2014 Cheez-It 355 at The Glen

2014 Cheez-It 355 at The Glen
Race details
Race 22 of 36 in the 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
The 2014 Cheez-It at The Glen program cover, featuring Carl Edwards.
The 2014 Cheez-It at The Glen program cover, featuring Carl Edwards.
Date August 10, 2014
Location Watkins Glen International, Watkins Glen, New York
Course Permanent racing facility
2.454 mi (3.943 km)
Distance 90 laps, 220.5 mi (354.9 km)
Weather Sunny with a temperature of 79 °F (26 °C) and wind out of the NNE at 4 miles per hour (6.4 km/h)
Average speed 90.123 mph (145.039 km/h)
Pole position
Driver Hendrick Motorsports
Time 68.126
Most laps led
Driver A. J. Allmendinger
Jeff Gordon
JTG Daugherty Racing
Hendrick Motorsports
Laps 29
Winner
No. 47 A. J. Allmendinger JTG Daugherty Racing
Television in the United States
Network ESPN & MRN
Announcers Allen Bestwick, Dale Jarrett and Andy Petree (Television)
Joe Moore and Jeff Striegle (Booth)
Dave Moody (2, 3, 4), Mike Bagley (Back straight, inner loop, outer loop) and Buddy Long (10 & 11) (Turns) (Radio)
Nielsen Ratings 3.1/8 (Final)
2.9/7 (Overnight)
4.939 Million viewers
The logo for the 2014 Cheez-It 355 at The Glen.

The 2014 Cheez-It 355 at The Glen was a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stock car race that was held on August 10, 2014, at Watkins Glen International in Watkins Glen, New York. Contested over 90 laps on the 2.45 miles (3.94 kilometres) road course, it was the 22nd race of the 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. A. J. Allmendinger won the race, his first career Sprint Cup victory. Marcos Ambrose finished second while Kurt Busch, Kyle Larson (the highest finishing rookie) and Carl Edwards rounded out the top five. Behind Larson, the top rookies of the race were Austin Dillon in 16th, just ahead of Justin Allgaier.

Previous week's race

Despite having Kevin Harvick filling his rearview mirror, Dale Earnhardt Jr. was able to maintain the lead to complete the first Pocono sweep since Denny Hamlin in 2006. Earnhardt Jr. reflected on the sweep, stating that his team "definitely went home from the last race and made our car better" and that's what I'm proud of this team for". He also praised the strategy of his crew chief, Steve Letarte. Harvick was impressed with his car's speed in both Pocono races, and that his team "were able to capitalize on it and get a good finish".

Report

Background

The short course at Watkins Glen.

The course, Watkins Glen International, is one of two road courses to hold NASCAR races on the Cup Series circuit, the other being Sonoma Raceway. The standard short road course at Watkins Glen International is a 7-turn course that is 2.45 miles (3.94 km) long; the track was modified in 1992, adding the Inner Loop, which lengthened the long course to 3.4 miles (5.5 km) and the short course to the current length of 2.45 miles (3.94 km). Kyle Busch was the defending race winner from the 2013 race.

Entry list

The entry list for the Cheez-It 355 at The Glen was released on Monday, August 4, 2014 at 12:25 p.m. Eastern time. Forty-three drivers were entered for the race.

No. Driver Team Manufacturer Sponsor
1 Jamie McMurray Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet McDonald's
2 Brad Keselowski (PC2) Team Penske Ford Miller Lite
3 Austin Dillon (R) Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet DOW Chemical
4 Kevin Harvick Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet Budweiser
5 Kasey Kahne Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Farmers Insurance
7 Michael Annett (R) Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet Pilot, Flying J
9 Marcos Ambrose Richard Petty Motorsports Ford Stanley Tools, DeWalt Tools
10 Danica Patrick Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet GoDaddy
11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota FedEx Ground
13 Casey Mears Germain Racing Chevrolet GEICO
14 Tony Stewart (PC3) Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet Rush Truck Centers, Mobil 1
15 Clint Bowyer Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota RK Motors Charlotte
16 Greg Biffle Roush-Fenway Racing Ford 3M
17 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Roush-Fenway Racing Ford Ford EcoBoost
18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota M&M's
20 Matt Kenseth (PC5) Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Dollar General
22 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford Shell, Pennzoil
23 Alex Bowman (R) BK Racing Toyota Dustless Blasting
24 Jeff Gordon (PC6) Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Drive to End Hunger
26 Cole Whitt (R) BK Racing Toyota Bully Hill Vineyards
27 Paul Menard Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet Splash, Menards
31 Ryan Newman Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet Caterpillar
32 Boris Said Go FAS Racing Ford Genny Light
33 Alex Kennedy Hillman-Circle Sport LLC Chevrolet MediaCAST
34 David Ragan Front Row Motorsports Ford DockSide Logistics
36 Reed Sorenson Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet Tommy Baldwin Racing
38 David Gilliland Front Row Motorsports Ford Long John's Silver
40 Landon Cassill (i) Hillman-Circle Sport LLC Chevrolet Newtown Building Supplies
41 Kurt Busch (PC4) Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet Haas Automation
42 Kyle Larson (R) Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet Target
43 Aric Almirola Richard Petty Motorsports Ford Smithfield
47 A. J. Allmendinger JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet Scott Products
48 Jimmie Johnson (PC1) Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Lowe's White
51 Justin Allgaier (R) HScott Motorsports Chevrolet Brandt
55 Brian Vickers Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota Aaron's Dream Machine "Own It."
66 Joe Nemechek (i) Identity Ventures Racing Toyota Land Castle Title
77 Nelson Piquet Jr. (i) Randy Humphrey Racing Ford Worx Yard Tools
78 Martin Truex Jr. Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet Furniture Row, Denver Mattress
83 Ryan Truex (R) BK Racing Toyota Burger King
87 Timmy Hill Identity Ventures Racing Toyota
88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet National Guard
95 Michael McDowell Leavine Family Racing Ford K-Love Radio
98 Josh Wise Phil Parsons Racing Chevrolet Dogecoin, Phil Parsons Racing
99 Carl Edwards Roush-Fenway Racing Ford Cheez-It, Kellogg's
Official entry list
Key Meaning
(R) Rookie
(i) Ineligible for points
(PC#) Past champions provisional

Practice

First practice

Kevin Harvick was the fastest in the first practice session with a time of 68.652 and a speed of 128.474 mph (206.759 km/h). A number of drivers spun out during the first session. Danica Patrick changed engines during the session and was forced to start from the rear of the field.

Pos No. Driver Team Manufacturer Time Speed
1 4 Kevin Harvick Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet 68.652 128.474
2 48 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 68.992 127.841
3 2 Brad Keselowski Team Penske Ford 69.690 126.560
Official first practice results

Final practice

A. J. Allmendinger was the fastest in the final practice session with a time of 68.538 and a speed of 128.688 mph (207.103 km/h). Patrick crashed her car in turn 5 and was forced to go to a backup car. NASCAR began cracking down on drivers for blend line violations during the practice sessions. Aric Almirola, Michael Annett, Clint Bowyer, Austin Dillon and Ryan Newman were issued penalties for blend line violations. Following the session, series leader Jeff Gordon stated that "for years we have not had that", but with the introduction of a new qualifying procedure in the 2014 season, Gordon also noted that "sometimes you just forget, but to me it's about going along with those procedures during practice and your spotter reminding you when you go out and practice; where those blend lines are and what the procedure is and just getting into a rhythm of it".

Pos No. Driver Team Manufacturer Time Speed
1 47 A. J. Allmendinger JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet 68.538 128.688
2 9 Marcos Ambrose Richard Petty Motorsports Ford 68.541 128.682
3 18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 68.553 128.660
Official final practice results

Qualifying

Jeff Gordon scored the 75th pole position of his career, setting a new track record.

Jeff Gordon won his 75th career pole with a new track record time of 68.126 and a speed of 129.466 mph (208.355 km/h); it was Gordon's first pole of 2014, and as a result, it was a record 22nd consecutive year that Gordon has won a pole in the Sprint Cup Series. Gordon had set Watkins Glen as a priority in his 2014 campaign, as he felt he had "run so poorly here recently" and that his team "loses confidence in their car and you get off track and lost a little bit. That's the way it's been for us the last few times we've been here, the last several times". Marcos Ambrose joined Gordon on the front row, 0.173 seconds in arrears. He joked about Gordon beating him to pole, stating that he wished "Jeff was a little kinder to me to let me get the pole", but did state that "it was a pretty good lap though and I will take it".

Qualifying results

Pos No. Driver Team Manufacturer R1 R2
1 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 68.455 68.126
2 9 Marcos Ambrose Richard Petty Motorsports Ford 68.113 68.299
3 48 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 68.669 68.389
4 4 Kevin Harvick Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet 68.356 68.447
5 41 Kurt Busch Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet 68.661 68.470
6 47 A. J. Allmendinger JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet 68.446 68.531
7 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 68.524 68.806
8 20 Matt Kenseth Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 68.684 68.810
9 2 Brad Keselowski Team Penske Ford 68.573 68.878
10 31 Ryan Newman Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 68.561 68.978
11 22 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford 68.741 69.035
12 55 Brian Vickers Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 68.792 69.171
13 14 Tony Stewart Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet 68.796
14 1 Jamie McMurray Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 68.836
15 51 Justin Allgaier (R) HScott Motorsports Chevrolet 68.892
16 99 Carl Edwards Roush Fenway Racing Ford 68.993
17 11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 69.024
18 26 Cole Whitt (R) BK Racing Toyota 69.060
19 18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 69.136
20 27 Paul Menard Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 69.137
21 17 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Roush Fenway Racing Ford 69.143
22 13 Casey Mears Germain Racing Toyota 69.273
23 42 Kyle Larson (R) Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 69.280
24 15 Clint Bowyer Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 69.297
25 78 Martin Truex Jr. Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet 69.315
26 34 David Ragan Front Row Motorsports Ford 69.316
27 43 Aric Almirola Richard Petty Motorsports Ford 69.341
28 16 Greg Biffle Roush Fenway Racing Ford 69.344
29 95 Michael McDowell Leavine Family Racing Ford 69.352
30 5 Kasey Kahne Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 69.442
31 3 Austin Dillon (R) Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 69.548
32 77 Nelson Piquet Jr. Randy Humphrey Racing Ford 69.605
33 38 David Gilliland Front Row Motorsports Ford 69.611
34 32 Boris Said Go FAS Racing Ford 69.684
35 83 Ryan Truex (R) BK Racing Toyota 69.719
36 23 Alex Bowman (R) BK Racing Toyota 70.098
37 98 Josh Wise Phil Parsons Racing Chevrolet 70.242
38 33 Alex Kennedy Hillman-Circle Sport LLC Chevrolet 70.410
39 36 Reed Sorenson Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet 70.491
40 66 Joe Nemechek Identity Ventures Racing Toyota 70.503
41 40 Landon Cassill Hillman-Circle Sport LLC Chevrolet 70.568
42 7 Michael Annett (R) Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet 70.571
43 10 Danica Patrick Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet 70.585
Official qualifying results

Race

First half

Start

The night before the race, Tony Stewart was involved in an incident – which resulted in the death of fellow competitor, Kevin Ward Jr. – during a sprint car race at Canandaigua Motorsports Park, around 50 miles (80 kilometres) from Watkins Glen. Prior to the start of the race, Greg Zipadelli, vice president of competition for Stewart-Haas Racing, announced that Stewart would not race and Regan Smith would drive in his place. Zipadelli confirmed pre-race that Stewart "feels strongly this is the right thing to do" and that his Stewart-Haas Racing team supported and agreed with his decision. As a result of the driver change, Smith started from the rear of the field. The race was scheduled to start at 1:19 p.m. Eastern time, but the race started five minutes late with Jeff Gordon leading the field.

Kevin Harvick made an unscheduled stop on lap four to remove a bean bag from his car. Paul Menard also made an unscheduled stop for a fluid leak and took his car to the garage. Cole Whitt brought out the first caution of the race on lap 10 after his brakes locked up and he collided head on into the tire barrier in turn 1. The race restarted on lap 15, with Gordon still leading. The next lap, Brad Keselowski made contact with Matt Kenseth in turn 1 and the grill of his car caved in. Kyle Larson was running 23rd on lap 18 when he missed the turn into the inner loop, and was forced to come to a complete stop; as a result, Larson fell back to 38th. Two laps later, David Ragan and Boris Said blew the entrance to the inner loop and fell back in the running order. Alex Bowman spun in turn six and got back going again without bringing out the caution. Kyle Busch made his first stop on lap 24 and left his pit box with the fuel can stuck on the car; he served a stop-and-go penalty for removing equipment from the pit box.

Second half

Joey Logano served a pass-through penalty for his crew going over the wall too soon on lap 28. Kyle Busch made his third stop in four laps for a flat tire on lap 29, while Marcos Ambrose gave up second place to make his first stop of the race. Gordon made his first stop on lap 30, passing the lead to teammate Kasey Kahne. Kahne gave up the lead on lap 33 to pit and gave the lead to Ambrose. Gordon began losing power going down the back stretch and brought out the second caution of the race on lap 51. Ambrose came in to pit during the caution and Jimmie Johnson took the lead for the restart on lap 55.

Big wreck

The third caution of the race flew on lap 56 for a crash in the outer loop, a lap later, where the race was red flagged to ensue cleanup on the track. Greg Biffle drifted into the runoff area on the exit of turn 5 and came across the front of Ryan Newman. Newman's car got turned and hit the Armco barrier on the right-hand side, before turning back towards traffic. Newman's rear of the car then barely clipped McDowell in the right-rear. McDowell's rear wheel housing broke off, the car then bounced twice in the air and then punctured a hole in the Armco barrier on the left side of the track, beyond the exit of The Boot where it send McDowell on his side for a brief second before he came back upright. Bowman and Danica Patrick also took damage in the wreck, while the red flag was lifted temporarily to bring the field down the front stretch.

"Biffle jumped up on the curb and got up and across the grass. I probably could have given him a little more room but I tried to time it so I could shoot past him and he slowed down when he got back onto the racetrack. It's disappointing. We lost (safety expert) John Melvin a couple of weeks ago and he did a lot of innovations for this sport, and it's really sad that they haven't adapted any of them here at this racetrack. The barriers, the SAFER barrier doesn't exist here. There are no concrete walls. It's a very antiquated racetrack and it isn't up to NASCAR standards at all. It's a shame that we have to have an accident like that to prove it. Hopefully something will change the next time we come back."

Ryan Newman, speaking with ESPN, upon his return to pit road.

In a post-race interview with ESPN reporter Vince Welch, Newman was highly critical of the circuit, in regards to the Armco barriers, the damage that was caused by his car and the car of McDowell, as well as its "antiquated" safety features. Upon his return to pit road, McDowell also spoke with Welch, stating that "it seems like when I do it they are usually fairly big", referring to a previous crash that he had suffered at the 2008 Samsung 500, at Texas Motor Speedway. He also stated that he "didn't really have time to adjust or move, I just tried not to hit Ryan in the door there. I was along for the ride".

The race was red flagged for 81 minutes while the Armco barriers were repaired, and as the cars started running again, Carl Edwards stayed out when the leaders came in to pit. The race restarted with 31 laps to go, and A. J. Allmendinger took the lead from Edwards with 30 laps to go. Casey Mears got turned in the inner loop with 18 laps to go, before the caution flew for the fourth time with 13 laps to go, after Josh Wise stalled in the inner loop. Allmendinger led the way on the restart with nine laps to go, but the fifth caution came out very quickly when Jimmie Johnson got turned in turn 1 and made contact with Regan Smith, while Justin Allgaier was also collected.

Finish

A. J. Allmendinger scored his first career Cup Series win.

The race restarted with five laps to go. Ambrose took the lead immediately thereafter, following a side-by-side battle with Allmendinger. The sixth caution period came out the following lap, when Denny Hamlin spun and crashed into the gravel-filled barrels at the entrance to pit road. In a non-connected incident, Alex Kennedy hit the wall on the exit of turn one, to bring out the sixth caution, the race was red flagged for a second time. Following a delay of around 20 minutes, the race restarted, and Allmendinger held off a hard charging Ambrose with two laps to go to score his first career Sprint Cup Series victory. Upon exiting his car, Allmendinger expressed his delight at the result, stating he could not "believe we've won a NASCAR Sprint Cup race", before congratulating his entire JTG Daugherty Racing team, expressing "with this whole 47 team, [team owners] Tad Geschickter, Jody Geschickter, Brad Daugherty, all the great sponsors we have, our first Cup victory together, my first victory...I love these guys. I just wanted it so bad for them and this team. They work so hard. I wasn't gonna let Marcos take that from me". Ambrose recorded his sixth top-three finish in Sprint Cup races at Watkins Glen, but praised the performance of his late-race rival, Allmendinger. "First of all, congratulations to A. J. and the 47 team. They deserved that win. I left nothing on the table. I tried to rattle his cage and couldn't shake him. We raced fair and square to the end there. It was a tough couple laps but it was fair. We were both giving it to each other pretty hard. No harm, no foul. We just came up a little short".

Post race penalties

On Wednesday, August 13, Kevin Harvick's team was penalized for a rules infraction due to the bean bag that forced Harvick to make an unscheduled stop on lap 4, in order for the object to be removed. The infraction was levied as a P3 level penalty, outlined in Section 12-4.3 of the 2014 rule book:

• A. Violation examples could include but are not limited to:

• 1(c): Unapproved added weight and/or weight affixed improperly (e.g. Unapproved added weight (size and material)); unapproved added weight location, but not of a nature rising to a higher numbered penalty.

The infraction violates the following sections in the rule book:

• 12-1: Actions detrimental to stock car racing; • 20-2.3: Added car weight

• A. Any weight added to the car must be bolted inside the body shell in an approved weight container and in a position acceptable to NASCAR officials

• Added weight must be in block form of not less than five pound blocks (no pellets) and painted white with the car number or team identification permanently legible on it.

As a result, crew chief Rodney Childers was fined $25,000.

Race summary

  • Lead changes: 7
  • Cautions: 6 for 17 laps
  • Red flags: 2 for 1 hour, 42 minutes and 41 seconds
  • Time of race: 2 hours, 26 minutes and 48 seconds
  • Average speed: 90.123 miles per hour (145.039 km/h)

Race results

Pos Grid No. Driver Team Manufacturer Laps Points
1 6 47 A. J. Allmendinger JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet 90 48
2 2 9 Marcos Ambrose Richard Petty Motorsports Ford 90 43
3 5 41 Kurt Busch Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet 90 41
4 23 42 Kyle Larson (R) Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 90 40
5 16 99 Carl Edwards Roush Fenway Racing Ford 90 40
6 11 22 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford 90 38
7 4 4 Kevin Harvick Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet 90 37
8 28 16 Greg Biffle Roush Fenway Racing Ford 90 36
9 8 20 Matt Kenseth Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 90 35
10 12 55 Brian Vickers Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 90 34
11 7 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 90 33
12 30 5 Kasey Kahne Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 90 33
13 25 78 Martin Truex Jr. Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet 90 31
14 14 1 Jamie McMurray Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 90 30
15 22 13 Casey Mears Germain Racing Chevrolet 90 29
16 31 3 Austin Dillon (R) Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 90 28
17 15 51 Justin Allgaier (R) HScott Motorsports Chevrolet 90 27
18 27 43 Aric Almirola Richard Petty Motorsports Ford 90 26
19 26 34 David Ragan Front Row Motorsports Ford 90 25
20 21 17 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Roush Fenway Racing Ford 90 24
21 43 10 Danica Patrick Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet 90 23
22 33 38 David Gilliland Front Row Motorsports Ford 90 22
23 39 36 Reed Sorenson Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet 90 21
24 17 11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 90 20
25 34 32 Boris Said Go FAS Racing Ford 90 19
26 32 77 Nelson Piquet Jr. Randy Humphrey Racing Ford 90 18
27 24 15 Clint Bowyer Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 90 17
28 3 48 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 90 17
29 41 40 Landon Cassill Hillman-Circle Sport LLC Chevrolet 89 0
30 40 66 Joe Nemechek Identity Ventures Racing Toyota 89 0
31 42 7 Michael Annett (R) Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet 88 13
32 20 27 Paul Menard Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 87 12
33 38 33 Alex Kennedy Hillman-Circle Sport LLC Chevrolet 86 11
34 1 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 86 12
35 9 2 Brad Keselowski Team Penske Ford 85 9
36 36 23 Alex Bowman (R) BK Racing Toyota 85 8
37 13 14 Regan Smith Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet 81 0
38 37 98 Josh Wise Phil Parsons Racing Chevrolet 78 6
39 35 83 Ryan Truex (R) BK Racing Toyota 69 5
40 19 18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 69 4
41 10 31 Ryan Newman Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 55 3
42 29 95 Michael McDowell Leavine Family Racing Ford 55 2
43 18 26 Cole Whitt (R) BK Racing Toyota 9 1

Media

Television

ESPN
Booth announcers Pit reporters
Lap-by-lap: Allen Bestwick
Color-commentator: Dale Jarrett
Color commentator: Andy Petree
Jerry Punch
Dave Burns
Vince Welch
Jamie Little

Radio

MRN Radio
Booth announcers Turn announcers Pit reporters
Lead announcer: Joe Moore
Announcer: Jeff Striegle
Turns 2, 3 & 4: Dave Moody
Back Straight, Inner Loop & Outer Loop: Mike Bagley
Turns 10 & 11: Buddy Long
Winston Kelly
Steve Post
Alex Hayden
Woody Cain

Standings after the race


This page was last updated at 2023-11-20 18:30 UTC. Update now. View original page.

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