Driver To Beat: Denny Hamlin Team To Beat: Joe Gibbs Racing Sleeper: Erik Jones Denny Hamlin is the defending race winner at Watkins Glen and has been NASCAR’s most consistent road racer the past two years. He’s also still riding high from his playoff-clinching win at New Hampshire earlier this month. A two-time winner at Watkins Glen, Kyle Busch returns to the 2.45-mile road course fresh off a commanding victory at Pocono. No driver arrives at The Glen any hotter than the driver of the No. 18 Toyota. Always a threat to win on the road courses due to the experience he…

    Nine Lives: Evernham Knew the Perfect Numbers to Choose By Ben White After a very successful career as a Cup series crew chief for Hendrick Motorsports and four-time champion Jeff Gordon from 1992 to 1999, Ray Evernham was given the opportunity to start his own racing organization with support from Dodge in 2000. The storied automaker returned to NASCAR that year. In 492 starts through 2007, Evernham’s cherry-red Dodge Chargers went to Victory Lane 12 times with drivers Bill Elliott, Kasey Kahne, and Jeremy Mayfield driving his No. 9 and No. 19 machines. Their biggest victory of all came when Elliott…

Saved by the Bell Tires a Premium at Premium Motorsports By Ben White Christopher Bell, tire specialist for Premium Motorsports and driver Derrike Cope, found his way into NASCAR after completing his service in the military in 2014. Joining a Cup series team was the second item on his personal wish list after his return to civilian life. “I watched races when I was younger and have always loved the sport so I just got into it,” Bell said. “The first race I saw was on television and I was about 8 years old, somewhere in there. I was a Dale Earnhardt…

  How It Works: NASCAR Green By Keith Waltz Since its launch in 2008, NASCAR Green has grown into the largest sustainability program in all of sports, and one of the most powerful and impactful green programs in the public and private sectors. Once coined “the dirtiest sport in America,” NASCAR now boasts the three largest green programs in sports: renewable energy, recycling and clean air. As a result, a 2013 study revealed that 75 percent of NASCAR fans say they “believe the sport cares for the environment” and are “aware of NASCAR Green.” Since the program’s inception, NASCAR has recycled more…

  A Family’s Dream Cody Ware Races with His Father’s Team By Joseph Wolkin Cody Ware is doing something he never thought of – compete in NASCAR’s premier division. Well, thanks to his father’s team, Rick Ware Racing, the 21-year-old is accomplishing a new goal with each left turn he makes. Did you ever think you would have the chance to compete in the Cup Series? “It’s always a dream, like a thought and a goal, that you want to reach. Getting to race in the Cup Series is a pretty surreal experience. Getting to do it, even though we’re on a…