NASCAR race at Watkins Glen live updates: Kyle Larson holds off AJ Allmendinger for win

LIVE UPDATES HAVE CONCLUDED FOR THIS EVENT. CLICK HERE FOR A RACE RECAP AND UNOFFICIAL RESULTS.

Another Cup race, another road course.

The NASCAR Cup Series returns to Watkins Glen International at 3 p.m. (barring inclement weather) on USA Network and Sirius XM NASCAR Radio.

The penultimate regular-season race will feature a record-breaking field — attracting even a prominent Formula 1 driver out of retirement — on its 11-turn (or 7? 12?), 220-mile road course. Will NASCAR dub a new race winner on Sunday to further complicate an already-complicated playoff picture?

Live updates will be posted in the section below and will be published frequently during the race. Refresh this page for the latest news. Full results will be posted after the race.

Unofficial results

Live updates at Watkins Glen

Stage 3

End of race: Just like in Saturday’s Xfinity race, Kyle Larson holds off AJ Allmendinger, and for a second day in a row, those two drivers go 1-2. Larson, a previous winner this season, does not affect the automatic playoff qualifiers, making next week at Daytona a big one for all teams. Haven’t won yet? Win and you’re in.

Joey Logano will be third, Chase Elliott, who led most of Stage 3, in fourth and Daniel Duarez up into fifth.

Lap 88: Allmendinger closes in the chicanes of the bus stop, but Larson is better on the longer corners. Larson holding on with two to go.

Lap 85 (again): On the restart, Chase Elliott gets pinched and falls all the way to fifth. Kyle Larson assumes the lead with four to go. AJ Allmendinger slides up to second position and Logano to third.

Lap 85: Green green green! Back to racing we go and Elliott is again clear on the restart with Larson giving chase. Logano now slides up into third, with Allmendinger into fourth and McDowell in fifth.

Lap 82: Another late-race caution as Loris Hezemans spins into the sand. He’ll need help out of there, and the yellow waves again.

Lap 81: On the restart, Chase Elliott and Kyle Larson get clear of the field, which was three- and four-wide into the first turns jostling for position. Allmendinger is into third position, and he and Larson and going hard after Elliott.

Lap 79: Joey Hand slides through a turn and slams a tire barrier. We have a caution coming up on 10 to go.

Lap 78: Dillon and Lajoie do finall pit, and the running order is now set with people who can finish the race. Chase Elliott, Kyle Larson, Michael McDowell, AJ Allmendinger and Tyler Reddick are your Top 5, though only Elliott and Larson are anywhere near each other in the front. Elliott leads Larson by 2.5 seconds.

Lap 74: Kyle Busch around on his own on the straightaway between 1 and 2. No caution. We race on.

Lap 73: Chase Elliott is back in front, Kyle Larson in second ... and Dillon and Lajoie have yet to pit. Elliott is now in firm control of this race, barring shenanigans.

Lap 66: Cole Custer finally pits, ceding the lead to Austin Dillon. For now. Dillon and Corey Lajoie, running 1-2, are not able to make it to the end on fuel. Chase Elliott and Kyle Larson in 3-4 position, as well as McDowell in 5, can.

Lap 64: Ross Chastain and Chase Briscoe spin in the bus stop racing for 27th. Both make no contact and continue.

Lap 61: Cole Custer is officially your race leader, with Corey Lajoie in second and Austin Dillon in third, but none of them can finish the race on their current fuel load. Chase Elliott, who can make it the rest of the way, has squirreled his way into fifth, with Larson in sixth.

Lap 59: Chase Elliott the last of the contenders to pit in green flag conditions. Elliott and Kyle Larson are not 1-2, but they are the top two who can make it the rest of the way on fuel, barring any catastophes. Interesting strategy here.

Lap 56: Green-flag pit stops for McDowell from second position and Larson from third. Chase Elliott stays out. Logano in as well.

Lap 50: Chase Elliott outduels McDowell and takes over the lead and starts to pull away.

Lap 48: Back to green! Three wide into Turn 2 again on this restart. Michael McDowell works his way back to the front, but here comes Christopher Bell, now up to third position. Chase Elliott in second, and Kyle Larson challenging Bell for that 3-4 position.

Lap 45: Kimi Raikkonen’s day is over after a collision at the bus stop turns. Austin Dillon involved as well. Raikkonen’s left front is smoking, it appears he is done for the day. Great news here for those gambling on fuel strategy. Dillon spun in the bus stop after contact with Ross Chastain. Raikkonen made contact with outside tires barrier a after contact with Loris Hezemans

Lap 44: Pit strategy takes center stage here with the final stage break. Michael McDowell has ascended to the top position here as others pit. Chase Elliott also stays out and he’s in second. Joey Hand, Chris Buescher and Kyler Larson are the newest Top 5. Joey Logano, Kyle Busch, Ty Dillon, Cole Custer, Tyler Reddick, Corey LaJoie, Bubba Wallace, Chase Briscoe, Mike Rockenfeller, Cody Ware, Denny Hamlin all take four tires.

Stage 2

Lap 40: At the end of Stage 2, Joey Logano leads Kyle Busch, Michael McDowell, Chase Elliott and Ty Dillon.

Lap 33: Tyler Reddick and Mike Rockenfeller spins out. Reddick’s been fast but has fallen victim to some bad luck. Joey Logano, Kyle Busch, Michael McDowell lead with seven to go in Stage 2.

Lap 31: Todd Gilliland’s day is done. The rookie was having a good day before an axle broke on the 38 car. He’s now headed to the garage.

Lap 25: Former Formula 1 champion Kimi Raikkonen has moved up to ninth.

Lap 23: Drivers return to a double-file restart. Also noteworthy: Chase Elliott has clinched the regular season championship.

Stage 1

Lap 20: Chase Briscoe takes the Stage 1 win. The No. 14 car wins by about 10 seconds. Only four lead changes in Stage 1. The others earning points (in order): Tyler Reddick, Daniel Suarez, Todd Gilliland, Ross Chastain, Joey Logano, Ty Dillon, Michael McDowell, Kyle Busch and AJ Allmendinger.

Lap 15: Tyler Reddick misses the “bus stop” and therefore has to fully stop on the access stretch and serve a time penalty. The No. 8 car held the lead before that. He’s not the first to miss the turn: Kyle Larson missed the bus stop earlier this stage.

Lap 9: Chris Buescher entered pit road and opted to drive with slick tires, a gamble with the track still not quite bone dry. Michael McDowell and Tyler Reddick are battling for first. The top-two are nearly nine seconds faster than Chase Elliott, who sits in third.

Lap 2: AJ Allmendinger the first to spin out. The No. 16 car had a good showing at the Xfinity race on Saturday.

Lap 1: Chase Elliott extends his lead as cars tenuously swerve around Watkins Glen International. Elliott’s pole position is hugely important as water from cars sprays underneath tires and into windshields.

Green flag, 5:01 p.m.: Green flag is in the air!

4:55 p.m.: Racecars have exited pit road. Sun’s out. It’s (probably) happening soon!

4:49 p.m.: The racecars put covers over them during the weather, and now the covers are coming off. Engines have been re-fired. Let’s see if we’ll begin racing soon.

4:37 p.m.: WGI trucks are squeegee-ing the track now to blow off the excess water.

4:26 p.m.: Cars are heading into pit road because of standing water on the track, particularly at the “bus stop” at Watkins Glen. Drivers are told to stay in their cars.

4:11 p.m.: Rusty Wallace, former Cup Series champion, tells drivers to start their engines.

4:05 p.m.: Per a NASCAR spokesperson: Command to start engines will begin at 4:11 p.m. Teams will start the race on rain tires, and after that it is up to each team to determine their tire strategy. Also: “The race start and all restarts will be single file.”

3:56 p.m.: Lightning hold has been lifted! Opening ceremonies will begin just before the top of the hour, per NASCAR. Rain is slackening (yet persisting), but the lightning has moved out of the area, so teams will soon use the rain tires to maneuver around the storied road course. Time to see how the Next-Gen car will handle rain racing at WGI.

3:28 p.m.: And another lightning hold.

3:22 p.m.: Watkins Glen has lifted its lightning hold. Who’s ready for some rain racing?

2:44 p.m.: The Glen is currently on a lightning hold, per NASCAR.

2:15 p.m.: Cars are on the grid. No official word yet on changing the time of the green-flag drop with a rain storm on the horizon.

Will the Cup race start on time?

Air titans were deployed a few hours ago after a brief rain dampened the WGI road course. More showers are on the radar: There’s approximately 50% chance of rainfall at 3 p.m. and 70% chance at 4 p.m. The field will race as long as there is no lightning or heavy puddling or visibility issues, per NASCAR rules.

Who’s on the pole at Watkins Glen?

Chase Elliott earned his 12th career pole on Saturday afternoon. A fast No. 9 car isn’t a good sign for the rest of the field on road courses: The Dawsonville, Georgia, native boasts the most road-race wins among active drivers with seven, two of which have come at Watkins Glen.

Kyle Larson will start beside him. Per NASCAR, the No. 5 car failed pre-race inspection twice and thus lost pit selection and car chief Jesse Saunders has been ejected.

How to watch NASCAR race at Watkins Glen

• Race: Go Bowling at The Glen
• Distance: 220.5 miles, 90 laps
• Where: Watkins Glen International
• Green flag: 3:19 p.m.
• TV: USA Network
• Radio: MRN, Sirius XM NASCAR Radio
• Purse: $6,664,145

Other WGI technical details

• Broadcast: USA, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
• Distance: 90 laps / 220.5 miles
• Stages: 20 / 40 / 90
• Average time of race: 2:12:37
• Pit road speed: 40 mph
• Caution vehicle speed: 45 mph
• Fuel window: 36 laps
• Driver-Crew Chief Meeting: Driver/ Crew Chief Meeting video. Crew chief handout attached.

Starting lineup: Go Bowling at The Glen

Per NASCAR: Kyle Busch, Christopher Bell (engine changes), William Byron, Ryan Blaney, Ty Gibbs, Cody Ware and Kyle Tilley (unapproved adjustments) were sent to the rear.

This story was originally published August 21, 2022 at 2:14 PM.

Alex Zietlow

The Charlotte Observer

Alex Zietlow writes about the Carolina Panthers and the ways in which sports intersect with life for The Charlotte Observer, where he has been a reporter since August 2022. Zietlow’s work has been honored by the Pro Football Writers Association, the N.C. and S.C. Press Associations, as well as the Associated Press Sports Editors (APSE) group. He’s earned six APSE Top 10 distinctions for his coverage on a variety of topics, from billion-dollar stadium renovations to the small moments of triumph that helped a Panthers kicker defy the steepest odds in sports. Zietlow previously wrote for The Herald in Rock Hill (S.C.) from 2019-22. Support my work with a digital subscription