Pete Pistone distributes this week’s checkered and black flags following the weekend of racing at Watkins Glen International.
Checkered Flags
Chase Elliott
The wait is over for the popular Elliott to finally celebrate his first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series victory. The third-year driver did it in dramatic fashion as well, holding off defending champion Martin Truex Jr. in the final laps Sunday to take the checkered flag.
Martin Truex Jr.
It probably feels like a major consolation prize for Truex – whose last three road-race finishes are first, first and second. He came up one position short of taking a third consecutive Cup Series win on a road circuit, doing all he could to run down Elliott for the victory.
Erik Jones
He’s been one of the most consistent drivers since scoring his first Cup Series win at Daytona last month. Jones continued that solid performance with a fifth-place run Sunday to score his fifth top 10 in the last six races.
William Byron
How about a shout-out to another young driver after Byron notched his third Cup Series top 10.
Watkins Glen International
A fourth consecutive sellout crowd jammed the beautiful upstate New York road course on Sunday and were treated to one of the most memorable races of the season. Watkins Glen and, for the most part, NASCAR road racing continues to deliver.
Black Flags
Fueling Issue for Kyle Busch
It was nothing short of a miracle that Busch finished third on Sunday. He was in command until a fueling issue on a late pit stop forced him back to pit road and Busch was kicked to the rear of the field. He charged back to third place, but Sunday could have possibly been win No. 7 of the year.
Joey Logano
Logano’s Saturday Xfinity Series win was a distant memory after his car was damaged when he went into the gravel trap on Lap 1 on Sunday. He brought his car to the garage in violation of the rule covering damaged vehicles and Logano was handed only the second last-place finish of his career.
Jimmie Johnson
The opposite end of the spectrum for Hendrick Motorsports after Elliott’s win was Johnson’s day that included a rear-view mirror falling off and then a late-race incident that added up to a 30th-place finish, potentially putting Johnson’s playoffs hopes in jeopardy.
AJ Allmendinger
His mistake on a shift at Sonoma cost him a chance to contend for a win in June and Allmendinger could not find any redemption Sunday at The Glen. The front of Allmendinger’s car was damaged on Lap 1 when he tried to check up in Turn 6 and made contact with Joey Logano’s car. He finished 15th but the early damage took a lot of the front aero away and the car wasn’t the same.
Spencer Gallagher
A forgettable Cup Series debut for Gallagher with a 35th-place finish – punctuated by raising the ire of officials by backing down pit road, which earned the young driver a post-race trip to the NASCAR hauler.
The opinions expressed here are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the positions of the Motor Racing Network.
