NASCAR at Watkins Glen 2017: Start Time, Ticket Info, Lineup, TV Schedule, More
A sense of normalcy takes the 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series into Watkins Glen International for Sunday's I Love New York 355 at The Glen.
Kyle Busch got his first checkered flag of the season one week ago at Pocono, which based on the past few years, is quite the odd statement to hear about the sport in early August.
Some would say better late than never, though, and fans emerge as the biggest winners not only because Busch is a must-have presence in the postseason, but because it's yet another testament to the strength of the new stage-based format considering he's driver No. 14 to register a win this season.
The season isn't done thrilling just yet, though, not with one of the summer's top annual events at a marquee track set to chew up and spit out the drivers hoping to carry sound momentum into the postseason.
Here's a look at everything to know about Sunday.
Viewing Details
Where: Watkins Glen International
When: Sunday, 3 p.m. ET
Watch: NBCSN
Live Stream: NBC Sports
Tickets: ScoreBig.com
NASCAR at Watkins Glen 2017
Jamie McMurray
Brad Keselowski
Austin Dillon
Kevin Harvick
Kasey Kahne
Trevor Bayne
Danica Patrick
Ty Dillon (R)
Clint Bowyer
Reed Sorenson
Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
Kyle Busch
Daniel Suárez (R)
Matt Kenseth
Ryan Blaney
Joey Logano
Corey LaJoie (R)
Chase Elliott
Paul Menard
Ryan Newman
Matt DiBenedetto
Jeffrey Earnhardt
Landon Cassill
Chris Buescher
David Ragan
Kurt Busch
Kyle Larson
Aric Almirola
A. J. Allmendinger
Jimmie Johnson
Derrike Cope
Erik Jones (R)
Martin Truex Jr.
Stephen Leicht
Michael McDowell
2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Standings
| 1. Martin Truex Jr. | 823 |
| 2. Jimmie Johnson | 566 |
| 3. Kyle Larson | 738 |
| 4. Brad Keselowski | 649 |
| 5. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | 468 |
| 6. Kevin Harvick | 726 |
| 7. Kyle Busch | 723 |
| 8. Denny Hamlin | 649 |
| 9. Ryan Blaney | 529 |
| 10. Kurt Busch | 494 |
| 11. Ryan Newman | 491 |
| 12. Kasey Kahne | 414 |
| 13. Austin Dillon | 395 |
| 14. Chase Elliott | 616 |
| 15. Jamie McMurray | 615 |
| 16. Matt Kenseth | 594 |
Drivers to Watch
Denny Hamlin
Denny Hamlin wouldn't be one of the first to come to mind for most in terms of drivers to keep an eye on this weekend.
But that's exactly why he classifies here.
Hamlin is exactly the sort of unassuming name who has taken fans by surprise this year at seemingly random events in large part thanks to this chaotic format. Think Ryan Newman winning in Phoenix, or Ricky Stenhouse Jr. at Talladega, or Kasey Kahne just a few weeks ago.
Maybe topping that list is Hamlin reeling in a checkered flag at New Hampshire recently. He's been on quite the roll, even if he manages to fly slightly under the radar at the same time—five top-five finishes over his last seven appearances have shot him right up the leaderboard.
Not only is Hamlin the defending champion of this event, he has a little extra motivation going into the weekend, should he even suit up, as NASCAR explained:
Should Hamlin miss the event, Regan Smith is quite the driver to watch as well given the storyline involved and his past flashes of major success.
Either way, fans have quite the interesting angle to watch here as Hamlin and Smith approach The Glen.
Joey Logano
Each week of the season after the halfway point seems to feature a strong milk-carton candidate, meaning a guy who simply hasn't performed as expected and continues to flirt with his postseason status for one reason or another.
Last week (and a handful of others), it was all about Busch. Now it's all about Joey Logano.
Logano, of course, already has one win on the year. But as fans might remember, it doesn't count toward his postseason candidacy thanks to an L1-level penalty issued by NASCAR after the triumph at Richmond.
Meaning Logano faces a must-win situation at The Glen and over the next handful of races because he remains on the outside of the playoff picture. Those around him are well aware of the dilemma.
"We've got five race tracks we've been very successful at," crew chief Todd Gordon said, according to the Los Angeles Times' George Diaz. "We just have to continue to do what we've done."
The past few weeks have seen Logano take more risks than usual given the circumstances, and the approach offered mixed results. He wound up in fourth place at The Brickyard two weeks ago then hit a snag late at Pocono and finished 27th.
Logano has won this event as recently as 2015, so if the aggressive style can mesh well with a fast team that has already reeled in one checkered flag this year, he could easily follow the same recent journey as Busch.
Kyle Busch
Busch finally broke through.
NASCAR flirted with danger here, as Busch's struggles seemed ready to leave the sport without one of its biggest stars in the playoffs at a time when it's trying to champion the major changes to format and rules.
The Joe Gibbs Racing superstar put an end to the nail-biting issue for the sport at Pocono, though, leading 74 laps on his way to the checkered flag. Funnily enough, it was the smallest amount of laps led by Busch in a race over his last four, but it all falls under the "momentum" umbrella and should have the rest of the leaderboard nervous.
Busch put on a show after getting his first-ever win at Pocono:
"Never thought this day would happen," Busch said, according to USA Today's Brant James. "We had such an awesome race car. We've been fighting all year but something always seemed to go wrong—just wasn't sure why or what was next."
Momentum and familiarity with Sunday's event—he won it back in 2013—finally has Busch entering a weekend as a favorite from a position of strength. It's great news for the sport moving forward, with the barrier for entry into the playoffs becoming all the more difficult.
Stats and info courtesy of ESPN.com unless otherwise specified.
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