NASCAR is going all out for the Cup Series’ second rodeo at the Watkins Glen International track. The 2.4-mile road course will host its first-ever post-season race—the second race of the Round of 16—and the historical track has been transformed ahead of the race. Racing is fast at The Glen and hence there has been an addition of rumble strips off of turn one. This would stop drivers from dropping outside the curb.

Besides this, changes have been made to the curbing at the bus stop, to reduce launching into the corner. This is not going to be your usual Watkins Glen race as Goodyear has also brought in a new tire compound, with a faster wear-off rate. All this has added to the race’s unpredictability. However, the organization allotted Cup teams 90 minutes for practice, which, according to the last weekend victor Joey Logano, was totally unnecessary.

Joey Logano doesn’t find the Glen challenging

For the first time, Watkins Glen is going to be racing with tires that have a three-second wear rate. The faster wear-off period is going to make the race entertaining, as the team will have to carefully plan their pit stops. Besides this, we are expected to see more passing on the track. Speaking on the expected tire fall-off, Greg Stucker, Goodyear’s director of racing, said, “That, of course, can mean more passing throughout the race. It’s always tricky on road courses as drivers take advantage of a limited number of ‘passing zones,’ so the increased fall-off should lead to more comers and goers as some drivers manage their tires and gain on the field as the runs go on.”

Because of the uncertainties going into the race, the 38-car field will be split into two practice groups, with two 20-minute sessions each as opposed to the usual one practice session. This would enable teams to see how the new tire compound fares under race-like conditions. However, according to Logano extra practice doesn’t really give an advantage. In a pre-race press conference, he said, “I mean it is it’s just as beneficial for the rest of the teams out there. So you don’t gain an advantage, but I think these days I mean anytime you can make more laps it’s just kind of nice. Like as a Race Car Driver these days you don’t get to make many laps anymore. So it’ will  be a little bit of fun.” 

The reason for him not feeling the need for extra practice is because, according to Logano, the Glen is simpler compared to the road courses in NASCAR. “And you know this isn’t the most technical road course that we have, just because there’s not a whole bunch of corners really compared to some of the others,” Logano added.

Logano is already locked in the round of 12, thanks to Ryan Blaney, who pushed him past an aggressive-looking Daniel Suarez at the end of the Atlanta race. Despite oozing with confidence, the #22 driver had previously talked about the unknowns going into the Watkins Glen race. He had said, “The cars will want something different from a setup perspective and they’re also changing the tire, too. It sounds like there will be a lot more tire wear, so there are a lot of unknowns for sure.” 

So maybe a little more practice wouldn’t hurt. Logano would be thrilled to have progressed to the next round ahead of The Glen. His record on the track is not motivating. In the past five races on Watkins Glen, he’s only managed one top-5 finish (a P3 in 2022). Even though the two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion doesn’t need a win this weekend particularly, a good finish at the track would only further his campaign and up his playoff points. This is crucial if he wants to bag a third title.

Logano’s championship chances

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Last year Logano was out of the playoffs in the very first round. This is unusual for the veteran, as he’s participated in five championship 4 races since 2014. And coincidently or by luck, they have all come in even-numbered years (2014, 2016, 2018, 2020, and 2022). If the trend continues, this season too we’ll get to see him in the championship four.

Joey Logano spoke about how he just wants to keep winning, be it an even year or an odd one, He said, “I’ve been told that a lot here recently. To be honest with you, I don’t know what it is. I don’t know. Even is good though. I don’t know why it ends up being like that. I’d really like to just win a lot every year. It’s really the goal. If I can fix the odd year thing, I would. I just don’t know what it is. It doesn’t make you look forward to next year too much. We’ll break the trend next year.”

The way Joey Logano’s regular season ended, it did not seem like this “even” year was lucky for him. The #22 driver only won one race, and had four top-5s and eight top-10s, making it one of his worst cup series career. However, Logano is a believer in the fact that NASCAR is a game of uncertainties where anything can happen. “If you can survive long enough and we talked about how close the field is these days you have a couple good races and boom you’re in the next round. You have another good race where you win one and next thing you know you’re in a Championship Four and you’ve got a shot to win this whole thing. So it doesn’t take much to be to go from mediocre through the regular season to being a threat to win the championship,” he said.

Let’s hope his mediocre regular season goes on to win the championship. What do you think are his chances of winning the championship? Let us know in the comments below.