Circle Tracks

Championship leader Tyler Reddick finished fifth at Watkins Glen, adding an extra 20-point between himself and Denny Hamlin, increasing his lead to a staggering 129 points. There was no change inside the top five in the standings, but Bubba Wallace did replace William Byron inside the top ten. In the battle around the Chase cut-line, there were a lot of movement. SVG's big win vaulted him ...Keep readingView the full article

After 100 laps of NASCAR Cup racing at Watkins Glen, pole-sitter Shane van Gisbergen walked away with the checkered flag. He made up 29 seconds in 18 laps during the final stint, and ultimately won the race by 7.2 seconds over Michael McDowell. Ty Gibbs was leading the strategy for those who cut out a pit stop, finishing third. Chase Briscoe and Tyler Reddick filled out the rest of the top ...Keep readingView the full article

There was no stopping Shane van Gisbergen at Watkins Glen on Sunday, as he collected his seventh career win and Trackhouse Racing's first of the 2026 NASCAR Cup season. In 18 laps, he made up 29.2 seconds, passing Ty Gibbs for the race lead with seven laps to spare.    Michael McDowell finished second, with Gibbs finishing third. Chase Briscoe finished fourth and Tyler Reddick ...Keep readingView the full article

At the end of a scheduled media availability on Saturday at Watkins Glen, Hendrick Motorsports driver Chase Elliott interjected as the press conference was being wrapped up, and requested some time to speak about the NASCAR Hall of Fame voting that is set to take place later this month. It wasn't in response to a question, but a deliberate statement he wanted to make in front of the assembled ...Keep readingView the full article

Katherine Legge will start 38th in Sunday's NASCAR Cup Series race at Watkins Glen, making her eighth career start and her first of the 2026 season. She is once again driving the No. 78 Live Fast Motorsports Chevrolet with sponsorship from e.l.f. Cosmetics. After she takes the checkered flag at the Glen, the British driver will travel directly to Indiana as practice gets underway for the 110th ...Keep readingView the full article

It was an incredible finish to Saturday's NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series race at Watkins Glen International. Defending series champion Jesse Love was stretching the fuel while Connor Zilisch was running him down on fresher tires. Even after slicing through the mud and damaging his car, Zilisch ran Love down, passing him in the final corner on the final lap, snatching the win away for JR ...Keep readingView the full article

The grid is set for Sunday's NASCAR Cup Series race at Watkins Glen International. Defending winner Shane van Gisbergen earned pole position -- his first at the Glen but fifth at the Cup level. The impressive qualifying effort also comes on the Kiwi's 37th birthday! Spire Motorsports' Michael McDowell will start from the outside of the front row, a full 0.259s off of SVG's fast lap of ...Keep readingView the full article

“Honestly, a bit surprised.” Ryan Preece was very measured on Saturday morning when discussing the penalty levied against him this week by NASCAR for the incident involving him and Ty Gibbs last Sunday at Texas Motor Speedway. Gibbs crashed on Lap 101 and NASCAR deduced intent based on radio communication that indicated Preece could retaliate in some form for a previous incident ...Keep readingView the full article

During Friday's NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at Watkins Glen International, two late-race leaders were penalized for going early and mashing the gas before reaching the restart zone. The first was Ross Chastain, who led 19 laps before penalized with just ten laps to go. Two restarts later with five laps to go, it was Gio Ruggiero, who was even closer to the line and was getting pushed ...Keep readingView the full article

Watkins Glen was a big day for Kaulig Racing's new NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series team, functioning as the anchor organization for Ram in its long-awaited return go the sport. Before Friday, Kaulig's fleet of five Ram 1500s had just five top tens total this year, with a best finish of seventh.  Well, at Watkins Glen International on Friday, Kaulig put three trucks inside the top ten in a ...Keep readingView the full article

Shane Van Gisbergen finished second to Tyler Reddick in the first road course race of the NASCAR Cup Series season at Circuit of the Americas but also had to work way harder for it than any of his five wins in 2025. To wit, the three-time Supercars champion turned Cup Series contender isn’t sure he is automatically this favorite for this weekend at Watkins Glen either. His road course prowess ...Keep readingView the full article

Making his 67th career start, Kaden Honeycutt is finally a winner in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. He passed Connor Zilisch in overtime, hanging on to take the checkered flag for Tricon Garage. He also swept the day, earning a victory in the ARCA Menards Series race just hours earlier.  "It's amazing," said an emotional Honeycutt. "Thank you Toyota, this whole No. 11 crew ... everyone ...Keep readingView the full article

Watkins Glen International hosts the 12th round of the 2026 NASCAR Cup season, and will feature all three national divisions and the ARCA Menards Series from Friday through Sunday. This is also the earliest the track has ever appeared on the NASCAR schedule. Will Shane van Gisbergen go back-to-back, or will another driver capture the checkered flag at The Glen? Here's all some major storylines ...Keep readingView the full article

NASCAR's decision to move Watkins Glen to the spring will not last, as the historic road course confirmed plans to move the Cup date to the fall in 2027.  WGI will be part of the Chase for the Championship, and unless there is a dramatic change to the schedule, it will likely be the only road course in the Chase. This year, there are no road courses in the ten-race Chase after the Charlotte ...Keep readingView the full article

RFK Racing has announced plans to appeal the penalties NASCAR issued against Ryan Preece this week. The driver of the No. 60 Ford Mustang was involved in an incident with Texas Motor Speedway where he spun Ty Gibbs into the outside wall. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver suffered significant damage. Radio chatter from before the incident seemed to indicate that he intended to turn the driver of ...Keep readingView the full article

NASCAR is back on a road course this weekend with the Cup, O'Reilly, Craftsman Truck, and ARCA Menards Series at Watkins Glen International. This is the earliest WGI has ever appeared on the schedule, and the weather looks iffy with some rain expected. Shane van Gisbergen is the defending Cup winner at Watkins Glen, and he is hoping to secure his first win of the 2026 season this weekend ...Keep readingView the full article

After hearing arguments from all parties during a telephonic hearing on Tuesday afternoon, the judge overseeing the Joe Gibbs Racing v Chris Gabehart and Spire Motorsports lawsuits has scheduled the trial to take place in January. This is later than the November timeframe requested by the plaintiffs and earlier than the May timeline requested by the defendants. From the order: “The ...Keep readingView the full article

Extreme sports legend Travis Pastrana is getting back behind the wheel of a NASCAR Craftsman Truck alter this month, joining forces with Kaulig Racing to pilot the No. 25 Ram 1500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. “I love racing and competing at everything, and NASCAR is one of the biggest and most competitive stages on earth,” said Pastrana. “Having the opportunity to hop in the No. 25 Ram ...Keep readingView the full article

The racing at Watkins Glen International will look a bit different this weekend, as NASCAR introduces some new track limits. No longer will we see the entire field driving off into the Turn 1 runoff on starts/restarts, as NASCAR has made some significant changes there and to the exit of the Carousel. They're essentially building a new wall via tire packs to keep the racing line closer to the ...Keep readingView the full article

2023 NASCAR Cup Series champion Ryan Blaney will continue to drive the No. 12 Team Penske Ford after signing a multi-year contract extension. Menards will remain as a partner as part of the new agreement “Ryan Blaney has developed into one of the elite drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series, and the success he’s achieved speaks for itself,” said team owner Roger Penske. “I’m confident Ryan ...Keep readingView the full article

NASCAR has taken action against Ryan Preece following the incident between him and Ty Gibbs on Sunday in the Cup Series race at Texas Motor Speedway. Preece, the driver of the No. 60 RFK Racing Ford, was issued a $50,000 fine and the deduction of 25 driver points under Sections 4.3 and 4.4.A in the NASCAR Rule Book, which detail ‘wrecking or spinning another vehicle, whether or not that ...Keep readingView the full article

Joe Gibbs Racing is asking the Western District of North Carolina and the Judge (Susan C. Rodriguez) overseeing the case to allow an amended refiling of its lawsuit against Chris Gabehart and Spire Motorsports. This second proposed amended lawsuit now claims that the success Spire has obtained this season in the NASCAR Cup Series is a result of hiring Gabehart as ‘Chief Motorsports ...Keep readingView the full article

In addition to his full-time NASCAR Cup Series schedule, Carson Hocevar will also chase points in the FloRaing Night in America Dirt Late Model championship this summer. The FNIA series is a star-studded midweek Super Late Model championship that avoids conflicts with both the World of Outlaws and Lucas Oil Dirt late Model Series for 11 races at 10 venues to air on streaming platform ...Keep readingView the full article

Josh Williams was initially slated to drive the No. 92 DGM Racing Chevrolet in this weekend's NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series (NOAPS) race at Watkins Glen International.  Williams has been driving the car in every NASCAR O'Reilly race this year (but DNQed at COTA and Phoenix), and sits 28th in the standings. However, DGM announced on Tuesday that Williams will not be driving the car at ...Keep readingView the full article

Carson Hocevar has been quite busy in recent weeks. At Talladega Superspeedway, Hocevar became the 208th different driver to win a NASCAR Cup Series race in the sport's history, and celebrated with one of the most memorable burnouts in years -- hanging out of the car while driving along the frontstretch.  One week later, the 23-year-old rising star won the Texas Truck race and earned pole ...Keep readingView the full article

Conventional wisdom usually dictates waiting until after the Coca-Cola 600 to make any wide-sweeping declarations about the NASCAR Cup Series season but the sample size is becoming prescient. After 11 races, the dice have been largely cast, and a hierarchy has been established with 15 races remaining until the new-look Chase for the Championship. Remember, when NASCAR simulated thousands of ...Keep readingView the full article

After 267 laps of racing and seven cautions, just four tenths separated Chase Elliott and Denny Hamlin at the checkered flag as the two drivers finished 1-2 for the second time this year. It was a race with a lot of movement throughout the field and ever-shifting strategies. Stage finishes were hectic, fast cars were eliminated in strange ways, but in the end, it was some of the top drivers in ...Keep readingView the full article