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The NASCAR Cup Series makes its annual trip to upstate New York this weekend, with Watkins Glen playing host to the second race of this year’s Cup Series Playoffs. As a new addition to the playoffs this year, The Glen is sure to feature some fireworks, with some drivers in must-win territory in order to move on, and the added wild card of expected four-second tire falloff. We’re going to take a look at some of Watkins Glen’s best and most memorable moments from over the years.
Dale Earnhardt was known for being a tough guy, and with a nickname like The Intimidator, he often lived up to it figuratively. But on August 11, 1996, Earnhardt literally showed how tough he actually was. Coming off of a brutal wreck at Talladega the week prior that left him with a broken collarbone and dislocated sternum, Earnhardt got behind the wheel of his #3 Chevrolet at The Glen and wheeled it to an unbelievable sixth-place finish, despite not even being able to lift his arm. Talk about toughness!
In 2001, Jeff Gordon was at the peak of his powers. Despite his diehard fans, most hated the Hendrick driver, and that rang true in upstate New York. “Honk if you hate Gordon” signs were set up on the way to the track, and if you didn’t already know how fans felt about the four-time champ, that should tell you everything you need to know about his popularity. Gordon didn’t let it bother him, though, and responded in the sweetest way possible, with a victory. It wasn’t just any victory, though. This victory would be the fourth of his career at Watkins Glen, a record-setting win that only fellow champion Tony Stewart has topped since.
Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart shared the record of four career wins at Watkins Glen for years. That ended in 2009 when Stewart took that record all to himself after capturing his fifth career win at The Glen. Smoke led a race-high 34 laps en route to the victory and proved that leaving Joe Gibbs Racing for startup Stewart-Haas Racing wouldn’t slow him down.
Formula One star turned IndyCar star turned NASCAR road course ringer Juan Pablo Montoya was always a threat to win at Sonoma and Watkins Glen in a time when those were the only two road courses on the NASCAR Cup schedule. Montoya found instant success in his first Cup season in 2007, winning at Sonoma in his first Cup Series visit there. But a win at The Glen didn’t come so easy, and it took Montoya until his fourth season in Cup to finally break through for a win. That win finally came in 2010, where he dominated and led 74 of the race’s 90 laps.
There may be no more memorable moment in NASCAR history at Watkins Glen than the epic duel between two-time Australian Supercars champion Marcos Ambrose and Brad Keselowski on the final lap of the 2012 Finger Lakes 355 at The Glen. After leader Kyle Busch spun out in the esses off the nose of Keselowski, Ambrose, and Keselowski put on a show, beating and banging out of the chicane all the way to the final corner, where Ambrose would finally gain the advantage for good, cutting in front of Keselowski in the preferred bottom line and escaping with the victory. The win would mark Ambrose’s second win in his Cup career, but Keselowski would go on to win the championship later that season.
It took over two years for the second-generation Elliott racer to capture his first career Cup victory, but it was worth the wait for Chase Elliott and his fans. The driver of the #9 would dominate the race, leading 52 laps, and had to hold off two of the best in the business to get the win, Martin Truex Jr and Kyle Busch. The win would catapult Elliott’s career, and he has now become one of the best road course racers in NASCAR.
