Teams roll into Watkins Glen for regular season race 12 of 26
| Kyle Larson, driver of the No. 5 Chevrolet, on Watkins Glen International: “Watkins Glen is a place where we’ve had some good speed over the years. We’ll take what we’ve learned earlier this season at [Circuit of The Americas] with this package and apply it to Watkins Glen. Hopefully this weekend will be a place where we get back on track and leave with the kind of finish we know we’re capable of.” Chase Elliott, driver of the No. 9 Chevrolet, on heading to Watkins Glen International with cooler weather: “I don’t think the race is going to look a lot different. I’d be really surprised if it did. I think the track is already so fast as it is. It was already inside of the window of track position and having to qualify well and all that. And a lot of times, you can have some tracks on the schedule that can change if it gets cooler outside or if it’s warm. It can go from a wide racetrack to one groove, but I think that one in particular was already so far on the side of the fence of pace and line sensitive and just really quick that I don’t see it changing a whole lot.” William Byron, driver of the No. 24 Chevrolet, on Watkins Glen International: “This weekend’s race at Watkins Glen is turning into a bit of a wildcard now. The weather looks cold and wet which creates its own issues. The race is longer than normal, which changes strategy. And then, they added tire barriers in Turn 1 which takes away a possible passing zone. We have a decent notebook for Watkins Glen and road courses in general, but we’ve also only run the new Chevy body at [Circuit of The Americas] so far. Practice and qualifying are going to be pretty crucial to getting things dialed in for Sunday. Then it will be about controling what you can control.” Alex Bowman, driver of the No. 48 Chevrolet, coming off a top five at Texas Motor Speedway and heading to Watkins Glen International: “It was good to have another solid week with our Ally 48 team and gain some momentum. If there was a track we needed to take momentum to, it would be Watkins Glen. This track has been a challenge but I’m confident in this group; we are continuing to put in work to get better. We’re headed into this weekend with the plan to execute like we’ve been doing.” |
NASCAR Radio Channel 90. |
Daniel Suárez – Driver, No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 Daniel Suárez will pilot Spire Motorsports’ No. 7 Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 in Sunday’s Go Bowling at The Glen at Watkins Glen International.The Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation (CRSF) empowers communities with clean, safe places for underserved youth to play, learn, and grow. Since 2018, Group 1001 and the CRSF have combined efforts to build 17 youth development parks and install 20 STEM centers nationwide. Group 1001 employees have joined CRSF to host and volunteer for four Community Enhancement Projects. CRSF and Group 1001 have impacted over 100,000 youth in their joint effort to promote active lifestyles and educational opportunities. For more information, visit https://ripkenfoundation.org/. Across eight previous Cup Series starts at WGI, the Monterrey, Mexico native, has earned three top-five, four top-10 and six top-20 results with 14 laps led. He carries an average starting position of 14.4 and a 12.8 finishing position at the 2.45-mile course. His series/venue best came in 2017, when he finished third.Suárez earned his first NASCAR Cup Series win at Sonoma Raceway, another road course, in 2022, to become the first Mexican-born driver to win in NASCAR’s premier division.Watkins Glen marks the second of four road-course events on the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series calendar. At the first road course of the season at Circuit of the Americas, Suárez started 23rd and finished 25th.The 34-year-old driver finished seventh at WGI in August 2025, capitalizing on pit strategy and a steady charge through the field to turn a mid-pack start into a strong top-10 result.Out of Suárez’s 334 Cup Series starts, 38 have come on road courses. In those races, he’s delivered one win (Sonoma 2022), six top-five and eight top-10 finishes, while leading 85 laps.Last week at Texas, Suárez battled handling issues throughout the day but rebounded to finish sixth for his third top 10 of the season. After 11 races, Suárez sits 14th in the NASCAR Cup Series standings. The two-time Cup Series winner has one top five, three top 10s and is averaging a 15.2 finish – four positions better than this time last season. |
| DENNY HAMLIN No. 11 Progressive Toyota Camry XSE HAMLIN AT WATKINS GLEN: Denny Hamlin is a former NASCAR Cup Series winner at Watkins Glen International after capturing the checkered flag in 2016. He also owns two pole awards at the track, including three years ago when he qualified first and finished second. Overall, Hamlin has recorded six top-five finishes and nine top-10s at the track. CHRIS GAYLE: Crew chief Chris Gayle has been impressive in the Cup Series and O’Reilly Series at Watkins Glen. In five Cup Series starts atop the pit box, Gayle’s teams have posted three top-five finishes. Gayle led his O’Reilly Series teams to one win, three top-five finishes, four top-10s, and 68 laps led in six starts. PROGRESSIVE: Hamlin’s No. 11 Toyota Camry XSE will feature Progressive Insurance as the primary sponsor this weekend at Watkins Glen International. Progressive provides insurance for personal and commercial autos and trucks, motorcycles, boats, recreational vehicles, and homes; it is the second largest personal auto insurer in the country, a leading seller of commercial auto, motorcycle, and boat insurance, and one of the top 15 homeowners insurance carriers. For more information, visit www.progressive.com. Flow Serves as Primary Sponsor of the No. 19 O’Reilly Auto Parts Series Toyota GR Supra at Dover Motor Speedway The new scheme will debut Saturday, May 16th, 2026. Huntersville, N.C. (May 7, 2026) – Joe Gibbs Racing announces Flow International Corporation will be the primary sponsor of the No. 19 O’Reilly Series Toyota GR Supra at Dover Motor Speedway on May 16, marking another milestone in its partnership with Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) and their shared commitment to precision, innovation, and performance. Brent Crews will pilot the Flow-branded No. 19 as the team takes on one of NASCAR’s most demanding tracks. As one of the most successful teams in NASCAR, Joe Gibbs Racing exemplifies what it takes to compete at the highest level. Flow’s collaboration with JGR reflects a common focus on engineering accuracy, continuous improvement, and technologies that perform under extreme pressure – values that translate seamlessly from advanced manufacturing to elite motorsports competition. Known as the Monster Mile, Dover Motor Speedway’s demanding pace and unforgiving concrete surface make it a true test of precision, consistency, and execution. The track provides a powerful backdrop for demonstrating how precision manufacturing fuels race-day performance, from preparation in the shop to execution on the track. |
| Jason Kitzmiller Seeks Redemption inWatkins Glen International ARCA Return |
| WATKINS GLEN, N.Y.: Make no mistake about it, ARCA Menards Series veteran Jason Kitzmiller is no road course expert, but as he navigates his second full-time season, the schedule’s diversity includes two venues where turning left and right takes top priority. |
 This weekend, the ARCA Menards Series returns to Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International to kick off a quadrupleheader weekend of racing featuring ARCA, the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series, the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series and culminating with the NASCAR Cup Series on Sunday, May 10. For Kitzmiller, Friday afternoon’s General Tire 100 at The Glen presents an opportunity not only to continue sharpening his road racing skills, but also to chase a measure of redemption in the Finger Lakes of New York. It’s a double-dose weekend of redemption for the successful Virginia entrepreneur. A strong performance two weeks ago at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway unraveled just seven laps from the checkered flag, when Kitzmiller became an innocent victim in the “Big One,” resulting in a frustrating 33rd-place finish. But Talladega’s misfortune isn’t the only setback Kitzmiller and his A.L.L. Construction Racing — CR7 Motorsports team are eager to overcome. Last summer at Watkins Glen’s 2.45-mile road course, Kitzmiller showed significant improvement from practice to qualifying and into the race, only to be collected in a late-race skirmish — again with seven laps remaining — ultimately settling for a 17th-place finish in his ARCA road course debut. |
| Drydene Partners with Will Rodgers forNASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series Race at Watkins Glen |
| HOUSTON, Texas – RelaDyne is excited to announce that Will Rodgers and Young’s Motorsports will partner with Drydene, its commercial and industrial brand, for the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series race on Saturday, May 9, at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International. |
 The Mission 200 at The Glen is part of a marquee NASCAR tripleheader weekend, featuring Friday’s ARCA Menards Series and NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series races, Saturday’s NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series event and Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series Go Bowling at The Glen race. On Saturday, top drivers will take on the legendary 2.45-mile, seven-turn road course, delivering high-speed, wheel-to-wheel action through every turn. At 31, Will Rodgers brings over two decades of racing experience, having started at just eight years old. His relationship with Drydene dates to 2018, when he competed in eight ARCA Series races under the brand – earning a race win and a second-place finish. That early success established a strong foundation between Rodgers and Drydene, rooted in performance, resilience, and consistency. |
Action sports legend Travis Pastrana will climb behind the wheel of Kaulig Racing’s No. 25 Ram 1500 in the May 22 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway as part of Ram’s Free Agent Driver Program.
Pastrana, a motorsports icon known for his fearless style and boundary-pushing performances, brings a unique blend of rally, motocross and extreme sports experience to the truck. The 41-year-old has made approximately 50 NASCAR appearances over the years, highlighted by an 11th-place finish in his Daytona 500 debut in 2023 and a strong 10th-place result in the 2013 season-opener at Daytona in what is now the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series. He also recorded four top-10 finishes during a part-time 2012 and full 2013 campaign in the O’Reilly Series.
“I love racing and competing at everything, and NASCAR is one of the biggest and most competitive stages on earth,” said Pastrana. “Having the opportunity to hop in the No. 25 Ram truck with Kaulig Racing through the Free Agent Program is an amazing opportunity. These Ram 1500s are so much fun to drive. We’re going to go out there, put on a show for the fans and see what we can do.”
