JGR AT WATKINS GLEN: Joe Gibbs Racing owns nine NASCAR Cup Series victories at Watkins Glen International. In 89 combined starts at the 2.45-mile track, the organization has tallied 34 top-five finishes, 52 top-10s, five pole awards, and 568 laps led. Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin, and Tony Stewart have all driven JGR entries to victory lane at Watkins Glen.

DENNY HAMLIN

No. 11 Progressive Toyota Camry XSE

HAMLIN AT WATKINS GLEN: Denny Hamlin is a former NASCAR Cup Series winner at Watkins Glen International after capturing the checkered flag in 2016. He also owns two pole awards at the track, including three years ago when he qualified first and finished second. Overall, Hamlin has recorded six top-five finishes and nine top-10s at the track.

TEXAS RECAP: Hamlin started fourth and led 21 laps before finishing second in last weekend’s race at Texas Motor Speedway. He scored stage points by placing 10th in stage one and fourth in stage two. In the closing laps, he was catching eventual race winner Chase Elliott before a caution set up a four-lap sprint to the finish where Hamlin ultimately finished second.

CHRIS GAYLE: Crew chief Chris Gayle has been impressive in the Cup Series and O’Reilly Series at Watkins Glen. In five Cup Series starts atop the pit box, Gayle’s teams have posted three top-five finishes. Gayle led his O’Reilly Series teams to one win, three top-five finishes, four top-10s, and 68 laps led in six starts.

PROGRESSIVE: Hamlin’s No. 11 Toyota Camry XSE will feature Progressive Insurance as the primary sponsor this weekend at Watkins Glen International. Progressive provides insurance for personal and commercial autos and trucks, motorcycles, boats, recreational vehicles, and homes; it is the second largest personal auto insurer in the country, a leading seller of commercial auto, motorcycle, and boat insurance, and one of the top 15 homeowners insurance carriers. For more information, visit www.progressive.com.

CHASE BRISCOE

No. 19 Mobil 1 Toyota Camry XSE

BRISCOE AT WATKINS GLEN: Chase Briscoe has five NASCAR Cup Series starts at Watkins Glen International and earned his first top-five finish at the track in last year’s race. Briscoe previously earned two top-10 finishes in the Cup Series and one top-10 in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series.

TEXAS RECAP: An early pit road incident at Texas Motor Speedway gave Briscoe damage that affected the rest of the race. Briscoe finished 23rd after earning stage points in the first stage.

JAMES SMALL: 2026 is James Small’s seventh season leading the No. 19 team and his second year with Briscoe behind the wheel. The first five years of his tenure as crew chief were spent with Martin Truex Jr. Small has led his drivers to 11 wins across those seven seasons. Small has earned two top-five finishes and four top-10s in six races at Watkins Glen.

MOBIL 1: Briscoe’s No. 19 Toyota will feature Mobil 1 as the primary partner this weekend at Watkins Glen International. Mobil 1, the world‘s leading synthetic motor oil brand, has been trusted for more vehicle miles than any one of us drives in our lifetime. For additional information, visit www.mobil1.com and follow @Mobil1Racing on Instagram and X. Every Mile Matters.

CHRISTOPHER BELL

No. 20 COOFANDY Toyota Camry XSE

BELL AT WATKINS GLEN: Christopher Bell has earned two top-five finishes and four top-10s in five NASCAR Cup Series starts at Watkins Glen International, including a runner-up performance last year. Bell also competed in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series race at Watkins Glen last year, where he started second and finished fourth. Bell has two NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series starts at Watkins Glen, highlighted by a runner-up finish in 2019.

ROAD COURSE SUCCESS: Bell’s first NASCAR Cup Series victory came on the road course at Daytona International Speedway. In 2025, Bell had an average finish of 2.6 in six road course races. He took home the win at Circuit of the Americas, had strong second-place runs at Mexico and Watkins Glen, a fifth-place finish in Sonoma, and wrapped up the year with a third-place run at the Charlotte ROVAL. Bell also earned a road course win in the O’Reilly Series at Road America in 2019.

TEXAS RECAP: Bell started strong in last week’s race by maneuvering his way from seventh to the lead during stage one. While leading on lap 68, he was clipped by a spinning lapped car. The contact sent the No. 20 Toyota into the outside wall and ended Bell’s day with a 38th-place result.

COOFANDY: Bell’s No. 20 Toyota will feature COOFANDY this weekend at Watkins Glen. As it celebrates its 11th anniversary, the modern men’s fashion brand COOFANDY officially unveiled its new brand proposition – “Easy to Dress, Ready to Win”. Transitioning from accompanying men through every significant stage of life with “Dress the Journey” to now advocating for winning daily confidence through minimalist dressing, COOFANDY is redefining the wardrobe philosophy for contemporary men in a lighter and more efficient way. For more information, please visit the COOFANDY website and Amazon storefront, or connect with COOFANDY on Facebook and Instagram.

TY GIBBS

No. 54 Monster Energy Toyota Camry XSE

GIBBS AT WATKINS GLEN: Ty Gibbs has started four NASCAR Cup Series races at Watkins Glen International with a best finish of fifth in 2023. In four NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series starts at the track, Gibbs scored a win in 2021, and he started on the front row three times. He also started on the pole and finished third in the ARCA Menards Series race at Watkins Glen in 2021.

ROAD COURSE SUCCESS: Gibbs has earned six top-five finishes and nine top-10s in 21 Cup Series starts on road courses. Four of Gibbs’ 12 O’Reilly Series wins came on road courses, including his first ever career victory at the Daytona Road Course in February 2021. He followed that up with O’Reilly Series wins at Watkins Glen International (August 2021), Road America (July 2022) and the Indianapolis Road Couse (August 2023).

TEXAS RECAP: Gibbs started 10th at Texas and quickly worked his way forward during the opening stage to earn seven stage points. Despite showing strong speed throughout the early portion of the race, his day was cut short by an incident on lap 102, leaving him with a 36th-place finish.

WGI PR