Four Tires and Fuel: Watkins Glen

There have been 33 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Watkins Glen International. (Photo: Getty Images)

Motor Racing Network Pit Reporters Kim Coon and Pete Pistone discuss a number of topics in this week's Watkins Glen edition of "Four Tires and Fuel."

Where does Chris Buescher's Pocono win rank for you in the world of NASCAR upsets?

Kim: I really enjoyed seeing Buescher win. He's a talented young driver and he couldn't be nicer. It's awesome to see smaller teams take the checkered flag and I love that his win has the potential to shake up the Chase standings. In terms of where it ranks? Since we finished the race under red instead of green, it doesn't rank super-high on my list. I'd consider it an upset, for sure, but I'd probably put it somewhere in the middle in terms of best upsets.

Pete: It was needed in a period that's seen the super teams dominate the sport. You'd have to go back to 2014 to find drivers outside the powerhouse organizations winning races, when Aric Almirola and AJ Allmendinger won that season and made the Chase. Buescher's win for Front Row Motorsports, even under unusual circumstances, demonstrates that every once in a while, that underdog story can happen in NASCAR and it did on a weird afternoon in Pocono.

Do suspensions of crew chiefs really impact a team's performance?

Kim: No. Perfect example: We saw Kurt Busch take the checkered flag in June at Pocono with an interim crew chief. This weekend, Kevin Harvick finished fourth and would have likely competed for the win had we stayed green, and he did it "without" Rodney Childers. These teams are so structured and dialed in, they can still perform well without their crew chief on top of the box. And let's be honest, the suspended crew chiefs are still in constant communication with their teams. It's pretty much business as usual.

Pete: Not at all. Now, in the case of Rodney Childers missing this week in Pocono because of the lug-nut violation the week before at Indianapolis, I'm not advocating a more severe punishment. I get why NASCAR is responding to the lug-nut controversy the way they are, but it's still odd to me that a crew chief violating that rule receives a more severe reaction than one of a winning car not passing inspection. But I digress. Short of NASCAR sequestering a crew chief on race day and ending all communication, suspension of a crew chief for a race is meaningless.

Does Jeff Gordon win a race in his extended time as Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s replacement?

Kim: I'd say no, but I also said I wasn't sure we'd see Tony Stewart win this season ... and he did. It depends on how long Jeff continues to sub for Dale Earnhardt Jr. If "Junior" ends up being out for a lot more races, that gives Jeff more time to get comfortable with the 2016 package and to jell with the No. 88 team. Only time will tell - not sure that's a solid answer, but that's what I'm going with! He actually has a good shot this weekend at Watkins Glen, considering he has four wins there and has been stellar on road courses in his career.

Pete: The odds say no. I agree with Kim that his best shot so far may very well be this weekend at Watkins Glen, where Gordon has been so good throughout his career. But he'll need everything to go right and there's still a getting-to-know-you period going on among Gordon, crew chief Greg Ives and the No. 88 crew. He'll be competitive as long as he drives the car as Earnhardt's fill-in, but it would be a bit of a stretch to say winning a race is inevitable.

AJ Allmendinger or the field this week at Watkins Glen and why?

Kim: The field. AJ is good at road courses, yes. But he only has one Watkins Glen Sprint Cup win. On top of that, the last three road-course races, he's finished 14th or worse. There are too many heavy hitters in the field that could easily take the checkered flag this weekend for me to feel 100% confident about choosing AJ.

Pete: The field. That's not an indictment of Allmendinger, one of the best in the business on road courses, but rather a statement about the road racing skills in the Sprint Cup Series. There are literally a dozen drivers that I can see winning Sunday at The Glen including Allmendinger. Those are tough odds even for a talent like AJ and it's going to take a lot to overcome them and replicate his popular win on 2014.

Got a favorite summer beverage adult or otherwise?

Kim: During the summer, "refreshing" is what I'm looking for in my drinks. My go-to summer cocktail is a Tom Collins. Classic and easy to make, it's the perfect warm weather drink. I'm a big fan of gin. I'm lucky enough to have friends who own a local Charlotte distillery, Doc Porter's - which makes it easy to get my hands on a quality bottle! And the rest of the ingredients are always in my pantry - lemon, sugar, soda water. 

Pete: Light and refreshing is the way to go for me as well, whether I'm on the road on a race assignment or chilling back at my Chicago home base. How about a good old fashioned vodka and lemonade with real lemons and a splash of seltzer for some fizz. Open up the patio umbrella and keep 'em coming!

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The opinions expressed here are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the positions of the Motor Racing Network.

via the Motor Racing Network.