NASCAR Cup Series at Watkins Glen International

Go Bowling at The Glen
NASCAR Cup Series
VenueWatkins Glen International
LocationWatkins Glen, New York, United States
Corporate sponsorGo Bowling
First race1957
Distance245.54 miles (395.158 km)
Laps100
Stage 1: 20
Stage 2: 30
Final stage: 50
Previous namesThe Glen 101.2 (1957)
The Glen 151.8 (1964–1965)
The Budweiser at The Glen (1986–1989)
Budweiser at The Glen (1990–1993)
The Bud at The Glen (1994–1998)
Frontier @ the Glen (1999)
Global Crossing @ The Glen (2000–2001)
Sirius Satellite Radio at the Glen (2002–2005)
AMD at the Glen (2006)
Centurion Boats at the Glen (2007–2008)
Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips at The Glen (2009–2011)
Finger Lakes 355 at The Glen (2012)
Cheez-It 355 at the Glen (2013–2016)
I Love New York 355 at The Glen (2017)
Most wins (driver)Tony Stewart (5)
Most wins (team)Hendrick Motorsports (11)
Most wins (manufacturer)Chevrolet (24)
Circuit information
SurfaceAsphalt
Length2.454 mi (3.949 km)
Turns7

Stock car racing events in the NASCAR Cup Series have taken place at Watkins Glen International in Watkins Glen, New York on the 2.454-mile (3.949 km) road course annually since 1986. Since 2018, the 100-lap, 245.54-mile (395.16 km) race has been known as Go Bowling at The Glen for sponsorship reasons.

Shane van Gisbergen is the defending race winner.

History

Prior to 1986, three races were held in 1957 (in one of the track's first professional races), as well in 1964 and 1965. These races were held in the track's original configuration, which was 2.35 miles long.

The current NASCAR Cup race at the track began in 1986, utilizing a shortened 2.45 mile course. Following the 1991 death of J. D. McDuffie in a crash in the Outer Loop, at the end of the backstretch, and a subsequent, serious crash by IMSA driver, Tommy Kendall, the Inner Loop "bus stop" chicane was added just before the Outer Loop. NASCAR has since utilized this 2.45-mile (3.94 km) "short course," and has never utilized the "Boot" as IndyCar and Formula One have. Some drivers, however, have proposed the use of the full course.

During a 2011 Mobil Oil "Car Swap" at Watkins Glen using the course, Tony Stewart pushed for using the Grand Prix course after driving demonstration laps in both his Chevrolet Impala and the majority of his laps in a McLaren MP4-23 as part of the event with Lewis Hamilton.

ESPN broadcast the race from 1986 to 2000, then again from 2007 to 2014. Starting in 2015, NBC has held the rights to broadcast the race. However, the 2015 edition was aired on NBCSN, while the 2016 race was broadcast by USA Network because of the 2016 Summer Olympics airing on NBC and NBCSN. Beginning in 2017, with the exception of 2025, NBC broadcast the race in a "radio"-style manner, where various analysts would be placed on the course to report what they see in their section of the track to the viewer.

In 2020, the race was not held due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The State of New York was requiring travelers from several states to isolate for 14 days (including North Carolina, where most of NASCAR's teams are located, and Florida, where NASCAR's corporate offices are), and not giving the series a quarantine waiver to enter the state. NASCAR instead held a race on the Daytona International Speedway road course, the Go Bowling 235.

2024's running of this race, moved to September, was the second race of the Round of 16 in the NASCAR playoffs. Watkins Glen's stint in the playoffs was short-lived however, as in the 2025 season, Watkins Glen returned to its typical August date. In 2026 the race was moved to a mid-May date. On December 3, 2025, NASCAR released a schedule for the race weekend that included an extension of the race to 100 laps.

Prior to the 2026 race weekend, it was announced on May 7 that Watkins Glen would return to the Chase in 2027.

Past winners

Year Date No. Driver Team Manufacturer Race distance Race time Average speed
(mph)		 Report Ref
Laps Miles (km)
2.3 miles (3.7 km) layout
1957 August 4 87 Buck Baker Buck Baker Chevrolet 44 101.2 (162.865) 1:13:06 83.064 Report
1958
–
1963		 Not held
1964 July 19 1 Billy Wade Bud Moore Engineering Mercury 66 151.8 (244.298) 1:32:57 97.988 Report
1965 July 18 21 Marvin Panch Wood Brothers Racing Ford 66 151.8 (244.298) 1:32:46 98.182 Report
1966
–
1985		 Not held
2.428 miles (3.907 km) layout (pre-inner loop chicane)
1986 August 10 25 Tim Richmond Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 90 218.52 (351.673) 2:12:56 90.463 Report
1987 August 10* 27 Rusty Wallace Blue Max Racing Pontiac 90 218.52 (351.673) 2:24:36 90.682 Report
1988 August 14 26 Ricky Rudd King Racing Buick 90 218.52 (351.673) 2:56:58 74.096 Report
1989 August 13 27 Rusty Wallace Blue Max Racing Pontiac 90 218.52 (351.673) 2:26:55 87.242 Report
1990 August 12 5 Ricky Rudd Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 90 218.52 (351.673) 2:21:49 92.452 Report
1991 August 11 4 Ernie Irvan Morgan-McClure Motorsports Chevrolet 90 218.52 (351.673) 2:12:28 98.977 Report
2.454 miles (3.949 km) layout with inner loop chicane
1992 August 9 42 Kyle Petty SABCO Racing Pontiac 51* 125.154 (201.415) 1:27:21 88.980 Report
1993 August 8 6 Mark Martin Roush Racing Ford 90 220.5 (354.86) 2:36:04 84.771 Report
1994 August 14 6 Mark Martin Roush Racing Ford 90 220.5 (354.86) 2:21:07 93.752 Report
1995 August 13 6 Mark Martin Roush Racing Ford 90 220.5 (354.86) 2:11:54 103.030 Report
1996 August 11 7 Geoff Bodine Geoff Bodine Racing Ford 90 220.5 (354.86) 2:23:17 92.334 Report
1997 August 10 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 90 220.5 (354.86) 2:24:55 91.294 Report
1998 August 9 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 90 220.5 (354.86) 2:20:03 94.466 Report
1999 August 15 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 90 220.5 (354.86) 2:30:49 87.722 Report
2000 August 13 1 Steve Park Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet 90 220.5 (354.86) 2:24:51 91.336 Report
2001 August 12 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 90 220.5 (354.86) 2:28:31 89.081 Report
2002 August 11 20 Tony Stewart Joe Gibbs Racing Pontiac 90 220.5 (354.86) 2:40:56 82.208 Report
2003 August 10 31 Robby Gordon Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 90 220.5 (354.86) 2:26:17 90.441 Report
2004 August 15 20 Tony Stewart Joe Gibbs Racing Chevrolet 90 220.5 (354.86) 2:23:25 92.249 Report
2005 August 14 20 Tony Stewart Joe Gibbs Racing Chevrolet 92* 225.4 (362.746) 2:35:48 86.804 Report
2006 August 13 29 Kevin Harvick Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 90 220.5 (354.86) 2:52:27 76.718 Report
2007 August 12 20 Tony Stewart Joe Gibbs Racing Chevrolet 90 220.5 (354.86) 2:50:38 77.535 Report
2008 August 10 18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 90 220.5 (354.86) 2:16:11 97.148 Report
2009 August 10* 14 Tony Stewart Stewart–Haas Racing Chevrolet 90 220.5 (354.86) 2:26:31 90.297 Report
2010 August 8 42 Juan Pablo Montoya* Earnhardt Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 90 220.5 (354.86) 2:23:52 91.960 Report
2011 August 15* 9 Marcos Ambrose* Richard Petty Motorsports Ford 92* 225.4 (362.746) 2:16:02 99.417 Report
2012 August 12 9 Marcos Ambrose Richard Petty Motorsports Ford 90 220.5 (354.86) 2:14:48 98.145 Report
2013 August 11 18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 90 220.5 (354.86) 2:32:04 87.001 Report
2014 August 10 47 A. J. Allmendinger JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet 90 220.5 (354.86) 2:26:48 90.123 Report
2015 August 9 22 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford 90 220.5 (354.86) 2:24:43 91.42 Report
2016 August 7 11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 90 220.5 (354.86) 2:27:48 89.513 Report
2017 August 6 78 Martin Truex Jr. Furniture Row Racing Toyota 90 220.5 (354.86) 2:07:03 104.132 Report
2018 August 5 9 Chase Elliott Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 90 220.5 (354.86) 2:13:44 98.928 Report
2019 August 4 9 Chase Elliott Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 90 220.5 (354.86) 2:14:17 98.523 Report
2020* August 16 Moved to Daytona road course due to COVID-19 pandemic
2021 August 8 5 Kyle Larson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 90 220.5 (354.86) 2:10:57 101.031 Report
2022 August 21 5 Kyle Larson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 90 220.5 (354.86) 2:17:52 95.962 Report
2023 August 20 24 William Byron Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 90 220.5 (354.86) 1:58:44 111.426 Report
2024 September 15 17 Chris Buescher RFK Racing Ford 92* 225.4 (362.746) 2:38:41 80.226 Report
2025 August 10 88 Shane van Gisbergen Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet 90 220.5 (354.86) 2:10:39 101.263 Report
2026 May 10 97 Shane van Gisbergen Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet 100 242.8 (390.749) 2:29:11 98.536 Report

Multiple winners (drivers)

# of wins Driver Years won
5 Tony Stewart 2002, 2004–2005, 2007, 2009
4 Jeff Gordon 1997–1999, 2001
3 Mark Martin 1993–1995
2 Rusty Wallace 1987, 1989
Ricky Rudd 1988, 1990
Marcos Ambrose 2011–2012
Kyle Busch 2008, 2013
Chase Elliott 2018–2019
Kyle Larson 2021–2022
Shane van Gisbergen 2025–2026

Multiple winners (teams)

# of wins Team Years won
11 Hendrick Motorsports 1986, 1990, 1997–1999, 2001, 2018–2019, 2021–2023
7 Joe Gibbs Racing 2002, 2004–2005, 2007–2008, 2013, 2016
4 RFK Racing 1993–1995, 2024
2 Blue Max Racing 1987, 1989
Richard Childress Racing 2003, 2006
Richard Petty Motorsports 2011–2012
Trackhouse Racing 2025–2026

Manufacturer wins

# of wins Manufacturer Years won
24 Chevrolet 1957, 1986, 1990–1991, 1997–2001, 2003–2007, 2009–2010, 2014, 2018–2019, 2021–2023, 2025–2026
9 Ford 1965, 1993–1996, 2011–2012, 2015, 2024
4 Pontiac 1987, 1989, 1992, 2002
Toyota 2008, 2013, 2016–2017
1 Mercury 1964
Buick 1988

References

  1. ↑ "Watkins Glen International, Go Bowling announce 'striking' partnership". Watkins Glen International. January 18, 2018. Archived from the original on January 20, 2021. Retrieved January 22, 2020.
  2. ↑ "Uncommonly calm race at The Glen could shape 16-driver Chase field". Fox Sports, Tom Jensen Aug 9, 2015
  3. ↑ Stewart: We should run the long course Archived December 30, 2013, at the Wayback Machine, Racer Magazine, June 15, 2011.
  4. 1 2 Bove, Matt (July 8, 2020). "Watkins Glen NASCAR race canceled due to COVID-19 travel restrictions". WKBW. Retrieved December 30, 2021.
  5. ↑ "Revised schedule features Daytona road course". SaltWire Network. Reuters. July 9, 2020. Retrieved December 30, 2021.
  6. ↑ "NASCAR reveals 2024 Cup schedule as Atlanta, Watkins Glen move to playoffs". October 4, 2023. Retrieved August 12, 2024.
  7. ↑ "NASCAR reveals milestone 2025 Cup Series schedule, complete with international flair, return to roots". NASCAR. August 29, 2024. Retrieved August 29, 2024.
  8. ↑ Bianchi, Jordan (2025-08-19). "First look at NASCAR's 2026 Cup Series schedule, from Daytona to Homestead". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2025-08-19.
  9. ↑ "2026 Watkins Glen International Schedule". Jayski. NASCAR Digital Media. Retrieved 9 December 2025.
  10. ↑ "WGI announces September weekend for its 2027 NASCAR Cup Series event". Jayski's Silly Season Site. May 7, 2026. Retrieved May 7, 2026.
  11. ↑ "1957 The Glen 101.2". Racing-Reference. Retrieved December 30, 2021.
  12. ↑ "1964 The Glen 151.8". Racing-Reference. Retrieved December 30, 2021.
  13. ↑ "1965 The Glen 151.8". Racing-Reference. Retrieved December 30, 2021.
  14. ↑ "1986 The Budweiser At The Glen". Racing-Reference. Retrieved December 30, 2021.
  15. ↑ "1987 The Budweiser At The Glen". Racing-Reference. Retrieved December 30, 2021.
  16. ↑ "1988 The Budweiser At The Glen". Racing-Reference. Retrieved December 30, 2021.
  17. ↑ "1989 The Budweiser At The Glen". Racing-Reference. Retrieved December 30, 2021.
  18. ↑ "1990 The Budweiser At The Glen". Racing-Reference. Retrieved December 30, 2021.
  19. ↑ "1991 The Budweiser At The Glen". Racing-Reference. Retrieved December 30, 2021.
  20. ↑ "1992 The Budweiser At The Glen". Racing-Reference. Retrieved December 30, 2021.
  21. ↑ "1993 The Budweiser At The Glen". Racing-Reference. Retrieved December 30, 2021.
  22. ↑ "1994 The Bud At The Glen". Racing-Reference. Retrieved December 30, 2021.
  23. ↑ "1995 The Bud At The Glen". Racing-Reference. Retrieved December 30, 2021.
  24. ↑ "1996 The Bud At The Glen". Racing-Reference. Retrieved December 30, 2021.
  25. ↑ "1997 The Bud At The Glen". Racing-Reference. Retrieved December 30, 2021.
  26. ↑ "1998 The Bud At The Glen". Racing-Reference. Retrieved December 30, 2021.
  27. ↑ "1999 Frontier @ the Glen". Racing-Reference. Retrieved December 30, 2021.
  28. ↑ "2000 Global Crossing @ the Glen". Racing-Reference. Retrieved December 30, 2021.
  29. ↑ "2001 Global Crossing at the Glen". Racing-Reference. Retrieved December 30, 2021.
  30. ↑ "2002 Sirius Satellite Radio at the Glen". Racing-Reference. Retrieved December 30, 2021.
  31. ↑ "2003 Sirius Satellite Radio at the Glen". Racing-Reference. Retrieved December 30, 2021.
  32. ↑ "2004 Sirius at the Glen". Racing-Reference. Retrieved December 30, 2021.
  33. ↑ "2005 Sirius Satellite Radio at the Glen". Racing-Reference. Retrieved December 30, 2021.
  34. ↑ "2006 AMD at the Glen". Racing-Reference. Retrieved December 30, 2021.
  35. ↑ "2007 Centurion Boats at the Glen". Racing-Reference. Retrieved December 30, 2021.
  36. ↑ "2008 Centurion Boats at the Glen". Racing-Reference. Retrieved December 30, 2021.
  37. ↑ "2009 Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips at the Glen". Racing-Reference. Retrieved December 30, 2021.
  38. ↑ "2010 Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips at the Glen". Racing-Reference. Retrieved December 30, 2021.
  39. ↑ "2011 Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips at the Glen". Racing-Reference. Retrieved December 30, 2021.
  40. ↑ "2012 Finger Lakes 355 at the Glen". Racing-Reference. Retrieved December 30, 2021.
  41. ↑ "2013 Cheez-It 355 at the Glen". Racing-Reference. Retrieved December 30, 2021.
  42. ↑ "2014 Cheez-It 355 at the Glen". Racing-Reference. Retrieved December 30, 2021.
  43. ↑ "2015 Cheez-It 355 at the Glen". Racing-Reference. Retrieved December 30, 2021.
  44. ↑ "2016 Cheez-It 355 at the Glen". Racing-Reference. Retrieved December 30, 2021.
  45. ↑ "2017 I Love New York 355 at the Glen". Racing-Reference. Retrieved December 30, 2021.
  46. ↑ "2018 Go Bowling at the Glen". Racing-Reference. Retrieved December 30, 2021.
  47. ↑ "2019 Go Bowling at the Glen". Racing-Reference. Retrieved December 30, 2021.
  48. ↑ "2021 Go Bowling at the Glen". Racing-Reference. Retrieved December 30, 2021.
  49. ↑ "2022 Go Bowling at the Glen". Racing-Reference. Retrieved August 21, 2022.
  50. ↑ "2023 Go Bowling at the Glen". Racing-Reference. Retrieved August 20, 2023.
  51. ↑ "2024 Go Bowling at the Glen". Racing-Reference. Retrieved September 15, 2024.
  52. ↑ "2025 Go Bowling at the Glen". Racing-Reference. Retrieved August 10, 2025.
  53. ↑ "2026 Go Bowling at the Glen". Racing-Reference. Retrieved May 10, 2026.