As the regular season starts to heat up with only 3 races left before the postseason, the greatest drivers in the world head up north to Watkins Glen. By far and away, the favorite heading into today’s race was none other than Shane van Gisbergen. With three wins this season, SVG is locked into the NASCAR Playoffs and was hoping to continue the narrative that he is, indeed, the undisputed King of the Road. But there were a number of drivers hoping to end SVG’s dominance at road courses once and for all. Some of them were extremely hungry for wins, as it might have been their only way to secure a spot in the NASCAR Playoffs.
Was anybody able to dethrone SVG? If so, who was it? Ryan Blaney shocked the world by edging SVG out on Saturday to score the pole for the race. Kyle Busch has recently shown some speed on road courses. And, of course, Michael McDowell is always a favorite when it comes to turning left and right. Who was able to capitalize? Let’s break it down. Here’s everything that happened in the 2025 running of the Go Bowling at the Glen!
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When the final green flag pit stops of the race all shook out, Shane van Gisbergen once again cycled to the race lead. Behind him was the defending race winner, Chris Buescher. Buescher set his sights on SVG WeatherTech.com No. 88 Chevrolet, but he was going to need a caution in order to catch the King of the Road. He almost got one when John Hunter Nemechek got sideways coming out of the esses. But JHN was able to collect his No. 42 Mobil 1 Toyota without much damage. We stayed green.
Shortly thereafter, Brad Keselowski had a flat left rear tire. Fortunately for SVG, he was able to get onto pit road without losing the tire carcass or triggering a debris caution. With 3 laps to go, SVG had stretched his lead to over nine seconds over Chris Buescher. Meanwhile, Buescher had Bell breathing down his neck in the closing laps of the race. This slowed down the pace of the No. 17 and No. 20 cars, allowing SVG to further stretch his lead. In the end, Shane van Gisbergen, the undisputed King of the Road, was able to cruise to victory. This marked SVG’s 4th win of the year and 5th total. It also marks his 4th road course win in a row.
With this victory, SVG collects even more Playoff Bonus Points and slides into the 2nd seed on the Playoff Grid.
Stage 1 started with polesitter Ryan Blaney rocketing out front. Close behind him, nipping at his heels, was road course ace, Shane van Gisbergen. Late in the stage, SVG told his crew that he was saving his rear tires. Blaney went on to lead the first 18 laps of the stage. That was before they opted to pit with three laps to go in the stage in order to flip it. The No. 12 and No. 88 pitted on Lap 19, relinquishing the lead.
This cycled defending winner, Chris Buescher, to the race lead. Also staying out were Alex Bowman, Ryan Preece, Chase Elliott, and John Hunter Nemechek. Buescher went on to win the stage, collecting 10 points to pad his cushion above the cutline.
The race restarted with Buscher and the other leaders staying out. They were hoping for a caution early. However, the early caution never came. With worn tires, they fell prey to Shane van Gisbergen, who took the lead. Ryan Blaney was through to second. Ultimately, the cars that stayed out came down pit road with just inside 10 laps to go in the stage. Elliott had a miserably slow stop, costing him a ton of time. While Elliott was on pit road, the caution came out. This was due to debris from a spin by Josh Berry a lap earlier. The rest of the drivers who hadn’t yet pit came down pit road during this caution break.
The race restarted with Blaney taking it to SVG for the lead. However, the No. 12 wasn’t able to overtake the No. 88. SVG led the race until 3 laps remaining in the stage. He then pitted as an effort to flip the stage. This was when we saw a split in strategy. The No. 12 of Ryan Blaney stayed out to score the stage win. Also staying out were William Byron, Christopher Bell, A. J. Allmendinger, and Brad Keselowski.
Despite having a brake issue and finishing last on the grid, 2021 Cup Series Champion, Kyle Larson, clocked the Xfinity Fastest Lap of the race. With this, Larson collects one bonus point.
The following race results were how the field crossed the line in the 2025 Go Bowling at the Glen. The list will be updated following postrace inspection when the results become official.
The following list of drivers have clinched Playoff berths by securing wins in the regular season. They are listed in their seeding order.
Below are the drivers who are currently in on points. By far, Tyler Reddick has the biggest points cushion and could lock himself in today based on points alone. Alex Bowman has a fairly comfortable lead as well. Barring any disaster, he should be good to make it on points. Chris Buescher was the defending winner of this race. He was hoping to catch lightning in a bottle two years in a row.
These drivers are currently out of the Playoffs based on points. Most of these drivers need to win in order to make the postseason. They are:
That does it for the extremely short Go Bowling at the Glen. Another road course, another dominating SVG performance. What did you think of this race, Daily Downforce readers? How did your driver do? Can anyone beat SVG in a straight-up battle on these road courses? Join the discussion on Discord or X, and remember to follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube for more updates. And be sure to tune back in here at DailyDownforce.com all week long for the latest as we gear up to go short track racing in Richmond!
