From a NASCAR Fan’s View
Once again, the Cup Teams are road racing for the fourth time this season. This time, it’s at Watkins Glen International, and this time, the lineup looks very interesting, especially since there are several that look as though they can give SVG a run for his money.
Yeah, I know it’s true. SVG has won the last three road course races, but this time he will be facing some stiff competition. Ryan Blaney captured the pole, and he did it in grand fashion. He beat out SVG by three one-hundredths of a second. Sure, I know that’s not much, but it was enough to start on the pole and enough to be leading the pack to the green. That isn’t much of an advantage when you think about it, is it?
That’s one of the problems for this race. There isn’t really all that much difference between starting on the front row and starting around thirty-second or so. All it takes is one little mistake, and someone could totally drop completely out of contention. That’s just the way things can happen on a road course, and especially one like Watkins Glen.
From this fan’s view, the obvious things I can see from the qualifying times is that they are very close overall. What that means to this fan is that it is going to be hard for a driver to advance. There is that ever-looming, obvious fact that SVG has won the last three road course races and is the obvious one likely to win this one. Sure, I know he isn’t unbeatable, and there are those who intend to give him a good run for it today. The question I have to ask is, can he make it four in a row for this season? Is there really someone in the field who can take him down, considering the advantage he has shown to have so far this season?
Once again, looking at the qualifying times and the lineup, there are some obvious contenders that could answer the question I just asked. In fact, there are several good road racers qualified very closely to the two on the front row. And while I’m at it, who’s to say Ryan Blaney can’t pull off the win from the pole position? Another one that has shown himself to be running strong lately is Chase Briscoe and he qualified third.
It’s not really a surprise to this fan that Ross Chastain qualified fourth. The Trackhouse driver has shown himself to be competitive on a road course and this could be his time to shine.
So what makes this weekend so important compared to other weekends at the Glen? Well, this weekend, there are many drivers that are capable of winning, and there are several that need a win to qualify for the playoffs. Some are hoping to take the win even though they are way off the mark when it comes to qualifying by points, but a win can put them in.
There are only three races left to qualify for the playoffs, counting today’s race at the Glen. There are only three places left open to qualify for the playoffs. If that doesn’t add to the drama of the day, nothing will from this fan’s view.
There are a number of drivers who need a win to qualify because they are outside the top sixteen in points. If one or two of them can have three great weekends without a win, they could qualify on points. Well, that depends on how those already in the top sixteen fare over the next three races. Some of those drivers are worth mentioning. That would be Ryan Preece, Kyle Busch, and Ty Gibbs. The rest of the drivers not in those top eighteen need to win, or they will have to try again next season.
I won’t mention any names because the list is too long, but there are several drivers quite capable of winning this one, and they are interspersed throughout the field. Some of them did show speed in practice and qualifying, even though their single lap times weren’t as good as other qualifiers. Some of them are names you would recognize, and also recognize that they are good road course racers. A couple of them are dark horses and may need a minor miracle to win today.
The one problem for all of them is whether or not they can outrun SVG for the win. I believe anything can happen, and on any given race day, SVG can be beaten for a number of reasons. Nobody’s perfect, and even he can make a mistake or two, and perhaps today we might see one. Otherwise, mark this one up for the fourth straight win for SVG in the 2025 Cup season…
Hey, this is Russ and that’s my view… See ya next time…
All views expressed are strictly the opinion of the writer
© August 10, 2025 – all rights reserved
Rusty Norman, Nascarfansview.com and Justafansview.com
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