Watkins Glen International
Track data:
Race #: 22 of 36 (8-14-05)
Track Size: 2.45 Miles/11 Turns
Event: Sirius Satellite Radio at the Glen
Location: Watkins Glen, NY
Number of Laps: 90
Length of Event: 220.5 Miles
Length of Front Stretch: 2,141 Feet
Length of Back Stretch: 1,839 Feet
Degree of Banking on Straights: 0 degrees
Degree of Banking in Corners: 6 - 10 degrees
Qualifying/Race data:
Last year’s event pole winner: None
Last year’s event winner: Tony Stewart 92.249 mph 8-15-04 2 hrs, 23 min, 25 sec
Track qualifying record: Jeff Gordon 124.580 mph 8-08-03 70.798 seconds
Track race record: Mark Martin 103.030 mph 8-13-95 2hrs, 11min, 54 sec
Historical data:
Previous winners at Watkins Glen:
Jeff Gordon (4) Mark Martin (3) Rusty Wallace (2) Ricky Rudd (2) Tony Stewart (2)
Tim Richmond (1) Buck Baker (1) Billy Wade (1) Marvin Panch (1) Ernie Irvan (1)
Kyle Petty (1) Geoffrey Bodine (1) Steve Park (1) Robby Gordon (1)
Races won from the pole: 7 of 22 events (32%)
Races won from in top 10: 15 of 22 events (68%)
Races won from outside top 10: 7 of 22 events (32%)
Track Milestones
Buck Baker won the first NASCAR NEXTEL Cup race at Watkins Glen International from the pole in 1957.
Billy Wade won the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup (Grand National) race at Watkins Glen in 1964, capping a
four-race winning streak that accounted for all of his NASCAR victories. Wade became the first driver in
NASCAR history to win four straight Grand National races.
Tim Richmond won the first modern era NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Bud Pole at Watkins Glen International,
the 1986 Bud at the Glen. He also won the first modern era race there.
Qualifying has been canceled three times at Watkins Glen (1965, 2000, 2004).
Qualifying Update
Four of the last 12 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup races at Watkins Glen were won from the pole starting position:
Mark Martin (1993, ’94 and ‘95) and Jeff Gordon (1998). Five of the remaining eight races were won from
starting positions outside the top 10.
Track Update
Fifteen of the 22 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup races at Watkins Glen have been won from a top-four starting
position (68 percent). Seven have been won from the Bud Pole.
Manufacturer Update
A Chevrolet has won seven of the last eight races at Watkins Glen. Pontiac won in 2002 while Ford’s last
victory at Watkins Glen occurred in 1996. A Dodge has never won a NASCAR NEXTEL Cup race at Watkins
Glen.
The Money
Purse $4,625,176
NASCAR NEXTEL Leader Bonus $10,000
MBNA Mid-Race Leader Bonus $10,000
Track Tidbits
The field will consist of 43 cars. The 43rd position is reserved for a past NASCAR NEXTEL Cup champion,
if needed. If unused, it will go to the next eligible owner.
One qualifying lap will be used to determine the starting positions with the adjustments made afterwards as
required.
There have been 22 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup races at Watkins Glen; 19 in the modern era. The first race there
was in 1957 and the circuit returned in 1964 and 1965. There has been one NASCAR NEXTEL Cup race at
Watkins Glen each season since 1986.
Qualifying was canceled for the 2004 Sirius at the Glen.
Thirteen different drivers have won Bud Poles at Watkins Glen.
Mark Martin and Dale Earnhardt (three each) along with Terry Labonte and Jeff Gordon (two each) are
the drivers that have scored more than one Bud Pole at Watkins Glen.
Tony Stewart is the defending champion of the Sirius at the Glen.
The race at Watkins Glen has been won from the Bud Pole seven times.
Mark Martin won the race at Watkins Glen from the Bud Pole three consecutive years: 1993-1995.
There have been 14 different winners in the 22 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup races at Watkins Glen.
Jeff Gordon leads all drivers each with four Watkins Glen victories. Mark Martin has three Watkins Glen
victories, followed by and Ricky Rudd, Tony Stewart and Rusty Wallace with two.
The furthest back a winner has started in the 22-race history at Watkins Glen is 18th by Steve Park in 2000.
A Chevrolet has won 11 of the 22 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup races at Watkins Glen, including seven of the
last eight. Ford has five victories while Pontiac has four. Buick and Mercury have one each.
Defending NEXTEL Cup Champion at Watkins Glen International
Kurt Busch has competed in four races at Watkins Glen International, scoring just one top-10 finish, a 10thplace
in this race one year ago.
Point Leader at Watkins Glen International
Tony Stewart has competed in six races at Watkins Glen International posting two victories and four top-10
finishes. Stewart has won the last two road-course races. He won at Watkins Glen one year ago and at Infineon in
June.
Starting Up Front at Watkins Glen International is not as important as in the past...
Three of the last five races at Watkins Glen International have been won from a starting position outside
the top 10. Prior to that all races 12 of 17 races at Watkins Glen were won from a third-place starting position or
better.
Winners Galore
There have been four different Bud Pole winners in the last six races at Watkins Glen International. The
other two were started by points due to rain.
There have been four different race winners in the last five races at Watkins Glen. Tony Stewart (2004 and
2002) is the only repeat race winner in the five-year period.
Latest Dominators at Watkins Glen
Mark Martin has scored three straight top-10 finishes at Watkins Glen International the longest current top-
10 streak at Watkins Glen.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. has scored two straight top-five finishes at Watkins Glen International, the longest
current top-five streak at Watkins Glen.
Manufacturer Domination at Watkins Glen
A Chevrolet has won seven of the last eight races at Watkins Glen International.
“Last-Timers” at Watkins Glen International
Mark Martin has led more laps than any other driver at Watkins Glen International (204).
Rusty Wallace has scored two victories in his 19 races at Watkins Glen International, but has finished 17th or
worse in his last five races there.
And the Beat Goes On
Mark Martin has been running at the finish in all 17 of his races at Watkins Glen International, the longest
current streak.
Owner Domination at Watkins Glen International
Rick Hendrick is the all-time winning owner at Watkins Glen International, posting six victories: Jeff
Gordon (four), Ricky Rudd (one) and Tim Richmond (one).
Starting and Finishing Up Front at Watkins Glen
Tony Stewart has a 5.3 starting average and an 8.5 finishing average in six races at Watkins Glen
International, both the best among all drivers with more than five starts there.
Would you Believe?
Mark Martin has scored 16 top-15 finishes in his 17 races at Watkins Glen International. He finished 28th in
his first race there in 1988.
Watkins Glen May Spell Trouble for Some of the Top 10
Jimmie Johnson has scored only one top-10 finish at Watkins Glen International.
Greg Biffle has finished 30th or worse in his two races at Watkins Glen International.
Rusty Wallace has finished 17th or worse in his last five races at Watkins Glen International.
Carl Edwards has never competed at Watkins Glen International.
Would You Believe?
Jeff Gordon set an all-time NASCAR record winning six consecutive NASCAR NEXTEL Cup road-course
races, a streak that began with a victory at Watkins Glen in August 1997. His streak ran through Sonoma 2000
and ended with a 23rd-place at Watkins Glen in August 2000. Gordon went on to become the all-time road-course
victory leader with his victory in the 2001 Global Crossing @ the Glen, his seventh road-course victory. Gordon
scored a record eighth road-course victory at Infineon Raceway in 2004.
Leading the Way
Mark Martin has led 204 laps at Watkins Glen, more than any other driver. Jeff Gordon has led 173 laps
there. Martin has competed in 17 Watkins Glen races, Gordon in 12. Rusty Wallace (140), Dale Earnhardt
(134) and Geoffrey Bodine (101) are the only other drivers that have led more than 100 laps at the New York
road course.
To the Extremes
Robby Gordon has posted four top-five finishes, including a victory (2003) in six races at Watkins Glen,
however his average finish is 11.33. His other finishes there were 40th in 2001 and 16th in 2004.
The “Hired Guns”
Ron Fellows has posted two top-10 finishes in seven races at Watkins Glen: second in 1999 and 2004. He has
four DNFs there.
Scott Pruett has posted two top-10 finishes in three races at Watkins Glen: sixth in 2002 and second in 2003.
Boris Said has posted one top-10 finish in four races at Watkins Glen: eighth in 2001.
Road-Course History
(Excludes the Daytona Beach & Road Course)
There have been 98 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup road-course races at 10 different courses since the first roadcourse
event was held at Linden, New Jersey on June 13, 1954.
* Riverside International Raceway - 48 * Watkins Glen International – 22
* Infineon Raceway – 17 * Bridgehampton, NY – 4
* Willow Springs Speedway - Lancaster, CA – 2 * Linden Airport – Linden, NJ – 1
* Cocoa Speedway - Titusville, FL – 1, * Augusta International Speedway - Augusta, GA – 1
* Road America - Elkhart Lakes, IL – 1 * Kitsap County Airport - Bremerton, WA – 1
Six hundred and ninety-one drivers have competed in a road-course event in NASCAR’s premier series.
Richard Petty leads all other drivers with 60 road-course races.
Terry Labonte has competed in 55 road-course races, more than any other active driver.
Ricky Rudd has competed in 52 road-course races, more than any other full-time driver.
Thirty-five different drivers have posted at least one Bud Pole on a road-course. Nineteen drivers have more
than one road-course victory.
Darrell Waltrip leads all drivers with nine road-course Bud Poles; David Pearson had eight.
Terry Labonte leads all active drivers with eight road-course Bud Poles.
Jeff Gordon leads all full-time drivers with seven road-course Bud Poles.
Thirty-seven different drivers have posted at least one victory on a road-course. Twenty-one drivers have
more than one road-course victory.
Jeff Gordon leads all drivers with eight road-course victories.
Bobby Allison, Richard Petty, Ricky Rudd and Rusty Wallace all have six road-course victories.
Would You Believe?
Buck Baker won the 100-mile road-course race at Watkins Glen on Aug. 4, 1957. Just hours later, Parnelli
Jones won the 72-mile road-course race at Kitsap County Airport in Bremerton, Washington - the only time two
road-course events were held by NASCAR's premier division on the same day.
The Real Mr. Road-Course
Dan Gurney competed in nine road-course races posting six top-10 finishes - five of which were victories.
His 55.56 winning percentage is the best among drivers who competed in more than one road-course race.
Road-Course Success
Three drivers won the only road-course race that they competed in:
Tim Flock - Elkhart Lakes - Aug. 12, 1956
Al Keller - Linden Airport - June 13, 1954
Chuck Stevenson - Lancaster - Nov. 20, 1955
Oops
The employment of road-course specialists, prevalent in recent years, has not been an unqualified success.
Boris Said, Scott Pruett, Ron Fellows are winless in a combined record of 29 races; posting just one Bud Pole
and 10 top-10 finishes. The three have also racked up nine DNFs.
Road-Course Consistency
Fireball Roberts was nine-for-nine, posting top-10 finishes in every one of his road-course appearances,
including two victories: Cocoa Speedway - December 1956 and Augusta November 1963.
Buck Baker was nine-for-10; failing to finish in the top-10 only once: November Augusta November 1963.
Baker won at Watkins Glen in 1957.
Mark Martin is third on the all-time road-course top-10 list at 31-for-38 (81.57 percent). He and Jeff
Gordon at 13-for-22 are the only active drivers in the top-10.
Road-Course Specialists - Not
Three drivers have posted their only NASCAR NEXTEL Cup victories on road courses: Dan Gurney, Ray
Elder and Mark Donahue. None of the three competed exclusively in road-course races.
WHO'S HOT Heading to Watkins Glen
Jimmie Johnson and Tony Stewart have each scored 13 top-10 finishes in 2005.
Tony Stewart has scored seven straight top-10 finishes, including four victories, in the last seven races.
Mark Martin and Kurt Busch have each scored three top-10 finishes in the last four races.
Roush Racing drivers have won nine of the 21 races in 2005. Hendrick Motorsports drivers have won five while
Joe Gibbs Racing has four victories. Dale Earnhardt Inc., Richard Childress Racing, and Evernham
Motorsports each have one.
First
Tony Stewart finished first in the Allstate 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and climbed from second
to first in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup point standings. The last time Stewart ranked first in the point standings
was after the final race in 2002, his championship season. Stewart has scored seven top-10 finishes, including
four victories, in his last seven races. He has scored 13 top-10 finishes this season. He leads second-place Jimmie
Johnson by 75 points. Stewart was 380 points behind Johnson after race No. 14 at Pocono in June. He has made
up 455 points in the last seven races, climbing from 10th to first in the point standings. Stewart ranked fourth
in the point standings after 21 races one year ago. He has competed in six races at Watkins Glen International,
scoring two victories and four top-10 finishes. Stewart has finished 11th or better in five of his six races at Watkins
Glen. He finished first in this race one year ago, tying his best Watkins Glen finish set in 2002. Stewart has an 8.5
average finish at Watkins Glen International.
Second
Jimmie Johnson finished 38th in the Allstate 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and dropped from first
to second in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup point standings. Johnson led the point standings after 16 of the 21 races
this season. He has scored two victories in 2005 (Las Vegas and Charlotte). He and Tony Stewart are the only
drivers to score 13 top-10 finishes in 2005. Johnson ranked first after 21 races one year ago, 97 points ahead of
second-place Jeff Gordon. One year later he is 75 points behind first-place Tony Stewart. He has ranked among
the top-10 drivers since Las Vegas in March 2004, 54 straight races. Johnson has competed in just three races at
Watkins Glen International scoring one top-10 finish (fourth 2003). He finished 40th in this race one year ago, his
worst finish at Watkins Glen and only DNF there. Johnson has a 20.0 average finish at Watkins Glen International.
Third
Greg Biffle finished 21st in the Allstate 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and remained third in the
NASCAR NEXTEL Cup point standings. Biffle has ranked among the top-five in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup
point standings since race No. 2 at California. He trails second-place Jimmie Johnson by just 36 points and is 111
behind point leader Tony Stewart. Biffle ranked 21st in the point standings after 21 races one year ago. He has
scored five victories in 2005, the most of all drivers. He has scored 11 top-10 finishes in the first 21 races, two less
than Stewart and Johnson. Biffle has competed in just two races at Watkins Glen International finishing 30th in his
first race there and 35th in this race one year ago. Biffle has a 32.5 average finish at Watkins Glen International.
Fourth
Rusty Wallace finished 25th in the Allstate 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and remained fourth in
the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup point standings. He is 218 points behind first-place Tony Stewart and trails thirdplace
Greg Biffle by 107 points. Wallace was 14th in the point standings after race No. 10 at Darlington. He has
scored 16 top-15 finishes this season, tied with Johnson for the most among all drivers. Wallace ranked 17th in
the point standings after 21 races one year ago. Wallace has competed in 19 races at Watkins Glen International
scoring two victories and nine top-10 finishes. He has finished 17th or worse in his last five races at Watkins Glen
International. He has led 140 laps at Watkins Glen International, ranking third in laps led at the New York roadcourse
behind Jeff Gordon (173), and Mark Martin (204). He finished 25th in this race one year ago. Wallace has
a16.6 average finish at Watkins Glen International.
Fifth
Kurt Busch finished 18th in the Allstate 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and remained fifth in the
NASCAR NEXTEL Cup point standings. He trails point leader Tony Stewart by 277 points and is 59 points
behind fourth-place Rusty Wallace. Busch ranked seventh in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup point standings after
21 races one year ago. He has scored 11 top-10 finishes in 21 races this season.. Busch has competed in four races
at Watkins Glen International scoring one top-10 finish He finished 10th in this race one year ago. Tenth to fifth
in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup point standings are separated by 159 points. Busch has a 23.0 average finish at
Watkins Glen International.
Sixth
Mark Martin finished seventh in the Allstate 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and climbed from
seventh to sixth in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup point standings. He trails point leader Tony Stewart by 287 points
and is just 10 points behind fifth-place Kurt Busch. Martin ranked 15th in the point standings after 21 races one
year ago. He has posted 11 top-10 finishes in 2005. Martin has competed in 17 races at Watkins Glen International
scoring three victories and 15 top-10 finishes. Martin has led 204 laps at Watkins Glen International, the most of
all drivers. Martin finished third there one year ago. Martin has a 6.2 average finish at Watkins Glen International.
Seventh
Ryan Newman finished 34th in the Allstate 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Newman dropped from
sixth to seventh the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup point standings. He trails point leader Tony Stewart by 355 points
and is 68 points behind sixth-place Mark Martin. He ranked 10th in the point standings after 21 races one year
ago. Newman has scored 14 top-15 finishes including 10 top-10 finishes in 2005. Newman has competed in three
races at Watkins Glen International, scoring two top-10 finishes. . He finished 26th in this race one year ago, his
worst finish at Watkins Glen International. He finished second in his first race at Watkins Glen International in
2002. Newman has a 12. 3 average finish at Watkins Glen International.
Eighth
Jeremy Mayfield finished fourth in the Allstate 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and remained eighth
in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup point standings. Mayfield has scored 13 top-15 finishes in 21 races in 2005. He
has climbed from a low of 26th in the point standings after race No. 3 at Las Vegas to a season high eighth-place
ranking. He trails point leader Tony Stewart by 369 points and is 14 points behind seventh-place Ryan Newman.
Mayfield ranked 12th in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup point standings after 21 races one year ago. He has scored
just five top-10 finishes in 21 races this season. He has competed in nine races at Watkins Glen International
scoring just two top-10 finishes. He has led only nine laps at Watkins Glen. He finished seventh in this race one
year ago. Mayfield has an 18.7 average finish at Watkins Glen International.
Ninth
Dale Jarrett finished 14th in the Allstate 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and climbed from 10th
to ninth in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup point standings. Jarrett trails point leader Tony Stewart by 430 points
and is 61 points behind eighth-place Jeremy Mayfield. Jarrett ranked 13th in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup point
standings after 21 races one year ago. He has scored five top-10 finishes in 21 races this season. He has competed
in 18 races at Watkins Glen International scoring five top-10 finishes. He finished 27th in this race one year ago.
Jarrett has a 19.1 average finish at Watkins Glen International.
10th
Carl Edwards finished 12th in the Allstate 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and climbed from 12th to
10th in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup point standings. Edwards has scored 12 top-15 finishes in 21 races in 2005.
He trails point leader Tony Stewart by 436 points and is just six points behind ninth-place Dale Jarrett. Edwards
has scored eight top-10 finishes in 2005. He has never competed at Watkins Glen International. Edwards first start
came at Michigan in August one year ago. He finished 38th in his first road-course race at Infineon in June.
