Casey Mears was coming off of a strong run at Pocono when he arrived in upstate New York for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series’ second road course outing of the season.  At the series’ first road course race of the year in Sonoma on June 23^rd, the Bakersfield, CA, native turned in a 16^th place finish. 

Mears was fast on arrival at Watkins Glen International, as his #13 GEICO Ford Fusion sat 5^th and 13^th in the respective practice sessions on Friday.  Unfortunately, a brake issue would stifle his qualifying attempt, leaving him 30^th on Sunday’s Cheez-it 355 at The Glen starting grid. 

If Mears was affected by his challenging starting position, it wasn’t evident.  Rather, he spoke about the strength of his GEICO Ford and his intention of heading to the front of the field when the race went green.  A prophet he was because when the race got underway beneath clear skies and bright sunshine, he made immediate progress and quickly found himself in 24^th by the 10^th lap.  Each time a yellow flag was displayed, Mears was immediately ordered to save fuel. 

On lap 57, he brought his #13 GEICO Ford Fusion down pit road for a scheduled green flag pit stop.  Good fortune winked at Mears when the caution flag was displayed just one lap after his service.  This would result in his GEICO machine moving up to 10^th position when the cars in front of him were forced to visit pit road for tires and fuel.  The racing gods continued to smile upon Mears when he narrowly avoided falling victim to a crashing Kasey Kahne and Dale Earnhardt, Jr., with just nine laps remaining in the 90 lap event.  When the checkered flag brought the 220-mile race to a close, Casey Mears recorded a 12^th place finish, scoring Germain Racing’s fifth Top 15 finish of the 2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season.

“It was a good day for our GEICO team.  I think after the qualifying effort we had, we had an issue with the brakes unfortunately, and to be able to rebound like that and have a good day showed how strong our team is and made us all happy,” Mears said following the race.  “We were able to hang on, stay out of the mess and have a good finish.  It worked out well for us.”  He continued, “All of our spotters did a great job today.  It’s the first time I had anybody through the esses and it was really valuable.  It worked out really well and helped me to avoid a lot of the stuff.  Fortunately, we were just in the right place to miss it every time, so it was nice to have some good fortune go our way.”

Next week will see Mears in Valvoline livery when his Germain Racing team travels to the Irish Hills of Michigan.

PMI PR

Race Highlights:

• Richard Childress Racing teammates finished 13^th (Kevin Harvick), 17^th (Paul Menard) and 26^th (Jeff Burton) in the Watkins Glen 355.
• Following the event at Watkins Glen International, Harvick remains fourth in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver championship point standings, trailing leader Jimmie Johnson by 101 markers, while Paul Menard sits 19^th, 249 points back, and Burton ranks 21^st, 283 points behind the leader.
• The No. 29 Chevrolet SS team ranks fourth in the Sprint Cup Series owner championship point standings, with the No. 27 team 20^th in the standings and the No. 31 team 22^nd.
• According to NASCAR's Post-Race Loop Data Statistics, Harvick was the fifth-Fastest Driver Late in a Run.
• Harvick posted four of the Fastest Laps Run, positioning him third in the loop data category.
• Menard gained five positions during the final 10 percent (nine laps) of the event, trying him for third in the Closers category.
• Completing 19 passes while running in top 15, Menard ranked seventh in Quality Passes.
• Burton advanced three positions during the final nine laps of the 90-lap event, tying him for ninth in the Closers category.
• Burton made 59 green-flag passes during the annual road-course event at Watkins Glen International.
• Kyle Busch earned his third victory of the 2013 Sprint Cup Series season and was followed to the finish line by Brad Keselowski, Martin Truex Jr., Carl Edwards and Juan Pablo Montoya.
• The next Sprint Cup Series race is the Pure Michigan 400 at Michigan International Speedway on Sunday, August 18. The 23^rd race of the 2013 season is scheduled to be televised live on ESPN beginning at Noon Eastern Time and broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Satellite Radio, channel 90.

Pit-Road Penalty Undercuts Menard's Efforts at Watkins Glen International

Paul Menard started seventh in Sunday's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Watkins Glen International. Once the initial green flag fell over the seven-turn road course, Menard kept the No. 27 SPLASH/Menards Chevrolet SS in a top-10 running position for the first 30 circuits of the 90-lap race. This was achieved by staying out through two cautions as crew chief "Slugger" Labbe stuck to his original strategy of going the distance via two pit stops. Under the first pit stop on lap 30 under green-flag conditions, Menard took on fuel and four tires with air pressure adjustments to give him more rear grip through the turns. The caution waved four laps later leaving Menard 18^th in the running order. On the restart four laps later, he was up to 14^th and looking to race back into the top 10. Just past the halfway point, Menard was 13^th when a green-flag pit cycle started on lap 50. While making his scheduled stop on lap 59, the caution waved just as he was on pit road. Thinking he made it past the commitment line before the lights came on to keep it closed, the Menards pit crew added fuel, put on four new Goodyear tires with air pressure adjustments and made a track bar change, as well. Afterwards, NASCAR officials informed Labbe that Menard was one of four cars that passed the commitment line while the pits were closed and enforced a "tail of the longest line" penalty. This put Menard 33^rd for the lap-63 restart. Eight laps later, he was up to 21^st and was running there when another caution flag waved on lap 79. Being so far back in the pack, Labbe called Menard down pit road for tires, fuel and air pressure adjustments. A multi-car wreck on lap 80 caused hood and left-front fender damage to his Chevrolet. A trip down pit road to bear bond the hood and straighten the fender enough to stay off the tire had Menard lined up 28^th for the lap-84 restart. When the checkered flag waved, he had battled back to finish in 17^th-place. Menard remains 19^th in driver championship point standings as the series heads to Michigan International Speedway next weekend.

Start - 7          Finish - 17           Laps Led - 0           Points - 19

PAUL MENARD QUOTE:

"I was very pleased with our SPLASH/Menards Chevrolet in the practices and how we qualified. For the race, we stayed in the top 10 and stuck to the pit strategy Slugger (Labbe, crew chief) had come up with. We got stuck with that penalty on pit road and that put us way back in the back. I honestly did not see any lights come on that pit road was closed, or I would have driven through and come back around. Then we got caught up in that wreck, but the crew made quick repairs and we were able to finish on the lead lap. I know we had a car much better than what the results showed."

Late-Race Incidents Relegate Burton to 26^th-Place Finish at Watkins Glen International

Jeff Burton and the No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet team finished 26^th at Watkins Glen International following two separate late-race incidents that spoiled a strong effort from the Richard Childress Racing team. Starting the 90-lap affair from the 22^nd position, the South Boston, Va., native worked his way into the top 20 early and reported to crew chief Luke Lambert that the black and yellow machine was tight on the throttle and loose off the corners of the seven-turn road course. The No. 31 team maintained a top-20 running position for a majority of the event and played a pre-determined pit strategy to success. While running in the 16^th position with less than 35 laps to go, the 45-year-old driver made contact with another competitor which sent the No. 31 Chevrolet SS spinning. Burton's car didn't suffer any damage in the incident, but many drivers passed him while he was stalled out in the middle of turn and the 21-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series winner fell back to the 29^th position. After coming down pit road for fresh Goodyear tires under green-flag conditions, Burton managed to pass five competitors before being collected in another multi-car accident on lap 82. The RCR driver was able to pilot the battered Chevrolet back to pit road where the Caterpillar crew went to work and repaired the damage. Burton returned to the race track without losing a lap to the leader and was scored in 26^th-place when the checkered flag waved. Burton now sits 21^st in the Sprint Cup Series driver championship point standings.

Start - 22           Finish - 26            Laps Led - 0           Points - 21

JEFF BURTON QUOTE:

"We had a competitive Caterpillar Chevrolet today, but we were taken out late in the race by another driver and then got caught up in someone else's mess. That's been our luck the last few years. This team just never gives up and one of these days we will get the finishes we deserve."

RCR PR

As NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Tony Stewart continues to recover from a broken right tibia and fibula suffered in a sprint car crash Aug. 5 at Southern Iowa Speedway in Oskaloosa, Iowa, Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) continues to field his No. 14 Chevrolet SS in the Sprint Cup Series.

After veteran racer Max Papis drove the No. 14 Chevrolet to a 15^th-place finish Sunday at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International to maintain the team’s 11^th-place standing in the Sprint Cup Series owner championship, SHR has named 23-year-old Austin Dillon interim driver of the No. 14 Mobil 1/Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet for the Pure Michigan 400 event Aug. 16-18 at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn.

Dillon is the 2011 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series champion and competes full-time in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, where he currently leads the championship standings. He has two Nationwide Series wins and five Camping World Truck Series victories, the most recent of which came July 24 in the inaugural CarCash Mudsummer Classic presented by CNBC Prime’s “The Profit” at Eldora Speedway in Rossurg, Ohio, which is owned by Stewart. The Pure Michigan 400 will mark Dillon’s 10^th career Sprint Cup start.

“I’ve watched Austin for many years and at each stage of his racing career he’s been successful,” Stewart said. “He’s proven to be a very fast learner, and he’s able to adapt quickly. Being the youngest champion in the history of the Truck Series is proof of that. His background in dirt racing is an asset, and off the track we share many of the same interests, specifically, hunting and fishing. I know he’ll perform well at Michigan and I’m just as confident in his ability to properly represent Mobil 1 and Bass Pro Shops throughout the race weekend.”

SHR has not determined who the interim driver of the No. 14 Chevrolet will be for the Sprint Cup Series’ following race Aug. 24 at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway.

While no timetable has been established for Stewart’s return to the No. 14 Chevrolet, the three-time Sprint Cup champion was discharged from the hospital late Sunday afternoon. 

Stewart was leading the 30-lap American Sprint Car Series (ASCS) feature at Southern Iowa Speedway when a lapped car spun in front of him. Stewart hit the lapped car and flipped.

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Max Papis, driving in place of the injured Tony Stewart, turned in a strong performance by finishing 15^th in the 355k at The Glen NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race Sunday at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International.

Behind the wheel of the No. 14 Rush Truck Centers/Mobil 1 Chevrolet SS for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR), Papis twice raced through the field, first from his 29^th-place starting spot and a second time after a lap-44 spin induced by Greg Biffle left him 33^rd in the 43-car field.

“I felt that we were definitely bound to have a top-10 finish,” said Papis, who got the call Tuesday to substitute for Stewart at the 2.45-mile, 11-turn road course. “Really glad that Greg Biffle came over and apologized when he turned me around. He said it was totally his mistake. I think that really cost us a solid top-10.”

Papis, the affable Italian who has experience in Formula One, Indy cars, sports cars and NASCAR, made Stewart proud in his 36^th career Sprint Cup start and fourth at Watkins Glen. Papis picked up six positions before getting spun by Biffle in the Inner Loop on lap 44. But then Papis rallied from 33^rd to finish 15^th, deftly snaking his way through two multi-car accidents in The Esses in the last 10 laps that sent many of his counterparts to the garage.

“It felt like (the movie) ‘Days of Thunder’ two times going up there … it was all blocked. It was pretty crazy,” Papis said. “I drove the wheels off the car every lap. Every restart I was in the middle, two-wide, three-wide. These guys are all really good. There was not a second of driving around at 90 percent. It was all the time 100 percent.”

Papis’ effort kept the No. 14 car 11^th in the series’ owner standings with 623 points, 185 behind the series-leading No. 48 team of Hendrick Motorsports. Stewart, out of the car for the first time in his 15-year Sprint Cup career – a span of 521 races – dropped to 17^th in points. He has 594 points, 214 out of first and 31 behind 10^th-place Martin Truex Jr.

“Super proud of keeping the seat of Smoke (Stewart) as warm as I could,” said Papis, who won the 2004 Sahlen’s Sports Car Grand Prix at Watkins Glen in the Daytona Prototype division of the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series. “We never gave up, and that is the spirit Tony wanted us to have. We came from almost last and drove up through the middle of the field. We fought really hard, and I drove the best I could.

“It was a pleasure to be a part of this organization, and everything felt really good. Tony, you built a great team, everyone missed you, and you don’t know how much love there is around for you. Thank you for the opportunity.”

Ryan Newman, driver of the No. 39 Haas Automation 30^th Anniversary Chevrolet SS for SHR, finished just ahead of Papis in 14^th to earn his seventh top-15 in 12 career Sprint Cup starts at Watkins Glen.

Danica Patrick, driver of the No. 10 GoDaddy Chevrolet SS for SHR, finished 20^th. It was Patrick’s 32^nd career Sprint Cup start and her first at Watkins Glen.

Kyle Busch won the 355k at The Glen to score his 27^th career Sprint Cup victory, his third of the season and his second at Watkins Glen.

Brad Keselowski finished .486 of a second behind Busch in the runner-up spot, while Truex, Carl Edwards and Juan Pablo Montoya rounded out the top-five. Clint Bowyer, Joey Logano, Jimmie Johnson, Kurt Busch and AJ Allmendinger comprised the remainder of the top-10.

There were eight caution periods for 21 laps, with nine drivers failing to finish the 90-lap race.

With round 22 of 36 complete, Newman leads the SHR contingent in the championship point standings. He moved up one spot to 14^th and has 605 points, 203 back of series leader Johnson and 20 out of the top-10. Patrick maintained her 27^th-place standing and has 397 points, 411 behind Johnson and 228 away from 10^th.

Four races remain before the 12-driver, 10-race Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup begins Sept. 15 at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Ill. Only the top-10 in points are locked into the Chase. Positions 11 and 12 in the Chase are wild cards, awarded to the two drivers between 11^th and 20^th in points with the most wins. If multiple drivers have the same number of wins, a driver’s point standing serves as the tiebreaker.

Kasey Kahne, who is 12^th in points, holds the first wild card via his two wins. Newman is the second wild card because he is the highest-standing driver between 11^th and 20^th with a victory.

Patrick, who is competing for Rookie of the Year honors against Ricky Stenhouse Jr., finished two spots behind Stenhouse, who placed 18^th.

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Ryan Newman, driver of the No. 39 Haas Automation 30^th Anniversary Chevrolet SS for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR), overcame a pit road penalty two-thirds of the way through the 355k at The Glen NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race Sunday at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International to record a 14^th-place finish.

“We lacked the track position that we needed all day,” said Newman, whose finish elevated him one position to 14^th in the Sprint Cup championship point standings and into the second of two wild-card positions in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. “We couldn’t really make any forward progress; we just maintained our position throughout the first two-thirds of the race.

“Matt (Borland, crew chief) made the call to hit pit road when he saw that someone had an issue on the track. We were convinced that we had made it to pit road before NASCAR made the call to close it when the caution came out, but they saw otherwise. The call would have given us the track position we needed to go race the leaders, but instead it put us at the back of the field. We gained 18 positions or so over the final laps, so I’m pretty proud of the effort by all the guys on this Haas Automation team.”

Newman started 14^th in the 43-car field and, despite having a Haas Automation 30^th Anniversary Chevrolet he thought was strong enough to make passes, decided to conserve fuel and take care of his equipment as the opening laps clicked off. Borland called Newman to pit road at lap 30 for routine service of four tires and fuel. A multi-car incident at lap 41 brought out the red flag, giving Borland and Newman the opportunity to discuss various adjustments and strategies for the end of the race.

Shortly after the red flag was lifted and green-flag racing resumed, Aric Almirola made heavy contact with the tire barrier just as the No. 39 team’s pit window opened. Borland instructed Newman to hit pit road, hoping to complete their scheduled service and rejoin the field ahead of the race leaders, who had not yet made their stops. But NASCAR deemed Newman and several other drivers made their stop after pit road had been closed. So Newman was penalized by being moved to the end of the longest line, relegating him to the 32^nd position for the lap 63 restart.

Having completed his final scheduled pit stop of the day, Newman was tasked with climbing from the rear of the field. He was up to the task, avoiding multiple incidents in the closing laps and advancing 18 spots to the 14^th position, where he would take the checkered flag.

“I haven’t seen the reply of when the lights went from green to red at the pit opening, but I feel confident that we were on pit road before the light changed,” Newman said. “But we were sent to the tail end of the longest line. It is what it is. We didn’t get the finish that I feel we were going to get, but a lot of the guys that we’re racing for points had misfortune, and that allowed us to gain some ground in the standings. We really could have capitalized had it not been for that penalty, but we can’t do anything about that now. We’ll head to Michigan next week and look to continue climbing our way into contention for making the Chase field.”

Newman’s SHR teammate Max Papis, interim driver of the No. 14 Rush Truck Centers/Mobil 1 Chevrolet SS as he substitutes for the injured Tony Stewart, finished 15^th. It was his second top-15 finish in four career Sprint Cup starts at Watkins Glen.

Danica Patrick, driver of the No. 10 GoDaddy Chevrolet SS for SHR, finished 20th. It was Patrick’s 32nd career Sprint Cup start and her first at Watkins Glen.

Kyle Busch won the 355k at The Glen to score his 27th career Sprint Cup victory, his third of the season and his second career victory at Watkins Glen.

Brad Keselowski finished .486 of a second behind Busch in the runner-up spot, while Martin Truex Jr., Carl Edwards and Juan Pablo Montoya rounded out the top-five. Clint Bowyer, Joey Logano, Jimmie Johnson, Kurt Busch and AJ Allmendinger comprised the remainder of the top-10.

There were eight caution periods for 21 laps, with nine drivers failing to finish the 90-lap race.

With round 22 of 36 complete, Newman leads the SHR contingent in the championship point standings. He moved up one spot to 14th place and has 605 points, 203 back of series leader Johnson and 20 behind 10th-place Truex. Stewart, who was forced to miss the race due to injury, dropped six spots to 17th with 594 points, 214 out of first and 31 points behind Truex. Patrick maintained her 27th-place standing and has 397 points, 411 behind Johnson and 228 away from 10th.

The No. 14 team is 11th in the owner standings with 623 points, 185 points behind the series-leading No. 48 team of Hendrick Motorsports.

Four races remain before the 12-driver, 10-race Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup begins Sept. 15 at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Ill. Only the top-10 in points are locked into the Chase. Positions 11 and 12 in the Chase are wild cards, awarded to the two drivers between 11th and 20th in points with the most wins. If multiple drivers have the same number of wins, a driver’s point standing serves as the tiebreaker.

Kasey Kahne, who is 12th in points, is the first wild card via his two wins, while Newman is the second wild card because he is the highest-standing driver between 11th and 20th with one victory.

Patrick, who is competing for Rookie of the Year honors against Ricky Stenhouse Jr., finished two spots behind Stenhouse, who placed 18th.

The next event on the Sprint Cup schedule is the Pure Michigan 400 on Sunday, Aug. 18 at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn. The race starts at 1 p.m. EDT, with live coverage provided by ESPN beginning with its pre-race show at noon.

TSC PR

Danica Patrick weaved her way through two late-race accidents and finished a respectable 20^th in the 355k at The Glen NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race Sunday at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International.

Patrick, driver of the No. 10 GoDaddy Chevrolet for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR), was making her 32^nd career Sprint Cup Series start and her first at Watkins Glen.

“I think at the end of the day, there was a lot going on, especially at the end,” Patrick said. “Really just trying to finish and really just trying to not get frustrated, no matter what is going on out there, and just taking what the car will give you. So I just tried to stay calm and stay focused on not making any mistakes. It was really easy to make mistakes out there, and we worked on the car, and I feel like we have a direction for next time. We didn’t nail it today, that is for sure, but I think we made gains, for sure, from the beginning of practice until the end of the race. It’s just a matter of using that for next time and getting better.”

Twice in the closing laps, Patrick managed to avoid multi-car accidents in front of her which could have resulted in a damaged racecar and a poor finish for her and the GoDaddy team.

“The spotters did a great job today,” Patrick said. “It’s so tough sometimes to see what’s going on ahead of you on a road course, but they kept me aware and kept me out of trouble, especially at the end. I’m proud of the entire GoDaddy team.”

Patrick’s SHR teammate Ryan Newman, driver of the No. 39 Haas Automation 30^th Anniversary Chevrolet SS, finished 14^th to score his seventh top-15 finish in 12 career starts at Watkins Glen.

Max Papis, interim driver of the No. 14 Rush Truck Centers/Mobil 1 Chevrolet SS as he substitutes for the injured Tony Stewart, finished 15^th. It was his second top-15 finish in four career Sprint Cup starts at Watkins Glen.

Kyle Busch won the 355k at The Glen to score his 27^th career Sprint Cup victory, his third of the season and his second career win at Watkins Glen.

Brad Keselowski finished .486 of a second behind Busch in the runner-up spot, while Martin Truex Jr., Carl Edwards and Juan Pablo Montoya rounded out the top-five. Clint Bowyer, Joey Logano, Jimmie Johnson, Kurt Busch and AJ Allmendinger comprised the remainder of the top-10.

There were eight caution periods for 21 laps, with nine drivers failing to finish the 90-lap race.

With round 22 of 36 complete, Newman leads the SHR contingent in the championship point standings. He moved up one spot to 14^th place and has 605 points, 203 back of series leader Johnson and 20 behind 10^th-place Truex. Stewart, who was forced to miss the race due to injury, dropped six spots to 17^th with 594 points, 214 out of first and 31 points behind Truex. Patrick maintained her 27^th-place standing and has 397 points, 411 behind Johnson and 228 away from 10^th.

The No. 14 team is 11^th in the owner standings with 623 points, 185 points behind the series-leading No. 48 team of Hendrick Motorsports.

Four races remain before the 12-driver, 10-race Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup begins Sept. 15 at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Ill. Only the top-10 in points are locked into the Chase. Positions 11 and 12 in the Chase are wild cards, awarded to the two drivers between 11^th and 20^th in points with the most wins. If multiple drivers have the same number of wins, a driver’s point standing serves as the tiebreaker.

Kasey Kahne, who is 12^th in points, is the first wild card via his two wins, while Newman is the second wild card because he is the highest-standing driver between 11^th and 20^th with one victory.

Patrick, who is competing for Rookie of the Year honors against Ricky Stenhouse Jr., finished two spots behind Stenhouse, who placed 18^th.

The next event on the Sprint Cup schedule is the Pure Michigan 400 on Sunday, Aug. 18 at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn. The race starts at 1 p.m. EDT, with live coverage provided by ESPN beginning with its pre-race show at noon.

TSC PR

Kyle Busch held off Brad Keselowski and the No. 2 car’s furious last lap challenge to claim the Cheez-It™ 355 on Sunday afternoon at Watkins Glen International.  It was redemption of sorts for Busch, who led the most laps during the previous two NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at The Glen, but could not secure the top spot to claim the checkered flag in either contest.

In addition to maintaining his lead over Keselowski and third-place finisher Martin Truex Jr., Busch overcame grass on his grill early in the race and three late restarts to earn the trip to Gatorade Victory Lane.

Busch’s first win at The Glen came in 2008.  It’s the Toyota Camry driver’s third win in NASCAR’s top series this season. Meanwhile, Keselowski’s second place showing marks his third-straight runner-up finish at WGI.

Busch admitted his misfortunes from the last two years were on his mind, but he simplified his approach as the race drew to a close: “It was just run as hard as you can; try not to lose your car,” said Busch. “It was fun and (I’m) glad it worked out the way it did.”

Polesitter and two time (2011; 2012) race winner Marcos Ambrose led a race-high 51 laps before a crash with six laps remaining ended his day, dashing his chances for a third-consecutive victory celebration at The Glen.

Sunday’s win is Busch’s second NASCAR Sprint Cup Series win at Watkins Glen International and 27^th career win in the series.  It marks his eighth top-10 finish at Watkins Glen International.   The win gives the driver of the No. 18 M&M’s Toyota the fifth place spot in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver standings, an improvement of one place.

Busch’s win comes after a seventh place finish last year and a third-place showing at North America’s premier road course in 2011.

The Cheez-It™ 355 at The Glen saw nine caution flags.

Just four races remain until the field is set for the 10-race Chase For The NASCAR Sprint Cup.  Jimmie Johnson, who finished eighth Sunday, now holds a 75-point advantage over second place Clint Bowyer in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series standings.  Johnson’s finish today clinches at least a Wild Card spot in the Chase for the five-time series champion.

WGI PR

Kyle Busch fought off Brad Keselowski and Martin Truex Jr. on three restarts in the final 12 laps to win the Cheez-It 355 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Watkins Glen International on Sunday.

Busch finally claimed a win after two years of leading the most laps.

Keselowski held on for runner-up honors, taking his third straight Watkins Glen second-place finish. Truex was third.

Busch got restarted in the lead after a lap-60 caution. He had made his final pit stop of the race just before the yellow flag waved. Those who hadn't stopped during green-flag conditions were forced to pit under caution, moving those who pitted previously up to the front. Busch remained up front for the rest of the 90-lap distance.

Marcos Ambrose, who was the two-time defending winner of the event, dominated the first two-thirds of the race, leading all but 10 laps by the time the lap-60 caution came out. But when the yellow waved, it caught Ambrose just before heading down pit road. As a result of pitting under caution, Ambrose restarted 14th and was never able to make up much ground on the front runners in the remaining laps.

Ambrose's race went from bad to worse on a restart with six laps to go. He was among a group of drivers that got bunched up on the restart and wound up spinning and hitting the wall, ending his day prematurely and resulting in a 30th-place finish.

Keselowski spun, himself, early in the race, but managed to not make contact with any other cars or the wall and was able to continue to work his way back toward the front. By the time Ambrose's issues began with the lap 60 caution, Keselowski was back toward the front to battle with Busch and Truex for the lead.
But the lead was one that Busch wouldn't relinquish. Both Keselowski and Truex pressured Busch for the lead on restarts throughout the remainder of the race.

Each time, though, Busch managed to stay out front and pull away before another caution would come out.

NOTES: Ambrose led a race-high 51 laps. ... The race included five lead changes among five different drivers. ... The yellow flag waved eight times, three times in the final 12 laps. ... The race was red-flagged for more than 12 minutes after a multi-car wreck on lap 40. ... Keselowski moved up four spots in the championship points standings, from 12th to eighth. ... Max Papis, filling in for the injured Tony Stewart, finished 15th

RAB Racing and the No. 99 Nationwide Children's Hospital Toyota Camry piloted by Alex Bowman came into Watkins Glen International racing for a cause in the Zippo 200. Bowman raced to raise money for the Nationwide Children's Hospital based out of Columbus, Ohio by spreading the word to text 'KIDS' to 50555 to donate $10 to the Children's Hospital.

On track activity began on Friday with only one rain shortened practice session to get Bowman, who had never completed a lap at The Glen, experience racing around the 2.45 mile road course. The No. 99 recorded the 14th fastest lap with a lap time of 73.727. On Saturday Bowman qualified in the 19th position with a lap of 73.409, reporting less grip in the track and car from the previous day in practice.

The green flag flew on the Zippo 200 and Bowman methodically moved through the field, using the first part of the race to continue to gain experience around the course. On lap 28 Bowman and crew chief Chris Rice began to roll the dice with pit strategy and stayed out under a caution, putting into motion Rice's fuel strategy for the end of the race and restarting in the 12th position. Throughout the race and multiple pit stops, Bowman and Rice were able to once again play pit strategy and pit for fuel only with 21 laps to go and restarted in the 13th position. Bowman raced hard in the closing laps and held off a hard charging Brendan Gaughan and Travis Pastrana to finish in the 13th position. The finish was RAB Racing and Bowman's twelfth top 15 finish of the 21 race season, and the third straight top 15 finish.

Alex Bowman: "I'm really happy to be getting out of Watkins Glen with a 13th place finish, I am definitely a true rookie when it comes to road course racing and learned a lot over the course of these two days. Luckily we have a road course race next week at Mid Ohio, and our team also learned a lot that will help with our performance. A really solid day and finish for me and the race team, I feel like we are continuing to build momentum these last races and its showing up in our results. Previously if there was a track where I didn't have any experience at and we made changes to the car all day we wouldn't have finished in the top 15, so this is a big step forward and we will definitely bring this momentum into Mid Ohio."

With the 13th place finish Bowman continued to hold onto the 11th place in driver point standings, and owner Robby Benton maintained the 15th place in owner point standings. The next race will be on Saturday, August 17th, the Nationwide Children's Hospital 200 at the Mid Ohio Sports Car Course, and will be televised live on ESPN2.

RAB Racing PR