Shane van Gisbergen won the NASCAR Cup race at Watkins Glen, marking his seventh career victory and Trackhouse Racing's first win of the 2026 season. He made an impressive comeback, gaining 29.2 seconds in the final 18 laps.
Key points
Shane van Gisbergen won the NASCAR Cup race at Watkins Glen
This is his seventh career win
Trackhouse Racing's first win of the 2026 season
He gained 29.2 seconds in the final 18 laps
Ty Gibbs finished third
Mentioned in this story
Watkins Glen
Shane van GisbergenTy GibbsMichael McDowellChase Briscoe
Motorsport photo
Motorsport photo
There was no stopping Shane van Gisbergen at Watkins Glen on Sunday, as he collected his seventh career win and Trackhouse Racing's first of the 2026 NASCAR Cup season.
In 18 laps, he made up 29.2 seconds, passing Ty Gibbs for the race lead with seven laps to spare.
Van Gisbergen led the way from pole position, followed by McDowell. Cindric fell behind the Trackhouse cars as Zilisch moved up to third.
However, there was no catching Van Gisbergen as he drove off with the lead by several seconds over the field.
Stenhouse went off-roading through the bus stop, but avoided any damage as he drove through the muddy grass.
There was a tense moment between Spire teammates as Suarez and Hocevar rubbed doors, with Hocevar radioing the team to say "Daniel can go f*** himself" and that he will 'never let him go again.'
Q&A
How did Shane van Gisbergen win the Watkins Glen NASCAR Cup race?
Shane van Gisbergen won by making up 29.2 seconds in the final 18 laps and passing Ty Gibbs for the lead with seven laps remaining.
What position did Ty Gibbs finish in the Watkins Glen NASCAR race?
Ty Gibbs finished in third place at the Watkins Glen NASCAR Cup race.
What is significant about Shane van Gisbergen's victory at Watkins Glen?
This victory is significant as it is Shane van Gisbergen's seventh career win and Trackhouse Racing's first win of the 2026 NASCAR Cup season.
Who were the top finishers in the Watkins Glen NASCAR Cup race?
The top finishers were Shane van Gisbergen in first, Michael McDowell in second, and Ty Gibbs in third.
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As expected, many cars flipped the stage by short-pitting, including Van Gisbergen.
Chastain stayed out and won Stage 1, followed by Logano, Blaney, Cindric, Allmendinger, Bell, Nemechek, Van Gisbergen, Herbst, and McDowell.
The battle for the final stage point was dramatic as McDowell, Herbst, and Wallace fanned out three-wide across the line, with Wallace losing out.
A couple other cars sacrificed track position in an effort to gain stage points, but came up empty-handed, including Elliott.
Stage 2
On the restart, Van Gisbergen continued to control the race, but Zilisch shadowed him for much of the stage.
Larson and Keselowski lost a lot of spots on the restart as things got chaotic in the midfield, but they kept it clean.
With 10 laps to go in the stage, a tent or canopy from the campground blew onto the track, forcing a caution flag.
Van Gisbergen pitted from the lead and most of the field followed suit, but six drivers stayed out: McDowell, Suarez, Bell, Wallace, Herbst, and Nemechek.
The restart was wild, and Herbst was the first driver to go spinning in Turn 1. At the bus stop chicane, Byron went around and Blaney slammed into him, damaging both cars. Gilliland also spun in the chaos, while Zilisch lost a few spots after being forced to bail through the grass. Byron had to pit and lost several laps in the process.
Bell missed the bus stop and had to stop, denying him a shot at any stage points.
Van Gisbergen easily reclaimed the lead, winning Stage 2 over Reddick, Gibbs, A. Dillon, Busch, Buescher, Cindric, Zilisch, Briscoe, and Wallace -- who beat Chastain by just a nose at the green-and-white checkered.
McDowell fell all the way outside the top ten and scored no points, giving up a top three run without gaining any extra bonus from it.
Stage 3
Van Gisbergen restarted with Reddick now alongside. It was a clean restart with no drama at the front.
Logano slowed with a flat tire and spit tire carcass onto the track, forcing a caution just outside the fuel window.
Van Gisbergen and Reddick stayed out, but most of the field opted to pit.
A total of 12 cars stayed out, with Gibbs leading those who came down pit road in 13th.
Van Gisbergen checked out on the restart, as Allmendinger took second from Reddick. Gibbs quickly made his way up into the top five, with Zilisch close behind him.
Katherine Legge spun but continued. However, Reddick reacted, thinking the No. 78 would trigger a full-course caution. As the final stage progressed, Gibbs moved up to second as Van Gisbergen led by over five seconds.
Van Gisbergen pitted from the lead with 25 laps to go, and the race was on as Gibbs inherited the race lead. He rejoined the race in 25th, about 30 seconds behind the race leader.
Zilisch was putting pressure on Zilisch as Wallace spun at Turn 1, but continued. There was also an incident with Josh Berry and Cody Ware on the approach to the final corner, but the race remained green.
Zilisch ultimately had to pit, while Van Gisbergen took the lead with seven laps to go. He simply drove away at that point, earning back-to-back wins at Watkins Glen.