Qualifying Results : Watkins Glen International
Go Bowling at The Glen
Watkins Glen International , Watkins Glen, NY
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18
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11
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9
- Watkins Glen International
- Go Bowling at The Glen
- Busch Pole Award Pole Winner: Shane Van Gisbergen
- Age: 37
- Team : No 97 - Superfile Chevrolet
- Owner: Justin Marks
- Crew Chief: Stephen Doran
- Shane Van Gisbergen won the Pole Award for the Go Bowling at The Glen with a lap of 71165 seconds, 123937 mph
- This is his fifth pole in 62 NASCAR Cup Series races
- This is his first pole and second top-10 start in 2026
- This is his first pole in three races at Watkins Glen International
- Michael McDowell (second) posted his third top-10 start of 2026 and his fifth in 17 races at Watkins Glen International
- Austin Cindric (third) posted his third top-10 start at Watkins Glen International It is his fourth in 12 races this season
- Connor Zilisch (fifth) was the fastest qualifying rookie
- Drivers Entered: 38
- Laps Scheduled: 100
- Margin of Victory: 07.288 Seconds
- Time of Race: 2 Hours 29 Minutes 11 Seconds
- Average Speed: 98.536
- Cautions: 4 for 12 laps
- Lead Changes: 6
- Green Flag Passes: 1,813 (20.6 passes per green flag lap)
- Watkins Glen International
- Go Bowling at The Glen
- Race Winner: Shane Van Gisbergen
- Age: 37
- Team : No 97 - Superfile Chevrolet
- Owner: Justin Marks
- Crew Chief: Stephen Doran
- Shane Van Gisbergen won the Go Bowling at The Glen, his seventh victory in 62 Cup Series races
- This is his first victory and third top-10 finish in 2026
- This is his second victory and third top-10 finish in three races at Watkins Glen International
- Michael McDowell (second) posted his third top-10 finish in 17 races at Watkins Glen International It is his third top-10 finish in 2026
- Ty Gibbs (third) posted his second top-10 finish in five races at Watkins Glen International
- Connor Zilisch (20th) was the highest finishing rookie
- Tyler Reddick leads the point standings by 129 points over Denny Hamlin
Qualifying Round 1
Round 1 of NASCAR Cup Series qualifying splits drivers into two groups, with the fastest five from each advancing to the pole round. This initial round is critical as it determines the drivers competing for the top 10 starting positions.