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| Martin Truex Jr. celebrates after winning the I Love New York 355 at the Glen. Truex led 24 of 90 laps to grab his fourth win of 2017. |
Martin Truex Jr. did it again Sunday, using strategy to pull off a win at Watkins Glen. Holding off a charging Matt Kenseth, Truex Jr. won his fourth race of the season, and extended his "classic" point lead. Kyle Busch dominated before getting shuffled back after a problem on pit road, then collided with Keselowski in the inner loop on lap 45. While Busch rebounded to finish 7th, Keselowski took a penalty on a late pit stop, ending up 15th. It was unfortunate for 'Rowdy,' having the same bad luck that he's had all season. Other finishes include Daniel Suarez with a career best 3rd, Kevin Harvick in 17th, Kyle Larson in 23rd, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. brought up the rear in 37th. Road course ringer Boris Said made his final Cup start, finishing in 30th.
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| Kyle Busch and Brad Keselowski make contact and spin on lap 45 |
This year's races at Sonoma and Watkins Glen reminded me of how great road course races are to watch on a Sunday afternoon. They bring some variety, don't take too long to complete, and this year cautions were at a minimum. Stage 3 ran virtually caution-free in both events. The last time there was only 3 cautions in a Watkins Glen race was 1995 (and not counting stage ending-cautions, there was only one, for Landon Cassill's blown tire). This helped create a clean, raw finish, and a great strategy race. Truex had to give up first and second, to run the rest of the race without a pit stop. It showed how prepared and accomplished the #78 team really is. They're well on their way to a championship, whether it's the real one, or the "classic" title.
So here's a look at the classic standings after Watkins Glen... With the win and leading the most laps, Truex Jr. jumps out to a 27 point lead over Harvick. The big loser this week was Kyle Larson, dropping to 6th in points with his third straight finish outside the top-20 (and to think, a month ago he led in classic points). Daniel Suarez remained in 10th, but gained on everyone except Truex.
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| Hendrick Motorsports confirmed in an announcement Monday that Kasey Kahne will not return to the 5 car next season |
Another development since Sunday's race, is Hendrick Motorsports' announcement that Kasey Kahne will not be back in the #5 car next season. The news wasn't all that surprising, but still disappointing for the veteran driver. Kahne has driven for Hendrick since 2012; with six wins in those six seasons. 2017 has been his poorest season with the team, with only four top-10's so far. With the "classic" points system, Kahne hasn't had a top-10 finish in the standings since 2006, when he won six races. I would not be surprised if Kahne ended up leaving Cup like several other veteran drivers, but I'm confident an offer will come along. Kahne is 37, and likely has plenty of racing left in him.
The Cup series now heads to Michigan, for the Pure Michigan 400. This race is Kyle Larson's best chance to rebound after a rough patch; he's won the last two races at MIS, and his other Cup win came at California, a very similar track. Points leader Martin Truex Jr. has never won at Michigan, but in his last five starts there, he has three top-10's...
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| Martin Truex Jr. leads Matt Kenseth to the final turn at Watkins Glen. Truex got his fourth win of the year, Kenseth remains winless. |
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