SVG wins Watkins Glen Cup Series with epic comeback drive

The #97 Trackhouse Racing driver completed a green flag pit stop in Stage 3 before reeling in the race leaders, cutting a 29-second deficit in 17 laps.

A divergence in strategy under the final caution of the race gave Joe Gibbs Racing driver Ty Gibbs the race lead. However, older tyres and fuel conservation ultimately were not enough to overcome van Gisbergen’s outright pace.

In the end, van Gisbergen finished seven seconds ahead of second place starter Michael McDowell in the #71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro.

“Unbelievable to win with #97,” said van Gisbergen.

“We weren’t very good in practice and then qualifying was amazing. Good tweaks, and then today.

“What a race car. Stephen (Doran, crew chief) made great calls. I wasn’t sure how it was going to work and then to run them down like that… very, very special to do.

“It’s not easy. Everyone is really good. There was a lot of pressure there and McDowell was good, Connor (Zilisch) was good, Tyler Reddick – there was some good guys and a lot of pressure.

“Just stoked for these guys. To execute every facet of our game. Speechless. This is so cool.”

SVG: In a league of his own. Watkins Glen belongs to Shane van Gisbergen! 🏁 pic.twitter.com/6hJ9jt650q

— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) May 10, 2026

Initially, McDowell went with van Gisbergen and the pair skipped out to a healthy lead. By Lap 10, however, the gap between first and second had blown out to two seconds while third-placed Zilisch was another six seconds in arrears.

Trackhouse Racing drivers occupied three of the top four positions with Ross Chastain climbing to fourth.

On Lap 18, van Gisbergen pitted from the lead. Chastain elected to stay out and take the Stage 1 win ahead of Joey Logano and Ryan Blaney. Van Gisbergen, meanwhile, finished eighth.

“It’s really good,” van Gisbergen said of his car over the radio.

“Hopefully stays that way. I think it’s a track position race, for sure.”

Van Gisbergen returned to the lead of the race when those who elected not to pit during Stage 1 finally came to the lane. McDowell was second and Zilisch third.

Stage 1 winner Chastain dropped to 24th for the Lap 25 restart.

On Lap 27, Zilisch made it a Trackhouse one-two with a pass into Turn 1 on McDowell and set about piling pressure on van Gisbergen for the lead.

There were bizarre scenes on Lap 40 when a tent blew onto the race track, which brought out the caution.

Under the yellow, van Gisbergen called for his team to split strategies between him and Zilisch.

Van Gisbergen led the lion’s share of the field ot the pit lane on Lap 41. McDowell elected not to pit from third and assumed the lead while Daniel Suarez, who was seventh, rose to second.

Christopher Bell was third, Bubba Wallace fourth, Riley Herbst fifth, and John Hunter Nemechek sixth. Van Gisbergen, meanwhile, was seventh and Zilisch eighth.

There was drama on the start as Herbst spun at Turn 1. Moments later, William Byron in the #24 Hendrick Motorsports Camaro spun through the Bus Stop chicane off the nose of Ryan Preece’s #60 RFK Racing Ford Mustang. Bryon was forced to pit with a broken toe link.

In one lap, van Gisbergen rose to fourth and continued his march forward to second a few laps later. Zilisch, however, was mired in the restart madness and fell back to 16th.

On older tyres, McDowell conceded the lead of the race to van Gisbergen on Lap 47 with four laps to go in the stage.

Van Gisbergen won Stage 2 ahead of Reddick and Gibbs. Zilisch eventually fought back to ninth.

Stage 3 started on Lap 55 and van Gisbergen held sway over Reddick.

When Joey Logano’s left front tyre came apart, the caution was thrown for debris on Lap 60.

It was at that moment a divergence in strategy became apparent. Third-placed Gibbs led a throng of cars to the pit lane, leaving just a few of the front runners on track – including van Gisbergen and Reddick.

Van Gisbergen led the Lap 64 restart. Gibbs was the best of those to have pitted under the caution in ninth.

Van Gisbergen immediately skipped away from Reddick to the tune of two seconds by Lap 67.

Come Lap 76, van Gisbergen made his final pit stop with a lead approaching six seconds over Gibbs. That dropped the #97 to 24th and nearly 30 seconds in arrears of the leaders.

That set up a fascinating final stanza as the front runners elected to save fuel to try make it to the end.

That left Gibbs at the front of the field to fend off Zilisch.

Van Gisbergen briefly got baulked by traffic but soon enough cut the gap down with laps two seconds faster than Gibbs and Zilisch.

With 11 laps to go, Zilisch threw it up the inside of Gibbs at the Bus Stop chicane to no avail.

SVG to the lead with 8 laps to go at Watkins Glen! What a drive to the front that was. pic.twitter.com/RLpVb7Kzfk

— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) May 10, 2026

Inside nine laps to go, van Gisbergen was within sight of Zilisch and Gibbs.

Zilisch’s hopes were dashed entirely when the right front tyre popped. He had been locking up repeatedly into Turn 1, which proved too much.

With eight laps remaining, van Gisbergen made the decisive pass for the lead and skipped away froim Gibbs who was soon passed by McDowell.

All told, van Gisbergen was seven seconds clear of McDowell. Gibbs was 16 seconds back in third while Briscoe and Reddick completed the top five.

Results: NASCAR Cup Series Go Bowling at The Glen, Watkins Glen International

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