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Boris Said has experienced a gamut of emotions at Watkins Glen International, where he is entered this weekend in both the Nationwide and Sprint Cup races.
He will drive the No. 52 7-Eleven Slurpee/No Fear Energy Ford for Jimmy Means Racing in Saturday’s Nationwide event and the No. 60 7-Eleven Slurpee/No Fear Energy Ford for No Fear Racing in Sunday’s Cup race.
“Even though I’ve had my share of ups and downs at The Glen, I still consider it my home track,” offered Said, who resides in Southern California. “I like everything about it—the track, the area, the people, the restaurants, the Saidhead fan club and Seneca Lodge.”
Said’s fondness for the 2.45-mile road circuit located in upstate New York started in his early days as a sports car racer and has continued throughout his part-time NASCAR career. His first official Cup race was at The Glen—Aug. 15, 1999.
Said has competed in 14 NASCAR races at Watkins Glen—seven in Cup, five in the Nationwide Series and two in the Craftsman Truck Series.
Some of his NASCAR highlights include finishing in the top 10 in two Cup races—third in 2005 and eighth in 2001. Other highlights were claiming the outside pole in the 1999 Cup race, winning the pole in the 1998 Nationwide race and finishing fourth in the 2001 Nationwide race.
In sports car racing, Said has won many times at The Glen, including the first overall win for Ford in the Grand Am Series.
There have also been some lowlights at Watkins Glen for Said, including one that continues to haunt the free-spirited racer. It was the 2003 Cup race when Said was taken out by Robby Gordon, who went on to win the race.
“I had the fastest car that day and I know I could have won the race,” explained Said. “But I got punted from behind by Robby, spun out and hit the fence. That one is still hard to swallow.”
The only thing close to Robby Gordon’s take out for Said at Watkins Glen has been the weather. Three times rain has cost Said a starting position in a Cup race at The Glen.
“You can bet it’s going to rain at The Glen, but you hope it’s not during qualifying,” noted Said. “I look at the weather map every day and right now I have my fingers crossed for Friday. I’ve had some good cars that never made it to the starting grid because of rain.”
The partial good news for Said is that he is guaranteed a spot in Saturday’s Nationwide race. He has to qualify for Sunday’s Cup race.
“Finishing fifth last week in the Montreal Nationwide race gave us a big lift,” said Said. “I really feel the only thing that can stop us from having a double-high this weekend is rain.”
