Ms. V breaks down the Go Bowling at The Glen with NASCAR picks, predictions, and road course betting angles for Watkins Glen International.
Race: Go Bowling at The Glen
Date: Sunday May 10th, 2026
Track: Watkins Glen International
Time: 3pm ET
Channel: FS1
What Did We Learn From Last Weekend?
Texas was…intense! This was probably a better race than Talladega when all was said and done. We saw a lot of three wide racing, drivers on different pit strategies, and quite a few cautions. Chase Elliott was the driver able to survive all of the different variables chasing these drivers throughout the day and come home victorious when all was said and done. He led on lap 152 after Corey Heim decided to jumble up fuel strategy and came down to pit road. Unfortunately, for the driver who was having a standout day, Heim was the spotlight of the seventh and final caution of the race. Chase Elliott had to hold on one more time for a four lap shootout. Luckily, for one of the first times this season, his teammate Alex Bowman was able to support and pushed him enough to clear Denny Hamlin, pulling away with the win by 0.407 seconds when the checkered flag waved. Chase Elliott joins Tyler Reddick as only the second repeat winner so far this season.
Denny Hamlin was disappointed with his runner-up finish, realizing he just didn’t have enough on that short run to catch Elliott in clean air. All in all, though, it was a strong showing for Hamlin who finished 2nd to Elliott for the 2nd time this year. It all boiled down to pit strategy and clean air at Texas. So many drivers had issues on pit road, with several guys beating and banging their way through the traffic, some getting more significant damage than others. For Elliott, his crew can be credited as being the superstars on the day, giving him his three fastest pit stops of the season all in one day. At a track where being up front means everything, that was the best possible time to get fast stops locked down. Alex Bowman had his best finish this season coming home third followed by Tyler Reddick and Chris Buescher for your top five. Daniel Suarez, Carson Hocevar, William Byron, Bubba Wallace, and Ryan Blaney rounded out your top ten.
We Are We Headed This Weekend?
This weekend, the drivers and teams are heading off the ovals and onto the road course at Watkins Glen! The intensity that the guys brought to Texas will only be amplified on Sunday. The Glen has been part of the NASCAR circuit for quite a while now, actually since as early as 1957. There were quite a few breaks, with the Cup Series not returning until 1964 and running through 1965 then returning from 1986 through 2019. It has remained full time on the schedule since 2021 through now. This place has 7 turns in the current format over 2.454 miles. They run the “short circuit” with the inner loop, outer loop, and the Esses. I like Watkins Glen because it provides opportunities for passing where some other road courses are not as forgiving. The leader can also typically drive away from the field, though, if given the opportunity.
Odds and Value Picks
When it comes to picking winners, road courses give us a little bit of a pause because we can’t focus necessarily on our typical oval superstars. We often see drivers from other series or drivers that really just excel on something a little different. Let’s take a look at your potential winners heading into Sunday’s race:
Winner: Shane Van Gisbergen (+125)
Dude has raced here twice. He has one win and one runner-up. There’s just not much else that needs to be said. With his history in the other series, SVG is the man at road courses. Period. He’ll be hard to beat.
Mid-Range Pick: Chris Buescher (+1400)
In his most recent 3 starts, Buescher has a win and no finish worse than 7th. Something makes sense to him here. Buescher is getting better and better and learning a lot over the last year or so. I expect to see him drive pretty aggressively and be a contender throughout the day.
Dark Horse: Daniel Suarez (+5000)
Suarez is hit or miss. Lately he’s been hit. He’s coming off a strong weekend at Texas, giving him and the team some much needed confidence heading into the road course. In his 8 career starts, Suarez is 9th in average finishes and he’s got some laps led on the board. He has finished here as good as third in the past. Don’t count out mi amigo! Look for Suarez to make some moves and be relevant on Sunday.
He’s got some work to do in the points, too, as do all three of these picks. This is a weekend that could elevate them outside of what they can do on the normal ovals. It’s their time to shine! Let’s see where they sit along with the other top drivers in the points after the race at Texas:
- Tyler Reddick
- Denny Hamlin
- Chase Elliott
- Ryan Blaney
- Chris Buescher
- Carson Hocevar
- Ty Gibbs
- Kyle Larson
- Brad Keselowski
- William Byron
- Bubba Wallace
- Christopher Bell
- Ryan Preece
- Daniel Suarez
- Austin Cindric
- Chase Briscoe
Buescher quietly climbed 2 positions in the standings after Sunday’s race along with Carson Hocevar. Briscoe jumped back into the top 16 with Logano falling out of contention. Christopher Bell, Ty Gibbs, and Kyle Larson all lost multiple positions and were the biggest losers after Texas, but they remain steadfast in the points standings. What are we going to see after the road course at Watkins Glen? You’ll have to tune in to see! Stay tuned for a great afternoon of road course racing at The Glen on Sunday as these guys battle for position and the glory of the road course win!
