Key Insights from NASCAR's Watkins Glen Event: Approaching the Conclusion

 

A familiar scene unfolded as the driver of Hendrick Motorsports' No. 24 car found himself in Victory Lane at Watkins Glen International, being handed a cell phone with team owner Rick Hendrick on the other end. This time, it wasn't Jeff Gordon, although he was present, celebrating the success of his successor, William Byron, who is having a standout season with five wins and counting.

Back in the late 1990s and early 2000s, this cell phone tradition was a common occurrence in the NASCAR community. Jeff Gordon and his No. 24 team dominated the competition, and Rick Hendrick often joined the celebration remotely through phone calls.

It's interesting how history seems to repeat itself. While Byron had secured four wins over the past three seasons—one in 2020, one in 2021, and two in 2022—this season marks his true breakout. This trajectory resembles Jeff Gordon's experience in 1995 when he claimed seven victories on his way to his first championship, following a two-win season the previous year.

Jeff Gordon, now the vice chairman of Hendrick Motorsports, acknowledges that he might be too far removed to draw direct parallels from 30 years ago, but he does recognize that a driver today is fully capable of achieving similar accomplishments within the modern racing landscape.

"I can't easily recollect events from 30 years ago, but I am certainly impressed by what I'm witnessing," Gordon stated on Sunday. He added that from an internal perspective, the progression has been enjoyable to witness, seeing how both William Byron and his crew chief Rudy Fugle have clicked, and the entire team has come together in the current year.

Gordon also achieved victory four times at The Glen between 1997 and 2001, which interestingly aligns with his championship years, potentially adding another parallel between their careers.

"Yeah, it's fascinating because I spent a lot of time watching summer races here with that iconic flames car, witnessing how dominant he was at The Glen," Byron remarked. "He and Tony Stewart were consistently strong here. It's truly an honor to carry forward that legacy with the same car, and we'll have a few memories to share over it."

This victory holds significant importance for the No. 24 team. For the second consecutive year, they've encountered a performance dip during the summer. Last year, they struggled to find speed, leading to subpar results. However, this season, although the speed was there, execution fell short.

Securing a win just two weeks before the playoffs commence establishes the type of momentum required to propel them forward into the championship pursuit.

With 28 playoff points in hand, Byron is presently the leader in this category. However, his standing will likely shift to second in the seeding after this weekend due to the bonus points that Martin Truex Jr. is poised to accumulate as a result of his regular season championship.

Regardless, Byron is positioned as a contender to reach the championship race in Phoenix, a trait reminiscent of Gordon's achievements. This comparison to Jeff Gordon's career is evident in the current driver of the No. 24 car.

Chase Elliott's performance undermined by errors

Chase Elliott expressed his perspective on Saturday regarding his chances to secure a playoff spot during the final two weekends of the regular season.

"Being in a must-win situation is like going to Vegas and having to pull the lever on the nearest slot machine for the jackpot," Elliott likened. "It's quite absurd."

Fast forward to the race day.

After failing to advance into the pole round, Elliott commenced the race from 15th place due to this outcome. To counterbalance the lost track position resulting from the qualifying session, his crew chief, Alan Gustafson, opted to bring Elliott into the pits as soon as their pit window opened. This decision granted them approximately seven positions.

Nevertheless, as the second stage neared its conclusion, Elliott encountered a loss of fuel pressure. Gustafson promptly informed his driver that their internal calculations had faltered, leading to them unexpectedly running out of fuel. This instantly dropped Elliott a lap behind and rendered him insignificant for the remainder of the race.

Now, he faces the metaphorical "Las Vegas" in Daytona, where he needs to achieve a miraculous victory to stay afloat. It's an improbable situation, but it's their reality in the context of the regular season's final race.

Gustafson, speaking to a select group of reporters including Frontstretch.com, FOX Sports, and NBC Sports, addressed the unfolding events.

Gustafson underscored the need for unconventional approaches, stating, "You can't expect different results by doing the same as everyone else." He mentioned that their strategic decision was rooted in recognizing their need for a significant deviation from the norm to have any shot at winning, even if it carried inherent risks.

In response to inquiries about the miscalculations, Gustafson declined to delve into internal matters or offer specifics about the fuel strategy issues. He emphasized the necessity of exploiting every potential advantage to secure a win, acknowledging the inherent risks in pushing the boundaries.

As the last race looms, both Elliott and Alex Bowman find themselves in must-win scenarios, a challenging position attributed to their injuries from extracurricular activities. Gordon commented on the situation, highlighting the miscalculations made by the No. 9 team, from Elliott's qualifying performance to the crew chief and analytics department's timing of their initial pit stop.

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Yet another methodical road course race.

Had it not been for Elliott's fuel depletion, the Cup Series would have experienced an entire race without a single caution, which extends to nearly two complete races when considering only one caution at the start of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course last weekend.

In fact, the race at Watkins Glen on Sunday was so uneventful and procedural that it stood as the shortest race in NASCAR's modern era, with a duration of one hour, 58 minutes, and 44 seconds. This marked the quickest race since a 1971 100-mile event at Hickory Motor Speedway in North Carolina that concluded in one hour, 22 minutes, and 25 seconds.

This outcome is attributed to several factors. NASCAR eliminated stage breaks on road courses this season due to extensive feedback from both the industry and the fan base. However, it's evident that the second-year NextGen car continues to struggle in generating excitement on road courses and short tracks.

This issue has been a recurrent topic throughout the season.

Denny Hamlin emphasized that the NextGen car faces difficulty in passing on single-lane tracks, as it struggles to escape the aerodynamic wake of other cars. Since lap times only drop by around a second over a full run on larger tracks like Watkins Glen, all drivers maintain a high level of speed, making passing exceptionally challenging.

AJ Allmendinger explained that the top five cars remained largely locked in place throughout Sunday's race due to the formidable challenge of overtaking. He noted the tight competition in lap times at the front and the limited tire degradation, leading to the necessity of capitalizing on opponents' errors, which is tough when racing against such skilled drivers in this discipline.

Jeff Gordon echoed this sentiment and likened this year's road course races to the style of racing witnessed in the 1990s. He found the race reminiscent of those from that era.

Gordon reminisced about how road course races used to be perceived as less exciting, resulting in discussions about the need for multiple road courses. However, the introduction of double-file restarts and stage racing transformed road course events into thrilling spectacles. Gordon acknowledged that while improvements have occurred on mile-and-a-half tracks and superspeedways, there's room for enhancement on short tracks and road courses.

NASCAR is actively addressing these concerns by developing various aerodynamic solutions for short tracks and road courses, such as adjusting downforce and splitter configurations to counteract the aerodynamic advantage of leading cars in clean air.

In Gordon's words, the challenge lies in getting close to the car in front to execute daring moves without causing more cautions.