Patrick Long, who made his first career NASCAR Sprint Cup start this weekend at Watkins Glen, had a tough weekend, mechanically, and was forced to retire from the race after just two laps. In his 15th career stockcar start – from which he’s taken three wins across three racing series – Long suffered an engine failure in qualifying, relegating him to the back of the pack for Sunday’s race. The blown engine necessitated the team putting Patrick into their backup car for the race; that car wasn’t set up for road course racing, making it difficult for Long to drive. With oval-spec brakes on the car, Long retired two laps into the race.
