Sunday, August 12 Watkins Glen International Watkins Glen, NY

Tony Stewart celebrates his win in Victory Lane. More pix at the end of this page...

Stewart Wins at the Glen

WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. — Benefiting from Jeff Gordon’s spin in Turn 1 on the next-to-last lap, Tony Stewart inherited the lead from the NASCAR Nextel Cup points leader and went on to win for the third time in four races when he took the checkered flag in Sunday’s Centurion Boats at The Glen at Watkins Glen International.

Stewart crossed the finish line 2.460 seconds ahead of teammate Denny Hamlin, after Carl Edwards, who was running second on the final lap, slid off the course in Turn 10. The victory was Stewart’s third of the year, his fourth at Watkins Glen — tying Gordon for the all-time lead — and the 32nd of his career.

Jimmie Johnson avoided the trouble and the road rage that plagued a host of other contenders and came home third. Ron Fellows, subbing for Tony Raines in the No. 96 Hall of Fame Racing Chevrolet, ran fourth, followed by Robby Gordon.

Martin Truex Jr., Kyle Busch, Edwards, Jeff Gordon and Greg Biffle completed the top 10.

Kevin Harvick and Juan Pablo Montoya indulged in a little shoving match after their on-track altercation.

Juan Pablo Montoya’s bid to win a NASCAR race on three different road courses in a season came to an end at the same instant Kevin Harvick’s chances to win three straight road races went up in smoke. Montoya went low in Turn 1 to block Truex on a restart on Lap 73. Truex tapped Montoya’s No. 42 Dodge and sent it spinning into Harvick’s No. 29 Chevrolet, crippling both cars.

Harvick’s Richard Childress Racing teammate Jeff Burton didn’t make it through the turn, either. His No. 31 Chevy slammed into Montoya’s Dodge and was unable to continue. Montoya and Harvick climbed from their cars and proceeded to shove each other before NASCAR officials stepped between them and Burton arrived on the scene to restrain his teammate.

Harvick, Montoya and Burton weren’t the only top drivers who suffered misfortune Sunday. Dale Earnhardt Jr., battling Kurt Busch for the 12th and final position in the Chase for the NASCAR Nextel Cup, was running third when his engine expired on Lap 64, in all likelihood a casualty of over-revving during Saturday’s practice sessions.

The resulting 42nd-place finish dealt Earnhardt’s Chase chances a serious blow, especially because Busch recovered from a pit road speeding penalty to finish 11th. Earnhardt dropped from 13th to the 14th in the points standings, swapping spots with Ryan Newman.

Complete race results and point standings in the Event Stats section below...

Checkered Flag Fast Facts

• Tony Stewart won the Centurion Boats at The Glen, his 32nd victory in 306 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series races.
• Stewart moved into a tie with Dale Jarrett for 19th on the all-time wins list.
• This is his third victory and 15th top-10 finish in 2007.
• This is his fourth victory and seventh top-10 finish in nine races at Watkins Glen International.
• Denny Hamlin (second) posted his 13th top-10 finish in 2007 and his second in as many races at Watkins Glen.
• Jimmie Johnson (third) posted his 13th top 10 of 2007 and his third in six races at Watkins Glen.
• Jeff Gordon (ninth) posted his eighth top 10 in 15 Watkins Glen races. Gordon continues to lead the 2007 point standings. He has led the point standings since Bristol and is now 349 points ahead of Denny Hamlin.
• Gordon is 954 points ahead of the 13th position and is the only driver that has clinched a spot in the Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup.
• Patrick Carpentier (22nd) led laps 31 through 37, leading in his first career NASCAR NEXTEL Cup race.
• Stewart had the highest ranking in the loop data driver rating entering this event. It was the third time this season that the highest ranking driver won the race. Jimmie Johnson (Las Vegas) and Matt Kenseth (California) were the others.

Broadcast Times

Qualifying: Friday, August 10 (ESPN2 at 4 p.m./AT, 3 p.m./ET)

Final Practice: Saturday, August 11 (ESPN2 at 3 p.m./AT, 2 p.m./ET)

RaceDay: Sunday, August 12 (SPEED at 1 p.m./AT, Noon/ET)

Countdown to Green: Sunday, August 12 (ESPN2 & TSN-Alt at 2 p.m./AT, 1 p.m./ET)

Race: Sunday, August 5 (ESPN & TSN-Alt at 3 p.m./AT, 2 p.m./ET)

Event Stats PDF files unless otherwise noted

Entry List

Friday Practice

Qualifying Order (rained out)

Starting Lineup (based on car owner points)

Race Results

Point Standings


Green Flag Fast Facts
The Race: Centurion Boats At The Glen
The Place: Watkins Glen International
The Date: Sunday, August 12
The Time: 2 p.m. (ET)
TV: ESPN, 1 p.m. (ET)
The Track: 2.45-mile road course
The Distance: 220.5 miles/90 laps
The Purse: $4,800,931
2006 Winner: Kevin Harvick
2006 Pole: Kurt Busch
Pre-Race Schedule (local/ET time): Friday—Practice, 11:50 a.m. – 1:20 p.m.; Qualifying, 3:10 p.m.; Saturday—Practice, 10:30 – 11:20 a.m.; Final Practice, 1:50 – 2:50 p.m.
Year-To-Date Standings: click here

Qualifying Washed Out; Points Put Gordon on Pole
For the third time this season, the starting lineup for a NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series race will be based on the current car owner point standings, thanks to Mother Nature raining on qualifying day.

For the first time since 2003, Jeff Gordon will lead the field to the green flag at Watkins Glen. By Gordon's own admission, he probably didn't have a car to win the top starting spot - but since his 366-point lead will be gone when the points are reset after Richmond to start the Chase, Gordon says it's nice the huge lead means something now...

“I don’t think we would have won the pole if we had gone, but I think we had a shot at the top five. I’m glad we could take advantage of our points position and starting up front is going to be important here.

"While everyone is looking to transition to next year, we’re probably going to be a little behind for next year because our focus is on winning the championship right now and seizing this opportunity,” Gordon said.

Marcos Ambrose, Ward Burton, A.J. Allmendinger, Boris Said, Brian Simo and Klaus Graf were among those who did not make the starting grid.

Check the Event Stats section following for the complete starting lineup order.

Keys to Winning...
The NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series heads to Watkins Glen International this week for a 90 lap/220.5-mile road course event. Here are some keys to look for:

• The Glen can be considered the superspeedway of all road courses. It features long straightaways, corners with a lot of banking and its configuration allows the drivers to attain high speeds. A driver also has plenty of opportunities to pass.
• Pit stops are configured differently at The Glen and are in a sense, flip-flopped from normal pit stops. The gas filler is on the opposite (passenger) side of the car. The tire changer and gas man have to run in the opposite direction to service the car during a pit stop at this road course.
• Sunday will be the ninth Car of Tomorrow race of the year. The previous eight races have been competitive, with many close finishes. The road course event at Infineon earlier this summer was likewise a Car of Tomorrow race and provided good drama and good racing down the stretch. Expect much of the same Sunday at The Glen.

Green Flag Notes...

• Juan Pablo Montoya (No. 42 Wrigley’s Big Red Dodge) will look to make NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series history this Sunday at Watkins Glen International by becoming the first driver to win on three road courses in the same season. Earlier this year, Montoya won road-course events in the NASCAR Busch Series (Mexico City) and in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series (Infineon), becoming only the third NASCAR driver to ever post two road-course wins in different series in the same year. Ernie Irvan in 1992 at Infineon, NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series; Watkins Glen, NASCAR Busch Series; and Darrell Waltrip in 1986 at Riverside, NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series; Road Atlanta, NASCAR Busch Series have also accomplished that feat.
• Kurt Busch’s (No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge) dominant win at Pocono last Sunday has elevated him to 12th place in the standings, seven points ahead of Dale Earnhardt Jr. (No. 8 Budweiser Chevrolet). Busch delivered a perfect (150.0) Driver Rating at Pocono and also set a track record by leading 174 laps. Over the last eight races, Busch has picked up five spots and 95 points to move into 12th place. Following the race at Dover and a subsequent penalty that cost him 100 points, Busch had fallen to 17th place, 88 points behind Earnhardt Jr. Earnhardt Jr. had been in the top 12 for six straight weeks and seven overall this season before slipping out last week at Pocono, despite a season-best second-place finish. Ryan Newman (No. 12 Kodak Dodge) finished seventh at Pocono and is currently 14th-place, 90 points behind teammate Kurt Busch. Mark Martin (No. 01 U.S. Army Chevrolet), who is driving a limited schedule this year, is 15th and 216 points out of 12th, while Greg Biffle (No. 16 Dish Network Ford) is 16th and likewise 216 points behind Busch.
• NASCAR’s Car of Tomorrow returns to the race track this weekend at Watkins Glen. It marks the ninth of 16 events that the new car will be featured this season. Beginning in 2008, the new car will run the entire NASCAR NEXTEL Cup schedule.
• Watkins Glen always brings out road course specialists and this weekend is no exception. Entered to compete this weekend are P.J. Jones, who will drive for David Reutimann in the No. 00 Burger King Toyota; Patrick Carpentier, who finished second at last week’s NASCAR Busch Series race in his hometown of Montreal, and will sub for Scott Riggs in the No. 10 Valvoline/Stanley Tools Dodge; and Ron Fellows, another Canadian, will be stepping in for Tony Raines and driving the No. 96 DLP/HDTV Chevrolet. Other road course specialists expected to participate include Boris Said (No. 60 No Fear Energy Ford); Brian Simo (No. 37 Dodge); and Klaus Graf (No. 49 Paralyzed Veterans of America Dodge).
• Juan Pablo Montoya (No. 42 Texaco/Havoline Dodge) continues to lead the Raybestos Rookie standings. Montoya was the highest finishing rookie at Pocono (16th) last weekend. He currently holds a 26-point lead over David Ragan (No. 6 AAA Ford). Paul Menard (No. 15 Menards Chevrolet) is third with 151 points, while David Reutimann (No. 00 Burger King Toyota) is fourth and A.J. Allmendinger (No. 84 Red Bull Toyota) is fifth.

Photo Gallery


Jeff Gordon and Denny Hamlin lead the pack to the green flag to start the race...


Jeff Gordon led the most laps, but spun while leading with just three laps to go...


Tony Stewart took the lead and went on for the win...


Stewart salutes the fans before heading for Victory Lane...

IMPORTANT: All information, schedules and/or scheduled events is/are subject to change without notice. Please check with the source to confirm.