Move over Jimmie Johnson and Tony Stewart. Shane van Gisbergen scored his fourth victory of his NASCAR Cup Series rookie season in Sunday’s Go Bowling at The Glen at Watkins Glen International, which allowed the driver of the No. 88 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet to become the all-time winningest rookie contender in NASCAR Cup Series history.

Stewart won three races in 1999, and Johnson matched the record in 2002 as he won three races during his rookie campaign. 23 years later, Van Gisbergen now stands alone with four wins in his rookie campaign.

And the way van Gisbergen picked up the latest win, was very much the same fashion that he’s been picking up NASCAR Cup Series wins at road courses this season. It wasn’t even close.

Race Results: Go Bowling at The Glen

When the checkered flag flew at the end of the final lap of the 90-lap contest around the 2.45-mile road course in New York, van Gisbergen was scored more than 11 seconds ahead of runner-up finisher Christopher Bell.

“That’s the stuff you dream about, right? I’m just a very lucky guy to get to drive for an amazing bunch of people and just execute,” van Gisbergen explained. “The day went flawlessly, and I can’t believe it. Really enjoyed it. Thanks again, everyone.”

Van Gisbergen, who made a mistake by clipping a guardrail on the final lap of this race a year ago, which caused him to finish second, was happy to avenge the loss.

“Good to get that one back,” van Gisbergen said in his post-race interview on USA Network. “Thank everyone for coming out. What an awesome race. The last stint was a bit cleared out, but the battle coming back through, I had a lot of fun. Thank you to WeatherTech and Trackhouse. [The] Car was just amazing again. To get another win, and I definitely gave that Bus Stop wall another meter on that last lap, but yeah, awesome.”

Van Gisbergen had a very special guest with him this weekend — his father, who has missed seeing his son since the Holiday season. The 36-year-old driver mourned the passing of his mother, Karen, in April 2024, and was glad to share Sunday with his father.

“Oh, it’s just amazing to have him here,” van Gisbergen said. “It’s been a very tough year for Dad. He hasn’t been able to travel, so to have him here for the next three weeks and share this with him, it’s amazing.”

While second place usually walks out of NASCAR Cup Series races feeling like the first loser, Bell had an ear-to-ear grin as this runner-up performance potentially signals that the driver and his No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing team are nearing a return to form, which saw them rattle off three straight wins from February to March.

Chris Buescher, who surprised van Gisbergen by defeating him in a hard-fought late-race battle in this event a season ago, finished third, while William Byron took a major step forward in his quest for a regular-season championship with a solid fourth-place finish a week after winning at Iowa Speedway.

Chase Briscoe parlayed a third place starting position, and great pit strategy from crew chief James Small, into a fifth-place result Sunday at Watkins Glen.

Polesitter and Stage 2 winner Ryan Blaney finished sixth, while Daniel Suarez, Bubba Wallace, Tyler Reddick, and Ross Chastain rounded out the top-10 finishers in the Go Bowling at The Glen.

As previously mentioned, William Byron greatly improved his chances to win the NASCAR Cup Series regular-season championship with a fourth-place finish on Sunday. Coupled with rough days for Chase Elliott (26th), Kyle Larson (39th), and Denny Hamlin (25th), Byron extended his point lead from 18 points over Elliott to 42 points with just two races remaining in the regular-season.

Denny Hamlin moved to third in the standings, but dropped from 51 points back to 81 points behind. Christopher Bell bumped up to fourth with a runner-up finish, but only gained one point on Byron, and now sits 85 points behind the point leader. And Larson, who suffered from brake issues early in the race, dropped from 45 points behind Byron to 85.

Next up for the NASCAR Cup Series is the Cook Out 400 at Richmond Raceway on Saturday, August 16. That race will be televised on USA Network with coverage scheduled to kick off at 7:30 PM ET. The Motor Racing Network (MRN) and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio will provide the radio broadcast for that event.

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