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From Brad Keselowski vs. Marcos Ambrose to Chris Buescher vs. SVG, Reliving Epic Last-Lap Battles at Watkins Glen

Jerry Bonkowski
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NASCAR Cup Series driver Chris Buescher (17) does a burn out following his victory in the Go Bowling at The Glen at Watkins Glen International.

Watkins Glen International is one of the most celebrated road courses in the U.S. And that’s especially true when it comes to NASCAR, as WGI has played host to some of the greatest last-lap battles in the sport’s history.

Arguably the best finish came in 2012. Kyle Busch looked like he would win, but he was punted by Brad Keselowski heading into the last lap.

Then, just when it looked like Keselowski would win, along came Tasmanian native Marcos Ambrose, who battled back-and-forth before a tire issue in the last three corners ended Keselowski’s hopes, as Ambrose made one final pass to grab the checkered flag.

Former NASCAR Cup driver turned broadcaster Dale Jarrett couldn’t have described the finish in a better way than when he said“That was a year’s worth of excitement in 2.45 miles (WGI’s length).”

Even though he lost, Keselowski couldn’t have agreed more with Jarrett, telling ESPN.com, “That’s how racing should be.”

Then there was last year’s race at ‘The Glen’

Then there was last year’s equally exciting finish in double overtime, starting off with a final restart. Just when it looked like Shane van Gisbergen would earn his second Cup win of his brief career (after his first Cup race ever, winning the inaugural Chicago Street Race), he made an uncharacteristic mistake and ultimately came up short to Buescher.

“I had a feeling something big was going to happen and sure enough, he had that big slide,” Buescher said of SVG’s error to NASCAR.com.

“There have been so many fantastic last one or two laps here at The Glen and I certainly feel like I’m going to go back and watch that one, and it’s going to feel like it’s going to add up with some of the old school Ambrose, Keselowski battles or a handful of others.”

As much as van Gisbergen lamented his mistake and loss to Buescher, little did he know what was in store for him in 2025, a year in which he’s already won three, and could add another on Sunday.

In fact, given how he came up so agonizingly short to Buescher last year, it’s a pretty safe bet that if Sunday’s race once again comes down to the last lap or two, SVG will likely be in the fight for the checkered flag.

Post Edited By:Abhishek Ramesh

About the author

Jerry Bonkowski

Jerry Bonkowski

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Jerry Bonkowski is a veteran sportswriter who has worked full-time for many of the top media outlets in the world, including USA Today (15 years), ESPN.com (4+ years), Yahoo Sports (4 1/2 years), NBCSports.com (8 years) and others. He has covered virtually every major professional and collegiate sport there is, including the Chicago Bulls' six NBA championships (including heavy focus on Michael Jordan), the Chicago Bears Super Bowl XX-winning season, the Chicago White Sox and Chicago Cubs World Series championships, two of the Chicago Blackhawks' NHL titles, Tiger Woods' PGA Tour debut, as well as many years of beat coverage of the NFL, MLB, NHL and NBA for USA Today. But Jerry's most notable achievement has been covering motorsports, most notably NASCAR, IndyCar, NHRA drag racing and Formula One. He has had a passion for racing since he started going to watch drag races at the old U.S. 30 Dragstrip (otherwise known as "Where the Great Ones Run!") in Hobart, Indiana. Jerry has covered countless NASCAR, IndyCar and NHRA races and championship battles over the years. He's also the author of a book, "Trading Paint: 101 Great NASCAR Debates", published in 2010 (and he's hoping to soon get started on another book). Away from sports, Jerry was a fully sworn part-time police officer for 20 years, enjoys reading and music (especially "hair bands" from the 1980s and 1990s), as well as playing music on his electric keyboard, driving (fast, of course!), spending time with Cyndee his wife of nearly 40 years, the couple's three adult children and three grandchildren (with more to come!), and his three dogs -- including two German Shepherds and an Olde English Bulldog who thinks he's a German Shepherd.. Jerry still gets the same excitement of seeing his byline today as he did when he started in journalism as a 15-year-old high school student. He is looking forward to writing hundreds, if not thousands, of stories in the future for TheSportsRush.com, as well as interacting with readers.

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