The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series’ I Love New York 355 at The Glen kept fans on the edge of their seats for all 90 laps. But the on-track action isn’t why the race seemingly flew by.
Sunday’s race at Watkins Glen International lasted 2 hours, 7 minutes and 3 seconds, making it the shortest Cup race since 1972, according to NBC Sports. What’s more, despite the fact that it was three laps longer, the I Love New York 355 lasted three minutes less than Saturday’s Xfinity Series race.
The record-setting pace reportedly was due to the lack of cautions during the race. The yellow flag flew just three times during the 355-mile event, though only one of those was an un-scheduled caution.
In addition to yellow-flag periods between Stage 1 and Stage 2, the caution came out on Lap 53 for debris.
The last time there were only three cautions in a race was the 2016 Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500, though those were all non-scheduled, as NASCAR hadn’t yet introduced its stage-based format.
Thumbnail photo via Timothy T. Ludwig/USA TODAY Sports Images
