Drillbrush Visits Brayton Laster at Watkins Glen NASCAR Race

This past weekend, Drillbrush took to the track as a sticker on Brayton Laster’s #12 Fast Track Racing Ford in the ARCA Menards Series race at Watkins Glen; and we had a man on the scene to experience the whole thing.

Last year, we sponsored Laster and several other drivers in the dirt race at DuQuoin Fairgrounds, and earlier this year, we rode on Laster’s ARCA Daytona car.

Watkins Glen is located in the Finger Lakes region of New York, just a little over two hours away from Drillbrush headquarters in Marcy. So we sent our resident stock car racing fan and guy writing this article, John Cittadino, to meet with Laster at the track and get the full ARCA Racing experience.

Time at the Track

Even 2 days before the Cup race, Watkins Glen was bustling with activity!

I made the trek to Watkins Glen, driving through the picturesque vineyards and vistas of the Finger Lakes. In town square, the streets were decorated in preparation for the race. The crosswalks were painted like checkered finish lines, banners for the event were strung up on street lights, merchandise tents were set up on nearly every street corner and NASCAR fans waved at fellow attendees who shared their driver loyalties.

After crossing the historic finish line for the original 1948 Watkins Glen road race that was held on public streets, I worked my way over to the track proper and secured my ARCA pit credentials.

Upon entering the grounds at Gate 5, I took the pedestrian bridge over the frontstretch and walked through the fanfare. Among the vendors were plenty of show cars, a Kids zone, a large bandstand with a hype woman chatting with NASCAR fans, and a whole pavilion dedicated to the Cup Series playoffs, as this was the first year Watkins Glen has hosted a playoff race.

Buck Baker’s 1949 Oldsmobile, which would race on track as part of the HSR NASCAR classic Series.

Across from the Cup garage was the Historic Sportscar Racing NASCAR Classic division; a series that runs older model NASCAR stock cars, often with their original retro paint schemes. Among the entrants were a classic 1995 Derrike Cope Mane n’ Tail Lumina, a colorful Adam Petty tribute Dodge, and even a 1949 Buck Baker Oldsmobile.

Soon after, I met with Brayton Laster and his entourage at the concession area. We found each other pretty easily. I was wearing a bright yellow beanie and he was wearing a pizza-print canvas bucket hat. We exchanged hellos, chatted with his spotter for the weekend, and made our way over to the pit box.

Practice and Qualifying

Brayton Laster’s #12 Fast Track Racing Ford

Laster’s car was a white Ford Fusion with a black #12. Drillbrush was one of many sponsors riding onboard, situated near logos for Cammus, Vintage Kulture, Lucky Dog Graphics, and LASTCAR.org, a site that catalogs the last place finisher in each NASCAR race. Adorning the hood was a graphic in tribute for Ron Hutcherson, a 3-time ARCA Series champion who passed away in 2022.

Donning his iconic pepperoni pizza-patterned helmet and a gray fire suit adorned with his name written in Day-Glo orange, Laster got into the driver’s seat and went out for practice. As this was Laster’s first ARCA road course start, he took care of the car and got a feel for turning left and right. His fast lap ranked him 26th on the pylon. The fastest in practice was Connor Zilisch, a young hotshoe who was about a second faster than second place William Sawalich.

ARCA cars staged on pit road.

The crew got the car ready for qualifying and Laster took to the track again. Laster felt more confident in his racecraft and greatly improved in most sectors. However, a mix-up on whether the ARCA series was using the regular start/finish line or the alternative line that the Cup series uses to allow for quicker pit access resulted in some precious seconds being left on the table.

Laster qualified 24th overall. With 29 on the entry list, all 29 made the show. The fastest time was set once again by Connor Zilisch, who maintained close to a second advantage over Sawalich in his #28 Pinnacle Racing Group Chevy.

Between ARCA sessions, the HSR NASCAR Classic division ran their qualifying and practice laps as well in preparation for their race on Saturday.

With the field set, it was time for the main event.

The General Tire 100 at The Glen

Laster speeds down the frontstretch!

The green flag flew just after 5pm and the race was on. Zilisch screamed into turn 1 and didn’t look back, pulling out a huge lead on the field.

Full-time competitor Amber Balcaen, who had been battling mechanical issues throughout practice and qualifying, continued to struggle to get the vehicle operating. After spending most of the race making repairs, they retired the car early without turning a lap.

On Lap 5, contact between Marco Andretti and Dylan Lupton sent Lupton around in Turn 1. He recovered without the need for a caution.

Selfie with Brayton and Shelby!

Brayton Laster started off strong. He hit his marks well and caught Michael Maples’ #99 machine for a position. Mechanical gremlins struck Laster’s team cars of Ed Pompa and Cody Dennison, gaining him more positions.

However, as the early stages of the race progressed, Laster began to notice the brakes getting soft, and by Lap 8, the pedal was hitting the floor. No brakes at Watkins Glen is not ideal, so out of concern for safety, Laster had to make the difficult decision to retire the car for the day. Pompa and Dennison were able to get their cars back in order and continue, dropping Laster to 27th overall.

Just before the first half break, two drivers had issues in the Bus Stop. Michael Maples spun on his own and seconds later, Rochester native Christopher Werth also looped it around after contact with Lavar Scott.

Caution waved not for the spin, but for the midway break. A driver change occurred during mid-race adjustments. Toni Breidinger, who had a burn on her foot from a previous racing incident, swapped with her crew chief Cayden Lapcevich. Lapcevich, a former competitor in the Canada-centric NASCAR Pinty’s Series, took over in what was his first laps in an ARCA car.

Laster’s car in the garage. Done for the day.

I chatted with Laster one more time on the break before he had to depart for Indiana to prepare for a Late Model event at Anderson Speedway the next day. I thanked him for inviting me to the track and he thanked me for stopping by. While he began his 9 hour drive, I stayed to catch the rest of the action!

After pit stops, Connor Zilisch led the field to the green again and pulled away from Sawalich in the esses. Other than a Bus Stop spin from Christian Rose, the second half stayed clean and green. Zilisch maintained his commanding lead and took home his fifth win in just six starts this year. The weekend would prove to be a career one for Zilisch, as he would go on to win in the Xfinity Series race on Saturday in just his first career start.

With sunset falling on the hills of Watkins Glen and the victory celebrations wrapping up, I made my way to my car and headed home after a long day at the track.

A Day at the Races

While not the day Laster was hoping for, he gained some valuable road racing experience and got precious seat time. We want to thank Brayton for inviting us out to the track and carrying our logo on his race car! We appreciate the opportunity and hope to work together again in the future!