Sunday's Go Bowling at The Glen at Watkins Glen International will be the 24th race of the NASCAR Cup Series season, leaving only three opportunities for drivers to solidify their playoff position. This will be the fifth road/street course race of the season and will mark a return to the regular-season schedule for the 2.45-mile New York road course after it hosted the second race in the first round of the Cup Series Playoffs last season.
Chris Buescher enters as the defending winner after he made a thrilling last-lap pass to get around road course ace Shane van Gisbergen to win the 2024 race at Watkins Glen. No one in the series has more momentum coming into the weekend, though, than William Byron, who saved enough fuel to win at Iowa and finally claim his first win since the season-opening Daytona 500 after a challenging summer stretch.
What is the total purse for the 2025 Go Bowling at The Glen at Watkins Glen International?
The purse for the Cup Series race at Watkins Glen International is $9,797,935, according to Bob Pockrass of FOX Sports.
Purses for Watkins Glen weekend including all payouts, all positions incl contingency awards and year-end points fund. For Cup, incl all charter-associated payouts:
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) August 6, 2025
Cup: $9,797,935
Xfinity: $1,651,939
Truck: $782,900
The Cup Series purse for Watkins Glen is on par with the total payout from Iowa, but still an increase from last season's playoff race, which featured a purse of $7,572,831.
It will be a busy weekend as all three NASCAR national series will be in action at the 2.45-mile road course. The Craftsman Truck Series will kick off the action on Friday and will compete for a $782,900 purse in its first race at Watkins Glen since 2021. The Xfinity Series will take to the track on Saturday, competing for a total purse of $1,651,939, up from the $1,312,465 last season.
How much does the Go Bowling at The Glen winning driver earn?
The exact take-home for the winner of the Go Bowling at The Glen is not verified. According to Pockrass, the total purse includes all payouts, all positions, contingency awards, year-end points fund and for Cup, all charter-associated payouts.
As his three consecutive wins on road/street courses would indicate, van Gisbergen is the clear favorite anytime he competes on those layouts. If anyone can hang with him at Watkins Glen, look no further than Buescher, who proved he can get the upper hand last season. Christopher Bell is the only other driver to win on a road course this season at Circuit of The Americas in March.
Chase Elliott and Kyle Larson each have a pair of wins at Watkins Glen, while Connor Zilisch beat van Gisbergen in the Xfinity race at Sonoma and returns to the site of his inaugural Xfinity Series win one year ago. van Gisbergen is the favorite, but there are plenty of drivers hungry to knock him off the top as they chase an increased purse from 2024.
How to watch NASCAR at Watkins Glen International
Go Bowling at The Glen (NASCAR Cup Series)
Sunday, Aug. 10 at 2 p.m. ET (USA Network, HBO Max, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, NBC Sports App)
Mission 200 at The Glen (NASCAR Xfinity Series)
Saturday, Aug. 9 at 3 p.m. ET (The CW, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)
Mission 176 at The Glen (NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series)
Friday, Aug. 8 at 5 p.m. ET (FS1, NRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)