With only two races left, ten drivers from Matthew Dominique in 8th through Markell Murphy in 17th attempt to dominate Watkins Glen and make the 2023 chase. Neither of these 10 drivers, other than Ken Pettit, have occupied the Championship crown. Alex Crapser, John Tharp and Matt Raboin are all within 19 points of the chase cutoff, starting 1-2-3 as we take the green flag.

Race Results

Points Standings

Race Recap

The 2023 Budweiser at The Glen has one of the most loyal fan bases in all of Extravaganza. Driver Dalton Lucas used to drive from his native Buffalo through the "one road to Watkins Glen". "It was the loneliest trip. I saw bats look like bears during the night-time ride, but it was worth it." 200,000 people traverse through the grasslands just outside the racetrack in anticipation of the annual event.

The green flag waved as the leaders slammed into the braking zone with Alex Crapser on top. His pace remained quick during the initial laps as the #04, #87 and #14 pulled ahead by over a second. All three drivers were well-within chase contention, leaving the #8, #3, #2, #25 and #58 into the mid-pack dust.

Only 90 laps proved difficult for Zakk Miller and Timothy McDonnell to work their way through the traffic after their poor qualifying attempts. Up front, Matt Raboin and John Tharp battled hard for the second position, with the #87 winding up on top in search for his third top-2 on a road course in 2023. Behind the top-3, Zach Michael, Tony Pizzaro, Scott Jackson and Logan Sheets fought hard to be the first car in charge of catching the lead group.

Scott Jackson pulled off a miracle speed-run after a season lacking of horsepower. From the fourteenth starting position, Jackson was able to meander his way through the traffic and take the lead over Alex Crapser on lap 37. The #38 would lead the halfway bacon bonus before coming in to pit, with Crapser, Tharp, Michael, Pizzaro, Jimmie Stevens, Logan Sheets and David Baldinger all coming in just after the fuel window.

An unbelievable pit stop by the Logan Sheets crew put him ahead by two seconds despite coming in 6th position. His lack of pace was evident, but he was able to hold off Raboin and Crapser due to heavy defense exiting the inner-loop, forcing them to pass him through the grass on exit. Sheets would lead 19 laps on the day, well needed after coming in 14th in points.

The #04 made his charge to re-take the top-spot with 20 laps-to-go. He pulverized his way through the inner loop in grand style, remaining side-by-side with the #58 for the entire final third of the lap. With draft help from David Baldinger on the frontstretch, he would eventually take the lead outright exiting the esses with Baldinger up to second place.

A crash caused by Philip Parker's blown engine brought out the only caution of the event. Off of the outer loop, the #79 obliterated in front of the field, getting slammed by Randy Dobbins and directly into the path of the struggling Matthew Dominique. Both cars were destroyed. The #25 came in 8th in the standings and seemingly in the good. after the accident, he would drop to 13th in points, a full 21 back from 10th place. Up front, leader Alex Crapser horrifyingly entered the pit lane with only one car following his path. The #04 crew didn't get all of the fuel into the tank, and dropped them to 42nd place on the restart with only 16 laps remaining. This could be the end of their chase hopes after another dominating effort falls short.

The restart began with David Baldinger and Logan Sheets taking the green inside the top-3. Neither driver has won an Extravaganza Series race as they attempt to hold off John Tharp, desperate for a chase birth after only one top-5 all season. Lap after lap, Baldinger would attempt the Sheets strategy of pinning Tharp into the grass off of the inner-loop, and every lap it worked. The #14 and #99 were side-by-side for the top position seemingly every lap, but only to the avail of Baldinger.

A horrifying display occurred with two laps remaining, as Tharp, Pizzzaro and Sheets all come in to take fuel. After going 47+ laps on their first run it seemed impossible to run out, but the pace grew quicker and the bulbs started flashing. Baldinger was sure to win if he could make it two more laps, but came in to top off as well. Amidst all the chaos, Lucas Racing teammates John Battista and Adam Crapser went from non-factors all day to occupy the 1-2 spots coming to the checkered flag.

An unbelievable miracle victory for the John Battista crew handed them their third-straight win at Watkins Glen after getting their side ripped-off on pit road, as well as struggling to find the handling all race. During the last run nothing had changed, but the strong-willed driver galloped past Matt Raboin and saw the front-four pit, along with his teammate Crapser several laps before. Fuel mileage turned out to be the key, and his loose racecar may have proved helpful in getting him to the finish. Congrats to Battista, crew chief Lew Money and the entire Lucas Racing organization for an excellent victory!

2023 Budweiser at The Glen Video