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| NASCAR Cup Series | |
|---|---|
| Venue | Watkins Glen International |
| Location | Watkins Glen, New York, United States |
| Corporatesponsor | Go Bowling[1] |
| First race | 1957 |
| Distance | 245.54 miles (395.158 km) |
| Laps | 100 Stage 1: 20 Stage 2: 30 Final stage: 50 |
| Previous names | The 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 (23) |
| Circuit information | |
| Surface | Asphalt |
| Length | 2.454 mi (3.949 km) |
| Turns | 7 |
Stock car racing events in theNASCAR Cup Series have taken place atWatkins Glen International inWatkins Glen, New York on the 2.454-mile (3.949 km)road course annually since1986. Since2018, the 100-lap, 245.54-mile (395.16 km) race has been known asGo Bowling at The Glen for sponsorship reasons.[2]
Shane van Gisbergen is the defending race winner.
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 ofJ. D. McDuffie in a crash in the Outer Loop, at the end of the backstretch, and a subsequent, serious crash byIMSA 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" asIndyCar andFormula 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 hisChevrolet Impala and the majority of his laps in aMcLaren MP4-23 as part of the event withLewis Hamilton.[3]
ESPN broadcast the race from 1986 to 2000, then again in 2007 to 2014. Starting in 2015 (current contract),NBC had the rights to broadcast the race but the 2015 edition was aired onNBCSN. In 2016, the race was put onUSA Network because of the2016 Summer Olympics airing on NBC and NBCSN. Beginning in 2017, with the exception of 2025, NBC decided to broadcast this race in the style of radio where various analysts would be placed on the course to report what they see in their section of the track to the viewer.
In2020, the race was not held due to theCOVID-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.[4] NASCAR instead held a race on theDaytona International Speedway road course,[5] theGo Bowling 235.
2024's running of this race was moved to September was the second race of the Round of 16 in theNASCAR playoffs.[6] Watkins Glen's stint in the playoffs was short-lived however, as in the 2025 season, Watkins Glen returned to its typical August date.[7] In 2026 the race was moved to a mid-May date.[8] On December 3, 2025, NASCAR released a schedule for the race weekend that included an extension of the race to 100 laps.[9]
| # 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 |
| # 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 |
| # of wins | Manufacturer | Years won |
|---|---|---|
| 23 | Chevrolet | 1957, 1986, 1990–1991, 1997–2001, 2003–2007, 2009–2010, 2014, 2018–2019, 2021–2023, 2025 |
| 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 |
| Previous race: Würth 400 | NASCAR Cup Series Go Bowling at The Glen | Next race: NASCAR All-Star Race (exhibition) Coca-Cola 600 (points) |