It’s not just the fatigue from an intense lap-bound rivalry, the fallout after an exhaustive race, or physical injuries that take on NASCAR drivers. The problem can sometimes be out of the ordinary. While Super-speedways like Daytona and Talladega can test a driver’s physicality. Watkins Glen produces a unique challenge. Racers have experienced their heads spinning to their core at the road course racetrack.

The data has already provided substantiation for the kind of risk Watkins Glen imposes on a driver’s health. Kyle Larson of Hendrick Motorsports had earlier revealed that drivers experience up to 18 Gs of force on their heads every time a car passes by bus stop curbs. The bus-stop curbs at the inner loop are designed to slow down the cars before they enter the high-speed outer loop. While the numbers are staggering, the description of the effect of The Glen from a JGR veteran is equally appalling!

Watkins Glen and the spinning heads

Before the start of the 2024 season, the Watkins Glen has undergone significant changes. NASCAR introduced the changes after the mouthpiece data revealed high G-forces which the racers had to endure. The experience of drivers during the previous Cup Series race in the 2023 season was particularly unpleasant. Several drivers felt as if they had experienced a wreck even though the race was largely incident-free.

The changes that were brought included the much-feared bus stop curbs. The section earlier had elevated rumble strips. These are now replaced by smoother curbing transitions. NASCAR also added new rumble strips on Turn 1 so that cars may not head towards the runoff area. Through these changes, NASCAR hopes to ease off physical constraints on the drivers and enhance driver safety.

Regardless, Joe Gibbs Racing’s part-time Xfinity driver Aric Almirola re-lived his experiences of racing a Cup Series car in Watkins Glen. Talking about the physical problems he faced with Bob Pockrass of FOX Sports, Aric had this to say, “They bottom out on the shock kilometers and so when you hit those curbs on the Cup cars, it was just violent. We run such tight head surrounds the foam for the headrest that your head just kind of feels like a bouncy ball in between the left and right side of the headrest. And it would literally hurt. Bob, when the race was over Watkins, Glen was probably the worst headache I’ve had of any race that I’ve ever run. It wasn’t from Carbon Monoxide poisoning or from dehydration. It was from my head bouncing off my headrest.”

However, the former Steward-Hass Racing driver had no such problems at Watkins Glen with the Xfinity car. Talking about the difference he experiences with the two cars, he further added, “The Xfinity cars run more on standard suspension. So it’s not as violent because the car is a bit more forgiving. There is a lot more body movement in the Xfinity cars. The Xfinity cars sought to absorb the high velocity of the curb better. But the Cup cars are more rigid and they run stuff.”

Aric Almirola has the unique experience of racing in all three major formats of NASCAR racing. He drove the No. 10 for Stewart-Hass Racing in the Cup Series and won three races in his career before retiring in the year 2023. Almirola now races part-time in the Xfinity series driving the No. 19 and 20 Toyota Supra for Joe Gibbs Racing. He has secured five career wins in the division with the latest one at Martinsville this season. He also competes in the NASCAR Truck Series, driving the No. 16 Toyota Tundra for Hattori Racing Enterprises.

A memorable road course despite the challenges

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Although Watkins Glen has never been an easy racetrack for the racers. It has been a witness to some of some iconic moments in NASCAR racing. Who can forget Kyle Busch creating history in the year 2008? During that season, fans saw a different Kyle Busch, one fundamentally different from his previous versions. With the win at the 2.45-mile road course, Busch set the record for most wins in a Cup Series season, outperforming others 8 times. The then JGR racer dominated the race, leading 52 out of the 90 laps and avoiding a major wreck involving nice cars to secure the top spot.

Another race who showed others how it’s done at The Glen is Tony Stewart. In the year 2005, he created history by setting up a track record of leading the most number of laps. The SHR ace racer led 83 out of the 92 laps in that race. Additionally, Stewart has been a particularly successful driver at Watkins Glen, securing five wins during the entire course of his illustrious career and having several top-5 finishes to his name.

What are some of the iconic Watkins Glen moments that you remember? Do you think the upcoming playoff race would be any different for the racers than the previous ones? Do tell us in the comment down below.