All three of NASCAR’s top series returned to action last weekend, hitting the right and left turns of the historic Watkins Glen International. Located in the Finger Lakes region of New York, the 2.45-mile road course is well known for its high speeds and drama.
Here are the drivers who flew under the radar, but had a solid performance with playoffs on the horizon.
Trucks | Mission 176 at the Glen
Winner: Corey Heim
#42 Matt Mills: Running his second full season with Niece Motorsports in 2025, Mills has had a bit of a learning curve at some tracks still. Having limited experience on road courses, Watkins Glen produced an unexpected strong run for the Niece driver. Qualifying his Chevrolet 25th, Mills survived the crash-marred end of the race and finished 9th.
This was Mills’ first top ten finish since a 7th-place run at Charlotte, as well as his first start at the road course.
#62 Wesley Slimp: Perhaps one of the bigger surprises of the Truck Series return to Watkins Glen in 2025 was Wesley Slimp. Joining HALMAR-Friesen Racing in a second #62 Toyota, the Porsche Carrera Cup North America standout posted an impressive 12th-place run (after starting 29th).
Slimp has one previous start at Lime Rock where he finished 33rd for HFR, with 2025 being his NASCAR and Truck Series debut season.
Photo Credit: Jayski and Sean Gardner/Getty Images
#76 Spencer Boyd: Owner-driver Boyd and his Freedom Racing Enterprises team have put together some strong runs over the course of this season, with Watkins Glen being added to that list. Starting his Chevrolet in 30th, Boyd also survived the late-race drama, and brought home an 18th-place finish.
Not known as a road course racer, Boyd’s strong top twenty finish was his best since finishing 16th in Michigan.
Photo Credit: Jayski and Sean Gardner/Getty Images
Xfinity | Mission 200 at the Glen
Winner: Connor Zilisch
#16 Christian Eckes: Eckes’ tough learning curve as a Truck Series graduate to Xfinity in 2025 have been well documented. The late summer however, has seen a boost in performance for Eckes, which continued at The Glen. Starting his Kaulig Racing Chevrolet deep in the field (36th), Eckes drove a solid race and finished 8th.
Despite a rough start, Eckes has scored three top ten finishes in the last four races.
#24 Kaz Grala: A talented racer who spent 2024 struggling to gain footing in a competitive Cup Series field, Grala returned to the drivers seat in Watkins Glen. Grala jumped into Sam Hunt Racing’s part-time, second #24 Toyota and finished 11th after starting 8th.
Watkins Glen was Grala’s third Xfinity start in 2025, having finished 22nd (Chicago) with Sam Hunt, and 31st in Our Motorsports’ final start in Dover.
#53 Austin J. Hill: The “other” Austin Hill made his Xfinity Series debut at The Glen behind the wheel of Joey Gase’s #53 Chevrolet. A young standout with experience in Trans-Am and SCCA, had a quiet but solid run, and finished 20th. Hill just squeezed into the field by qualifying 38th.
This was by far the best finish for Gase’s #53 entry after Gase himself finished 15th in the season opener at Daytona.
Photo Credit: Jayski and Chris Graythen/Getty Images
Cup | Go Bowling at the Glen
Race Winner: Shane Van Gisbergen
#17 Chris Buescher: Buescher has struggled to repeat his 2024 performance thus far this season, but Watkins Glen may have been the beginning of an upward trend for the RFK driver. Similar to last year’s races, Buescher mounted a serious charge late for the win, but had to settle for a 3rd place finish.
Buescher’s third place run was his best finish since a 4th place finish in Pocono.
Photo Credit: Jayski and RFK Racing
#99 Daniel Suarez: Already announced that Suarez will not return to Trackhouse’s #99 team, Suarez has picked up his performance in recent weeks. The current audition for a ride in 2026 continued on the New York road course with a 7th-place finish (after starting 19th) in his Chevrolet.
The Glen provided Suarez with his first top ten finish since he collected a 10th-place finish in Texas.
#38 Zane Smith: Smith rejoined Front Row Motorsports this season, and results have been mixed late into the summer. A decent road racer in his own right, Smith drove his Ford to a solid 17th place effort after starting in 33rd.
This finish was a huge shot in the arm for Smith and his #38 FRM crew, as they have not had a strong finish since a 14th-place run in Chicago. Smith has several wins collected in NASCAR’s lower series on road courses as well.