Following an extremely thrilling and chaotic NASCAR Xfinity Series race at ‘The Glen’ on Saturday, the Cup Series field takes to the 2.54-mile road course to round out stock car racing’s weekend on the East Coast.
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A lot is at stake in the second race of the playoffs and it will all come down to the 90 laps that will be raced beginning this Sunday at 3:00 PM ET. The starting order was determined via a qualifying session on Saturday and it carries quite a few surprises.
Trackhouse Racing driver Ross Chastain will lead the field from the pole. He set the quickest speed around the circuit going at an average of 122.279 miles per hour. Interestingly, he participated in Saturday’s Xfinity Series race as well and finished in sixth place.
Joe Gibbs Racing’s Martin Truex Jr. will join him on the front row as a reward for setting a pace of an average of 122.052 miles per hour around 1 lap of the facility.
Starting lineup for Cup race Sunday at Watkins Glen: pic.twitter.com/tw37b6n3ua
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) September 14, 2024
This will be the veteran’s final appearance at Watkins Glen International as a full-time driver in the Cup Series and he has a wonderful opportunity to make a lasting memory of it. Shane van Gisbergen and Alex Bowman will follow the leading duo from the second row and Team Penske driver Austin Cindric will round off the top-five. His third-row companion will be Kaulig Racing’s AJ Allmendinger.
Notably, none of the favorites have managed to crack into the leading lines for the event. Joey Logano will start from seventh and Daniel Suarez will start from eighth. Noah Gragson and Michael McDowell occupy the last two seats on the first five rows. William Byron, who won last year’s race at Watkins Glen, will start from 11th on the grid.
Complete starting line-up for the 2024 Go Bowling at The Glen
The 38 entries that will compete for the win on Sunday will line up in the following order.
Row 1
- Ross Chastain, No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
- Martin Truex Jr., No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
Row 2
- Shane Van Gisbergen, No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet
- Alex Bowman, No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
Row 3
- Austin Cindric, No. 2 Penske Racing Ford
- A.J. Allmendinger, No. 13 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet
Row 4
- Joey Logano, No. 22 Penske Racing Ford
- Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
Row 5
- Noah Gragson, No. 10 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
- Michael McDowell, No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford
Row 6
- William Byron, No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
- Chase Briscoe, No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
Row 7
- Kyle Busch, No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
- Chase Elliott, No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
Row 8
- Ty Gibbs, No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
- Tyler Reddick, No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota
Row 9
- Christopher Bell, No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
- Corey LaJoie, No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
Row 10
- Zane Smith, No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
- Kyle Larson, No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
Row 11
- Ryan Preece, No. 41 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
- Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
Row 12
- Austin Dillon, No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Ford
- Chris Buescher, No. 17 RFK Racing Ford
Row 13
- Daniel Hemric, No. 31 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet
- Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet
Row 14
- Erik Jones, No. 43 Legacy Motor Club Toyota
- Brad Keselowski, No. 6 RFK Racing Ford
Row 15
- Carson Hocevar, No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
- Carson Hocevar, No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
Row 16
- Josh Berry, No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
- Bubba Wallace, No. 23 23XI Racing Toyota
Row 17
- Harrison Burton, No. 21 Wood Brothers Ford
- Juan Pablo Montoya, No. 50 23XI Racing Toyota
Row 18
- John Hunter Nemechek, No. 42 Legacy Motor Club Toyota
- Justin Haley, No. 51 Rick Ware Racing Ford
Row 19
- Todd Gilliland, No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford
- Kaz Grala, No. 15 Rick Ware Racing Ford
The starting order might come to be of crucial importance considering the track’s ability to create chaos. Drivers in the lead will strive to stay ahead of the crowd and avoid any crashes that could end their days. Prime championship candidates such as Kyle Larson and Tyler Reddick will start their races from the mid-field.
