2018 Go Bowling at The Glen

Race details[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9]
Race 22 of 36 in the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
The 2018 Go Bowling at The Glen program cover.
Date	August 5, 2018 (2018-08-05)
Location	Watkins Glen International in Watkins Glen, New York
Course	Permanent racing facility 2.45 mi (3.94 km)
Distance	90 laps, 220.5 mi (354.6 km)
Average speed	98.928 miles per hour (159.209 km/h)
Pole position
Driver	Denny Hamlin	Joe Gibbs Racing
Time	1:10.260
Most laps led
Driver	Chase Elliott	Hendrick Motorsports
Laps	52
Winner
No. 9	Chase Elliott	Hendrick Motorsports
Television in the United States
Network	NBC
Announcers	Rick Allen, Steve Letarte (booth), Mike Bagley (Esses), Dale Earnhardt Jr. (Turn 5) and Jeff Burton (Turns 6–7)
Nielsen Ratings	2.3 (Overnight)[10]
Radio in the United States
Radio	MRN
Booth Announcers	Joe Moore, Jeff Striegle and Rusty Wallace
Turn Announcers	Dave Moody (Esses), Alex Hayden (Turn 5) and Kyle Rickey (Turns 10-11)

The 2018 Go Bowling at The Glen was a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race held on August 5, 2018 at Watkins Glen International in Watkins Glen, New York. Contested over 90 laps on the 2.45-mile (3.94 km) road course, it was the 22nd race of the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season. Chase Elliott scored his first career win in this race after holding off a hard-charging Martin Truex Jr. who was the defending winner from last year. This was the final race for Brian France as the CEO of NASCAR, as he was arrested for DUI hours after the race occurred. Jim France was the CEO starting at Michigan.

Report

Background

Watkins Glen International (nicknamed "The Glen") is an automobile race track located in Watkins Glen, New York at the southern tip of Seneca Lake. It was long known around the world as the home of the Formula One United States Grand Prix, which it hosted for twenty consecutive years (1961–1980), but the site has been home to road racing of nearly every class, including the World Sportscar Championship, Trans-Am, Can-Am, NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, the International Motor Sports Association and the IndyCar Series.

Initially, public roads in the village were used for the race course. In 1956 a permanent circuit for the race was built. In 1968 the race was extended to six hours, becoming the 6 Hours of Watkins Glen. The circuit's current layout has more or less been the same since 1971, although a chicane was installed at the uphill Esses in 1975 to slow cars through these corners, where there was a fatality during practice at the 1973 United States Grand Prix. The chicane was removed in 1985, but another chicane called the "Inner Loop" was installed in 1992 after J.D. McDuffie's fatal accident during the previous year's NASCAR Winston Cup event.

The circuit is known as the Mecca of North American road racing and is a very popular venue among fans and drivers. The facility is currently owned by International Speedway Corporation.

Entry list

Practice

First practice

Erik Jones was the fastest in the first practice session with a time of 1:10.467 and a speed of 125.165 mph (201.434 km/h).^[11]

Final practice

Chase Elliott was the fastest in the final practice session with a time of 1:10.832 and a speed of 124.520 mph (200.396 km/h).^[12]

Qualifying

Denny Hamlin scored the pole for the race with a time of 1:10.260 and a speed of 125.534 mph (202.027 km/h).^[13]

Qualifying results

Race

Stage Results

Stage 1 Laps: 20

Stage 2 Laps: 20

Final Stage Results

Stage 3 Laps: 50

Race statistics

• Lead changes: 5 among different drivers
• Cautions/Laps: 4 for 11
• Red flags: 0
• Time of race: 2 hours, 13 minutes and 44 seconds
• Average speed: 98.928 miles per hour (159.209 km/h)

Media

Television

NBC Sports covered the race on the television side. Rick Allen and Steve Letarte called in the regular booth for the race; Motor Racing Network broadcaster Mike Bagley called from the Esses, Dale Earnhardt Jr. had the call from Turn 5, and Jeff Burton called from Turns 6–7. Dave Burns, Marty Snider and Kelli Stavast reported from pit lane during the race.

Radio

Motor Racing Network had the radio call for the race, which was simulcast on Sirius XM NASCAR Radio.

Standings after the race

Drivers' Championship standings Pos Driver Points 1 Kyle Busch 934 2 Kevin Harvick 864 (–70) 3 Martin Truex Jr. 813 (–121) 2 4 Kurt Busch 705 (–229) 5 Clint Bowyer 703 (–231) 2 6 Joey Logano 691 (–243) 7 Brad Keselowski 670 (–264) 8 Kyle Larson 660 (–274) 9 Denny Hamlin 650 (–284) 10 Ryan Blaney 639 (–295) 1 11 Chase Elliott 619 (–315) 1 12 Aric Almirola 602 (–332) 1 13 Erik Jones 572 (–362) 1 14 Jimmie Johnson 563 (–371) 15 Alex Bowman 523 (–411) 16 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 461 (–473) Official driver's standings

Manufacturers' Championship standings Pos Manufacturer Points 1 Toyota 810 2 Ford 775 (–35) 3 Chevrolet 715 (–95) Official manufacturers' standings Note: Only the first 16 positions are included for the driver standings. . – Driver has clinched a position in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series playoffs.