At this second within the NASCAR Cup Collection season, three is the operative quantity to explain the state of affairs because the common season enters its closing moments: With 13 drivers now assured a spot within the playoffs by advantage of getting gained a race, simply three spots now stay for drivers to both be part of the 16-driver playoff grid with a win or make it in on factors. And solely three races stay to get a possible season-defining win, beginning this weekend out on the highway at Watkins Glen.
NASCAR will race on a highway course for the fifth time this season within the Go Bowling at The Glen, a race which may show essential to sure drivers under the reduce line. A few of NASCAR’s finest highway racers together with Michael McDowell and A.J. Allmendinger sit nicely out of place to make the playoffs on factors, that means that this race may very well be their final finest likelihood to make sure they will race for a championship within the fall — If, after all, they will discover a technique to outpace Shane van Gisbergen and preserve him from profitable his fourth highway course race in a row.
The place to look at the NASCAR Cup Collection at Watkins Glen
When: Sunday, Aug. 10 at 2 p.m. ET
The place: Watkins Glen Worldwide — Watkins Glen, N.Y.
TV: USA
Stream: fubo (Start watching, save $20!)
Beginning lineup
Ryan Blaney gained the pole for the Go Bowling at The Glen in qualifying on Saturday, posting a lap of 71.960 (122.568 MPH) to knock Shane van Gisbergen off the highest spot and earn his second pole of the 2025 season.
Connor Zilisch had certified twenty fifth and was set to make his fourth Cup begin of the season, however his crew has elected to withdraw after a daunting incident the place Zilisch slipped and fell off his automotive celebrating a win in Saturday’s Xfinity Collection race. Zilisch suffered a damaged collarbone within the fall, however he was launched from an space hospital by the tip of Saturday evening.
Connor Zilisch suffers broken collarbone after falling off his car in Victory Lane after NASCAR Xfinity race
Steven Taranto
- #12 – Ryan Blaney
- #88 – Shane van Gisbergen (R)
- #19 – Chase Briscoe
- #1 – Ross Chastain
- #8 – Kyle Busch
- #71 – Michael McDowell
- #48 – Alex Bowman
- #77 – Carson Hocevar
- #20 – Christopher Bell
- #24 – William Byron
- #22 – Joey Logano
- #17 – Chris Buescher
- #2 – Austin Cindric
- #54 – Ty Gibbs
- #23 – Bubba Wallace
- #6 – Brad Keselowski
- #60 – Ryan Preece
- #16 – A.J. Allmendinger
- #99 – Daniel Suarez
- #9 – Chase Elliott
- #45 – Tyler Reddick
- #11 – Denny Hamlin
- #7 – Justin Haley
- #21 – Josh Berry
- #3 – Austin Dillon
- #5 – Kyle Larson
- #34 – Todd Gilliland
- #35 – Riley Herbst (R)
- #43 – Erik Jones
- #42 – John Hunter Nemechek
- #41 – Cole Custer
- #10 – Ty Dillon
- #38 – Zane Smith
- #47 – Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
- #4 – Noah Gragson
- #51 – Cody Ware
- #78 – Katherine Legge
- #44 – J.J. Yeley
- #66 – Josh Bilicki
Storyline to look at
NASCAR made a change to the restart zone at Watkins Glen, which has been moved to the entry to Flip 7 reasonably than the exit of the nook resulting in the beginning/end line. The change is much like the one made to the restart zone at Circuit of the Americas, which was moved again with a purpose to higher unfold the sector out on the entry to show one, lessening the probabilities of main pileups occurring because of drivers dive bombing the nook in heavy visitors.
“In an effort with the drivers to attempt to remove that as a lot as attainable however proceed to have thrilling racing and let these guys sort of settle the battle on a race observe with out steady cautions, we elected to begin shifting them again and get the restart sort of completed sooner, if you’ll,” NASCAR vice chairman of competitors Elton Sawyer told SiriusXM this week. “After which they have the entrance straightaway to race. So it offers them a little little bit of separation, however nonetheless loads of asphalt there to make strikes. In order that was the aim, and thus far, in a lot of the highway programs, we really feel like we have completed that.”
NASCAR information of the week
- NASCAR officers at the moment are brazenly discussing a rise from 670 to 750 horsepower for Cup Collection vehicles, however vice chairman of competitors Elton Sawyer famous this week than any enhance in horsepower doubtless is not going to come till the 2026 season. During an appearance on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, Sawyer referred to the matter of accelerating horsepower as a “2026 initiative” as they proceed discussing the matter with the game’s OEMs.
- NASCAR granted a playoff waiver to Austin Hill that can enable him to retain his eligibility for the Xfinity Collection playoffs regardless of a one-race suspension for deliberately wrecking Aric Almirola at Indianapolis, however not with out penalties: Because of a brand new rule applied for 2025 addressing drivers lacking races for non-excused causes, Hill now forfeits all playoff factors he has accrued all through the season and also will be ineligible to realize any extra till the tip of the common season.
Consequently, Hill now loses the 21 playoff factors he had earned all through the season to this point, which may have main penalties for him if he winds up ready the place he has to advance within the playoffs on factors. Elsewhere within the Xfinity Collection, Taylor Grey’s crew was fined $5,000 for an improperly put in lug nut present in post-race inspection final week at Iowa.
- NASCAR Craftsman Truck Collection driver Stewart Friesen has been launched from Albany Medical Middle and returned house after present process surgical procedure to restore a shattered pelvis and damaged leg suffered in a horrific grime modified accident. Friesen will miss the remainder of the 2025 season whereas he recovers from his accidents, resulting in some motion within the Truck Collection area.
Friesen’s No. 52 truck can be pushed this weekend by Christopher Bell, earlier than Kaden Honeycutt takes the wheel for the rest of the 2025 season starting at Richmond. Honeycutt strikes over to Halmar Friesen from Niece Motorsports, the place he was let go by the Chevrolet crew this week after signing with one other producer for 2026. Bayley Currey will take over the Niece No. 45 that Honeycutt had pushed, whereas Honeycutt will spend this weekend at Watkins Glen driving the No. 02 for Younger’s Motorsports.
Choose to win
Shane van Gisbergen (+135) — The final three highway course races have been simple cash if you happen to wager on Shane van Gisbergen. He is gained three highway races in a row at Mexico Metropolis, Chicago and Sonoma. And at Watkins Glen, SVG involves Upstate New York trying to avenge the ultimate lap of this race a 12 months in the past, the place he was main on the ultimate lap just for a slight clip of the Armco barrier coming into the bus cease for the ultimate time to interrupt his momentum, giving Chris Buescher the possibility he wanted to get a run and drive previous him for the win.
Humorous sufficient, the penultimate lap of final 12 months’s Watkins Glen race was the one one which SVG had led all day. However that was when SVG was driving for Kaulig Racing, and his No. 88 crew at Trackhouse Racing this 12 months has given him every little thing he wants to hold out what’s on the precipice of being a generational run in NASCAR highway racing.
So who wins the 2025 Go Bowling at The Glen, and which longshots are must-backs? Take a look at the equity 2025 NASCAR at Watkins Glen odds under, then visit SportsLine now to see the full NASCAR Watkins Glen projected leaderboard, all from the model that has nailed 26 winners, and discover out.