The NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) is at Watkins Glen International this weekend for the Go Bowling at The Glen. This is the 3rd of 36 points-paying races on the 2025 NCS calendar and will be live on the USA Network on Sunday, Aug. 10, beginning at 2 p.m. eastern time.
Ross Chastain won the pole last season with a lap of 122.279 mph (72.130 secs), and Chris Buescher qualified 24th, led three times for 19 laps, and took advantage of the chance to cap off this season on a strong note by winning the Go Bowling at The Glen on Sunday, September 15, 2024, amid a wild overtime shootout and a final lap bump and pass on Shane van Gisbergen.
Track & Race Information for the Go Bowling at The Glen
Track Size: 2.45 miles
Track Type: Asphalt Multi-Elevational Road Course
Number of Turns: 7
The Purse: $11,055,250
Race Length: 90 laps / 220.5 miles
Time
Sunday, August 10 at 2 p.m. ET on USA, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90
Stages
Stage 1 Length: 20 laps (Ends on Lap 20)
Stage 2 Length: 20 laps (Ends on Lap 40)
Final Stage Length: 50 laps (Ends on Lap 90)
Who and what should you look out for at Watkins Glen International?
The active driver top five in NCS starts are: Kyle Busch (19), Denny Hamlin (18), Joey Logano (15), Michael McDowell (15), and Brad Keselowski (14). Busch also leads all active NCS drivers in starts with 19.
- Shane Van Gisbergen has one top five, one top 10, and a series-best average finish of 2.000.
- Carson Hocevar has one top five, one top 10, and an average finish of 3.000.
- Zane Smith has one top five, one top 10, and an average finish of 5.000.
- Christopher Bell has one top five, three top 10s, and an average finish of 8.000.
- Chase Elliott has two poles, two wins, four top fives, four top 10s, and an average finish of 10.625.
Who is likely to start up front?
Kyle Larson leads all active NCS drivers in average starting position with a 7.4 in 10 races. Denny Hamlin (2023, 2018), Kyle Busch (2011, 2017), and Chase Elliott (2019, 2022) lead all active NCS drivers in poles at Watkins Glen International with two poles each. Elliott is the youngest NCS pole winner at 23 years, 8 months, 7 days, captured on 08-04-2019.
The top 10 in average starting position at Watkins Glen for active drivers:
| Rank | Driver | Average Start | # Races |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kyle Larson | 7.4 | 10 |
| 2 | Kyle Busch | 8.105 | 19 |
| 3 | Chase Elliott | 8.125 | 8 |
| 4 | William Byron | 8.333 | 6 |
| 5 | AJ Allmendinger | 8.769 | 13 |
| 6 | Austin Cindric | 10 | 3 |
| 7 | Tyler Reddick | 10.5 | 4 |
| 8 | Ty Gibbs | 11.667 | 3 |
| 9 | Denny Hamlin | 12.722 | 18 |
| 10 | Joey Logano | 13.533 | 15 |
The pole position has produced more NCS race winners than any other starting position, with ten and eight different drivers winning from the pole position.
Who is likely to win the race?
Eight of the 26 NCS race winners at Watkins Glen are entered in this event. Kyle Larson (2021, 2022), Chase Elliott (2018, 2019), and Kyle Busch (2008, 2013) lead all active NCS drivers in wins with two victories each. Larson (2021, 2022) and Elliott (2018, 2019) are the only active drivers to accomplish consecutive wins at Watkins Glen.
| Active Winners | Wins | Season |
|---|---|---|
| Kyle Larson | 2 | 2022, 2021 |
| Chase Elliott | 2 | 2019, 2018 |
| Kyle Busch | 2 | 2013, 2008 |
| Chris Buescher | 1 | 2024 |
| William Byron | 1 | 2023 |
| Denny Hamlin | 1 | 2016 |
| Joey Logano | 1 | 2015 |
| AJ Allmendinger | 1 | 2014 |
In 2024, Chris Buescher became the first NCS driver to win a race outside the top 20, starting 24th.
