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NASCAR Monday Mash-Up: First playoff spoiler wins at Watkins Glen

JHby:Jonathan Howard•09/16/24•

Jondean25

Chris Buescher victory lane
Mandatory Credit: Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

The second week of the NASCAR Playoffs is now behind us. Watkins Glen provided tons of drama for fans and drivers. A few top drivers had bad days and it is going to set up quite a scenario for the Bristol elimination race.

This weekend at Watkins Glen was a lot of fun. The racing for both the Xfinity and Cup Series was fantastic. We saw a future superstar make it look easy on Saturday. Then we were treated to chaos on Sunday with major playoff implications on the line.

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NASCAR officials also took a bit of heat after a questionable call, at least to some. Let’s get into the action and break down the highlights before turning to the Bristol Night Race.

Connor Zilisch outclasses ARCA field

In what was more or less a time trial for Connor Zilisch was a dominating performance in the ARCA Menards Series. He was clear of second place by 15 seconds when the halfway break came up.

Zilisch won the race by 12 seconds over William Sawalich, another teenage prospect in the JGR pipeline. This was just a warmup for his NASCAR Xfinity Series debut.

Juan Pablo Montoya questioned ahead of return

For the first time in ten years, Juan Pablo Montoya was racing in the NASCAR Cup Series. Montoya was questioned ahead of the race for how he planned to conduct himself.

It was a silly question. Montoya raced respectfully, he tried to use some strategy to get into the top-10, and ended up losing his tires at the end for a P32 finish.

Ross Chastain earns surprising pole award

During Cup Series qualifying, Ross Chastain had a career-best performance. Qualifying is not his best talent and neither is road course racing, but he put it together on Saturday.

Chastain was emotional after earning the pole. He went on to finish P4 on Sunday, a solid showing for Trackhouse.

Zilisch bests NASCAR Xfinity Series in debut weekend

Speaking of Trackhouse, this development driver they have is pretty damn good. Connor Zilisch won the pole, won Stage 1, and won the race in overtime.

Zilisch managed to save over a gallon of gas in the final 30 laps of the race, overcame a penalty late, and won the race by over three seconds. He’s the future.

Driver swap during Xfinity race

Also during the Xfinity Series race, we saw a rarity in NASCAR, driver swap! Thomas Annunziata was battling dehydration and felt ill in the car.

Joey Gase, the team owner of the No. 35 and driver from time to time, stepped into the car. Annunziata is another exciting young road course racer, but had his day cut short unfortunately.

Lap 1 wreck causes a mess for playoff drivers

During the Cup Series race, NASCAR Playoff drivers found themselves in trouble on Lap 1. Denny Hamlin, Ryan Blaney, Christopher Bell, and Brad Keselowski were all involved.

Blaney was out of the race, a ruling by NASCAR. Hamlin and the others went on to finish the race.

Ryan Blaney frustrated by NASCAR ruling

Of course, Ryan Blaney was furious for being taken out of the race. He felt his team should have been given a chance to fix the car, and they were not given one.

Blaney and others in the media and online are asking for changes to the Damaged Vehicle Policy. Should a change be made?

Hamlin involved in another incident

Denny Hamlin couldn’t catch a break. He was involved in a second wreck during this race. Despite all of the issues going on, Hamlin salvaged his afternoon.

No one wants to finish P23 but Hamlin did all he could to get there with a damaged car. He is six points below the cutline and will have to have a good race at Bristol to make the Round of 12.

William Byron almost jumps the fence

Late in the race, William Byron and Brad Keselowski got into one another. Byron’s car rode up on top of Keselowski’s and it was almost a horrific incident.

Thankfully, Keselowski’s car held up under the pressure, and Byron backed up and off the No. 6. Byron almost ramped up and over the wall, which could have been very dangerous.

Chris Buescher, SVG put on epic NASCAR overtime battle

NASCAR overtime popped up once again. Chris Buescher and Shane van Gisbergen gave us a race for the ages.

Watkins Glen finally delivered us an epic finish again. It felt like it had been years since we had one this good. Leigh Diffey was perfect on the call, as always.