NASCAR Is Back In New York This Weekend

NASCAR is running at Watkins Glen International this weekend and Jeff Gordon will lead the field to the green flag on Sunday.

Gordon set fast time in the second round of knock-out qualifying on Saturday to win the pole starting position for Sunday's race at The Glen. This is Gordon's first pole of 2014.

Marcos Ambrose will start alongside Gordon on the front row. Ambrose is chasing a berth in the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship and the road course at The Glen is his best chance to get locked in. Eleven drivers have at least one victory this year to earn a spot in the Chase and Ambrose wants to join his teammate at Richard Petty Motorsports in NASCAR's version of the postseason. Aric Almirola drove Petty's famous no. 43 to the win at Daytona last month.

Behind Gordon and Ambrose in the starting lineup for Sunday's Cheez-It 355 at The Glen will be Jimmie Johnson, Kevin Harvick and Kurt Busch round out the top five. Nelson Piquet Jr. will be making his NASCAR Sprint Cup Series debut in the Randy Humphrey Racing #77 Ford starting 32nd. Piquet Jr. competed in two full seasons in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series from 2011-12, then raced full-time in the NASCAR Nationwide Series in 2013. This year, he has been competing in Rallycross events, including taking the bronze medal at the X-Games in June.

In local racing Friday night, Brett Hearn continued his winning ways at the Albany-Saratoga Speedway claiming his 8th win of the season. Hearn was followed at the checkers by Peter Britten, Don Ronca, Kenny Tremont and Ronnie Johnson. Bernie Campanion won the Pro Stock feature and Tim Hartman, Jr. took the Sportsman win. Stewart Friesen won the modified feature at the Glen Ridge Motorsports Park.