NASCAR Go Bowling at The Glen preview: Favorite, underdog, top storylines

On Sunday, the stars of the NASCAR Cup Series will traverse Watkins Glen in the second of four road course races on the 2026 schedule. 

Here's what you need to know ahead of the 12th race of the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season. 

Favorite: Shane van Gisbergen (-105, per FanDuel)

The fact that van Gisbergen is an odds-on favorite to win on Sunday is a testament to how dominant he's been on road courses in NASCAR competition in recent years. He won five road course races a season ago and was runner-up to Tyler Reddick at COTA in March. 

As if he needs any more advantages, the defending Watkins Glen winner won the pole on Saturday and got additional track time in Friday's Truck Series races and Saturday's O'Reilly Series race, finishing third and eighth, respectively. Anything but a win on Sunday would be a big disappointment to van Gisbergen and the No. 97 team. 

Underdog: Ross Chastain (+2700)

If there were ever a time for Chastain to win at Watkins Glen, it would be on Sunday. Chastain and the No. 1 team have struggled mightily out of the gate in 2026, leading to Chastain being mired in 18th in the series standings through 11 races. 

The good news? All of Trackhouse showed speed on Saturday, with Chastain qualifying fourth. He led 51 laps from the pole en route to a fourth-place finish at WGI in 2024 and finished 10th at the New York road course a season ago, so a good run isn't at all out of the question. 

How will new track limits affect racing?

NASCAR road racing is known for gloves-off racing that is a far cry from its open-wheel counterparts, but the sanctioning body is aiming to clean things up slightly this weekend at Watkins Glen. NASCAR added tire packs in turns 1 and 5 in what were formerly run-off areas in an attempt to better contain drivers from using too much of the racetrack. 

"Only turn 1 I find different," van Gisbergen said in his post-qualifying news conference. "You really have to brake a bit earlier and harder. You have no margin for error. It has changed how accurate you need to be in turn 1. The carousel's not any different I don't think."

What can the rookie do for an encore?

Connor Zilisch won his third consecutive NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series race at Watkins Glen on Saturday with a thrilling comeback. A similar performance on Sunday would be the perfect dose of medicine for the 19-year-old Cup rookie, who has struggled through the first part of his rookie campaign like so many first-year drivers before him. 

Zilisch qualified fifth on Saturday and will likely run inside the top five all day. Whether or not he can claim his first career Cup Series win could come down to his relative lack of experience. 

What's wrong with Hendrick Motorsports?

Chase Elliott, William Byron and Kyle Larson have all won at Watkins Glen before. Alex Bowman came into the race weekend on the heels of consecutive third-place finishes. 

That's why it was so surprising when all four HMS Chevrolets laid an egg in qualifying. Only Byron (13th) will start in the top 20 on Sunday, with Larson (23rd), Elliott (26th) and Bowman (28th) needing huge rallies just to have a solid points day. 

The strength of HMS' cars is often touted, and it will need to be on full display on Sunday afternoon if any of the team's four drivers are to have a chance to win. 

Quotes provided by NASCAR Media.