Winners and losers from NASCAR’s Watkins Glen triple-header

All three national divisions of NASCAR were racing at Watkins Glen this weekend. And while the winners were no surprise, there were plenty of unexpected moments. The Truck race went into triple overtime, the Xfinity race featured a 45-minute red flag, and the Cup race — well, that race also happened. 

But despite the calm main event on Sunday, there were still plenty of storylines to follow throughout the weekend. Here’s a look at the biggest winners and losers from Watkins Glen:

WINNER: SVG and Trackhouse make history at The Glen

Shane van Gisbergen is the only driver to win a race by over 10 seconds this year, and he’s now done it twice. The New Zealander — and Cup rookie — won his fourth consecutive road/street course race. He once again dominated, demoralizing the field and giving him a great shot at advancing deeper into the playoffs than anyone would have expected. But it was also a big day for Trackhouse, as Daniel Suarez earned his best finish since March and the team put all three drivers inside the top ten (in the same race) for the first time.

LOSER: Chase Elliott’s top 20 streak comes to an unceremonious end 

Chase Elliott, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, Daniel Suarez, Trackhouse Chevrolet

Photo by: Chris Graythen – Getty Images

Elliott has been quiet, but consistent this year, but his run of top 20 finishes is now over, and it’s not even because of an incident or mechanical gremlin. Watkins Glen was just a bad day for Elliott, which is wild considering the fact that he has two wins there. He finished 26th, and the No. 9 team just seemed off their game the entire day.

WINNER: William Byron solidifies his place atop the standings 

William Byron, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

Photo by: Sean Gardner / Getty Images

Thanks to the misfortune of Elliott, a rough outing for Denny Hamlin, and a brake issue for Kyle Larson, Byron has slipped away with the regular season points lead. After finishing fourth at Watkins Glen, he now holds a 42-point advantage with just two races to go.

LOSER: Zilisch’s big win soured by frightening fall

Connor Zilisch taken away via stretcher, JR Motorsports Chevrolet

Photo by: Sean Gardner / Getty Images

Connor Zilisch is the brightest young star in NASCAR, but after his sixth Xfinity win of the year on Saturday, something completely unexpected happened. Zilisch fell from his car in Victory Lane, breaking his collarbone in a scary moment that left everyone holding their breath. The young phenom will have to deal with the injury as he tries to hang on to the regular season title, but we’re all just thankful it wasn’t any worse.

WINNER: Chris Buescher strengthens his position on the hot seat

Brad Keselowski, Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing Ford, Chris Buescher, Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing Ford, Ryan Preece, Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing Ford

Photo by: Chris Graythen – Getty Images

Buescher did not go back-to-back at Watkins Glen, but a stage win and a third-place finish was enough to give him a terrific points day. He is now 34 points above the cut-line after entering the race 23 points up. He also gained ground on Alex Bowman, which is crucial if he wants to get off the hot seat before Daytona, where anyone in the field can win.

LOSER: Austin Hill returns from suspension, and causes chaos

Watch: Contact from Hill sends McDowell hard into the wall, creating ‘Big One’ at Watkins Glen

When Hill returned from his one-week suspension for reckless driving, he promised not to change. Well, the Richard Childress Racing driver certainly wasn’t lying. At one point, he shoved Zilisch out of the way to take the lead of the Xfinity race, and later triggered a massive accident that resulted in a 45-minute red flag to repair the track’s walls. Hill hooked Michael McDowell into the guardrail while trying to make a very bold move at the edge of the track in the battle for second. To his credit, he did take responsibility for it, but that race will only strengthen the negative feelings some in the garage have about Hill.

WINNER: Even in a stacked Truck field, there was no escaping ‘Heim Time’

Corey Heim, TRICON Garage Toyota

Photo by: Chris Graythen – Getty Images

The Truck race at Watkins Glen featured Cup stars Kyle Busch, Ross Chastain, Christopher Bell, Buescher, and rising star Zilisch. And yet, there was no stopping Corey Heim. The TRICON driver earned his sixth win of the year, and at this point, anyone besides him winning the title would be a shocker. If titans of the sport couldn’t put a stop to his domination, then the Truck regulars don’t seem to have much of a chance either.

LOSER: NASCAR race control waiting too long to call yellows all weekend

Sheldon Creed, Haas Factory Team Ford

Photo by: Sean Gardner / Getty Images

Although race control has explained their reasoning before, it’s still a bad look. NASCAR was waiting far too long to throw yellows at Watkins Glen. There was the Josh Berry incident in the Cup race, which should have been an automatic yellow, but series officials waited. Sheldon Creed wrecked hard in the Xfinity race, and replays show cars scattering to avoid him while things remained green. Perhaps that is why so many cars piled into the McDowell wreck, as they’ve been conditioned that a wreck isn’t an automatic yellow. That’s a dangerous game to be playing, especially at a high-speed road course.