The Cup Series caps off the triple header weekend at Watkins Glen International with the Go Bowling at the Glen on Sunday afternoon.
Watkins Glen is a 2.4 mile seven turn course with five right hand turns and two left hand turns.
Thirty-eight teams have brought cars to Watkins Glen for 40 starting spots including Katherine Legge.
The drivers get a full 50 minute practice session before making a group qualifying run. They have one set of wet weather tires and one set of racing slicks for practice.
Earlier in the week NASCAR announced that the 2027 race at Watkins Glen will move to September and be a part of the playoffs. May has proved to be a wet and chilly affair in the Finger Lakes area of central New York.
As the drivers take to the track, it is mostly dry but there are still some wet spots.
Some teams have gone out on the track with the wet weather tires even though the track is nearly all dry. Larry McReynolds reported that after speaking to a winning crew chief that they can only go about 40 laps on a single set of racing slicks so they are going out on wet weather tires to make sure everything works properly and then change to the slicks.
Ross Chastain brings out the caution flag with a tire issue and has to be towed to the garage.
Drivers use a great deal of braking at Watkins Glen and some drivers are already reporting brake shake issues.
Mike Joy described Norah Gragson’s paint scheme as looking like he drove through a paint store during a tornado – the car has many colours on it.
Drivers are also reporting issues with tire grip. Austin Cindric reports that his rear tires “are cooked”.
Chase Briscoe avoided trouble when he realized he had a tire issue and slowed down.
Austin Cindric tops the leaderboard in single lap times at 72.208 seconds. Shane van Gisbergen topped the leaderboard in multiple lap times.
The drivers will have 35 minutes to make their best lap for qualifying and have just one set of tires for the qualifying run.
Katherine Legge was not able to make a practice run due to inspection issues. The car failed twice but made it through on the third time through. The car chief has been ejected and she will lose her pit stall selection. Legge is using the qualifying time for a practice session.
Shane van Gisbergen had the fastest multiple lap times but in an interview said that his car was not good; adding he wasn’t happy with it; calling it a junker!
NASCAR levied a big penalty on Ryan Preece earlier this week after a wreck with Ty Gibbs during the race at Texas. Preece has appealed the ruling.
Shane van Gisbergen ran a quarter of a second faster than anyone else in the field going through the bus stop.
With a time of 71. 252 seconds, Shane van Gisbergen put his number 97 car on the pole with Michael McDowell alongside on the front row.
The starting lineup for the Bowling at the Glen race:
Shane van Gisbergen
Michael McDowell
Austin Cindric
Ross Chastain
Connor Zilisch
Joey Logano
Ryan Blaney
Christopher Bell
Chase Briscoe
Ty Gibbs
Carson Hocevar
AJ Allmendinger
William Byron
Chris Buescher
Tyler Reddick
Daniel Suarez
John Hunter Nemechek
Bubba Wallace
Cole Custer
Denny Hamlin
Kyle Busch
Todd Gilliland
Kyle Larson
Erik Jones
Austin Dillon
Brad Keselowski
Chase Elliott
Alex Bowman
Ricky Stenhouse Jr
Ryan Preece
Ty Dillon
Riley Herbst
Zane Smith
Josh Berry
Noah Gragson
Cody Ware
Josh Bilicki
Katherine Legge
When the green flag drops, William Byron will be making career Cup start number 300.
Stage one of the race is 20 laps, stage two is 30 laps, and stage three is 50 laps for a total of 100 laps around the 2.4 mile course. Watkins Glen is a seven turn course with five right and hand turns and two left hand turns.
The drivers can run 34 to 36 laps on a single load of fuel.
To help keep the drivers on the road course, tire packs have been added on turns one and five.
Shane van Gisbergen brings the field down for the green flag start of the race with Michael McDowell alongside. And they’re off with Shane van Gisbergen leading the field.
The top five are Shane van Gisbergen, Michael McDowell, Austin Cindric, Ross Chastain, and Connor Zilisch.
The drivers quickly get single file.
Lap two, Shane van Gisbergen has a lead of half a second on Michael McDowell; Ros Chastain, Austin Cindric, and Connor Zilisch round out the top five.
Connor Zilisch passes Austin Cindric for fourth.
Joey Logano passes Austin Cindric for fifth.
Lap five, Shane van Gisbergen has a lead of over half a second on Michael McDowell; Ross Chastain, Connor Zilisch, and Joey Logano round out the top five.
Lap six, leaders have pulled away from the field with Shane van Gisbergen and Michael McDowell over four seconds out in front. The field is in single file spread out along the course.
Lap seven, Connor Zilisch has passed Ross Chastain for third.
There are no lights at Watkins Glen; NASCAR has announced that they will begin the shutdown process at 8:10pm.
Lap nine, the fastest car on the course, Shane van Gisbergen has pulled away for a two second lead over Michael McDowell; over six seconds back Connor Zilisch, Ross Chastain, and Joey Logano round out the top five.
Lap 10, Shane van Gisbergen continues to increase his lead and is now over two and a half seconds out in front of Michael McDowell.
Lap eleven, other than the changes of position in the top five; there has been little movement among the field.
Lap 13, Shane van Gisbergen has left the field behind with a lead of nearly four and a half seconds on Michael McDowell.
Lap 15, the top five are separated by nearly 12 seconds with leader Shane van Gisbergen over five seconds in front of Michael McDowell.
Lap 16, Austin Dillon is the first driver to come down pit road for service; short pitting the end of stage one.
Lap 17, Running away from the field, Shane van Gisbergen is over seven seconds in front of the field.
More drivers come down pit road and short pit the end of the stage.
Nearly half the field is on pit road with three laps remaining in stage one.
Lap 18, leader Shane van Gisbergen comes down pit road for service. Ross Chastain is the new leader.
Van Gisbergen returns to the track in eighth place. All of the drivers in front of him have not made a pit stop.
Ross Chastain wins stage one.
The top 10 at the end of stage one:
Ross Chastain
Joey Logano
Ryan Blaney
Austin Cindric
AJ Allmendinger
John Hunter Nemechek
Christopher Bell
Shane van Gisbergen
Riley Herbst
Micheal McDowell
Drivers who have not made a pit stop come down pit road for service. Shane van Gisbergen retakes the lead.
Some of the drivers are reporting tight conditions in the cars. Ross Chastain noted that his car was so tight he thought the rear end was falling out.
John Hunter Nemechek was charged with having a crew member over the wall too soon and will have to restart the race from the back of the field.
Shane van Gisbergen brings the field down for the green flag start of stage two with Michael McDowell alongside on lap 25. Van Gisbergen gets out in front and holds on to the lead going into turn one.
The top five are Shane van Gisbergen, Michael McDowell, Connor Zilisch, Ty Gibbs, and Tyler Reddick.
Drivers are getting three wide and making contact as they battle for position.
Lap 26, Shane van Gisbergen has a half second lead on Connor Zilisch; Michael McDowell, Ty Gibbs, and Tyler Reddick round out the top five.
Lap 28, Shane van Gisbergen has just a third of a second lead on Connor Zilisch; Michael McDowell, Ty Gibbs, and Tyler Reddick round out the top five.
Lap 31, Shane van Gisbergen holds a third of a second lead on Connor Zilisch; Michael McDowell, Ty Gibbs, and Tyler Reddick continue to round out the top five.
Lap 32, Connor Zilisch has closed the gap on leader Shane van Gisbergen to just a quarter of a second.
Third place driver Michael McDowell is nearly two and a half seconds behind the leaders.
Lap 35, all 38 drivers are still on the lead lap.
The top five drivers are Shane van Gisbergen, Connor Zilisch, Michael McDowell, Ty Gibbs, and Tyler Reddick.
Lap 37, Shane van Gisbergen and Connor Zilisch are about a third of a second apart but are over four seconds ahead of the rest of the field.
Lap 39, Shane van Gisbergen is pulling away from Connor Zilisch and is now over half a second out in front; the remainder of the field is over six seconds back.
The caution flag comes out on lap 40 for a canopy that went flying out onto the track – what Mike Joey called “flying debris”.
Drivers come down pit road for service with Shane van Gisbergen winning the race off of pit road; however, not everyone made a pit stop.
Michael McDowell leads the race with Daniel Suarez in second; Chirstopher Bell, Bubba Wallace, Riley Herbst, and John Hunter Nemechek all stayed out on the track.
Michael McDowell brings the field down for the green flag restart with seven laps remaining in stage two. Drivers spread out three and four wide going into turn one. Michael McDowell leads the race with Daniel Suarez in second.
Big mixup in the bus stop with William Byron getting the worst of it but the track stays green.
After restarting the race in eighth place, Shane van Gisbergen is up to third place with six laps remaining in stage two.
William Byron has made his way to pit road.
Shane van Gisbergen has passed Daneil Suarez and is just a second and a half behind leader Michael McDowell.
Christopher Bell misses the bus stop and will have to serve a stop and go penalty.
Four laps to go in stage two and Shane van Gisbergen has closed the gap on leader Michael McDowell to just half a second.
Shane van Gisbergen has passed Michael McDowell for the lead.
Three to go in stage two, Shane van Gisbergen has pulled out to a lead of over a second and a half on Michael McDowell.
Shane van Gisbergen wins stage two.
The top 10 at the end of stage two:
Shane van Gisbergen
Tyler Reddick
Ty Gibbs
Austin Dillon
Kyle Busch
Chris Bueschder
Austin Cindric
Connor Zilisch
Chase Briscoe
Bubba Wallace
Leaders stay out on the track but three-fourths of the field come down pit road. All of the drivers will have to make one more pit stop to make it to the end of the race.
Shane van Gisbergen brings the field down for the green flag start of stage three with Tyler Reddick alongside on lap 55 – 46 laps remaining in the race. Shane van Gisbergen holds on to the lead with Tyler Reddick in second; Ty Gibbs, Austin Dillon, and Kyle Busch round out the top five.
Lap 56, Shane van Gisbergen has a half second lead on Tyler Reddick; Ty Gibbs, Austin Dillon, and Kyle Busch round out the top five.
After his incident in the bus stop, William Byron is four laps down.
Lap 59, Shane van Gisbergen continues to lead the race by over half a second on Tyler Reddick; Ty Gibbs, Austin Dillon, and Kyle Busch round out the top five.
The caution flag comes out on lap 61 for debris on the track. Joey Logano lost a tire and is on the course. Shortly before the tire came off of the car, Joey Logano radioed the crew chief saying he though something was breaking.
Drivers come down pit road for service with 40 laps remaining in the race with leader Shane van Gisbergen staying out on the track. Tyler Reddick wins the race off of pit road.
Riley Herbst was caught speeding on pit road and will have to restart the race from the back of the longest line.
Kyle Busch has had a sinus cold all week and is asking for some medical aid after the race.
Shane van Gisbergen brings the field down for the green flag restart on lap 64 with Tyler Reddick alongside. Van Gisbergen and Reddick are side by side going into turn one with van Gisbergen taking the lead.
The top five are Shane van Gisbergen, Tyler Reddick, AJ Allmendinger, Michael McDowell, and Bubba Wallace.
Seventh place driver Ty Gibbs is the first driver to take fresh tires during the pit stop.
Lap 66, Shane van Gisbergen has pulled out to a lead of nearly two seconds on Tyler Reddick; AJ Allmendinger, Michael McDowell, and Bubba Wallace round out the top five.
Lapp 67, Shane van Gisbergen’s lead is now over two seconds on Tyler Reddick.
Lap 67, Shane van Gisbergen has pulled out to a lead of over three seconds.
AJ Allmendinger passes Tyler Reddick for second.
Michael McDowell passes Tyler Reddick for third.
Lap 68, Connor Zilisch passes Bubba Wallace for sixth. He has locked up the tires more than once.
Lap 69, Shane van Gisbergen’s lead is now nearly four seconds.
Lap 71, Shane van Gisbergen will have to make a pit stop in the next few laps but has pulled out to a lead of over four seconds on AJ Allmendinger.
Katherine Legge spins out in the Carousel and is slowed on the track after contact with Josh Bilicki. The track stays green.
Tyler Reddick made a green flag pit stop and is now way back in the field.
Bubba Wallace makes a pit stop.
Lap 73, Shane van Gisbergen has a five second lead on Michael McDowell; AJ Allmendinger, Ty Gibbs, and Connor Zilisch round out the top five.
Lap 76, Michael McDowell comes down pit road for fuel. Shane van Gisbergen has a lead of nearly six seconds on Ty Gibbs.
Lap 77, Shane van Gisbergen makes his pit stop; Ty Gibbs is the new leader. He returns to the track in 25th place.
More drivers come down pit road for fuel.
Joey Logano returns to the track16 laps down.
Lap 79, Shane van Gisbergen is back in 22nd place; slowly working his way through the field.
Lap 80, SVG is up to 20th.
Just 21 laps remain in the race with Ty Gibbs leading the field by over a second on Connor Zilisch; Chase Briscoe, Austin Dillon, and Austin Cindric round out the top five.
Lap 81, Shane van Gisbergen is now in 14th place.
Lap 83, Ty Gibbs’ lead is down to less than half a second on Connor Zilisch. Shane van Gisbergen is motoring through the field and is up to 12th place.
Lap 85, Shane van Gisbergen is now back in the top 10; 19.4 seconds behind the leader.
With 16 laps remaining in the race, Ty Gibbs and Connor Zilisch are in a battle for the lead.
Lap 86, Shane van Gisbergen is in eighth place; 17.4 seconds back.
Bubba Wallace gets into the tires but the track stays green.
Lap 87, the top five are Ty Gibbs, Connor Zilisch, Chase Briscoe, Austin Dillon, and Kyle Busch.
Lap 87, 14 seconds back, Shane van Gisbergen is now in seventh.
Lap 89, Shane van Gisbergen is up to sixth place; just 9.72 seconds back.
Lap 90, Ty Gibbs has a near half second lead on Connor Zilisch; Shane van Gisbergen up to fifth place; less than seven second back.
Connor Zilisch is on Ty Gibbs bumper with Shane van Gisbergen in fifth.
Josh Berry spun out but the track stayed green.
Lap 91, Shane van Gisbergen is less than five seconds behind the leaders.
Leader Ty Gibbs and Connor Zilisch are in a battle for the lead.
Lap 91, Shane van Gisbergen is in four place less than four seconds behind the leader.
Lap 92, Shane van Gisbergen is in third place less than three seconds back.
Lap 92, Shane van Gisbergen passes Connor Zilisch for second place and is just over a second behind leader Ty Gibbs with eight laps remaining in the race.
Connor Zilisch comes down pit road.
Lap 93, Shane van Gisbergen has taken the lead of the race; making up over 22 seconds on the track after a pit stop.
Michael McDowell pitted the same time as van Gisbergen and is now in fifth place.
In 17 laps Shane van Gisbergen made up 29 seconds to go from 24th to retake the lead!!!
Six to go, Michael McDowell is on Ty Gibbs bumper in a battle for second with Shane van Gisbergen over five seconds out in front.
Michael McDowell passes Ty Gibbs for second.
Just five laps remaining in the race, Shane van Gisbergen has a near seven second lead on Michael McDowell; Ty Gibbs, Chase Briscoe, and Austin Dillon round out the top five with Kyle Busch in sixth.
Three laps to go, “driving it like he stole it” Shane van Gisbergen has a seven second lead on Michael McDowell.
Kyle Busch passes teammate Austin Dillon for fifth.
Shane van Gisbergen takes the white flag.
After making up a 29 second deficit, Shane van Gisbergen wins the race at Watkins Glen. This is his first win in the 97 car. A 29.2 second run in 18 laps and then won the race by over seven seconds
This is his seventh Cup Series win; the most of any driver not born in the United States.
After a burnout that made the car disappear, Shane thrilled the fans with kicked the football.
Shane turned 37 on Saturday; what a birthday present!!!
The unofficial results of the Bowling at the Glen:
Shane van Gisbergen
Michael McDowell
Ty Gibbs
Chase Briscoe
Tyler Reddick
Austin Dillon
AJ Allmendinger
Kyle Busch
Austin Cindric
John Hunter Nemechek
Ryan Blaney
Chris Buescher
Daniel Suarez
Ryan Preece
Cole Custer
Denny Hamlin
Todd Gilliland
Zane Smith
Erik Jones
Connor Zilisch
Christopher Bell
Noah Gragson
Kyle Larson
Chase Elliott
Alex Bowman
Riley Herbst
Ross Chastain
Carson Hocevar
Bubba Wallace
Brad Keselowski
Ricky Stenhouse Jr
Josh Berry
Ty Dillon
Josh Bilicki
Katherine Legge
William Byron
Cody Ware
Joey Logano