NASCAR Watkins Glen: AJ Allmendinger takes another road course pole
AJ Allmendinger made it two pole positions from the two road course events on the NASCAR Sprint Cup calendar after dominating qualifying at Watkins Glen

The JTG Daugherty Racing driver, who also claimed pole at Sonoma in June, had set the pace in the first round of qualifying by 0.229 seconds from Kevin Harvick.
Allmendinger, whose only Sprint Cup win so far came at Watkins Glen last year, then hit the front in the second round as the only driver to go below 1m09s, posting a time of 1m08.993s.
Martin Truex Jr was the closest driver to him, 0.146s behind, while Tony Stewart maintained his recent strong qualifying form to take third, and Harvick was forced to settle for fourth.
Jeff Gordon was fifth ahead of Kyle Larson and Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Kyle Busch, who started a run of four wins in five races with victory at Sonoma, managed eighth.
Jimmie Johnson, Austin Dillon and Brad Keselowski were next up, while Justin Allgaier was the last of those who made it through to the second round as he secured a best-yet grid position of 12th.
There were a number of big-name drivers who missed out on progressing from the first round, with 2015 race winners Denny Hamlin, Kurt Busch, Carl Edwards and Joey Logano occupying the first four places outside of the top 12.
STARTING GRID
Pos | Driver | Team | Car | Gap |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | A.J. Allmendinger | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 1m08.993s |
2 | Martin Truex Jr. | Furniture Row Racing | Chevrolet | 0.146s |
3 | Tony Stewart | Stewart-Haas Racing | Chevrolet | 0.194s |
4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Chevrolet | 0.229s |
5 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 0.357s |
6 | Kyle Larson | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 0.484s |
7 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 0.504s |
8 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 0.528s |
9 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 0.550s |
10 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 0.572s |
11 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 0.945s |
12 | Justin Allgaier | HScott Motorsports | Chevrolet | 1.018s |
13 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 0.551s |
14 | Kurt Busch | Stewart-Haas Racing | Chevrolet | 0.571s |
15 | Carl Edwards | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 0.633s |
16 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 0.670s |
17 | Jamie McMurray | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 0.678s |
18 | Clint Bowyer | Michael Waltrip Racing | Toyota | 0.684s |
19 | David Ragan | Michael Waltrip Racing | Toyota | 0.712s |
20 | Ryan Newman | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 0.737s |
21 | Aric Almirola | Richard Petty Motorsports | Ford | 0.956s |
22 | Danica Patrick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Chevrolet | 0.969s |
23 | Kasey Kahne | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 0.985s |
24 | Sam Hornish Jr. | Richard Petty Motorsports | Ford | 1.010s |
25 | Greg Biffle | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 1.050s |
26 | Matt Kenseth | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 1.068s |
27 | Matt DiBenedetto | BK Racing | Toyota | 1.091s |
28 | Paul Menard | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 1.129s |
29 | Casey Mears | Germain Racing | Chevrolet | 1.132s |
30 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 1.221s |
31 | Michael McDowell | Leavine Family Racing | Ford | 1.245s |
32 | Chris Buescher | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 1.313s |
33 | Cole Whitt | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 1.445s |
34 | Trevor Bayne | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 1.712s |
35 | Alex Kennedy | Circle Sport | Chevrolet | 1.785s |
36 | Landon Cassill | Hillman Smith Motorsports | Chevrolet | 2.097s |
37 | David Gilliland | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 2.121s |
38 | Boris Said | Go FAS Racing | Chevrolet | 2.164s |
39 | Alex Bowman | Tommy Baldwin Racing | Chevrolet | 2.174s |
40 | Michael Annett | HScott Motorsports | Chevrolet | 2.227s |
41 | Jeb Burton | BK Racing | Toyota | 2.579s |
42 | J.J. Yeley | BK Racing | Toyota | 2.898s |
43 | Timmy Hill | Phil Parsons Racing | Chevrolet | 3.751s |

Kyle Busch to skip NASCAR Xfinity race to focus on Sprint Cup
NASCAR Watkins Glen: Joey Logano wins after Kevin Harvick runs dry

Latest news
Laser Tools Racing continues in BTCC with Hill
The Laser Tools Racing name that was carried to British Touring Car Championship titles in 2020 and 2021 will continue in the series after all with Jake Hill.
McLaren to share F1 reserve driver Schumacher with Mercedes
Mercedes Formula 1 reserve driver Mick Schumacher will be also made available as a stand-in to McLaren, the Woking team has announced.
NASCAR Next Gen car gets safety upgrades for 2023 season
NASCAR unveiled some changes to the Next Gen car for the 2023 season, with most enhancing its safety aspects.
O’Ward optimistic about Rossi and that McLaren IndyCar DNFs can be reduced
Arrow McLaren ace Pato O’Ward says he’s confident that Alexander Rossi will be a strong addition to the line-up and that the team has gotten on top of its mechanical woes.
The ex-F1 driver taking on NASCAR with a new team
Saddled with uncompetitive Minardi machinery, Tarso Marques didn't manage to score points in his three partial seasons of Formula 1. But now the Brazilian has the chance to show what he can do in NASCAR, and explains the story of his comeback with new Cup Series entrant Team Stange
The early benefits and challenges of NASCAR's Next Gen car
NASCAR’s new stock car generation is encouraging an influx of fresh blood into its top tier. But there are concerns that parts are in short supply as the entire paddock tries to build up stocks at the same time
How Penske's rookie sensation opened NASCAR's new era in style
After holding his nerve and hip-checking his team-mate on the run to the line, Austin Cindric made a perfect start to life as a full-timer in the NASCAR Cup Series by winning the Daytona 500. Here's how the Penske Ford man emerged first across the line in the first points-scoring race for the much-anticipated Next Generation cars
Six key themes to follow in the 2022 NASCAR Cup season
There are plenty of uncertainties ahead of the 2022 NASCAR Cup season as an all-new fleet of cars take to the track for the first time. Ahead of this weekend's Daytona 500, our experts explain what you need to know
How NASCAR had to learn a harsh lesson ahead of its Next Gen arrival
The NASCAR Cup kicks off with the Daytona 500 this weekend, but a major overhaul and a subsequent mountain of work has been required to be ready for the arrival of the Next Gen cars
How Larson took the long way round to NASCAR Cup glory
From villain to hero, Kyle Larson’s journey to the 2021 NASCAR Cup title comes straight from the Hollywood blockbuster scripts. While Larson had to reach his lifelong goal the hard way and go through a very public shaming after a ban for using a racial slur, his talents shone long before his name grabbed the headlines for both the right and the wrong reasons
How NASCAR is gearing up for its "biggest change" in 2022
It’s not just Formula 1 that’s set for upheaval in 2022, as the NASCAR Cup Series adopts its Next Gen cars that will cast any in-built advantages aside and require teams to adopt a totally new way of operating. Far more than just a change of machinery, the new cars amount to a shift in NASCAR's core philosophy
Why Bubba Wallace’s Talladega win is such a big moment for NASCAR
Bubba Wallace claimed his maiden NASCAR Cup Series at Talladega on Monday to become the first Black victor in the category since Wendell Scott in 1963. Both Wallace and Scott had faced obstacles and racism in their paths to their breakthrough wins, and NASCAR is trying to put it right with its range of diversity programmes
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.