A remarkable hill-climb from Connecticut to upstate New York, where we await the flood-waters to seep back into the farmland terrain. John Battista has earned the pole in search of his first victory of the season with a near 128 mile-per-hour lap. Alongside teammate Alex Crapser, it could be a 1-2 punch for the ages as we head for an immaculate 90-lap feature from the Watkins Glen gods!

Race Results

Points Standings

Race Recap

The first 10 laps of the event saw some epic-swag rivalries produce before the eyes of the Watkins Glen crowd. Battista was pressured by both Alex Crapser and Tony Pizzaro, though both were unable to lead a lap in the process. Battista could dive into the inner-loop better than any of the front-runners, helping to keep his advantage on the field.

A three-wide maneuver for the third position saw Tim McDonnell out of his mind in an effort for his first victory of the season. McDonnell, Scott Jackson and Pizzaro made the necessary apexes, while Jackson was fender-sandwiched in between the two younger drivers in a three-wide holocaust through the inner-loop. All three escaped unharmed and undamaged, with Pizzaro coming out the victor and taking second-place a couple of laps later.

Alex Crapser finally put the nail in the coffin and took the advantage away from his teammate to earn the necessary bonus points for the Championship. He would do so in grand style, leading four laps before returning the favor to the Wendy's machine. Crapser comes in 30 points behind the cutoff while 10th-place points man Bill Werkheiser remains mired outside the top-20.

William Perry brought out the first caution flag after contact with Craig Lee sent him into the frontsraightaway wall. It was a shame, ending his day while racing inside the top-10. The next yellow saw Alex Crapser go for a self-spin of the ages, miraculously not impacting either wall coming off of the esses. He was the top-dog of the drivers who pitted earlier in the go.

Johnny Reed Foley and Ryan Heuser battled for the lead after pit stops put the previous leaders behind the pack. They would swap positions twice, with Foley leading the majority before the Crapser caution. Somehow Dalton Lucas was able to stretch his fuel 52 laps, earning the halfway-bacon-bonus and stepping into the realm of fuel-master immortality!

Cristian Torres and Bill Werkheiser were involved in accidents late in the going. A horrible break for Bill, who made contact with Rick Jackson to send him into the turn-1 tire barrier. Bill would come in 30 points ahead of the chase cutoff, an enormously devastating blow for the Congressman. Torres and Logan Sheets made contact in turn 11, sending Torres into the inside wall in a replica of the William Perry crash from earlier.

Johnny Reed Foley and Ryan Heuser continue to race for the top-position while John Battista eeks hard from behind. Battista entered the pits 20 laps earlier than the other two, progressing through traffic with a dire need for his first victory of the season. David Baldinger, Tony Pizzaro, Rick Jackson and Bink Lucas all lure multiple seconds behind.

A horrifying break for two of the top chase-cutoff contenders. With Bill Wekheiser involved in an accident early, Alex Crapser looked to be sitting pretty with a 50+ point advantage entering the 80th lap. Zakk Miller moved up to 11th in the standings, also passing Werkheiser. Crapser would drive up towards the marble in the esses, having to slow his pace too quickly as Miller tagged his right-rear quarter-panel. The two collided into the blue guardrail in severe devastation as both racecars flew halfway into the air. Adam Crapser drove into the path of both cars and careened into Miller, ending his day as well. Werkheiser would remain 10th in points despite his 41st place finish. John Tharp and Bink Lucas would pass by Crapser and Miller with a top-10 finish.

A turn-1 dive for the victory saw John Battista jump ahead late in the going. He is ahead of teammates Rick Jackson and Tony Pizzaro, two drivers battling for the points lead just 91 ahead of Battista. Heuser and Foley would continue to battle for second while the Wendy's #39 pulled away.

Battista sailed off into the sunset before the final caution flag. A six lap shootout saw him hold off the field in grand style, earning his first victory of 2022 and the first victory for Lucas Racing since the Daytona 500! He is now only 59 points behind leader Jackson after his 6th top-10 finish in his last seven races. Congrats to Battista, crew chief Lew Money and the entire Lucas Racing team for an excellent victory!

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