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ROSS CHASTAIN
Busch Light Iconic: For the third time this season, Ross Chastain’s No. 1 car will return with Busch Light’s ‘Iconic’ paint scheme to The Glen. In the midst of the summer heat, Chastain is bringing the cool Busch Light shades of blue and white to the Empire State. The No. 1 car reads “Race For The Mountains” and Chastain will be looking to lead the pack in the Finger Lakes in the recognizable Busch Light blue and white design fans know and love.
Chastain at the Watkins Glen: On Sunday, Chastain makes his seventh Cup Series start at the 2.45-mile road course. Last year, he earned his second Cup career pole position, led the most laps - twice for 51 - in a race that saw three restarts in the final 10 laps plus overtime. Despite his strong performance throughout most of the race, Chastain didn't have the speed in the final laps to battle for victory. He finished fourth, his best finish at Watkins Glen.
Double Duty for Chastain: On Friday at Watkins Glen, Chastain will pilot the No. 44 Chevrolet Silverado for Niece Motorsports. He makes his fifth and final start of the season in the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series. The Florida native has three top-10 finishes (sixth, second, and ninth) plus a 26th-place finish after his race ended prematurely.
Meet Chastain: On Thursday, Chastain will appear at the Schuyler County Courthouse, 105 9th Street, No. 35, Watkins Glen, NY 14891, 9 a.m. - 12 p.m., 1-3 p.m. At 5 p.m. local time he will sign autographs at Walmart, 515 E 4th St., Watkins Glen, N.Y. On Saturday at 3 p.m. local time, he will sign autographs at the Trackhouse Racing merchandise hauler located in the Fan Zone - wristband required and distribution begins on Friday. On Saturday, Chastain will also sign autographs at 4:30 p.m. at Tops, 504 1/2 South Franklin Street Watkins Glen, N.Y. On Sunday at 10:35 a.m., Chastain will sign autographs at the New York Governors Traffic Safety Committee booth in the Watkins Glen infield - wristband required.
Last Weekend at Iowa: Chastain qualified 28th for his second Cup Series start at Iowa Speedway. He fell off the lead lap after an untimely caution midway through the race. Chastain ran 16th with 60 laps to go before mounting a charge that saw him drive toward the front and finish 11th - just missing a top-10 finish.
Crew Chief: Chastain and crew chief Phil Surgen have worked together since 2021. The duo is the third longest active driver and crew chief pairing.
Most Wins for No. 1 Car in Cup Series: The No. 1 car has been to victory lane six times with Chastain since 2022, the most wins by a driver with that number. Jamie McMurray previously held the record with four victories in the No. 1 car.
Chastain Quotes
Do you like road racing?
"Road racing has always been such a challenge for me. I've worked so hard on the craft and I've really grown to like it. Having Shane as a teammate has been a great help too. It's wild to watch him in the simulator and how he can be so accurate and smooth with all of his movements. Connor is obviously a very talented road racer and he's fun to race against. Daniel is a great road racer too. I have three teammates this weekend and I'm the guy still working really hard on my road race craft. Last year at Watkins Glen we ran really well. We led a bunch of laps and that was a lot of fun. I'm going to get some extra laps in on Friday in the truck race which always helps."
You seem to spend a lot of time in New York. Why is that?
"I spend a lot of time in New York state for various things. Some of that is in New York City and some of it is in upstate New York around the racetrack and surrounding areas. Upstate is a gorgeous area and I do a lot of work with the Governors office and safe driving so I spend a lot of time in New York. I was in Corning a couple of weeks ago to promote this weekend's race and it was a lot of fun."
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CONNOR ZILISCH
Connor Zilisch will make his fourth NASCAR Cup Series career start this weekend at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International. He made his Cup Series debut at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas on March 1 when he started 14th in the 37-car field and ran well before he was sidelined by an accident midway through the event.
Crew Chief: 24-time race winner Darian Grubb will serve as crew chief for Zilisch this weekend. Grubb was the crew chief when Shane van Gisbergen won the Chicago Street Race in 2023. He also led Tony Stewart to a Cup Series title in 2011 and was the interim crew chief when Jimmie Johnson won the 2006 Daytona 500. He has served as crew chief for Trackhouse Racing, Hendrick Motorsports and Joe Gibbs Racing.
Zilisch made his second Cup Series start at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway on May 25. The young driver survived contact with another car in Stage 2 and then ran an incident-free race to post a 23rd-place finish.His third Cup Series start came just over one month ago at Echo Park (Atlanta) Speedway. Zilisch stayed out of trouble during the 400-mile event and was rewarded with an 11th-place finish.
His third Cup Series start came just over one month ago at Echo Park (Atlanta) Speedway. Zilisch stayed out of trouble during the 400-mile event and was rewarded with an 11th-place finish.
Triple Duty: Zilisch is a Trackhouse Racing development driver who competes full-time with JR Motorsports in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. He enters Saturday's race at the Glen tied for the lead in the Xfinity Series driver standings. He leads all drivers in race wins (five) and poles (four) and has reeled off 10 consecutive top-five finishes, a streak that began at Charlotte in May. He also plans to compete with Niece Motorsports in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series race on Friday afternoon. Zilisch will make his first start in the series this season behind the wheel of the No. 45 Chevrolet Silverado.
Meet Connor Zilisch: On Sunday, Zilisch will participate in a fan Q&A from 10:45 - 11:00 a.m. ET at the Glen Club. He is also scheduled to meet with a local group of Boy Scouts at the track from 10:15 - 10:30 a.m.
Zilisch stormed onto the NASCAR scene in 2024, winning in his first-ever Xfinity Series start at Watkins Glen last September. He also won the pole position and led the most laps on the way to claiming the victory at the Glen. That same year he earned victories at the Rolex 24 at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway, the Twelve Hours of Sebring at Sebring (Fla.) Raceway, four ARCA races and a CARS Tour event.
Zilisch Quotes
“I love going to Watkins Glen. The fans there are awesome and it’s a beautiful part of the country. It’s going to be really cool. I’m really excited to be making my fourth start in the Cup Series with Red Bull and Trackhouse. This is my last one of the year so we’re going to make it count. Watkins Glen is a track that I’m really comfortable at so this is a good one for us. Trackhouse has been pretty dominant on the road and street courses this season so I’m optimistic.”
What did you learn at Circuit of the Americas earlier this season that will help you at Watkins Glen this weekend?
“At COTA I learned a little bit about the car and got a feel for Cup racing. Those two tracks are very different and require different driving styles but any laps in the Cup car that you can get are always beneficial.”
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SHANE VAN GISBERGEN
Heading to Upstate New York: Shane van Gisbergen will make his second Cup Series start at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International, a 2.45-mile road course in Upstate New York. Van Gisbergen is seeking his fourth road course victory in five starts this weekend.
Last Year at Watkins Glen: Van Gisbergen ran well last year in the Cup Series race at Watkins Glen. Van Gisbergen started third and was in contention for the win throughout the 90-lap race. He and Chris Buescher had a thrilling overtime battle for the win with Van Gisbergen coming away with a second-place finish after contact with the wall on the last lap.
Double Duty: Before climbing in the No. 88 Chevrolet on Sunday, Van Gisbergen will pilot the No. 9 Kubota Chevrolet for JR Motorsports in Saturday's NASCAR Xfinity Series race. This start marks the last Xfinity race for SVG this season. One month ago he won from the pole in the No. 9 Chevrolet at the Chicago Street Circuit.
First Pavement Oval Win: Van Gisbergen scored his first victory in a Legends car in the season finale for the Summer Shootout last week on the quarter-mile track at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Van Gisbergen took the lead away from Pro Legends division champion Jake Bollman just past halfway and held him off to secure his first ever pavement oval win.
Last Weekend at Iowa: Van Gisbergen held his own early in the race at Iowa, but two spins cost him a lap and dropped him to the back of the field. He made up the lost distance and finished 31st.
Three Wins on the Season: Van Gisbergen's Sonoma win ties him with Kyle Larson and Christopher Bell with three Cup Series victories in the 2025 season.
Adding to the History Books: Van Gisbergen became the fastest driver to four wins in the Cup Series since Parnelli Jones in 1967 and the first since Jeff Gordon to win three consecutive road course Cup races from the pole. Van Gisbergen is tied with Tony Stewart and Jimmie Johnson for the most Cup Series wins as a rookie (3). The Auckland, New Zealand native is the only driver not from the United States to win at least four NASCAR Cup Series races.
Playoff Bound: After last month's wins in Chicago and Sonoma, Van Gisbergen now sits fourth in the 2025 Cup Series Playoff Standings with 17 playoff points. The Mexico City victory locked him into the playoffs, his first-ever appearance in NASCAR's post-season. He also clinched a playoff spot in his full-time season in the 2024 Xfinity Series.
Two-Time Inaugural Race Winner: Van Gisbergen has etched himself into the NASCAR history books by winning two inaugural NASCAR Cup Series races. The New Zealand native captured the win in the first-ever Mexico City race in June, and in 2023, Van Gisbergen won his debut Cup Series race with Trackhouse's PROJECT91 at the Chicago Street Race.
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Meet SVG: On Sunday at 10:30 a.m. local time, Van Gisbergen will sign autographs at the Trackhouse Racing Merchandise Hauler located in the Fan Zone - wristband required.
Winning Crew Chief: Stephen Doran won two Cup Series races as a Crew Chief last month in Chicago and Sonoma. Doran's first win as a Cup Series Crew Chief in June at Mexico City with Van Gisbergen. Doran is in his first season as Van Gisbergen's crew chief on the No. 88 Chevrolet and his second year as a crew chief at the Cup level.
Rookie Year: Van Gisbergen is a Sunoco Rookie of the Year Contender during the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season. Van Gisbergen leads Riley Herbst in the rookie standings (398-269) entering Watkins Glen4
Van Gisbergen Quotes
Do you still think about last year's Watkins Glen Cup race and what could have been?
"I still get frustrated thinking about that race. When I make a personal mistake like that, it makes me angry to think that I threw that one away myself, especially after how good of a day it was, and we had the fastest car all day, then to do that. I really want to get there this weekend, make no mistakes, have a fast car and try an execute all day. Which we have been doing on the road courses, and it will be good to continue doing that."
What do you think is clicking for you and the No. 88 team on the road courses?
"I think it's just been time on the road courses, learning what we want from the car, changing our philosophy. We've really clicked on the road course set up and made our cars a lot better. On the ovals too, we are getting better as team."
Your first win in the Summer Shootout came last week. What made you want to compete in the eight-week series?
"Well, I raced Aussie race cars before, which is similar, but obviously never on an oval. It's something fun to do on a Tuesday night and it's more reps for me. It was a blast racing with Bubba (Wallace) & Scott (McLaughlin), just a couple of mates hanging out every week was cool, but also, I learned a lot."
Do you classify your Sonoma win as your "perfect drive" or is there another race that is hard to beat in your mind?
"Yes, but actually, Mexico (City) was really good as well. We just executed as a team, we had good pit stops, good strategy and obviously a fast car, which that is the best thing you could have. We finally put it all together which was great. Chicago and Sonoma were great too, but with Mexico (City) being our team's first win of the season, it just sticks out to me a bit more."
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DANIEL SUAREZ
Watkins Glen 2024: Suárez started 20th, but was hit by another car on a restart, which dropped him to 29th. Things got worse when a loose wheel led to a spin into the gravel, dropping him to 35th and down a lap. He made up the lap in the opening laps of the final stage, then rallied for a handful of positions in the final laps and overtime.
Watkins Glen 2023: Suárez started 14th and moved up to 10th by lap five. A spin at the exit of the bus stop plus contact with the inside wall damaged the splitter, dropping him to 24th in the running order. The first caution of the race fell on lap 57, seconds after Suárez made a green flag pit stop. He earned the free pass and returned to the lead lap in 28th and climbed up to 22nd in the final laps.
Watkins Glen Career: Suárez owns three top-five finishes in seven starts at Watkins Glen. He finished third and fourth in 2017 and 2018 and claimed a fifth-place finish in 2022.
Cup Career Highlights: Suárez owns two victories (Sonoma 2022 and Atlanta 2024) and three Busch Light Pole Awards - Pocono (Pa.) Raceway July 2018, Kentucky Speedway July 2019, and on the road course at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway August 2023.
Personal Life: Suárez married Julia Piquet, daughter of three-time Formula One World Champion Nelson Piquet, at a ceremony on July 30 in Brazil. The couple took a delayed honeymoon trip to Japan in the offseason. He is also now a dual citizen of Mexico and the United States. He took the American Oath of Allegiance at a naturalization ceremony on June 18 in front of media, friends, the NASCAR industry and NASCAR Commissioner Steve Phelps, who gave the keynote address to the 48 new citizens from 28 countries who joined Suárez at the ceremony. The 33-year-old Monterrey, Mexico native arrived in America about 13 years ago, unable to speak English.
Mexico Success: Suárez returned to his native country in June as NASCAR held its inaugural race at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in Mexico City. A week of fan and media activity included a 19th-place finish in the Cup race. But few will forget his drive from last place to first in the No. 9 Quaker State Chevrolet for JR Motorsports in the Xfinity Series race and the celebration in front of the raucous fans. It marked the first time in any NASCAR series that a driver has done that on a road course. His victory, coupled with Van Gisbergen's, marks the first time since 2009 that international drivers have swept a race weekend.
Trackhouse Racing and Suárez Agree to Part Ways: Trackhouse Racing and Suárez announced on July 1 that they have mutually decided to conclude their partnership following the 2025 season. The move allows Suárez to pursue new opportunities in his racing career.
Suárez Quotes
What do you remember about last year at Watkins Glen?
"We went through a lot last year. The No. 99 Freeway Insurance Chevy was pretty fast, especially on the long runs. I thought we could drive through the field once we lost some track position, but it was much more difficult to pass than I anticipated. And then we lost a wheel, and from that, we were just trying to recover. I was very proud of this team for not giving up, executing well, and going to fight right off the bat. Finishing 13th after being stuck in the gravel isn't a bad day. Our plan is to have a lot smoother day this year."
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