Go Bowling at The Glen:
The first of two road course races in the NASCAR Cup Championship playoffs is this weekend, as the drivers participate in the Go Bowling at The Glen. This Watkins Glen race is one of two races without a number in the event title, with the other being next week’s Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol.
This will be 90 laps around the 2.454-mile asphalt track, so consider this the Almost 221-Mile Go Bowling at The Glen. Obviously a road course race is a real wrinkle for the drivers, both those in the playoffs and those just trying to bank wins and dollars before the end of the season.
How to Watch The Go Bowling at The Glen
When: Sunday, September 15, 2024
Where: Watkins Glen International, Watkins Glen, NY
Time: 3 p.m. ET
Channel: USA
2024 NASCAR Cup Series Standings
Sixteen drivers qualified for the playoffs. Everybody’s counter was reset back to 2,000 and the bonus points accumulated during the regular season were then added to that total.
Joey Logano won last week’s Quaker State 400, so he has automatically qualified for the next round.
Here are the playoff drivers by standings order (points over 2,000 in parentheses):
- Ryan Blaney (72)
- Christopher Bell (66)
- Tyler Reddick (59)
- William Byron (59)
- Joey Logano (54)
- Alex Bowman (53)
- Austin Cindric (53)
- Chase Elliott (50)
- Daniel Suarez (47)
- Kyle Larson (41)
- Denny Hamlin (28)
- Ty Gibbs (26)
- Brad Keselowski (26)
- Harrison Burton (11)
- Martin Truex Jr. (8)
- Chase Briscoe (6)
2024 NASCAR Cup Championship Playoffs Format
There are 10 races in the playoffs, with the first nine grouped into sets of three. A win in one of those races automatically clinches a berth in the next set of races.
The bottom four drivers after each set of three will be eliminated from contention for the championship. That puts Burton, Truex, and Briscoe in serious danger with two races left.
Here are the playoff races:
Round of 16
Quaker State 400 (Atlanta) – Sunday, September 8 (Logano)
Go Bowling at The Glen (Watkins Glen) – Sunday, September 15
Bass Pro Shops Night Race (Bristol) – Saturday, September 21
Round of 12
Hollywood Casino 400 (Kansas) – Sunday, September 29
YellaWood 500 (Talladega) – Sunday, October 6
Bank of America Roval 400 (Charlotte) – Sunday, October 13
Round of 8
South Point 400 (Las Vegas) – Sunday, October 20
Straight Talk Wireless 400 (Homestead-Miami) – Sunday, October 27
Xfinity 500 (Martinsville) – Sunday, November 3
Championship
NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race (Phoenix) – Sunday, November 10
Go Bowling at The Glen Winners
This should be a fascinating race, not only because of the road course component, but because a lot of playoff drivers have won here. Byron is the reigning champ after Larson won in both 2022 and 2021. COVID moved this race to Florida in 2020, but the winners of the previous five races were Elliott (x2), Truex, Hamlin, and Logano.
Chevrolet has won five in a row, so we’ll if that trend continues this week.
Go Bowling at The Glen Predictions
For the latest odds and VSiN’s NASCAR Best Bets, head to our NASCAR Hub to see Steve Makinen’s simulation results and more stats on the drivers.
