Following William Byron's fuel-saving masterpiece to win at Iowa and return to Victory Lane for the first time since the season-opening Daytona 500, the NASCAR Cup Series is at Watkins Glen International on Sunday for the running of the Go Bowling at The Glen. This will be the 24th race of the Cup Series season, leaving only three opportunities for drivers to lock up their playoff position.
This marks a return to the regular season for the 2.45-mile New York road course after it hosted the second race in the opening round of the playoffs last season. It will be the fifth race on a road/street course in 2025 with Shane van Gisbergen claiming the last three from the pole.
The Hendrick Motorsports trio of Byron (+18), Chase Elliott (-18) and Kyle Larson (-45) hold down the top three spots in the standings while RFK Racing teammates Chris Buescher (+23) and Ryan Preece (-23) battle for the final playoff spot. Buescher returns to the site of his most recent win after getting around van Gisbergen on a thrilling final lap in 2024.
So, let's dive right into the Go Bowling at The Glen with the starting lineup as well as all the info about the TV broadcast, start time and more that fans need to know ahead of the green flag.
Go Bowling at The Glen starting lineup: Full NASCAR Cup Series qualifying results
Here's a look at the NASCAR Cup Series qualifying results at Watkins Glen International and the starting lineup as a result:
Go Bowling at The Glen Starting Position | NASCAR Cup Series Driver |
|---|---|
1st | Ryan Blaney |
2nd | Shane van Gisbergen |
3rd | Chase Briscoe |
4th | Ross Chastain |
5th | Kyle Busch |
6th | Michael McDowell |
7th | Alex Bowman |
8th | Carson Hocevar |
9th | Christopher Bell |
10th | William Byron |
11th | Joey Logano |
12th | Chris Buescher |
13th | Austin Cindric |
14th | Ty Gibbs |
15th | Bubba Wallace |
16th | Brad Keselowski |
17th | Ryan Preece |
18th | AJ Allmendinger |
19th | Daniel Suarez |
20th | Chase Elliott |
21st | Tyler Reddick |
22nd | Denny Hamlin |
23rd | Justin Haley |
24th | Josh Berry |
25th* | Connor Zilisch* |
26th | Austin Dillon |
27th | Kyle Larson |
28th | Todd Gilliland |
29th | Riley Herbst |
30th | Erik Jones |
31st | John Hunter Nemechek |
32nd | Cole Custer |
33rd | Ty Dillon |
34th | Zane Smith |
35th | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. |
36th | Noah Gragson |
37th | Cody Ware |
38th | Katherine Legge |
39th | JJ Yeley |
40th | Josh Bilicki |
UPDATE: Conor Zillisch's entry has been withdrawn as he recovers from a broken collarbone sustained after a nasty fall during the celebrations of his NASCAR Xfinity Series victory.
— Trackhouse Racing (@TeamTrackhouse) August 10, 2025
Team Penske's Ryan Blaney is on the pole for the Go Bowling at The Glen after posting a lap of 122.568 mph (71.960 seconds). It is the 15th pole of Blaney's career, his second this season and his second on a road course. The pole is the 150th for Team Penske in the Cup Series, making it one of four teams in series history to reach that mark.
He bested van Gisbergen by 0.33 seconds to claim the top spot at the historic 2.45-mile course, with Chase Briscoe, Ross Chastain, Kyle Busch, Michael McDowell, Alex Bowman, Carson Hocevar, Christopher Bell and Byron rounding out the top 10.
Notables outside the top 10 include Joey Logano (11th), Buescher (12th), Bubba Wallace (15th), Elliott (20th), Tyler Reddick (21st), Denny Hamlin (22nd), Larson (27th) and Katherine Legge (38th). Ryan Preece, who trails his RFK Racing teammate Buescher by 23 points for the final playoff spot, will roll off 17th while the team's owner/driver Brad Keselowski will start 16th with road-course ace Joey Hand on standby as his wife Paige is due to give birth to their fourth child.
NASCAR race start time: When does the Go Bowling at The Glen green flag wave?
Sunday's Go Bowling at The Glen at Watkins Glen International is scheduled to begin shortly after 2 p.m. ET. According to AccuWeather, the temperature is forecasted to be in the 90s with mostly sunny and hot conditions.
Go Bowling at The Glen stages explained
Go Bowling at The Glen Stage | Lap Number When Points Awarded |
|---|---|
Stage 1 | 20 |
Stage 2 | 40 |
Final Stage | 90 |
For those who don't know, most of the points for the season-long NASCAR Cup Series standings will be awarded for the final stage. Stages 1 and 2, though, give teams two additional opportunities to score points, as well as extra breaks for pit stops (and for the TV product, commercial breaks).
Ten points go to the stage winners, and the remainder of the top 10 receive points in decreasing order with the 10th-place finisher getting one point. The stage victories and additional points can prove valuable throughout the season as drivers try to qualify for the 10-race playoffs that begin at Darlington Raceway on Aug. 31.
Go Bowling at The Glen TV channel, broadcast and streaming info
The NASCAR Cup Series race at Watkins Glen International on Sunday will be broadcast on USA Network with the pre-race coverage of the Go Bowling at The Glen beginning at 1:30 p.m. ET. Fans can also catch the race on MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, NBC Sports App and streaming on Max.