Anyone who was on the fence about the appeal of road course racing leading up to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event at Watkins Glen International on August 15 must now have surely cold-shouldered the “road courses are boring” side in favor of the side simply known as “wow.”
Early on, the outlook was cloudy as the race, scheduled to be run on Sunday afternoon, was postponed until Monday morning due to wet weather.
In NASCAR, rain dampens more than the ground; it dampens the general spirit of things. Speedways rely heavily on volunteers and temporary workers to keep event weekends running smoothly, but many of those helpers must return to their “real” jobs on Monday. Fans have the same issue; some of them simply can’t stick around for a Monday race. And the teams lose a critical work day which would normally be spent getting ready for the next stop on the schedule.
The Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips at the Glen—at Watkins Glen International in Watkins Glen, N.Y—did not disappoint road course enthusiasts for the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR). Some drivers on the fast twisting turns were disappointed, but most crossed the finish line ready for the next race.
Photo credit: NASCARMEDIA
This event had Marcos Ambrose and Kyle Busch chasing one another up front and after a fierce final lap crash a physical confrontation between Boris Said and Greg Biffle. That feud will linger in story for many laps to come.
WATKINS GLEN, N.Y.—Marcos Ambrose passed Brad Keselowski on the first lap of a green-white-checkered-flag finish at Watkins Glen and won Monday’s rain-delayed Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips at the Glen under caution when a violent multicar wreck exploded behind him on the final circuit.
Ambrose, who charged through the bus stop (inner loop) and powered past Keselowski to the inside, became the fifth first-time winner in NASCAR’s Sprint Cup Series this year.
1 3 9 Marcos Ambrose Stanley Ford
2 12 2 Brad Keselowski Miller Lite Dodge
3 1 18 Kyle Busch M&M’s Toyota
4 9 56 Martin Truex Jr. NAPA Auto Parts Toyota
5 13 20 Joey Logano Home Depot Toyota
6 23 29 Kevin Harvick Budweiser Chevrolet
7 5 42 Juan Pablo Montoya Target Chevrolet
8 2 43 A J Allmendinger Best Buy Ford
9 40 31 Jeff Burton Caterpillar Chevrolet
10 4 48 Jimmie Johnson Lowe’s Chevrolet
11 19 33 Clint Bowyer Cheerios/Hamburger Helper Chevrolet
12 8 99 Carl Edwards Ortho Home Defense Max Ford
13 17 24 Jeff Gordon DuPont Chevrolet
14 24 17 Matt Kenseth Crown Royal Ford
15 25 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. National Guard/AMP Energy Chevrolet
16 6 39 Ryan Newman U.S. ARMY Chevrolet
17 14 1 Jamie McMurray McDonald’s Chevrolet
18 20 83 Brian Vickers Red Bull Toyota
19 11 47 Bobby Labonte CapitalDPO Toyota
20 26 13 Casey Mears GEICO Toyota
Marcos Ambrose headed to victory lane for the very first time in the Cup Series, the 5th first time winner this season.
-A horrendous crash on The Final Lap of the race between David Ragan and David Reutimann. Luckily both David’s are doing okay.
-A dust up in the garage area between Boris Said and Greg Biffle, presumably Greg was sticking up for his teammate David Ragan who got wrecked by Said.
RACE RECAP CUP SERIES | WATKINS GLEN
(subject to change)
10 Jimmie Johnson
9 Jeff Burton
8 A.J. Allmendinger
7 Juan Montoya
6 Kevin Harvick
5 Joey Logano
4 Martin Truex Jr.
3 Kyle Busch
2 Brad Keselowski
VICTORY LANE
1 Marcos Ambrose headed to victory lane for the very first time in the Cup Series, the 5th first time winner this season.
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Guest Column By Cathy Elliott
