Sprint Cup Win for Kyle Busch at The Glen

While Marcos Ambrose started in pole position at the Cheez-It 355 at The Glen – having earned the position by shattering the Sprint Cup qualifier track record in his Ford Fusion on Saturday – it was Kyle Busch who took the checkered flag for the NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Watkins Glen on Sunday…

While Marcos Ambrose started in pole position at the Cheez-It 355 at The Glen – having earned the position by shattering the Sprint Cup qualifier track record in his Ford Fusion on Saturday – it was Kyle Busch who took the checkered flag for the NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Watkins Glen on Sunday. Ambrose took the lead in 51 of the race’s first 62 laps, but following the caution flag on lap 60 resulting from teammate Aric Almirola’s crash, Ambrose dropped to 14th place with Busch taking the lead. Ambrose worked his way to twelfth position, but with six laps to go was bumped from behind by Max Papi and careened into a wall, demolishing any hope of claiming a third consecutive win at Watkins Glen.

Busch was in a good position for a win after the lap 60 caution, but still had to fight his way through a series of restarts in the race’s final fifteen laps to eventually take first place, followed closely by Brad Keselowski, with (in order) Martin Truex Jr, Carl Edwards, Juan Pablo Montoya, Clint Bowyer, Joey Logano, Jimmie Johnson, Kurt Busch and AJ Allmendinger taking the top ten spots.

The Watkins Glen International race course, located near Watkins Glen, New York, has been hosting nearly every class of auto racing since 1948. Initially incorporating public roads, a dedicated circuit was built in 1956, with the track hosting the United States Grand Prix from 1961 to 1980. Although the track was the venue for a variety of events, it couldn’t survive financially without the Grand Prix and closed in 1981. In 1983, the track was bought by International Speedway Corporation, partnered with Corning, and renovated. In 1986, NASCAR Sprint Cup returned to Watkins Glen. Changes have been made to the track over the years, primarily for safety reasons, and Watkins Glen International remains one of the premier venues for a number of different types of auto racing.