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Track Facts:
Distance: 90 Laps, 220.5 Miles
Shape: Road Course

Centurion Boats at The Glen
Sunday, August 10
Watkins Glen International
Sunday, 2:00 p.m. EST

Schedule
Practice
11:45 a.m. to 1:20 p.m. EST, Friday, August 8
12:00 p.m. to 12:45 a.m. EST, Saturday, August 9
1:20 a.m. to 2:20 p.m. EST, Final Practice Saturday, August 9

Qualifying
3:10 p.m., Friday August 8
Two laps all positions

Race Day Sunday, August 10
2:00 p.m. EST Sunday
TV: 2:00 p.m. ESPN EST
Radio: Motor Racing Network (MRN), XM Radio
2007 winner: Tony Stewart

Check the SPEED Channel schedule (speedtv.com) for various programs on the race this weekend.

Race Preview

Quotes from Kyle Petty:
 
“It’s going to feel great to get back behind the wheel of the No. 45 Marathon American Spirit Motor Oil Dodge.  Terry (Labonte) and Chad (McCumbee) have both done an outstanding job over the last two months.  Not only have they moved the team up two spots in owner points, but they’ve also helped advance the No. 45 program.  This is a competitive car.  We need to continue that through the end of the year.  I had a blast in the TNT Sports booth but I’m ready to get back on the track.”
 
“Stewart Cooper and I only worked together for a handful of races before I stepped into the broadcast booth, but he has amazed me with his demeanor and attitude.  For such a young crew chief he carries himself well beyond his years.  It’s not easy to work with three different drivers.  He gave Terry and Chad cars that were racy, and I have confidence that he and I will have a good race this weekend at The Glen.”    
 
“I’ve always enjoyed road course racing, especially at The Glen.  I don’t know if I would want to do it full-time because I’ve been racing on ovals for 30 years, but it does give you a nice break during a long season.  The Glen is just a great racetrack with a lot of history.  It’s one of the few places in the country where we get a chance to race where Jackie Stewart, Niki Lauda and Emerson Fittipaldi competed.  My 1992 win there is one of my favorites.”

Said to Pilot No. 45 Marathon Dodge at Watkins Glen
First Event for Veteran Road Racer and Legendary Race Team

Petty Enterprises announces that accomplished road course veteran, Boris Said, will drive the No. 45 Marathon American Spirit Motor Oil Dodge in the Centurion at the Glen at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International.  This will be Said’s first competition in Petty Enterprises equipment.  He will start 40th due to rain washing out Friday’s qualifying session.

“Boris is known around the world as one of the premier road course racers,” said Petty Enterprises VP of Operations Robbie Loomis.  “He will give us another great opportunity to assess our program.  Everyone at Petty Enterprises is grateful to Boris for helping us out.” 

Said is a veteran of 32 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races.  His most notable success has come in sports car racing.  Said is a champion of both the 24 Hours of Daytona and the 12 Hours of Sebring.  He became the first American to win the prestigious 24 Hours Nürburgring in 2005.

Race Results
1. Kyle Busch, Toyota
2. Tony Stewart, Toyota
3. Marcos Ambrose, Ford
4. Juan Pablo Montoya, Dodge
5. Martin Truex, Jr., Chevrolet
24. Boris Said, No. 45 Marathon American Spirit Motor Oil Dodge
42. Bobby Labonte, No. 43 Cheerios/Betty Crocker Dodge

Kyle Busch became the first driver in NASCAR history to win three road course races in a single season by taking the checkered flag in the Centurion Boats at the Glen on Sunday. The win gives Busch a series-leading eight victories in 2008. Tony Stewart, in a bid to collect his first win of the season, settled for a second-place finish.

After rain washed out Friday’s practice and qualifying sessions, it looked as though Mother Nature would play a factor on Sunday as well. Showers moved through the area overnight, but cleared up in time for all 90 laps of racing to be completed.

Boris Said and the No. 45 Marathon American Spirit Motor Oil Dodge team finished 24th in Sunday’s event. Said, the road course ace, was making his first start for Petty Enterprises. After starting the race from the 40th position due to the cancellation of qualifying, Said quickly raced his way inside the top-30. He was happy with the overall balance of the No. 45 Dodge, but he did need a little help in the right-hand turns where he was ‘loose.’ Crew chief Stewart Cooper made a wedge adjustment that helped the handling, allowing Said to pass 84 cars on the day. That figure was the third-highest in the 43 car field.

“Track position was key today, just like it is every week,” stated Cooper. “Had we got the chance to let Boris work his road course magic in qualifying and could have started higher, I think we could have brought home a top-10. It just seemed like you had to fight to pass each car. He passed a lot of them today. It was a blast to work with him and we all appreciate him helping us out.”

Bobby Labonte and the No. 43 Cheerios/Betty Crocker Dodge team finished 42nd in Sunday’s event. Labonte started the race from the 20th position and had a fast car early on. By lap 11 he was one of the fastest cars on the track. Unlike his teammate, Labonte was ‘tight’ in the right-hand turns of Watkins Glen. Crew chief Jeff Meendering had a plan to make the race at two pit stop race. The first stop for tires and fuel came on lap 26. The second, on lap 57, put them within their fuel window, albeit with not much room to spare. A few caution flags fell their way and allowed Labonte to save precious fuel. Before the fuel pendulum could swing in their favor, Labonte was caught up in a hard wreck coming off of turn 11 on lap 82. He climbed from the car under his own power, but was taken to the infield care center and, subsequently, taken to a local hospital where he was evaluated and released.

“It was really hard to pass out there today,” said Labonte. “Jeff came over the radio on several occasions to tell me that we had one of the fastest cars on the track, but I couldn’t go anywhere. So we came up with some fuel strategy that would have put us in position for a good finish. It was going to be close, but I think we would have made it. Then we got caught up in that big wreck. That was a superspeedway-type wreck. I’m sure I’ll be sore tomorrow.”