Watkins Glen International

Round 5 of the ATC Cup Series at Watkins Glen International belonged to #84 Gio Turpin, who converted a second-place starting position into a victory that required real work over 30 laps. Turpin led 22 of those 30 laps, but the win was far from uncontested — four lead changes across the afternoon kept the field honest throughout. Pole sitter #95 Jason Nieto led the early running and held the front for 6 laps before Turpin asserted himself, and the two traded the lead in what became the defining battle of the race. Nieto finished second, crossing the line without a victory in the ATC Cup Series to his name, but his pole lap and six laps at the front illustrated exactly why he remains a threat every time the field rolls out.

The battle for third was settled by #09 Isaiah Fox, who started seventh and worked his way to the podium for his first top-three finish in the series. Fox gained four positions across 30 laps in a race that ran green throughout — zero cautions, zero caution laps — which meant every place had to be earned through pure on-track execution rather than pit strategy or yellow-flag chaos. Behind him, #71 Richard Modrich took fourth from fifth on the grid, while #74 Ian Blanchard rounded out the top five after starting fourth. Notably, Blanchard also led 2 laps during the race and walked away with a clean sheet — zero incidents across the entire afternoon.

The hard charger award went to #65 Larry Millard in the No. 65, who charged from 20th on the grid to an 11th-place finish, gaining nine positions in a clean-air race where passing real estate is at a premium around the Glen. That kind of forward progress at a road course, without the aid of a single caution to reshuffle the order, speaks to a controlled and measured drive from Millard. On the other end of the spectrum, #13 Caleb Weekley had the toughest afternoon of anyone in the field — starting third and finishing 21st after losing 18 positions across the 30 laps, while #54 Mitchell Williams fell 12 spots from sixth to 18th.

That result carries significant weight in the standings battle. Turpin now sits atop the ATC Cup Series standings with 146 points after five rounds, with #74 Ian Blanchard second at 137 — a 9-point gap. #62 Riley Bennett sits third at 126, and critically, Mitchell Williams' difficult afternoon dropped him to fourth at 123 points, tightening the picture in the middle of the top five. With Randy Coryer fifth at 121, the gap from second to fifth is just 16 points, meaning this fight for position behind Turpin is very much alive heading into the next round.