All eyes are on the Cup Series playoff field at Watkins Glen, but it’ll be the first driver outside that group that leads the field to green Sunday.
Ross Chastain set a top time of 72.130s (122.279mph) to secure the second pole of his Cup Series career. The first came on the weekend of his last win, in 2023’s summer trip to Nashville Superspeedway. Chastain currently sits 17th in points, first among those that failed to make the playoffs after his winless regular season.
Martin Truex Jr. was quickest among playoff drivers, qualifying second with a speed of 122.052mph. The 2017 Cup champion needs a good run to keep his title hopes alive in his final playoff run, having entered Watkins Glen 19 points below the Round of 12 cutline.
Shane van Gisbergen (121.864mph) slotted in third for Kaulig Racing, with Chicago winner Alex Bowman (121.843mph) leading Hendrick Motorsports in fourth. It was a surprisingly difficult session for Hendrick, winners of the past five Cup races at Watkins Glen. Bowman was the only team driver to make the final round of qualifying.
Austin Cindric (121.779mph) wrapped up the top five. AJ Allmendinger (121.685mph), Joey Logano (121.391mph), Daniel Suarez (121.225mph), Noah Gragson (120.852mph) and Michael McDowell (120.736mph) completed the top 10.
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Van Gisbergen was quickest in Group A’s session with a speed of 122.115mph. Chastain, Logano, Gragson and McDowell followed to advance to the final round. It was a surprising top five, with seven of the eight playoff drivers in the group failing to advance.
Chase Briscoe failed to advance, but jumped up to sixth in the final lap of the session to qualify 12th overall and give himself a shot at much-needed stage points in Sunday’s race. Briscoe currently sits last in the playoff field after crashing out at Atlanta Motor Speedway, 21 points below the Round of 12 cutline.
Playoff drivers fared much better in Group B. Truex was quickest with a speed of 122.82mph. Fellow playoff contenders Bowman, Cindric and Suarez advanced, with Xfinity Series regular Allmendinger following suit.
The session ended with a slight scare as rookie Carson Hocevar missed the exit of the carousel and rolled into the Boot section typically used in sports car races. Hocevar turned his car around and waited just off-track at the exit of the carousel as others completed their final runs, putting race control and those still qualifying in a difficult position.
Dear Carson Hocevar,
We are not running the boot at Watkins Glen.
Sincerely, us. #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/AY2lJBLYIX
— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) September 14, 2024
Defending race winner William Byron narrowly missed the final round and will start 1tth. Two-time Watkins Glen winner Chase Elliott will roll off 14th, followed by Ty Gibbs in 15th. Tyler Reddick was surprisingly slow after pacing practice and will start 16th, with Christopher Bell slotting in 17th and the Next Gen’s first Watkins Glen winner, Kyle Larson, qualifying 20th.
Other playoff drivers include Denny Hamlin in 22nd, Brad Keselowski in 28th, Ryan Blaney in 30th and Harrison Burton in 33rd. Both Keselowski and Burton are currently below the Round of 12 cutline, with Hamlin only two points to the good in 11th.
Juan Pablo Montoya will start 34th in his first Cup Series appearance since the 2014 Brickyard 400. He previously won at Watkins Glen in 2010.
Coverage of the Go Bowling at the Glen will kick off Sunday at 3 p.m. ET on USA and MRN.