Shane van Gisbergen pulls off stunning comeback at Watkins Glen

TL;DR

Shane van Gisbergen made a remarkable comeback to win the NASCAR Cup Series' Go Bowling At The Glen at Watkins Glen International, overcoming a 29-second deficit. He passed leader Ty Gibbs with eight laps remaining to secure the victory.

Key points

Shane van Gisbergen won the Go Bowling At The Glen
He overcame a 29-second deficit
Passed Ty Gibbs with eight laps remaining
Finished after starting from 22nd place
Race held at Watkins Glen International

Go Bowling At The GlenWatkins Glen InternationalShane van GisbergenTrackhouse Racing

NASCAR's road-racing superstar put on a comeback for the ages on Sunday afternoon.

After a pit stop with 24 laps to go at Watkins Glen International, Trackhouse Racing's Shane van Gisbergen amazingly erased a 29-second deficit as he chased down leader Ty Gibbs and roared away to win the NASCAR Cup Series' Go Bowling At The Glen in Watkins Glen, New York.

Shane Van Gisbergen and crew spray champagne in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Cup Series Go Bowling at The Glen at Watkins Glen International on Sunday in Watkins Glen, New York.

The New Zealand-born driver fell to 22nd place after his last stop under green, but he set out to run down Gibbs and second-place teammate Connor Zilisch. He chopped off seconds each lap and passed Gibbs' No. 54 Toyota with eight laps left.

The No. 97 Chevrolet driver wound up beating runner-up Michael McDowell by a massive 7.288 seconds.

While leading 74 of the race's 100 laps, van Gisbergen notched his sixth victory in the past seven road races and secured his seventh career Cup win – all on road courses – in just 62 starts. He joined Tyler Reddick as the only drivers to win from the pole this season.

"We weren't very good in practice, and then qualifying was amazing, good tweaks, and then today," said van Gisbergen, who moved to 16th in the point standings. "I wasn't sure how it was going to work, and then to run them down like that. Very special to do two (Glen wins) in a row."

The fourth-year road ace claimed he wasn't as dominant as it looked.

"It's not easy," he said. "Everyone's really good. There was a lot of pressure there. I think McDowell was good. Connor was good. Tyler Reddick. There were some really good guys and a lot of pressure.

"Just stoked for these guys in executing every facet of our game."

Gibbs, Chase Briscoe and Reddick rounded out the top five.

Chevrolet won for the seventh time in the past eight visits to the Finger Lakes region's road layout and for the fourth time in a dozen starts in 2026.

In 2026's second race on a road course, van Gisbergen started from the point after winning the pole Saturday on his 37th birthday. He sailed away from McDowell's Chevy by over two seconds after eight times around the layout.

Q&A

How did Shane van Gisbergen win the Go Bowling At The Glen?

Shane van Gisbergen won by erasing a 29-second deficit after a pit stop, ultimately passing leader Ty Gibbs with eight laps to go.

What position was Shane van Gisbergen in before his comeback?

Before his comeback, Shane van Gisbergen was in 22nd place after his last pit stop under green.

Who did Shane van Gisbergen pass to win the race?

He passed Ty Gibbs, who was leading the race, to secure his victory.

What event did Shane van Gisbergen win at Watkins Glen?

He won the NASCAR Cup Series' Go Bowling At The Glen at Watkins Glen International.