NASCAR Race This Weekend: Watkins Glen Lineup, Pole, and TV

There’s something about a road course race that makes even casual fans stop scrolling. This weekend at Watkins Glen International, the NASCAR Cup Series delivers a mix of raw speed and strategy that could reshuffle the playoff picture before summer even hits.

Pole winner: Shane van Gisbergen (1:11.165) ·
Race: Go Bowling at The Glen, Watkins Glen International ·
Stages: 20/50/100 laps ·
Streaming: HBO Max

The qualifying results tell one clear story: Trackhouse Racing owns Watkins Glen right now. Three cars inside the top five, including the pole. That level of dominance from a single organization on a road course is rare, and it sets up a fascinating strategic battle.

Gap between pole and third is just 0.280 seconds—three car lengths on a track where a tenth can separate the winner from the pack. The implication: qualifying matters more at Watkins Glen than at most ovals because passing on a road course demands a mistake from the car ahead.

What is the starting lineup for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup race?

Full starting order for the Go Bowling at The Glen

• Shane van Gisbergen (pole) — 1:11.165 (Motorsport.com (motorsport specialist))
• Michael McDowell — 1:11.424 (Motorsport.com (motorsport specialist))
• Austin Cindric — 1:11.445 (Racing News (NASCAR coverage))
• Ross Chastain — 1:11.449 (Motorsport.com (motorsport specialist))
• Connor Zilisch — 1:11.483 (Racing News (NASCAR coverage))
• Joey Logano — 1:11.522 (Racing News (NASCAR coverage))
• Ryan Blaney — 1:11.523 (Racing News (NASCAR coverage))

Shane van Gisbergen is the defending winner at Watkins Glen, and his qualifying performance suggests he hasn’t lost the feel for the 2.45-mile road course. The New Zealander has won on everything from street circuits to endurance classics, and his transition to NASCAR Cup has given Trackhouse a genuine road course specialist. Ross Chastain, starting 4th, is always aggressive on restarts — expect contact in the first corner.

The catch: nine of the top ten start times are separated by less than four-tenths of a second. That’s an unusually tight field for a road course. For the drivers starting outside the top ten, the Watkins Glen esses and The Boot section will test tire management and nerve.

Who got the pole for Sunday’s NASCAR race?

Shane van Gisbergen’s qualifying performance

Van Gisbergen laid down a 1:11.165 lap during Saturday qualifying at Watkins Glen International, edging Michael McDowell by 0.259 seconds (Motorsport.com (motorsport specialist)). That margin — nearly three-tenths on a 100-lap race — is substantial for a track where drivers rarely gain more than half a second over a full stint.

For context, van Gisbergen’s 2025 Watkins Glen win came from the front row. He’s never started worse than 2nd at this track in Cup competition. The qualifying session ran under clear skies with track temperatures in the 80s, conditions that favor drivers who can rotate the car through the esses without losing rear grip.

Trackhouse Racing dominance in qualifying

All three Trackhouse Racing entries qualified inside the top five: van Gisbergen 1st, Ross Chastain 4th, Connor Zilisch 5th. That’s the kind of statistical outlier that signals a team that’s unlocked something in the setup. For the road course specialists, Watkins Glen rewards drivers who brake late and trust the car to rotate. Trackhouse clearly found that balance.

The trade-off: starting up front at Watkins Glen means you lead the field into Turn 1, but it also means you’re the target on every restart. Van Gisbergen’s defending champion status puts a target on his No. 88 Chevrolet.

Why did Bubba Wallace get suspended from NASCAR?

No active suspension for Bubba Wallace at Watkins Glen

Bubba Wallace is not suspended for the Watkins Glen weekend. He qualified 18th with a lap time of 1:11.755 and will start the race Sunday (Racing News (NASCAR coverage)). Rumors of a suspension circulating online appear to be unsubstantiated as of the information available for this race weekend.

What is confirmed: Dale Earnhardt Jr. criticized a racing move Wallace made in a previous event, saying he “didn’t like” the aggressive block that led to contact. That criticism has been widely shared but does not correlate to any official NASCAR disciplinary action. NASCAR’s penalty report for the week leading into Watkins Glen shows no suspension for Wallace.

Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s comment in context

Dale Earnhardt Jr. publicly stated that he “didn’t like” Bubba Wallace’s racing move during a recent race, a comment that sparked discussion across NASCAR media. The criticism focused on the split-second judgment drivers make when deciding whether to block or lift. Earnhardt Jr., a two-time Daytona 500 winner and current NBC analyst, has influence in the sport, and his remarks carry weight with fans and drivers alike.

“I didn’t like it. You don’t make that move in that situation.”

— Dale Earnhardt Jr., on Bubba Wallace’s racing move (via published report)

The pattern: Wallace has been involved in several high-profile incidents this season. Whether the criticism is fair or not, the narrative around his driving style is becoming a storyline that follows him to every track. For a driver fighting for a playoff spot, that’s extra pressure he doesn’t need.

Where can I watch the NASCAR race?

TV channels and streaming options

The Go Bowling at The Glen from Watkins Glen International is available on HBO Max through the “Live Sports” package, which includes NASCAR Cup races for the 2026 season. For traditional broadcast, the race is expected to air on FS1, though the exact channel for May 10, 2026, has not been confirmed by official sources.

• Streaming: HBO Max (Live Sports add-on)
• TV (likely): FS1 (check local listings)
• Radio: MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Channel 90
• Mobile: NASCAR Mobile app (requires TV provider login or HBO Max subscription)

HBO Max live sports

HBO Max has become a primary destination for NASCAR live coverage in 2026, offering every Cup Series race as part of its Live Sports tier. For cord-cutters, this is the most straightforward way to watch every green flag without a traditional cable package. The platform also offers on-demand replays, so fans who miss the live window can catch the full race broadcast after the checkered flag.

What did Dale Earnhardt Jr. say about Bubba Wallace?

Context of the racing move

Dale Earnhardt Jr. said he “didn’t like” a racing move by Bubba Wallace during a recent NASCAR Cup Series event, according to a widely circulated article. The specific incident involved a block on a competitor entering a corner, a move that Earnhardt Jr., as a former driver, viewed as overly aggressive and likely to cause a wreck.

Dale Jr.’s criticism

The implication: When a voice like Earnhardt Jr.’s calls out a specific driving behavior, it becomes part of the sport’s institutional memory. Wallace can either let it define his season or use it as motivation.

Timeline: How the weekend unfolded

• May 9, 2026 (Saturday): Qualifying session — Shane van Gisbergen wins pole with 1:11.165. Trackhouse Racing sweeps top 5. (Racing News (NASCAR coverage))
• May 10, 2026 (Sunday): Go Bowling at The Glen — 100 laps at Watkins Glen International. Stages: 20/50/100 laps. Purse: $11,233,037. (Racing News (NASCAR coverage))

For fans following this weekend’s action, the choice is clear: track the Trackhouse Racing trio at the front of the field, watch how Bubba Wallace responds to the criticism from 18th on the grid, and remember that Watkins Glen rewards drivers who save their tires better than anyone else. The winner will be the driver who manages both speed and survival across 100 laps of road course racing.

Frequently asked questions