WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. — On Saturday, Kyle Larson won the NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Watkins Glen International by watching the top two drivers wreck each other out with under five laps to go.
And on Sunday, Larson similarly did not hold the lead until under five to go after shoving his way in front of teammate Chase Elliott on the final restart in the NASCAR Cup Series race at "The Glen."
With five laps to go, Larson restarted 2nd on the inside of Elliott and forced him up the race track in Turn 1, which gave him an advantage he did not relinquish the rest of the way.
"I knew that was my only opportunity. I'm not proud of it," Larson said after the race. "I felt like our cars were pretty equal. If I was in his shoes, I would understand the risk I'm taking by taking the left lane."
The win is Larson's second of the season and his second in a row at Watkins Glen. His teammate, Elliott, who finished 4th after the restart incident, offered his congratulations to Larson and did not flare up any controversy.
Elliott looked to be the favorite throughout the day. He led a race-high 30 laps and was likely to earn his fifth win of the season before a caution came out on Lap 84 and he subsequently chose the outside lane for the restart. Watkins Glen, like many road courses in NASCAR, features a hard-braking Turn 1 where the inside car can gain positions on cars to the outside if they time it correctly.
The race started around two hours late after lightning and rain delays. When the competition began, the racetrack was still wet and teams drove with rain tires on. Elliott started on the pole and led the first few laps.
On Lap 2, AJ Allmendinger, one of the race favorites, became the first spin victim after he was tapped by Austin Cindric in Turn 1. The incident sent Allmendinger back around 37th but he rebounded to finish 2nd.
Michael McDowell took the lead on Lap 4 and led for seven laps. The Front Row Motorsports driver was hoping to pull off an upset and throw another wrench in the NASCAR playoffs. McDowell lost the lead during pit cycles and ultimately finished 6th.
Near the end of Stage 1, teams began pitting to remove their rain tires in exchange for regular tires as the racing surface was dry. Varying strategies left Chase Briscoe in front and he won Stage 1 but was not a factor the rest of the day. Briscoe finished 25th.
Stage 2 began with the other Front Row Motorsports driver, Todd Gilliland, leading. Gilliland, the rookie, led for five laps before an axle problem forced him to end his day early. He finished 38th.
Joey Logano then took the lead and held it for the remainder of Stage 2. Logano ran around the Top 10 all day and ended with a 3rd place finish.
The first caution called for a crash happened on Lap 46 when contact between Ross Chastain and Austin Dillon forced Loris Hezemens to bump Kimi Räikkönen into the wall which stalled his car. Räikkönen, the 2007 Formula One World Champion, was making his first start in the NASCAR Cup Series.
Elliott took the lead after that incident and looked to be the dominant car.
Joey Hand brought out the next caution on Lap 79. Hand was running relatively well in his Rick Ware Racing Ford when he spun out in Turn 1 and damaged the tire wall.
The final caution came just a few laps later when Hezemens spun and got trapped in a gravel trap after spinning on his own.
That caution led to the final restart. After Larson bumped Elliott out of the way, the duel was on between him and Allmendinger. With four laps remaining in the race, Allmendinger looked like he might have something for Larson, but the No. 5 quickly drove away and took the win.
An International Affair
Drivers from seven different nations started Sunday's race, a NASCAR Cup Series record.
Of the 39 competitors, 33 were from the United States of America, and one each from England, Finland, Germany, Mexico, the Netherlands, and Russia.
Daniel Suárez, a Mexico native who competes full-time in the cup series, had the best performance of the international bunch with a 5th place run in his Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet.
Mike Rockefeller, a German with success in the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters and FIA GT Championship, ran as high as 5th but finished 30th in his Spire Motorsports Chevrolet. Sunday was his NASCAR Cup Series debut.
Hezemans is from the Netherlands and won the 2019 NASCAR Whelen Euro Series. He finished 33rd on Sunday in his fourth Cup Series start.
Daniil Kyvat, a Russian who has competed in Formula One, finished 39th on Sunday in his second Cup Series start.
Räikkönen finished 37th after crashing out in Trackhouse Racing's "Project 91" car but ran midpack for most of the day until the wreck.
Kyle Tilley, an Englishman who has succeeded in the IMSA Sports Car Championship, finished 39th driving for B.J. McLeod in his fifth Cup Series start.
Playoffs looming
Although Elliott was not able to close the deal on Sunday, he did clinch the regular season title with one race remaining until the playoffs begin. Elliott will get 15 bonus points when the playoffs begin at Darlington Raceway on Sept. 4 to add to the 25 playoff points he is set to start with by winning four races and five stages.
With just one race remaining in the regular season and only one spot open for drivers without a win, all eyes will be on Ryan Blaney and Martin Truex Jr. next week. Blaney is ahead of Truex by 25 points and only one of them can make it in. Both drivers could miss the playoff grid if a driver who has not won this season wins next week's race.
Looking ahead
The final regular season race of the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season is at Daytona International Speedway for the Coke Zero 400 on Saturday at 7 p.m. Cindric won the last race at the track in February's Daytona 500 but Blaney coincidentally won the last Coke Zero 400 in August 2021.