Cup Series←Race 24→

Go Bowling at The Glen

Date
Aug 10
Track
Watkins Glen International
Distance
90 Laps

RACE RECAP

Shane van Gisbergen continued his unprecedented road-course reign by winning the Go Bowling at The Glen at Watkins Glen International, his fourth victory of the 2025 season and fourth consecutive road/street course triumph. The Trackhouse Racing driver led 38 of 90 laps on the 2.45-mile road course and pulled away to an 11.1-second margin of victory over Christopher Bell in what was one of the most dominant performances of the entire season.

The race was remarkably clean, with only 3 cautions for 8 laps across 8 lead changes among 6 drivers. Chris Buescher captured Stage 1 and Ryan Blaney won Stage 2, but van Gisbergen was untouchable once the final stage went green. Buescher held on for third, with William Byron and Chase Briscoe completing the top five. Blaney, Daniel Suarez, Bubba Wallace, Tyler Reddick, and Ross Chastain rounded out the top ten.

Van Gisbergen's four straight road/street course wins tied Chase Elliott for the second-longest streak in Cup Series history, and his four victories surpassed the single-season win totals of legends like Jimmie Johnson and Tony Stewart in their rookie campaigns. The New Zealander's dominance on technical circuits has become the defining storyline of the 2025 season.

BY THE NUMBERS

8
Lead Changes
6
Leaders
3/8
Cautions / Laps
3,273
Green Flag Passes
11.116
Margin of Victory
101.263
Avg MPH
2:10:39
Race Time
8.9%
Under Caution
20.5
Avg Green Run (Laps)
Stage Winners
S1Chris Buescher
S2Ryan Blaney
Lap Leaders
#88Gisbergen38laps
#12Blaney35laps
#19Briscoe6laps
#17Buescher5laps
#6Keselowski5laps
#60Preece1laps
Caution Breakdown
1L22–243LStage 1 Conclusion
2L30–312LDebrisLD #5
3L42–443LStage 2 ConclusionLD #21

KEY TAKEAWAYS

01Shane van Gisbergen's 11.1-second victory margin at Watkins Glen was his fourth consecutive road/street course win -- he is the most dominant road-course driver in modern NASCAR history for fantasy purposes.
02Christopher Bell at P2 continues to be the clear second-best road-course option behind SVG, making him a premium but worthwhile fantasy investment on these tracks.
03Chris Buescher's Stage 1 win and P3 finish delivered excellent fantasy value -- his road-course consistency makes him a reliable mid-tier option at Watkins Glen.
04Only 3 cautions in the entire race meant long green-flag runs dominated -- Watkins Glen rewards pure speed and handling over pit strategy, benefiting the best road-course drivers.
05William Byron's P4 showed his versatility extends to road courses, giving fantasy managers another data point for rostering the Hendrick driver across all track types.

VALUE PICKS

5.9
pts/$
Car #12
Ryan Blaney$9
P6S1:P7S2:P1Led:35
5.20
pts/$
Car #3
Austin Dillon$5
P15
4.86
pts/$
Car #23
Bubba Wallace$7
P8
4.14
pts/$
Car #43
Erik Jones$7
P12
6.18
pts/$
Car #41
Ryan Preece$6
P13S1:P3S2:P10Led:1

BUSTS

0.1
pts/$
Car #5
Kyle Larson$15
P39
0.91
pts/$
Car #54
Ty Gibbs$11
P33S2:P9
1.57
pts/$
Car #34
Michael McDowell$14
P19
1.57
pts/$
Car #9
Chase Elliott$14
P26S1:P4
1.58
pts/$
Car #8
Kyle Busch$12
P22

PERFECT LINEUP

Optimal 5-driver roster for this race

Salary
$50/50
Avg Finish
P7.8
Total Points
339.01
GroupDriverSalaryFinishPts
A
Car #20
Christopher Bell
$142
98.00
2 × 49.00
B
Car #17
Chris Buescher
$133
88.38
1.75 × 50.50
C
Car #12
Ryan Blaney
$96
80.25
1.5 × 53.50
D
Car #41
Ryan Preece
$913
46.38
1.25 × 37.10
E
Car #3
Austin Dillon
$515
26.00
1 × 26.00