NASCAR returns to Watkins Glen

WATKINS GLEN—The car haulers will roll into Watkins Glen International race track Thursday, Aug. 7 and with them they will bring thousands of campers, fans and visitors to upstate New York for the Cheez-It 355 weekend. On-track events will begin Friday and continue through Sunday.
Coming into Watkins Glen, Dale Earnhardt Jr. comes off a win at Pocono Raceway, his third victory of the season, and he is looking forward to the upcoming races on the way to the Chase. The Chase pits the top 16 drivers from the season against each other over 10 tracks to decide the championship winner. Earnhardt Jr.’s win currently has him at the top of the standings.
“I think we’re great at some tracks and we’re good at others and we need to get great at all of them, we really do,” said Earnhardt Jr. in a television interview after winning at Pocono. “We need to be able to go into every race at the Chase and be able to run like this every week, and there is a lot of variety and parody as far as race tracks go…we’ve got to polish up on a few things.”
The rest of the top five in the Sprint Cup Series race at Pocono included: Kevin Harvick, Joey Logano, Clint Bowyer and Greg Biffle.
2013 winner at Watkins Glen, Kyle Busch, finished 42nd after completing only 23 laps due to an engine failure. Tony Stewart, five-time WGI winner, was 36th after being caught in a large 13-car wreck. Four-time Watkins winner Jeff Gordon finished sixth, although he led for 63 laps. Two-time WGI champion Marcos Ambrose was 14th. Jimmie Johnson was 39th and only able to complete 111 laps after having two tire problems during the race.
The weekend at Watkins Glen will include three races. The Bully Hill Vineyards 125 at The Glen will be held at 6:15 p.m., Friday, Aug. 8. It features cars in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series. The Nationwide Series Zippo 200 at The Glen is scheduled for 2:15 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 9. Sunday, Aug. 10 will feature the Sprint Cup Series Cheez-It 355 at The Glen at 1 p.m.
In addition to the racing action, there will be a concert Friday, Aug. 8 as Tim Dugger and The Zac Brown Tribute Band will play beginning at 7:30 p.m.
A full schedule for the weekend can be found at the track’s website and includes details for all the events each day.
General admission tickets are $90 for the weekend or $75 for Sunday only. Prices increase for grandstand seating. Unreserved camping packages are also still available.
For more information see www.TheGlen.com.