Matt Johnson
The NASCAR Cup Series travels to Watkins Glen International this weekend for the iconic Go Bowling at The Glen. With a road course race comes the expectation that Shane van Gisbergen will shine. While SVG might be the race winner once again at The Glen, our NASCAR predictions this week project what else could happen.
Let’s dive into our Go Bowling at The Glen predictions for this weekend.
Chris Buescher Takes Stage 1 at Watkins Glen
Watkins Glen is one of Chris Buescher’s favorite tracks and he’s coming into this race on a hot streak, posting the fifth-best average finishing position (9.7) in the last six races. The No. 17 car hasn’t historically qualified well here in the past, starting 12th or worse in nine of 10 races as a Cup Series driver. What he has shown is the ability to navigate his way toward the front of the field. Come Sunday, after qualifying 11th, Buescher will win Stage 1 and then pit before the end of Stage 2 to try and go for the win. He’ll finish the day with 40-plus points.
Related: NASCAR Schedule Watkins Glen
Ross Chastain Wins Stage 2
Ross Chastain wouldn’t make The Chase if the regular season ended today. A win at Watkins Glen certainly isn’t coming for the No. 1 team on Sunday, so they’ll have to get points another way. Strategy should come into play in Go Bowling at The Glen, with crew chief Brandon McSwain prioritizing stage points. Chastain will stay out to win Stage 2, picking up 10 much-needed points to make up some ground in the standings. He’ll also finish in the top-15, so it will overall be a great points day for the team.
Read More: NASCAR Power Rankings Before Watkins Glen
Bubba Wallace, Denny Hamlin, Ty Gibbs Finish Outside Top 15
Bubba Wallace, Ty Gibbs and Denny Hamlin have been some of the most successful drivers in the Cup Series this season. Those points they’ve accrued will prove crucial with the arrival at Watkins Glen. In four career Cup races at Watkins Glen, Gibbs has finished 22nd or worse three times. Wallace has a career average finishing position of 21.1 here, and while that includes an eighth-place finish in 2025, we think the No. 23 team will prioritize stage points on Sunday. As for Hamlin, he’s made it pretty clear that road courses aren’t his thing and he’s finished 20th or worse in three of the last four races at this track. All three Toyota drivers won’t crack the top-15 on Sunday.
Related: NASCAR Standings Right Now Entering Watkins Glen
Connor Zilisch Gets a Career-Best Finish
It hasn’t exactly been a banner rookie season for Connor Zilisch with Trackhouse Racing. We see that changing on Sunday. He’s arguably the second-best driver on road courses in the Cup Series and he’s demonstrated that time and time again in battles with SVG. While he placed 14th at COTA, we’d like to remind everyone that he got spun out twice. Incredibly, Zilisch still finished inside the top 15 thanks to a race-high 56 passes. Now that he has more experience in the Next Gen car, we’re predicting he finishes second at Watkins Glen.
Shane van Gisbergen Wins Again at Watkins Glen
Expect anything different? Shane van Gisbergen won the race at this track last year in his first season with Trackhouse Racing, and that came after a second-place finish with Kaulig Racing at this same track in 2024. He’s going to put down the top qualifying time and the fastest lap this weekend. We’re not picking against SVG on a road course until we see Zilisch round into form. Once that happens, it’ll be one of the two.
