There's only one road to Watkins Glen! All 46 teams found it, driving around "coon alley" in Apline Junction to reach the speedway. "We saw Woodstock last night" said Tony Gunk, attempting his first Watkins Glen event. "We picked up a five-leaf clover and put it the car." Zakk Miller and Timothy McDonnell start on the front row.

Race Results

Points Standings

Race Recap

The #30 Bepis Mustang held off McDonnell through the inner-loop to lead lap 1. A spin by John Battista and a hard crash by Kevin Corbat and Donald Stewart brought out the first caution early. Both Corbat and Stewart were okay despite a blow to the pit wall. Battista would fall to the back, hindering his effort at a fourth-straight Watkins Glen victory.

Miller and McDonnell continued their battle after the restart, with the #22 Caterpillar Volkswagen taking the position. A Tony Long and Dan Johnston spin brought out the next two cautions, each off the final corner. Both John Tharp, winner of the first two road course events and John Battista, winner of the last three Watkins Glen races topped off on fuel. Zach Michael would do the same, leading the field on the possible one-stop strategy.

Tony Pizzaro found his way past Zakk Miller for the second position. The #12 Fenway Frank machine made several attempts to pass by, racing side-by-side entering the inner loop several times without capitalizing. Miller found his way by Pizzaro on lap 35; making his bid on McDonnell in the same corner but to no avail.

Both Steven Spears and Ziggy Moonglow suffered woes during the mid-point of the event. The #65 smacked the wall after getting loose off the final corner, ending his day. Moonglow endured a faulty ignition, losing four laps and finishing 39th. Up front, Timothy McDonnell gets spun! A dive to the pits resulted in contact with Dan Johnston, spinning in front of the field! Miraculously, everyone avoided him. Teammate Johnny Reed Foley drove by to lead his twelfth-straight event.

A David Baldinger spin brought out the caution during green flag stops. Jimmie Stevens took advantage by leading some laps before Matthew Dominique took the point. He, Alan Nesfeder and Craig Lee battled ferociously for the Halfway Bacon Bonus, with Dominique coming out on top. Racing for fifth, Zakk Miller and Johnny Reed Foley made contact through the esses, both slapping the right-side wall. Miller would eventually fall to a crash, with Foley power-driving to a top-5 despite the damage.

Craig Lee took the top-spot on lap-48. A stuck-throttle by Jeremy Hebel sent him into Rod Weston, both slapping the turn-1 tire-barrier but continuing on. Up front, Matthew Dominique blew a tire in the same corner while running second! David Baldinger slammed into the rear of the #25, ending his day while Dominique limped to a 37th-place finish.

Zach Michael's one-stop strategy put him atop the board! He would hold off David Butterworth, Rick Jackson and Ken Joynt from behind before a miraculous crash in the esses halted his progress. Adam Crapser and Zakk Miller pulverized the right-side guardrail after contact; shades of Adam's accident here two years ago. Both would exit their cars without serious injury. The #4 Packers Chevrolet now leads the league with nine DNF's on the season.

A spin by Jimmie Stevens brought out the next caution, forcing Zach Michael and the one-stop strategy crusade to pit after burning too much fuel. An inner-loop crash involving Matthew Dominique, Ziggy Moonglow, Bill Werkheiser and Jeremy Hebel set up a 17-lap shootout to the finish. Tony Pizzaro pulled away from the pack, with Craig Lee, Logan Sheets and Matt Raboin battling maniacally for second.

Timothy McDonnell rummaged through the field after the restart, powering from seventh to second in ten laps. He would gap from 2.7 to 1.7 seconds behind Pizzaro, unable to catch the #12 Fenway Frank machine. A 48-race winless streak dating back to Bristol would be broken, crossing the start-finish line in first for his inaugural victory of 2024!

Tony Pizzaro's chase hopes may be over, but a victory at Watkins Glen has pulverized the ambition of this team. Their 600th lap led puts the Fenway Frank Fusion ahead of Ryan Heuser for second on the year, also tying Lucas Racing teammates Alex Crapser and John Battista with eight top-5's. With the gremlins hopefully removed, look for the #12 team to dominate the final stretch. Congratulations to Pizzaro, crew chief Neil Justice and the entire Race-2-Win Motorsports organization for an excellent victory!

2024 Bud at The Glen Video