Race Day | Watkins Glen

JIM UTTER, jutter@charlotteobserver.com

Saturday, Aug. 11, 2007

CENTURION BOATS AT THE GLEN

Where: Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International
When: 2 p.m. Eastern Sunday
Weather: Sunny with high near 85.
TV: Coverage begins at 1 p.m. on ESPN.
Radio: Motor Racing Network
Race distance: 90 laps or 220.5 miles
Track length: 2.45 miles

PRACTICE UPDATE
Robby Gordon was fastest in Saturday’s final Nextel Cup practice, although there was some debate whether the bypassed the chicane on his fastest lap. Irregardless, Gordon still has one of the fastest cars this weekend. He was sixth fastest in the morning practice. Jamie McMurray has also been consistently quick – second fastest in the final session, third fastest in the morning session.

THREE THINGS TO WATCH
1. Track position is always important on road courses and with qualifying rained out and the field set by owner points and the rulebook, the drivers already above the cutoff to make the Chase get a head start on everybody else.
2. Rookie Juan Pablo Montoya is looking for his third road course victory of the season. He won the Busch race at Mexico City and earned his first Nextel Cup win at Sonoma, Calif.
3. Dale Earnhardt Jr. dropped outside the top 12 after last weekend’s race at Pocono and isn’t a highly regarded road racer, but he has finished in the top-10 in three of his past four races at Watkins Glen International.

OBSERVER PICKS
David Poole
TONY STEWART: The man to beat these days, especially at The Glen.

Jim Utter
DENNY HAMLIN: Many forget his first NASCAR win came on a road course.

ELEVATORS

UP: ROBBY GORDON
Yes, the rain washed out Gordon’s plan to field Marcos Ambrose in a Cup car, but it was still a nice idea and the least Gordon could do.

UP: KURT BUSCH
He seems primed for a one-on-one battle with Dale Earnhardt Jr. for the final slot in the Chase.

DOWN: POINTS RACING
We’ve moved from “having a good points day” to “racing for 10 bonus points.” Is there a difference?

NOTES

•  Road racing ace Marc Goossens practiced David Gilliland’s No. 38 Ford during Saturday’s first Cup practice session, but Gilliland returned to the seat in the second practice and plans to race on Sunday. Goossens drove both Cup road course events for Robert Yates Racing last season.
•  Marc Mitchell, who finished 20th in his only Busch Series start this season at Milwaukee, has a three race deal in the Automobile Racing Club of America series in the No. 4 Dodge, a Dodge driver development program ride. His first race is this weekend at Nashville.

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