NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series
Next Race: Mission 176 at The Glen
The Place: Watkins Glen International
Track Length: 2.45 Mile Asphalt Road Course
The Date: Friday, August 8
The Time: 5 p.m. ET
The Purse: $782,900
TV: FS1, 5 p.m. ET
Radio: NRN, SiriusXM NASCAR (Channel 90)
Distance: 176.4 miles (72 Laps); Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 20),
Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 40), Final Stage (Ends on Lap 72)
Where To Watch NASCAR This Weekend:
Friday, August 8
NCTS Practice & Kennametal Pole Qualifying (FS2 at 11:30 a.m. ET)
NCTS Race: Mission 176 at The Glen (FS1, MRN, SiriusXM at 5 p.m. ET)
NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series
Watkins Glen International Storylines and Insights:
- This weekend marks the seventh running of a NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series race at Watkins Glen International (1996-1999, 2000, 2021), tying CTMP for the most races at a road course.
- Watkins Glen is the second of three road courses on the schedule this season, tied for the most in a single season.
- This weekend will be the 17th race of the 2025 NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series schedule, two races to go until the Playoffs (Watkins Glen and Richmond).
- Stages at Watkins Glen: 20 laps, 20 laps, 32 laps.
- The CRAFTSMAN Truck Series raced at Watkins Glen in 2021, but prior to that had not raced there since 2000.
- Corey Heim’s Lime Rock win was his third road course win tying him for most all-time.
- Corey Heim clinched the 2025 NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Regular Season Championship with his third-place finish at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park. Heim has won the NCTS Regular Season Championship twice in his career (2023, 2025).
- Corey Heim won the last three road course races, he is the first driver to win three straight.
- Layne Riggs was only the third driver in 2025 to win multiple races, joining Corey Heim and teammate Chandler Smith.
- Chris Buescher is set to make his CRAFTSMAN Truck Series debut this weekend with ThorSport Racing in the #66.
- There is a combined 24 NASCAR road course wins among the drivers entered; including both Watkins Glen winners from 2024 are entered: NXS- Connor Zilisch, NCS – Chris Buescher.
- Five drivers in the Cup race are also competing in the Truck race: Kyle Busch, Ross Chastain, Christopher Bell, Chris Buescher and Connor Zilisch.
- 15 former CRAFTSMAN Truck series winners are entered, the last NCTS road course race with that many past winners entered was COTA 2023.
- The Playoff bubble will go from 61 points to 16 points without Stewart Friesen.
- All drivers more than 113 points below 10th are in a must win situation.
- All drivers 57 points above 10th following Watkins Glen will be locked into the Playoffs.
Strong Field of non-regulars:
- Kyle Busch – 67 truck wins, four career Cup road course wins including two at WGI
- Sammy Smith – three time NXS winner
- Ross Chastain – five truck wins, won at COTA in Cup
- Connor Zilisch – won in his NXS debut at WGI last year, hottest driver in NXS, road course specialist
- Christopher Bell – 2017 Truck Champ, three time winner in the Cup series on road courses
- Chris Buescher – won the Cup race at Watkins Glen last year
- Parker Kligerman – road course winner at Mid-Ohio in 2022
Connor Zilisch Returns:
- Making his seventh CRAFTSMAN Truck series start.
- Won the pole in his Truck Series debut at COTA in 2024.
- Three wins, five top fives in five NXS road course starts
- Five NXS wins in 2025 at COTA, Pocono, Sonoma, Dover & Indianapolis
- Leads NXS in wins (5), runner-up finishes (3 – tied), Top 5s (11 – tied) and poles (4) this season
- 3 average finish in last 10 NXS races
- Youngest driver to reach six NXS wins; youngest driver to win three straight NXS races.
- Watkins Glen wins: Xfinity Series 09/2024 (series debt) & ARCA Menards Series 09/2024.
NCTS Clinch Scenarios Following Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park:
Already Clinched
- The following seven drivers have clinched a spot in the 10-driver postseason field: Corey Heim, Chandler Smith, Layne Riggs, Daniel Hemric, Tyler Ankrum, Stewart Friesen, Rajah Caruth.
Can Clinch Via Points
- If there is a repeat winner or a win by a driver who cannot advance to the playoffs, the following drivers could clinch by being 56 points above the third winless driver in the standings. The same point requirements listed below would hold true if a new win comes from Grant Enfinger or Kaden Honeycutt.
- Grant Enfinger: Could only clinch with help
- Kaden Honeycutt: Could only clinch with help
- If there is a new winner from Ty Majeski or another winless driver lower in the standings but still eligible to advance to the playoffs, the following drivers could clinch by being 56 points above the second winless driver in the standings.
- Grant Enfinger: Could only clinch with help
Can Clinch Via Win
- The following drivers would clinch on their win alone:
- Grant Enfinger, Kaden Honeycutt, Ty Majeski, Jake Garcia, Ben Rhodes, Giovanni Ruggiero, Tanner Gray, Connor Mosack, Matt Crafton, Andres Perez De Lara, Jack Wood, Matt Mills, Dawson Sutton, Spencer Boyd, Toni Breidinger, Frankie Muniz.
NASCAR & Watkins Glen, Etc.
Historical and Significant Events at Watkins Glen International:
- ‘The Glen’ was constructed at its current location in 1956 but had its real beginning in 1948 when a Cornell University law student from Ohio, Cameron Argetsinger, acquired a sports car but had no place to race it. He designed a 6.6 mile circuit comprised of public roads in the Village of Watkins Glen where his family owned a cottage.
- He convinced the Chamber of Commerce of the Village of Watkins Glen and nine other agencies to hold the first post-war street race in the country. The annual race on the public roads at the tip of Lake Seneca was hugely successful from 1948-1951 drawing a large field of cars, large crowds and premier drivers.
- The race came to an abrupt halt when the 1952 running was canceled midrace after a car brushed the crowd fatally injuring a spectator and hurting several others.
- After a few years of racing at a temporary course a permanent facility was built in the town of Dix which borders Watkins Glen.
- Engineering professors from Cornell designed the 2.3 mile layout and specified the pavement. The first professional race was a NASCAR Grand National (Cup Series) race held on 8/4/1957. Buck Baker led all 44 laps in the caution-free race beating Fireball Roberts by nearly ½ mile.
- NASCAR returned in 1964 and 1965 on the annual ‘Northern Tour”. Billy Wade won 1964, Marvin Panch 1965.
- In the 1960s and continuing to the present, Watkins Glen has hosted nearly every major United States sanctioning body and professional racing series: NASCAR Cup and Xfinity Series, Can-AM, Trans-AM, NASCAR Busch North and K&N, NASCAR Modified, NASCAR Trucks, IMSA and Camel GTO, CART, IndyCar, NASCAR Grand-Am, Formula 1, Formula 5000, IMSA and others.
- In 1961, the track ran the first of 19 Formula One races that ended after 1980 due to deteriorating track conditions not meeting F1 standards.
- The Summer Jam at Watkins Glen was a 1973 rock festival that once held the record as the largest audience at a pop festival. An estimated 600,000 people attended the event held at the raceway. The Allman Brothers Band, Grateful Dead and The Band performed. In 2013, a maintenance crew from Watkins Glen found abandoned cars from the event on track property.
- After 1980, the track was bankrupt and fell into disrepair. In 1983 Corning purchased the track then partnered with International Speedway Corporation (ISC) to form Watkins Glen International. The track reopened in 1984 to sports car racing and in 1986 the Cup Series returned to The Glen to a huge crowd estimated at 88,000.
- In 1992, the Inner Loop Chicane was added giving the track its 2.45 distance.
- In 1997, the International Speedway Corporation (now NASCAR) became the sole owner of the facility.
- Since 2001, the track has undergone continuous capital improvements. By the end of 2012 more than $30 million were invested in The Glen; including replacement of old wooden grandstands, the Glen Club, adding SAFER barriers, upgrades to the garage and pit road areas. In 2008, the new Media Center replaced a press box that had been used since 1971.
- In April 2012, the five new grandstands were renamed to recognize the history of Watkins Glen International: SENECA (Lake Seneca can be seen from the track); ARGETSINGER (the man responsible for establishing street and road course racing in Watkins Glen); STEWART (three-time F1 champion); RIESBECK (the Corning executive who was the driving force behind Corning’s purchase and revival of the bankrupt track); and, BODINE (the local family of racers representing the track’s recent history).
- The town of Watkins Glen can be found at the base of Seneca Lake, the largest of the Finger lakes. At a max depth of 618 ft it is the deepest of the Finger Lakes and at 38 miles long it is the second longest Finger Lakes.
- For the 2016 season the track was fully repaved it was the first complete repave since 1989.
- New in 2024, large curbing was added outside of the ruble strips in the bus stop.
Latest Track News at Watkins Glen International:
- Busch Light, Saratoga Eagle and Watkins Glen International have united in a new partnership for The Bog, Watkins Glen’s premium hospitality area. Busch Light will hold naming rights to the Bog hospitality, now known as Busch Light at the Bog, where fans can experience exclusive trackside views, access multiple motorsports Q&A sessions, enjoy upgrades on food and beverage items, and earn free souvenir gifts to enjoy the ride at the race.
- NASCAR Cup Series drivers Brad Keselowski and Ryan Preece spent the day yesterday in the Finger Lakes, taking in all the region has to offer ahead of the upcoming Go Bowling at The Glen NASCAR race weekend at Watkins Glen International. Keselowski enjoyed an afternoon at Sheriff’s Summer Camp, interacting with campers then taking a fishing excursion out on Keuka Lake, while Preece toured Bully Hill Vineyards just down the road, learning about the art of wine making and experiencing all the beauty of Finger Lakes Wine Country.
- NASCAR Cup Series driver and Buffalo Bills fan Zane Smith joined the NFL team during training camp today ahead of the upcoming Go Bowling at The Glen NASCAR race weekend at Watkins Glen International. Smith stopped by St. John Fisher College in Rochester, where the Bills hold their training camp, and spent some time with the team as they prepare for the upcoming football season. Smith also paid a visit to the Bills Youth Football Program to interact with young Bills fans, and spoke with motorsports enthusiast and Buffalo Bills left tackle Dion Dawkins. Dawkins previously served as Grand Marshal for the IMSA Sahlen’s Six Hours of the Glen earlier this summer at Watkins Glen International.
— NASCAR —