United Rentals 176 at The Glen
Roush Racing (2) | |
Most wins (manufacturer) | Chevrolet (3) |
---|---|
Circuit information | |
Surface | Asphalt |
Length | 2.454 mi (3.949 km) |
Turns | 7 |
The United Rentals 176 at The Glen was a
The race was introduced in 1996 as part of a Truck Series schedule expansion, and the inaugural running was won by Ron Hornaday Jr. Being on a road course, the race attracted road course ringers with road racing experience that included Ron Fellows, who won twice in 1997 and 1999. It was removed from the calendar in 2000 due to scheduling conflicts, but was re-added in 2021 as the Truck Series' final race before the NASCAR playoffs. Watkins Glen was one of three road courses on the 2021 Truck Series schedule along with the Daytona International Speedway road course and Circuit of the Americas. The race was dropped again in 2022.
History
The first NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series event at Watkins Glen International was held in 1996, as one of eight new tracks added to the schedule that season, and the only road course among them.
The 1997 Parts America 150's qualifying session was delayed by rain and oil on the track.[8] Ron Fellows won the pole and eventually the race after passing points leader Jack Sprague for the lead with seven laps remaining and successfully conserving his fuel.[9] Fellows, a road course ringer who won at Watkins Glen in the Trans-Am Series in 1994 and 1995, was the first Canadian driver to win a race in the series;[9] he did so in his third career start and for a team that did not reserve a garage space as the entry had been hastily arranged.[10] He was also the only race winner in 1997 that did not run the full Truck schedule.[11]
For 1998, the Parts America 150 was moved to May to better serve as an undercard for the Cup race and provide opportunities for NASCAR to make changes to the track for the parent series if necessary.
Renamed the Bully Hill Vineyards 150 and moved to June for 1999, the race was the first on the newly-repaved "NASCAR" layout that was 2.4 miles (3.9 km) in length. Held in conjunction with the Busch Series, the weekend was promoted as a "Festival of Speed and Sound" and included musical performances by artists like
The 2000 race saw championship leader and pole sitter
The race was dropped from the schedule in 2001 due to scheduling conflicts as Watkins Glen officials had attempted to organize for a weekend close to July 4, but the lone available date on July 8 clashed with the Truck date at Kansas Speedway.[21] As a result, the 2001 Truck Series calendar exclusively featured oval tracks.[22]
After a two-decade absence, the Watkins Glen race returned to the Truck schedule in 2021 as the 15th and final race before the NASCAR playoffs;[23] it was also one of four road course events on the initial schedule, the most in series history.[24][25] According to track president Michael Printup, the date became available as travel restrictions in response to the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in other tracks canceling their races.
NASCAR revealed the race distances in January, with Watkins Glen's being 72 laps long and divided into
Watkins Glen was dropped for a second time in 2022. Printup responded to the news by commenting, "Of course we want it back again, but we have to work with NASCAR and see if we can get it in the schedules."[29]
Past winners
Year | Date | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Race Distance | Race Time | Average Speed (mph) |
Ref | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Laps | Miles (km) | |||||||||
1996 | August 25 | 16 | Ron Hornaday Jr. | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 61 | 149.5 (240.6) | 1:34:45 | 94.639 | [30] |
1997 | August 24 | 48 | Ron Fellows | Hess Racing | Chevrolet (2) | 62 | 151.9 (244.45) | 1:33:12 | 97.79 | [31] |
1998 | May 30 | 99 | Joe Ruttman | Roush Racing
|
Ford | 65* | 151.9 (244.45) | 1:49:06 | 87.58 | [32] |
1999 | June 26 | 87 | Ron Fellows (2) | NEMCO Motorsports | Chevrolet (3) | 62 | 151.9 (244.45) | 1:48:15 | 84.194 | [33] |
2000 | June 24 | 50 | Greg Biffle | Roush Racing (2)
|
Ford (2) | 62 | 151.9 (244.45) | 1:46.55 | 85.244 | [34] |
2001 – 2020 |
Not held | |||||||||
2021 | August 7 | 16 | Austin Hill | Hattori Racing Enterprises | Toyota | 61* | 149.45 (240.496) | 1:42:43 | 87.298 | [35] |
Notes
- 1998: Race extended due to a green–white–checker finish.[32]
- 2021: Race shortened due to weather.
Multiple winners (drivers)
# Wins | Driver | Years Won |
---|---|---|
2 | Ron Fellows | 1997, 1999 |
Multiple winners (teams)
# Wins | Team | Years Won |
---|---|---|
2 | Roush Fenway Racing
|
1998, 2000 |
Manufacturer wins
# Wins | Make | Years Won |
---|---|---|
3 | Chevrolet | 1996, 1997, 1999 |
2 | Ford | 1998, 2000 |
1 | Toyota | 2021 |
References
- Newspapers.com.
- Newspapers.com.
- Newspapers.com.
- Newspapers.com.
- Newspapers.com.
- Newspapers.com.
- Newspapers.com.
- Newspapers.com.
- ^ Newspapers.com.
- Newspapers.com.
- Newspapers.com.
- Newspapers.com.
- Newspapers.com.
- Newspapers.com.
- Newspapers.com.
- Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Watkins Glen Practice in the Rain". Motorsport.com. Motorsport Network. June 25, 1999. Retrieved February 20, 2021.
- Newspapers.com.
- ^ Newspapers.com.
- Newspapers.com.
- Newspapers.com.
- ^ "2001 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved January 2, 2021.
- ^ "2021 schedule set for Camping World Truck Series". NASCAR. November 19, 2020. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
- ^ Nguyen, Justin (December 8, 2020). "NASCAR's road course love story continues with Daytona RC addition to create Florida tripleheader, Fontana removed". The Checkered Flag. Retrieved January 1, 2021.
- ^ "NASCAR Camping World Truck Series to race at Watkins Glen International, August 7, 2021". Watkins Glen International. November 19, 2020. Retrieved January 1, 2011.
- ^ "Stage lengths for 2021 NASCAR season". NASCAR. January 25, 2021. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
- ^ "United Rentals named Official Rental Equipment Partner of NASCAR". NASCAR. July 8, 2021. Retrieved July 8, 2021.
- ^ Legare, Andrew (August 7, 2021). "Austin Hill wins weather-shortened Truck Series race at Watkins Glen". Star-Gazette. Retrieved December 24, 2021.
- ^ Stockburger, George (September 29, 2021). "WGI's Printup reacts to return of Xfinity Series, loss of Truck Series". WETM-TV. Retrieved December 24, 2021.
- ^ "1996 Parts America 150". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved January 1, 2021.
- ^ "1997 Parts America 150". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved January 1, 2021.
- ^ a b "1998 Parts America 150". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved January 1, 2021.
- ^ "1999 Bully Hill Vineyards 150". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved January 1, 2021.
- ^ "2000 Bully Hill Vineyards 150". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved January 1, 2021.
- ^ "2021 United Rentals 176 at The Glen". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 22, 2021.
External links
- Watkins Glen International race results at Racing-Reference