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What drivers said after Watkins Glen Cup win by Shane van Gisbergen
Shane van Gisbergen takes the victory at Watkins Glen Cup, with McDowell and Gibbs following.
Yahoo Sports1 min read
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Official race results: 2026 NASCAR Cup at Watkins Glen
TL;DR
Shane van Gisbergen won the 2026 NASCAR Cup at Watkins Glen, finishing 7.2 seconds ahead of Michael McDowell. Ty Gibbs secured third place after a strategic pit stop decision.
Key points
- Shane van Gisbergen won the race
- Victory margin was 7.2 seconds
- Ty Gibbs finished third after a strategic pit stop
- Ross Chastain won Stage 1
- Connor Zilisch had the fastest lap
Mentioned in this story
Watkins Glen
2026 NASCAR Cup
Motorsport photo
After 100 laps of NASCAR Cup racing at Watkins Glen, pole-sitter Shane van Gisbergen walked away with the checkered flag. He made up 29 seconds in 18 laps during the final stint, and ultimately won the race by 7.2 seconds over Michael McDowell.
Ty Gibbs was leading the strategy for those who cut out a pit stop, finishing third. Chase Briscoe and Tyler Reddick filled out the rest of the top five.
Along with the win, SVG also led the way at the end of Stage 2, while teammate Ross Chastain won Stage 1. Connor Zilisch earned the fastest lap bonus with a 1:12.541s.
SVG also led the most laps, leading 74 of 100 laps. McDowell, Gibbs, and Chastain were the only other drivers who led any laps during the race.
It was a fairly clean race as well, with only Cody Ware failing to reach the checkered flag and 32 of 38 starters finishing on the lead lap.
Read Also:
Shane van Gisbergen rockets to Watkins Glen NASCAR Cup win after incredible final stint
Watkins Glen NASCAR Cup results
| | | | 1 | 97 | Shane van Gisbergen | Chevrolet | 100 | 2:29'10.903 | | 5 | 74 | | 68 | 1'12.987 | 66 | | 2 | 71 | Michael McDowell | Chevrolet | 100 | 2:29'18.191 | 7.288 | 6 | 5 | | 36 | 1'13.355 | 4 | | 3 | 54 | Ty Gibbs | Toyota | 100 | 2:29'27.434 | 16.531 | 5 | 17 | | 42 | 1'13.481 | 70 | | 4 | 19 | Chase Briscoe | Toyota | 100 | 2:29'30.156 | 19.253 | 5 | | | 35 | 1'13.530 | 26 | | 5 | 45 | Tyler Reddick | Toyota | 100 | 2:29'30.275 | 19.372 | 5 | | | 41 | 1'13.503 | 56 | | 6 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Chevrolet | 100 | 2:29'31.844 | 20.941 | 5 | | | 38 | 1'13.580 | 47 | | 7 | 16 | AJ Allmendinger | Chevrolet | 100 | 2:29'32.421 | 21.518 | 6 | | | 36 | 1'13.132 | 83 | | 8 | 8 | Kyle Busch | Chevrolet | 100 | 2:29'33.205 | 22.302 | 5 | | | 35 | 1'13.408 | 67 | | 9 | 2 | Austin Cindric | Ford | 100 | 2:29'33.324 | 22.421 | 5 | | | 39 | 1'13.763 | 45 | | 10 | 42 | John Hunter Nemechek | Toyota | 100 | 2:29'36.341 | 25.438 | 5 | | | 32 | 1'13.337 | 78 | | 11 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Ford | 100 | 2:29'36.544 | 25.641 | 6 | | | 34 | 1'13.595 | 82 | | 12 | 17 | Chris Buescher | Ford | 100 | 2:29'41.409 | 30.506 | 5 | | | 30 | 1'13.221 | 67 | | 13 | 7 | Daniel Suarez | Chevrolet | 100 | 2:29'41.804 | 30.901 | 5 | | | 24 | 1'13.588 | 82 | | 14 | 60 | Ryan Preece | Ford | 100 | 2:29'42.999 | 32.096 | 6 | | | 23 | 1'13.617 | 80 | | 15 | 41 | Cole Custer | Chevrolet | 100 | 2:29'43.827 | 32.924 | 6 | | | 22 | 1'13.679 | 83 | | 16 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Toyota | 100 | 2:29'45.548 | 34.645 | 5 | | | 21 | 1'13.803 | 49 | | 17 | 34 | Todd Gilliland | Ford | 100 | 2:29'47.267 | 36.364 | 7 | | | 20 | 1'13.528 | 86 | | 18 | 38 | Zane Smith | Ford | 100 | 2:29'47.502 | 36.599 | 6 | | | 19 | 1'13.803 | 81 | | 19 | 43 | Erik Jones | Toyota | 100 | 2:29'48.679 | 37.776 | 6 | | | 18 | 1'13.951 | 84 | | 20 | 88 | Connor Zilisch | Chevrolet | 100 | 2:29'52.914 | 42.011 | 6 | | | 21 | 1'12.541 | 95 | | 21 | 20 | Christopher Bell | Toyota | 100 | 2:29'54.336 | 43.433 | 6 | | | 20 | 1'13.277 | 82 | | 22 | 4 | Noah Gragson | Ford | 100 | 2:29'54.782 | 43.879 | 6 | | | 15 | 1'13.660 | 88 | | 23 | 5 | Kyle Larson | Chevrolet | 100 | 2:29'56.875 | 45.972 | 6 | | | 14 | 1'13.646 | 78 | | 24 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Chevrolet | 100 | 2:29'57.331 | 46.428 | 6 | | | 13 | 1'13.810 | 68 | | 25 | 48 | Alex Bowman | Chevrolet | 100 | 2:30'00.911 | 50.008 | 6 | | | 12 | 1'13.476 | 78 | | 26 | 35 | Riley Herbst | Toyota | 100 | 2:30'02.748 | 51.845 | 7 | | | 13 | 1'13.430 | 81 | | 27 | 1 | Ross Chastain | Chevrolet | 100 | 2:30'04.468 | 53.565 | 6 | 4 | | 20 | 1'13.432 | 98 | | 28 | 77 | Carson Hocevar | Chevrolet | 100 | 2:30'11.296 | 1'00.393 | 5 | | | 9 | 1'13.891 | 67 | | 29 | 23 | Darrell Wallace Jr | Toyota | 100 | 2:30'20.784 | 1'09.881 | 6 | | | 9 | 1'13.972 | 97 | | 30 | 6 | Brad Keselowski | Ford | 100 | 2:30'21.430 | 1'10.527 | 7 | | | 7 | 1'13.456 | 55 | | 31 | 47 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr | Chevrolet | 100 | 2:30'21.509 | 1'10.606 | 7 | | | 6 | 1'14.300 | 28 | | 32 | 21 | Josh Berry | Ford | 100 | 2:30'31.889 | 1'20.986 | 6 | | | 5 | 1'13.746 | 84 | | 33 | 10 | Ty Dillon | Chevrolet | 99 | 2:29'15.451 | 1 Lap | 7 | | | 4 | 1'14.105 | 59 | | 34 | 66 | Josh Bilicki | Ford | 99 | 2:29'38.948 | 1 Lap | 8 | | | | 1'14.901 | 28 | | 35 | 78 | Katherine Legge | Chevrolet | 99 | 2:30'23.390 | 1 Lap | 7 | | | 2 | 1'14.889 | 86 | | 36 | 24 | William Byron | Chevrolet | 97 | 2:30'01.423 | 3 Laps | 8 | | | 1 | 1'13.444 | 80 | | 37 | 51 | Cody Ware | Chevrolet | 90 | 2:20'44.664 | 10 Laps | 10 | | Accident | 1 | 1'14.370 | 28 | | 38 | 22 | Joey Logano | Ford | 85 | 2:30'11.575 | 15 Laps | 7 | | | 10 | 1'13.567 | 67 |
Q&A
Who won the 2026 NASCAR Cup at Watkins Glen?
Shane van Gisbergen won the 2026 NASCAR Cup at Watkins Glen.
What was the winning margin in the 2026 NASCAR Cup race?
Shane van Gisbergen won by a margin of 7.2 seconds.
Which driver led the strategy by skipping a pit stop?
Ty Gibbs led the strategy by skipping a pit stop and finished in third place.
Who earned the fastest lap in the 2026 NASCAR Cup race?
Connor Zilisch earned the fastest lap bonus with a time of 1:12.541.