Sunday on the New Hampshire International Speedway they were both racing for nothing but a win, pride and respect as the sixth-annual NASCAR playoff round, the Chase, kicked off with the Sylvania 300. Earnhardt and his team had finally gotten the car to the point where they thought they had a real chance for their first win this year, but it just wasn’t meant to be as Earnhardt was knocked into the outside wall by Reutimann’s loose car in Turn 3. Reutimann had the faster and more consistent car this day, but during the last hundred miles he had to deal with a race car that wasn’t handling as well as they wanted. They were running side by side in fifth and sixth with just 18 laps to go at the time they went into Turn 3 and both were certainly thinking they had a chance to win and certainly finish in the top five, if they could get past the car beside them and then the racing gods took over.

Earnhardt attempted to get back in the race but was forced to limp to his garage, his day over, Reutimann on the other hand was able to keep racing and ended up 12^th after he was able to make it through two more restarts. Reutimann understandably didn’t want to talk to any one about the incident after the crash and quickly exited stage left. Earnhardt on the other hand was visibly upset the events that occurred on the track and a seasons worth of frustration poured out of him.

Accidents are a normal occurrence during a NASCAR event. It’s just part of the business and while I understand Earnhardt’s emotions and the need to get them out of his system after a frustrating season, these kinds of events are going to happen.

The race cars in NASCAR generally run on a fine edge during the race and everybody on the track wants to win. Aggression is a normal thing for competitors whose only dream is to win and NASCAR competitors are just as hungry to win as any sports athlete.

Picture: “Zuma Press”

Post from: EveryJoe

Earnhardt Jr. Frustrated Again

Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch and the boys going for a drive

The No. 18 of Kyle Busch was a little better on the short runs, but after a few laps Harvick and Earnhardt had set the pace, and the race was on. Harvick had a fast car all night long but he conserved his car and waited for his moment like an old pro. Earnhardt’s fuel management strategy almost worked but he couldn’t stay ahead of the speed in the race and had to settle for third place.

It was a great race for the fans as Kyle Busch won the pit road race after the lead cars all pitted for tires and fuel under yellow on Lap 129. Harvick stayed behind Busch until he passed him with 48 laps remaining and then his strength in the long stretches allowed him to build a lead of more than seven seconds over Busch by the time they pitted for the last time on Lap 182. After coming out of the pits Harvick chased down Earnhardt and passed him to take the win in the Degree V12 300.

Brad Keselowski came home fourth, followed by Jeff Burton in fifth and Joey Logano in sixth place. Greg Biffle finished eighth, just ahead of David Ragan in ninth, while Reed Sorenson made a good showing by completing the top ten.

“Image: Zuma Press”

Post from: EveryJoe

Kevin Harvick Wins the Degree V12 300

NASCAR has reached its half way point for the 2009 season

The biggest disappointment of the year for many will be the disappointing year of Dale Earnhardt Jr. Expectations were high for Dale but he has had a hard time getting his car up to speed all year, but hopefully these are just growing pains and he’ll find his wheels next year.

The drivers at Roush have had a less than stellar year, with Carl Edwards yet to win and David Ragan with only one top ten finish so far this year, after it was predicted he would be in the Chase this year.

Tony Stewart and Stewart-Haas Racing have had an excellent year and get an A on their mid-term report card. Mark Martin stalled a bit coming off the line but in recent races he has been running fast and hot, and currently has four wins on the series, the best of all the drivers competing this year.

Kevin Harvick is likely going to miss the Chase by a country mile after making it three years in a row, while Jeff Burton has been plagued with accidents week after week. Clint Bowyer started the year real strong, but has tailed off lately, and hasn’t been able to get his speed back. Casey Mears has been one of the slower drivers all year. Harvick’s winless streak is currently up to 89, his last win was actually the Daytona 500, so there has been a trend developing.

Kyle Busch would certainly tell you his year has been somewhat of a disappointment for him, this is despite having three wins, and definitely making the Chase. A large percentage of drivers would be happy with three wins and making the Chase, but then Busch is aware of the potential of the people he works with and the car he drives week to week. Busch is a real competitor and lately he has been pushing his team to improve his car. Apparently even he isn’t aware of how well he has been doing and the speed of his car, but then maybe the car isn’t as good as we think and he’s a better driver than we realize. Either way, Busch’s desire to win every week has been noticeable lately.

Image: Zuma Press

Post from: EveryJoe

NASCAR 2009 Mid-Term Report Card

Dale Earnhardt Jr. likes his chances in the Aaron 312

Taking the checkered flag in Saturday’s Aaron 312 driving his JR Motorsports No. 5 Chevrolet would be a victory that would be unique in even his career and a truly amazing feat. Earnhardt has raced four times on the Nationwide Series this year, he finished seventh at Daytona, fifth at Las Vegas, and 20^th at Texas, so he has had a slow start in the Nationwide Series season, and is certainly thinking of winning this time. He finished sixth in last seasons Aaron 312, so he has run pretty fast and steady on this track before, and should have a better idea of the necessary car set-up.

Earnhardt will certainly know about the possible perils of restrictor-plate racing and the possibility of being taken out of the race with a rub or two, so will temper his optimism with realism, but you can’t win if you don’t try.

He’s always been lucky enough to stay out of major mishaps at this venue, so we don’t want to jinx him, and hopefully his luck will hold and his driving skill will keep him out of any major problems and he’ll finish strong once again.

Image: Newscom

Post from: EveryJoe

Earnhardt Likes the Aaron 312

First out of pit lane wins

Dale Earnhardt’s downfall brought on the final caution flag of the Subway Fresh Fit 500 with a mere 12 laps to the finish line, with the race order standing as Mark Martin, Tony Stewart, Kurt Busch, and Kyle Busch. They all new the final pit would be the telling tale of the race and that the team that got their car out of the pit first would likely win the race.

All four pulled away from the pace car and turned up pit road, and pulled into their assigned slots, with Mark Martin being just out of view of the other drivers around the bend. The pit crews went to work for thirteen or so seconds to top up the gas and attach four fresh tires, and then they all pulled out of the pit lane, with Kyle Busch seemingly in the lead in the race to the line at the end of pit road.

Kyle’s excitement was short lived though, as time-lapse video recorded Martin as beating Kyle Busch to the line by the smallest of margins, and pit road officials notified Kyle Busch’s team that Kyle had been recorded as being just over the pit road speed limit and would therefore be penalized by being dropped back behind the lead cars, leaving him in 17^th position.

Instead of being in the lead and possibly winning the Subway Fresh Fit 500 he ended up in 17^th place, the position his penalty placed him in after the last pit. NASCAR and all racing are often called a sport of split second victories or disappointments, and after Saturday night Kyle Busch would surely agree.

Image: Newscom

Post from: EveryJoe

Subway Fresh Fit 500 Pit Lane Problems

Race drivers of old who new that routine workouts can improve a drivers physical ability and driving performance while on the track weren’t an animal found in the NASCAR world very often years ago, but today a majority of NASCAR’s Sprint Cup Series top drivers are embracing the truth about the ability of physical fitness to make better, more alert, and stronger drivers.

Feeling strong and fit

The NASCAR drivers of old ignored such beliefs, in favor of hamburgers, pizza, and steak that certainly taste better than tofu, but if the opinion of the drivers who have implemented this new strategy means anything, the belief that workouts improve a driver works fine.

The results and opinions of the drivers implementing physical workouts in their driver training regiments are beginning to turn the heads of many drivers who have never lifted a weight. Carl Edward and Jeff Burton have been two drivers that head to the gym on regular basis, but lately Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon and even Dale Earnhardt Jr. have been seen heading to the gym to try to give them a driving edge. Pushed toward the gym by age, injury, pain, and team managers, many of the older drivers have decided training routines can help them gain back some of the ability age might have taken off their driving ability. We will be watching to see what effects this new revolution might have on the race results of drivers using this new fitness philosophy. Many of the younger drivers might start to head to the gym with the older drivers once they realize many of the drivers twenty or more years older then they are in better shape and achieving better race results because of it.

Images Newscom.com

Post from: EveryJoe

NASCAR Goes to the Gym

Earnhardt gave up the lead during the first round of green flag stops after being one of the last cars to make their stop. Running several laps on the older tires while the rest of the field came in for some fresh rubber immediately proved to work against the team as he came out of the pits in 6th place, so one can’t help but wonder why they would choose to replay this strategy later in the race.

Junior once again found himself with the lead on lap 58 after the rest of the leaders came in to make their final stops of the day. His lead opened up to more than 25 seconds over second place as he became the only driver in the field that had yet to come down pit road, but he was giving more than a second per lap. Aside from the time that they were losing on the track, it became quite evident that a caution anytime before Earnhardt made his stop would flat out ruin his day, so it’s a bit peculiar as to why crew chief, Tony Eury Jr, would elect to keep his driver out on the track.

On lap 64, the worst did in fact happen. NASCAR was forced to waive the yellow for loose gravel that Travis Kvapil had kicked up onto the track, and as if it weren’t bad enough that Earnhardt had to surrender the lead to pit, he was one of only a small handful of cars that made that loenely drive down pit road with about 25 laps to go. He restarted back in 37th and was able to climb his way back up to 22nd by the end of the race, but Earnhardt fans everywhere now can’t help but wonder what might have been … and, what was Tony Eury Jr. thinking? To make matters worse, this also isn’t the first time that Junior fans have felt that Tony Eury Jr. may have cost Dale a shot at victory.

The disappointing finish also dropped Earnhardt from 2nd to 4th in the points standings, getting passed by Carl Edwards and his Hendrick Motorsports teammate, Jimmie Johnson. Junior Nation has had plenty to cheer about this season, though, as his first season with Hendrick has been far and away better than his final season with DEI in 2007 as he snapped his winless streak with a win earlier in the year at Michigan and he’s been up inside the top-5 in points for most of the year.

Post from: EveryJoe

Tony Eury Jr’s Call Was the Wrong Call at Watkins Glen

After rain canceled Friday’s qualifying session, the field lined up based on their order in the car owner’s points standings, setting Kyle Busch out on the pole position for the start of the race. Kyle led the first lap before handing it over to Dale Earnhardt Jr, who started on the outside of the front row. As Busch dropped back to third in the running order, Earnhardt gradually expanded his lead through the next 28 laps, but found himself in 6th after the field completed their first round of green flag pit stops.

Kyle Busch once again took the race lead on lap 30, and was still in charge when the first caution of the day came out on lap 47. NASCAR made the decision to waive the yellow due to debris on the track that was a result of some loose gravel that had been kicked up on the track. The caution was a huge break for Jimmie Johnson who had just pitted a few laps earlier when he had a rear left tire going down, but because he was running up in the top-five at the time, he was able to make his stop without losing a lap. Once pit road opened up, 14 cars remained on the track, including Johnson. Kyle Busch and Tony Stewart – running 1st and 2nd at the time – also elected to stay out.

Kyle Busch was still the race leader when the field went back to green, but the most impressive story to this point was Marcos Ambrose, who was driving the no. 21 Wood Brothers Ford. He was forced to start dead last due to the car’s position in owner points, but had worked his way all the way up inside the top-15 for the restart.

Kyle Busch moved to the side to allow his teammate, Tony Stewart, to lead a lap and pickup the 5 extra bonus points on lap 53, but Tony returned the favor and let Kyle go back by the following lap, and that was the only movement up front until the leaders again came into pit on lap 56. Juan Pablo Montoya and Jimmie Johnson each led a lap during the exchange of green flag stops. Johnson came into pit on lap 58, which handed the lead back over to Dale Earnhardt Jr.

With more than a 25 second lead, Earnhardt was the only car still out on the track that had not yet made his final pit stop. Despite continuing to lose a second per lap to the 2nd and 3rd place cars, Tony Eury Jr. – crew chief for the no. 88 team – elected to keep Earnhardt out on the track, but the call completely backfired when NASCAR waived the second caution flag on lap 64. The caution was again for loose gravel that Travis Kvapil kicked onto the track when he ran off the track. Earnhardt was forced to pit while the other race leaders remained out on the track, and with just 25 laps remaining, he lined up 37th for the restart.

Kyle Busch was once again deemed the race leader by virtue of Earnhardt’s misfortunes with Tony Stewart and Ryan Newman chasing him. With the laps dwindling down, it almost looked as though we might have another caution when Sam Hornish Jr. spun PJ Jones on lap 70, but both cars were able to get going again, and NASCAR saw no reason to bring out the yellow.

The complexity of the race changed on lap 77 when Ryan Newman got into the corner too hard, resulting in a single car spin in Turn 9. Unable to get his car restarted, he had several close cars as the rest of the field tried to avoid the stalled car as it rolled back out onto the track. NASCAR eventually brought out the third caution, and luckily, the entire field was able to get around Newman without hitting him.

The fourth and final caution came with just 8 laps to go when Michael McDowell spun David Gilliland, setting off a huge multi-car crash that involved 9 cars right near the pit road entrance. Michael Waltrip, Bobby LaBonte, Sam Hornish Jr, Reed Sorenson, Max Papis, Dave Blaney, and Joe Nemechek all got caught up in the mess, and LaBonte appeared to be mildly injured as he was seen limping back to the infield care center.

After NASCAR stopped the race under red flag conditions for more than 40 minutes, they finally got the race restarted with Kyle Busch still in the lead, and behind him were Tony Stewart, Marcos Ambrose, Juan Pablo Montoya, Martin Truex Jr, and Kevin Harvick. Busch took the green flag with just five laps to go with Stewart keeping within a couple car lengths for the first few laps. With about 2 to go, though, Busch started to pull away, and Stewart’s new task became keeping the no. 21 of Ambrose in his rearview mirror. Busch went onto take the checkers, and Stewart was able to fend off Ambrose to give Joe Gibbs Racing a 1-2 finish.

Marcos Ambrose fought off Juan Pablo Montoya to hang onto third, and JPM finished 4th. Martin Truex Jr. held onto 5th to earn his first-ever top-five finish at Watkins Glen. He was followed by the 2006 winner of this event, Kevin Harvick, in 6th. 7th place went to Denny Hamlin, who capped off a solid run inside the top-ten for most of the day. Jimmie Johnson rebounded from his cut tire earlier in the race to finish in 8th. AJ Allmendinger walked away with the best NSCS finish of his career in 9th, also giving him his second top-ten in the last 3 races. Carl Edwards completed the top-ten.

Other Notables:
Matt Kenseth had a pretty quiet day, but finished 12th ….. Kasey Kahne matched his best Watkins Glen finish with a 14th place run ….. Dale Earnhardt Jr. wound up 22nd after his team’s race strategy put him in the back of the field with just over 20 laps to go ….. Jeff Gordon had an eventful day. His team had to have NASCAR black flag him to get him into the pits for the first round of stops after the team’s radio became disconnected. Gordon’s car, unfortunately, handled much like the radio, as his struggles throughout the day led to a 25th place finish ….. Robby Gordon started near the back of the pack and never was able to find his way to the front, finishing with a very disappointing 27th place finish ….. Ryan Newman’s spin on lap 77 led to a 28th place effort, as that team continues to watch their Chase hopes keep slipping away.

Kyle Busch now holds a 242 point lead on 1st in the standings, while Carl Edwards and Jimmie Johnson both moved past Earnhardt Jr. to take over the 2nd and 3rd spots. Tony Stewart’s back-to-back 2nd place efforts have also moved him up to 7th overall, and he now has a 138 point cushion in the Chase standings. Matt Kenseth also moved up a spot to take over the 12th and final spot in the Chase, moving Clint Bowyer back down to 13th. He’s now 22 points out of the Chase.

Grades:
the Race: 75%
Drama: 74%
Coverage: 90%
Pre-Race: 81%

Overall Grade: 78.4%

Complete Results (from nascar.com):

Sprint Cup Series Standings (from nascar.com):

Post from: EveryJoe

Rating the Race: Centurion Boats at the Glen at Watkins Glen

Some would say that it’s been a trying season for Goodyear in 2008 as they continue to work on developing new tires to coincide with NASCAR’s latest project, the Car of Tomorrow. Things got heated early in the season between Goodyear’s racing group and some of the drivers in the garage area, particularly after Atlanta when several of the drivers bashed the tire in public forums. You might recall one man inparticular’s rants regarding the tires as they made headlines for several weeks. Yes, I’m referring of course to Tony Stewart.

It seemed as though things had finally cooled off between all parties involved until just a couple of weeks ago at Indianapolis. It was the first time NASCAR had ever taken the COT to Indy, and the tires that Goodyear brought to the track were inadequate to say the least. The end result was NASCAR waiving a competition caution about every 10 laps and the reviews for the event were terrible.

After a week long of apologies from both NASCAR and Goodyear, both parties were presented with a golden opportunity to redeem themselves during the Nationwide race in Montreal. With bad weather on the horizon, NASCAR decided to break out their inventory of “grooved” Goodyear tires, marking the first time grooved tires had ever been run in a NASCAR points race. The experiment was a tremendous success, and talk about the Indy tire fiasco has been slim to none ever since.

This week, the “Loose in Turn 3″ trio will take a look at the situation and decide the overwhelming success of the rain tires and a solid week at Pocono does in fact take Goodyear off the hook, or if they feel that there are still too many unanswered questions to make that call just yet.

Q: Did Goodyear finally clear their name in NASCAR with the success of their rain tires in Montreal?

TZ: They’re not completely out of the woods just yet, but for the most part, I would say yes. I was pretty upset with the fiasco that took place at Indy, and there’ve been a few other times this season I wasn’t thrilled with their output, but running in the rain at Motreal without any tire issues was a huge plus, and then they were able to follow it up with a successful day in Pocono as well. There are obviously a few tracks that they still need to get some things figured out, but all in all, they’ve rebounded quite nicely.

Bruce:  I’d expect more from a division of a tire company that is supposed to be making racing tires and not rubber confetti at Indianapolis.  Indy was a phenomenal waste of time and they should have tried something else rather than let NASCAR dole out a series of 10-lap trophy dashes, but without the trophy.  I don’t see this weekend as a rebound as much as it is, a “It’s about time they got it back on track.  Now let’s keep it there!”

Charlie:  Goodyear didn’t need to “clear their name”. In fact, NASCAR once
again put Goodyear’s good name at risk by using six year old rubber in a
featured race. They lucked out that the tires didn’t fail. NASCAR flipped
a coin again, just as they did at Indy. Goodyear makes tens of thousands
of race tires that are used at hundreds of races every week. A couple of
high profile failures should be expected when the company is trying to
make a NASCAR work in progress – the vaunted CoT – look better than it is.

the Rest of the Discussion:
There’s still plenty more to read this week from the “Loose in Turn 3″ guys. Make sure you take a trip over to On Pit Row where Charlie asks the question, “Who is the Best Crew Chief in the Sprint Cup Garage Right Now?“, and then head over to Bruce’s NASCAR Bits ‘n’ Pieces where we debate the motive behind Martin Truex Jr.’s Decision to Remain at DEI.

Post from: EveryJoe

Goodyear Was Starting to Get Loose in Turn 3 … But, They’re Straight Now

This week NASCAR heads to Waktins Glen International for one of their two road course races of the season on the Sprint Cup Series schedule. The race comes just one week after NASCAR made history for itself when they raced in the rain last Saturday in the Nationwide Series in Montreal, which most critics feel came off as a huge success. As of right now there are no plans to break out the rain tires on Sunday, but there’s still plenty to look forward to with just five races remaining until the cutoff for the Chase.

Recent Winners:
2007 – Tony Stewart
2006 – Kevin Harvick
2005 – Tony Stewart

Recent Polesitters:
2007 – Jeff Gordon
2006 – Kurt Busch
2005 – “Rained Out”

the Usual Suspects:
Tony Stewart is in the midst of the longest winless streak in his Sprint Cup career, but that should be of little concern to the no. 20 team this weekend. ‘Smoke’ built up a bit of momentum for himself after a 2nd place finish last week at Pocono, and now he heads to Watkins Glen where he holds the best driver rating over the past 3 years and has the second best average finish amongst active drivers. He’s one three of the last four races at the Glen, along with a 2nd place finish in 2006.

The only driver to breakup Stewart’s winning streak at the Glen in the past four years was Kevin Harvick, the winner of this event in ‘06. In his seven career races at Watkins Glen, last year’s 36th place finish is his only run outside of the top-15. He also has four top-10’s in that span ….. Jeff Gordon is considered a threat to win at most tracks, but perhaps even moreso at road courses. Once dubbed “King of the Road”, Jeff has had a rough go of it with only one top-10 finish here since 2002, but he did win 3 of the 4 events prior to that stretch ….. The series points leader, Kyle Busch, was never thought of much as a road course racer heading into this season, but already in 2008 he’s managed to win the Nationwide Series race in Mexcio and then went onto win the Toyota Save/Mart 350 at Infineon. After a 33rd place run at Watkins Glen in his rookie season, Kyle has since rebounded with back-to-back top-10’s ….. Denny Hamlin has run here only twice, finishing 10th and 2nd in those races.

the Unusual Suspects:
Robby Gordon has been in dire need of some good runs for the sake of his own race team, Robby Gordon Motorsports, and many fans have long expected that success to come at one of NASCAR’s two road course events. Robby has six top-5 finishes in eight races run here, and even won the event while racing for RCR back in 2003. He currently has a string of three consecutive top-5 finishes at Watkins Glen.

Marcos Ambrose competed in his first Sprint Cup event earlier in the season at Infineon. Known for his road course specialties, Marcos didn’t disappoint, as he had a great top-five effort going until issues late in the race put an end to his day. This will be his first visit to Watkins Glen with the Cup Series as he once again fields the no. 21 Wood Bros. Racing entry, but there’s no reason to think he won’t rise to the occasion once again ….. Juan Pablo Montoya is always a favorite to keep an eye on at road course races as well. An incident with Kevin Harvick here last year put an early end to his day and he finished 39th, but that should be considered a one-off deal. He does have an Infineon win to his credit at the Cup level.

Road Course Ringers are sure to be a factor in any NASCAR road course race, regardless of the series. Though they don’t typically win these things at the Cup level, many of the drivers leave their mark with exceptional runs. Amongst the ringers included in this weekend’s entry list are: Ron Fellows (DEI) – two top-5’s in the last 4 years; Boris Said- finished 3rd in 2005; PJ Jones – finished 4th in 2002; and Brian Simo and Max Papis are on the list as well.

the Unusual Slackers:
Greg Biffle picked up his first ever top-10 Watkins Glen finish last year when he crossed the line in 10th, but each of his four starts previous to that were 30th or worse. His overall average here is 30.2 ….. When you think of road course racing, Kurt Busch isn’t a name that immediately jumps out at you as someone you need to avoid carrying on your fantasy roster, but like Biffle, he also has only one career top-10 at Watkins Glen. Four of his seven races here he has finished outside of the top-15 ….. Dale Earnhardt Jr. managed to put together a string of solid runs here at one point, finishing 3rd, 5th, and 10th from 2003 to 2005, but in 8 years of racing here, he’s finished 35th or worse three times, holding an average finish of just 20.6.

Best Driver Ratings:
1. Tony Stewart – 137.9
2. Denny Hamlin – 112.1
3. Jeff Gordon – 108.2
4. Robby Gordon – 106.3
5. Jimmie Johnson – 104.5

Best Driver Averages:
1. Scott Pruett – 5.8
2. Denny Hamlin – 6.0
3. Tony Stewart – 6.1
4. Mark Martin – 8.8
5. Robby Gordon – 9.4

Watkins Glen Facts:
- 8 of the 25 races at Watkins Glen have been won from the pole position. The last driver to do so was Tony Stewart in 2005, but before that it hadn’t happened since Jeff Gordon did it in 1998.
- 16 of the 25 races have been won from a top-five starting position.
- The deepest starting position a driver has ever come from to win at Watkins Glen is 18th. Steve Park did it in 2000.
- Jeff Gordon holds the track record for most wins with 4.
- Mark Martin holds the track record for most poles (3), top-five’s (12), and top-ten’s (16).
- The most different leaders ever during a race at the Glen was 12 – back in 1995.
- Chevrolet leads the manufacturer race at Watkins Glen with 14 wins.
- 5 drivers currently in the top-12 in points have never led a lap at Watkins Glen: Kyle Busch, Carl Edwards, Denny Hamlin, Kasey Kahne, and Clint Bowyer.
- In the midst of a 35 race winless streak, Tony Stewart’s last victory came here at Watkins Glen in 2007.

Video of the last 7 laps of the 2007 Centurion Boats at the Glen race:

Six-Pack Challenge:
Winner – Tony Stewart
2nd Place – Robby Gordon
3rd Place – Marcos Ambrose
4th Place – Kyle Busch
5th Place – Carl Edwards
6th Place – Kevin Harvick

Lock of the Week – Tony Stewart
Sleeper Pick – Marcos Ambrose
Steer Clear of – Greg Biffle

Post from: EveryJoe

Race Preview for Centurion Boats at the Glen at Watkins Glen