The No. 60 Acura of Meyer Shank Racing, which started from the pole with co-drivers Tom Blomqvist and Oliver Jarvis but finished second by 0.861 seconds, lost the points lead to the No. 10 ARX-05 of Filipe Albuquerque and Ricky Taylor.
Albuquerque and Taylor overcame a 13-point disadvantage to take the lead with their 48th victory for Wayne Taylor Racing and fifth at Watkins Glen (but their first in the track's six-hour race since 2011).
The race resumed for a 20-minute dash to the finish line after being under a red flag for more than an hour due to lightning. When Albuquerque made contact with Blomqvist, he took the initiative.
Albuquerque remarked, "It was wild." "I had to conserve fuel, so I could not warm up the brakes and tires before restarting. I had to start over with cold brakes and tires. I was aware that this was my only opportunity to pass Blomqvist. We came side by side, so I sent the car into the bend by putting my foot down. It crossed the curb and ultimately was successful.
Last weekend, the No. 10 team had won three of the previous four races, including the Laguna Seca and Mid-Ohio races.
Blomqvist and Jarvis led 77 laps together, remaining in the race's top two.
It isn't easy to finish the race that way, especially since we were so good all weekend, according to Blomqvist. "(The No. 10 Acura) enjoyed a lead in sector speeds the entire week. They ran fewer wings during the setup than we did, making them quicker in sector one.
"It merely indicated that we were weak at first. I tried my best to defend on every other restart, but he was just a little closer on that one (the last restart). They weighed about 15-20 kilos less than us due to their significantly lower fuel use, which also let them travel straight.
They had better luck today, but we had a flawless race. Even though we had the fastest car all weekend, things didn't go our way.
Sebastien Bourdais and Renger van der Zande's No. 01 Chip Ganassi Racing Cadillac came in third.
LMP2: The No. 52 PR1 Mathiasen Motorsports, driven by Scott Huffaker, Mikkel Jensen, and Ben Keating, won its second race of the year and its 27th overall.
LMP3: The No. 74 of Riley Motorsports recorded its second victory of 2022 with the help of drivers Felipe Fraga, Gar Robinson, and Kay van Berlo.
GTD pro: Heart of Racing's No. 23 Aston Martin Vantage GT3 driven by Ross Gunn and Alex Riberas was proclaimed the winner when the No. 25 BMW M4 GT3 was given a drive-time penalty. At Watkins Glen, both drivers won for the first time, giving the team its second triumph of the year.
GTD: Heart of Racing's No. 27 Aston Martin Vantage GT3 won its first race of the season thanks to a drive-time infraction assessed to the No. Winward Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo. Additionally, it was the first victory for drivers Ian James, Roman De Angelis, and Maxime Martin at Watkins Glen.
The IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship will make its first appearance at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park in three years on July 3 at 3 p.m. ET, with coverage on Peacock. The DPi, LMP3, GTD Pro, and GTD classes will all be available at the Chevrolet Grand Prix.
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