Hunt for Playoffs Intensifies at Watkins Glen

August 07, 2025

August 07, 2025 | Edition #212

👋 Dear Motorheads,

The countdown is on. With just three races left before the playoffs, the pressure is at an all-time high for drivers still chasing those final few spots. While Shane van Gisbergen will be a favorite heading into Watkins Glen, others are in must-win mode as they tackle the 3.45-mile road course.

NASCAR is back with a plot twist as we look back at Jimmie Johnson’s brutal wreck that sparked his success story. Also, keep an eye out for Lucky Dog’s big surprise, as you will get an opportunity to get close to a NASCAR crown jewel winner.

📅 Weekend Schedule

 📈 Trending News

NASCAR Driver With Broken Back Shares Wholesome Update

Just over a week after his horrifying crash in Quebec, Stewart Friesen is back home and beginning his long road to recovery. The veteran racer suffered several serious injuries during his Super DIRTcar Series wreck when his vehicle went airborne, caught fire, and even got struck by another car.

Let’s rewind a bit. After being disqualified from the Truck race at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park, Freisen made his way north of the border to the Autodrome Drummond in Canada. Hoping to make amends, Stewart won the heat race and even posted the fastest lap earlier in the evening.

But things quickly took a turn for the worse as the race progressed, and his No. 44 Big Block Modified launched off the cushion, flipped violently, and slammed into the outside wall. The impact on the wall left the car in flames, and the oncoming traffic hit Freisen again. It was an ugly crash that even left the commentators stunned.

While last week was traumatic and full of uncertainty, Friesen’s wife, Jessica, has shared the latest update on his condition since then, confirming he is finally home.

“Stewart continues to be in pain as he recovers, but we are very happy to have him at home to recoup before we start the physical therapy process,” the statement read, thanking the Albany Medical Center and its trauma team for their care.

She also revealed the full extent of his injuries, saying, “The procedures to reconstruct his shattered pelvis and his right leg tibia and fibula went smoothly. He has some extra plates, screws, rods, and pins as well as a fractured C7 and fractured left hip but we are thankful to finally be on the other side of these injuries and on the road to recovery.”

Given the circumstances, Friesen is ruled out of the 2025 NASCAR Truck Series playoffs, ending his streak as a full-time racing driver since 2018. This means he won’t be competing at Watkins Glen this weekend for the first time since 2020. Back then, he voluntarily missed the race at Kansas to participate in the Short Track Super Series.

Christopher Bell will be filling in for Friesen at Watkins Glen, while Kaden Honeycutt will take command of the No. 52 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro for the rest of the campaign. As for Friesen, his road to recovery starts now, and fans are hoping he’ll be back behind the wheel soon.

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 🏁 NASCAR News

Australian Ringer Follows SVG’s Path to NASCAR Glory

Folks, it looks like Will Brown is returning to NASCAR. The reigning Supercars champ has confirmed he’ll be jumping into the No. 11 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet Camaro for the Xfinity Series race at Portland later this month. It’ll be the 27-year-old’s first-ever Xfinity Series start, and the race lands perfectly between his Supercars commitments at Ipswich and The Bend.

Brown is no stranger to the NASCAR world, having already made two Cup Series starts. He made his debut with Richard Childress Racing last year at Sonoma Raceway, finishing 31st. More recently, he drove the No. 13 Chevy for Kaulig Racing, but the race didn’t go as planned.

Carson Hocevar overdrove the corner exit and wrecked himself early during the Chicago Street Race. What followed was a huge pileup that took out big names like Brad Keselowski and Daniel Suarez. And Brown was among the eight drivers sandwiched in this wreck. Revisit this chaotic crash from the Windy City.

However, Will Brown is looking forward to his Xfinity debut. The racer wrote on social media, “Very excited to be racing NASCAR again with Kaulig Racing. Looking forward to having a crack at the Xfinity Series.” 

He won’t be the only Australian driver at Portland International Raceway, as the Queensland-native will go head-to-head with former Supercars teammate Jack Perkins. The two raced together in the Supercars enduro events from 2021 to 2023 and even started from pole at the Sandown 500.

Perkins will be driving the No. 19 Toyota Supra for Joe Gibbs Racing in what would be his second Xfinity Series appearance. As for Kaulig Racing, the No. 11 entry has seen plenty of drivers take the wheel since the team parted ways with Josh Williams. Carson Hocevar took the seat at Iowa, while Michael McDowell is in at Watkins Glen, and Justin Haley confirmed for the Daytona race.

Brown’s feature will make him the fifth driver to pilot the No. 11 Chevy this season. If his form in Supercars is anything to go by, the Aussie could turn heads on his debut. This could be his opportunity to leave his mark on NASCAR, like SVG did in Chicago.

🏁 We Have an Announcement! 🏁

Fresh off his dominating Brickyard win, Bubba Wallace is sitting down with the Lucky Dog for a chat! If you've got burning questions for Bubba, his thoughts on the current NASCAR scene, or what's next for his team – now's your chance to get them answered!

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 🔎 The In-Depth View

NASCAR Pulls Back on Road Course Chaos

It looks like NASCAR is shaking things up again, and this time it’s at Watkins Glen International. With the upcoming triple-header at the road course looming large, the sanctioning body is making changes to the restart zone. Yep, we’re talking about the same stretch where drivers usually go all-out for the win.

The restart zone will now be placed at the entrance of Turn 7 for all three national series. That’s the corner that spills out onto the frontstretch, right before the drivers race to the checkered flag.

This is the same section of the racetrack where Chris Buscher used his bumper against SVG to snatch a win last year. The RFK Racing driver out-smarted the Kiwi road course ringer, and while some saw his move on SVG as a desperate attempt, he was merely returning the favor. It was a thrilling battle, and the crowds roared in cheer as Buescher made the race-winning move.

Going by the latest updates, we might see similar action this weekend. “We’ve elected to move it just as you enter Turn 7,” said NASCAR SVP of Competition Elton Sawyer. “Once they exit that restart zone, then it’s racing on.” 

There’s another key change that you need to be aware of. In normal restarts, drivers would usually stay in a queue until they cross the start-finish line, but that rule won’t apply here. It’s game on as soon as they cross the restart zone in Turn 7.

NASCAR is making these changes to control the chaos on road courses. Circuit of the Americas is another road course where the restart zone was moved on the exit of the final corner to avoid the Turn 1 dive bomb moves. Well, that didn’t change anything as Ross Chastin took out Chase Elliott on the very first lap.

Here, take a look at the carnage that NASCAR couldn’t contain at COTA.

Despite the COTA chaos, Sawyer believes that changes in the restart zone at Watkins Glen will lead to positive changes. But again, we will have to wait and see if these new tweaks lead to blockbuster racing or a demolition derby.

🗝️ From the Vault

A Look Back at Jimmie Johnson’s Iconic Watkins Glen Crash

Let’s take a trip down memory lane. Back in 2000, Jimmie Johnson wasn’t a seven-time champ or a household name. He was just a 24-year-old rookie trying to make his way in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. And that summer, his career almost ended before it even kicked off, yet it has become one of those defining moments that have shaped his trajectory for good.

The venue was Watkins Glen, a high-speed road course with tire barriers and giant styrofoam blocks stacked in front of steel walls. Of course, we’re talking about a time when the SAFER barriers didn’t exist.

Johnson’s No. 92 car was looking lightning-fast and running inside the top 10, having just left the pit road for new tires and some fuel. But just two laps later, the broadcast returned from a commercial to show Johnson’s car buried deep inside the turn 1 foam barrier.

His brakes had failed.

“I was on the brakes and the pedal went to the floor,” Johnson said after the crash. “At that point I was trying to look for something to run into that would slow me down.” What followed was complete chaos. His car went off the track, driving over grass, and smashed into the foam wall with such force that chunks of it flew in the air. It was a heart-in-the-mouth moment for the fans. Here, take a look for yourself at the bone-chilling crash.

But somehow, miraculously, Johnson climbed out of his car completely unscathed. He threw both his hands in the air while standing on top of his car, and the crowd cheered on from the sidelines. Every single fan, crew member, and race official had the same question. How was he alive after such an impact?

“That experience and one other are the only two moments where I just felt like the outcome was not good,” Johnson recalled years later. The racer had resigned to his fate and gave up trying to control his car, bracing for the inevitable. “I thought that was it,” he said. But it wasn’t. The wreck became a pivotal moment in his career because he came into the spotlight.

Jeff Gordon noticed him, and even Hendrick Motorsports took an interest. A few blocks of foam made all the difference between life and death. And it also sparked an era of HMS domination, resulting in seven championship triumphs.

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