Watkins Glen NASCAR Practice Notes

Friday, August 19, 2023

Practice 1

The first practice session for the NASCAR Cup Series at Watkins Glen International was held on Friday, August 19, 2023. The session was led by Chase Elliott, who ran a lap of 1:09.231 at a speed of 133.498 mph. Elliott was followed by Kyle Larson, who ran a lap of 1:09.262 at a speed of 133.445 mph. Ross Chastain, Denny Hamlin, and Ryan Blaney rounded out the top five.

The session was mostly uneventful, with no major incidents. However, there were a few drivers who had minor issues. Alex Bowman spun out in Turn 1, but he was able to continue without any damage. Christopher Bell also had a spin, but he was able to recover and finish the session.

Practice 2

The second practice session for the NASCAR Cup Series at Watkins Glen International was held on Saturday, August 20, 2023. The session was led by Kyle Larson, who ran a lap of 1:08.979 at a speed of 133.869 mph. Larson was followed by Chase Elliott, who ran a lap of 1:09.006 at a speed of 133.836 mph. Ross Chastain, Denny Hamlin, and Ryan Blaney rounded out the top five.

The session was more eventful than the first practice session, with several drivers having incidents. Martin Truex Jr. spun out in Turn 1, but he was able to continue without any damage. Austin Dillon also had a spin, but he was able to recover and finish the session. Kyle Busch had a more serious incident, as he crashed in Turn 11. Busch was able to walk away from the crash, but his car was heavily damaged.

The practice sessions at Watkins Glen International gave the NASCAR Cup Series drivers a chance to get some valuable track time before the race on Sunday. The sessions were also a good opportunity for the teams to make adjustments to their cars. With the race just around the corner, the teams will be hoping that they have made the right adjustments to give their drivers a chance to win.