exactly what NASCAR needs at this time of year, with a new sense of desperation and an anything-can-happen vibe seizing the series down the stretch.
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Here's a look at everything you need to know about Sunday's must-see event.
Viewing Details
Where: Watkins Glen International
When: Sunday at 2:30 p.m. ET
Watch: USA
Live Stream: NBC Sports
Tickets: ScoreBig.com
Sprint Cup Standings
| 1 | Brad Keselowski | 687 | 4 |
| 2 | Kyle Busch | 634 | 4 |
| 3 | Carl Edwards | 626 | 2 |
| 4 | Jimmie Johnson | 577 | 2 |
| 5 | Matt Kenseth | 569 | 2 |
| 6 | Kevin Harvick | 709 | 1 |
| 7 | Kurt Busch | 658 | 1 |
| 8 | Joey Logano | 612 | 1 |
| 9 | Martin Truex Jr. | 577 | 1 |
| 10 | Denny Hamlin | 576 | 1 |
| 11 | Tony Stewart | 353 | 1 |
| 12 | Austin Dillon | 549 | 0 |
| 13 | Ryan Newman | 537 | 0 |
| 14 | Chase Elliott | 533 | 0 |
| 15 | Jamie McMurray | 517 | 0 |
| 16 | Kyle Larson | 508 | 0 |
NASCAR at Watkins Glen Lineup
| 1 | 47 | AJ Allmendinger |
| 2 | 78 | Martin Truex Jr |
| 3 | 17 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr |
| 4 | 18 | Kyle Busch |
| 5 | 20 | Matt Kenseth |
| 6 | 2 | Brad Keselowski |
| 7 | 95 | Michael McDowell |
| 8 | 24 | Chase Elliott |
| 9 | 88 | Jeff Gordon |
| 10 | 19 | Carl Edwards |
| 11 | 4 | Kevin Harvick |
| 12 | 42 | Kyle Larson |
| 13 | 3 | Austin Dillon |
| 14 | 22 | Joey Logano |
| 15 | 14 | Tony Stewart |
| 16 | 11 | Denny Hamlin |
| 17 | 41 | Kurt Busch |
| 18 | 13 | Casey Mears |
| 19 | *21 | Ryan Blaney |
| 20 | 6 | Trevor Bayne |
| 21 | 1 | Jamie McMurray |
| 22 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson |
| 23 | 34 | Chris Buescher |
| 24 | 27 | Paul Menard |
| 25 | 43 | Aric Almirola |
| 26 | 31 | Ryan Newman |
| 27 | 5 | Kasey Kahne |
| 28 | 10 | Danica Patrick |
| 29 | 16 | Greg Biffle |
| 30 | 44 | Brian Scott |
| 31 | 83 | Matt DiBenedetto |
| 32 | *98 | Cole Whitt |
| 33 | 15 | Clint Bowyer |
| 34 | 38 | Landon Cassill |
| 35 | 23 | David Ragan |
| 36 | 7 | Regan Smith |
| 37 | 46 | Michael Annett |
| 38 | 32 | Boris Said |
| 39 | *55 | Alex Kennedy |
| 40 | *30 | Josh Wise |
Drivers to Watch
He's back again.
Despite the high-profile farewell tour last season, Jeff Gordon will again slip into the No. 88 Chevrolet in place of the injured Dale Earnhardt Jr. (concussion) and look to get Hendrick Motorsports a win.
On one hand, folks could argue Gordon won't have much of an impact on the proceedings. After all, he finished 13th at the Brickyard before struggling at Pocono on the way to finishing 27th.
Then again, Gordon is the guy with 23 starts at the tricky New York road course, four of which went down as wins. Also, the regulars weren't having a great time in the rain and fog at Pocono, anyway.
Gordon hit social media to detail his struggles at Pocono:
After Buescher's wild win, what better way to throw a wrench into the Chase outlook than by having Gordon steal the checkered flag Sunday?
Getting his driving chops back in order, Gordon isn't one to count out in this period of the unexpected.
Joey Logano
When it comes to the usual names looking like strong contenders, Joey Logano has to land near the top of the list.
After all, Logano won this race last year, leading 16 laps to secure his first win since the Daytona 500.
This year, Logano will enter Watkins Glen with a win under his belt (Michigan), and last week, he looked close to adding another before a wreck landed him in 37th place. Logano led 38 laps but saw his day end on Lap 104, when Chase Elliott got under him and lost control.
With the disappointing weekend behind him, Logano has his eyes set on double duty once again at Watkins Glen:
"Reading for double duty at @WGI this weekend! Check out full story here: https://t.co/6Q3W2QoKT9 #TeamJL #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/z8TrwlKWNK
— Joey Logano (@joeylogano) August 4, 2016"
Per his official website, Logano has an average finish of 4.6 at The Glen since 2013. He's a monster on the road course and, as far as recognizable names go, one of the favorites.
While it might be boring for Logano to grab a win, it would still box out some of the other desperate drivers looking to punch a bid.
Chris Buescher
Buescher created chaos last week, securing both his first top-10 finish and his first victory of the season after years of dominating the Xfinity Series.
After the shocking victory, Buescher sits six points behind David Ragan for the No. 30 slot he needs to qualify for the Chase, though the standings weren't on his mind following the win.
"This is going to stir up our whole year. ... It's not going to [sink in] for a while. It doesn't even feel real right now. It's so quiet in here. We're not even in the real Victory Lane. We're having to seek shelter. It was a pretty wild event," Buescher said, per ESPN.com's Bock Pockrass.
Now? The standings have to be on Buescher's mind, especially after Jayski revealed he'll get full support in making a Chase push:
America loves its underdogs, so rest assured Buescher will remain in the spotlight this weekend.
Not only is Buescher a feel-good story and responsible for a needed NASCAR shake-up, but his performance could also have huge implications on the Chase.
Stats and info courtesy of ESPN.com unless otherwise specified.
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