{"id":74256,"date":"2025-08-11T08:52:12","date_gmt":"2025-08-11T08:52:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/74256\/"},"modified":"2025-08-11T08:52:12","modified_gmt":"2025-08-11T08:52:12","slug":"kyle-larson-bubba-wallace-shane-van-gisbergen-among-winners-losers-from-watkins-glen","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/74256\/","title":{"rendered":"Kyle Larson, Bubba Wallace, Shane van Gisbergen among Winners, Losers from Watkins Glen"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sunday\u2019s Cup Series race at Watkins Glen International wrapped up the NASCAR schedule this weekend<\/a>, ending a three-race circuit that saw oddities, injuries, car issues and crashes at each level. With the NASCAR race today over and the winner of the Go Bowling at The Glen decided, we\u2019re examining some of the top performances and storylines from Sunday\u2019s race.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s dive into the NASCAR race today, examining the winners and losers from Watkins Glen.<\/p>\n

Winner: Shane van Gisbergen Does it Again<\/p>\n

\"NASCARCredit: Matthew O\u2019Haren-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

Shane van Gisbergen is inevitable. The only reason the No. 88 car probably didn\u2019t win the pole at Watkins Glen is that it ran in the first qualifying group, putting him at a significant disadvantage. It didn\u2019t matter \u2014 van Gisbergen took over this race when he needed to, and the Cup \u201crookie\u201d simply knows exactly when to flip the switch to win on road courses. SVG is probably the best road course driver in NASCAR history, and his four wins this season now make him a virtual lock to advance to the Round of 12, where there will be another road race for him to win.<\/p>\n

Related:\u00a0Why Trackhouse has a Bright Future Because of Connor Zilisch, SVG<\/a><\/p>\n

Loser: Denny Hamlin\u2019s Quiet Day<\/p>\n

\"NASCARCredit: Jef Richards\/For IndyStar \/ USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images<\/p>\n

Denny Hamlin\u2019s hopes for a regular-season championship are effectively over. He started outside the top 20 on Sunday and immediately lost seven spots in the first six laps, dropping behind the likes of Riley Herbst, Erik Jones, and Todd Gilliland. Later, after working his way into the top 15, misfortune struck. On Turn 7 of Lap 46, Hamlin and Kyle Busch collided, damaging the right-front side and tire of the No. 11, which dropped him from the top 15 to outside the top 30. Hamlin finished 25th, and with only two races left, a regular-season title is no longer possible.<\/p>\n

Read More: Connor Zilisch Injured after Falling out of Car Following Watkins Glen Win<\/a><\/p>\n

Winner: Chris Buescher\u2019s Playoff Hopes, Points Strategy<\/p>\n

\"NASCARCredit: Stan Szeto-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

Coming into Watkins Glen, only three races remained before the playoffs. Realistically, that likely meant just two drivers could make it in on points. Chris Buescher and Alex Bowman both played the points game, needing to hold off Ryan Preece, who is on the bubble. Buescher won Stage 1 (earning 10 points and 1 playoff point) and then earned a third-place finish, recording the second-most points on the day (44). Holding the 16th and final playoff spot, Buescher now has a 34-point lead over Preece with two races to go. At the very least, the big points day and SVG\u2019s win improved his playoff odds.<\/p>\n

Related: NASCAR Xfinity results for Watkins Glen, including stage results and points totals<\/a><\/p>\n

Loser: Kyle Larson\u2019s Day Ends Early<\/p>\n

\"NASCARCredit: Matthew O\u2019Haren-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

It was a weekend trip to Watkins Glen for Kyle Larson and the No. 5 team. They qualified 27th on Saturday, moving up one spot before Sunday\u2019s race because of Connor Zilisch\u2019s broken collarbone. Unfortunately for Hendrick Motorsports, the weekend only got worse. On Lap 5, Larson reported \u201cno brakes\u201d on the radio and spun off the track. The seal issue with the brakes forced Larson\u2019s car to the garage for extensive work, effectively ending his day. There was one bright side in his last-place finish: Larson eventually got back out there and picked up a second point with the Xfinity fastest lap.<\/p>\n

Related: NASCAR Truck results for Watkins Glen, including stage results<\/a><\/p>\n

Winner: Ryan Blaney\u2019s Playoff-Focused Strategy<\/p>\n

\"NASCARCredit: Matthew O\u2019Haren-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

Ryan Blaney immediately made his weekend trip to Watkins Glen a worthwhile stop by beating Shane van Gisbergen to earn the pole position. The No. 12 car and Team Penske made the most of it on Sunday afternoon. After pitting right before the end of Stage 1, Blaney placed 7th (earning 4 stage points) and then ran long to win Stage 2 (10 points and 1 playoff point). The strategy pushed him ahead of Tyler Reddick in the regular-season standings and he gave himself some breathing room sitting at sixth place in playoff points.<\/p>\n

Related: NASCAR Points Leaders after Today, Cup Series Playoff Picture after Watkins Glen<\/a><\/p>\n

Loser: Kyle Busch\u2019s Playoff Hopes Take Another Hit<\/p>\n

\"NASCARCredit: Matthew O\u2019Haren-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

Kyle\u00a0Busch had a reason\u00a0to feel great\u00a0entering Sunday. He earned the\u00a0fifth spot in\u00a0the NASCAR starting\u00a0lineup for Watkins\u00a0Glen, showing\u00a0the kind of speed\u00a0that would give\u00a0him a chance\u00a0to win and clinch a playoff spot. Two hiccups proved\u00a0costly. On his\u00a0first pit stop, Busch overran his\u00a0pit stall, which\u00a0caused a multi-second delay. Then, on the\u00a0final stage, in\u00a0Turn 7 of Lap\u00a046, Hamlin got\u00a0nudged by Ross\u00a0Chastain into\u00a0a three-wide on\u00a0his inside, and\u00a0the No. 8 car\u00a0collided with\u00a0Denny Hamlin<\/a>\u00a0when\u00a0trying to come\u00a0back in. The\u00a0collision dropped\u00a0Busch outside\u00a0the top 20, and\u00a0the damage to\u00a0the car was like\u00a0a parachute, dropping\u00a0him further back. He finished the day in 22nd.<\/p>\n

Related: NASCAR Standings after Watkins Glen<\/a><\/p>\n

Winner: Bubba Wallace\u2019s Momentum Before the Playoffs<\/p>\n

\"NASCARCredit: Matthew O\u2019Haren-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

Bubba Wallace has been one of the best NASCAR drivers in the last month. He entered Dover clinging to the final playoff spot, narrowly ahead of Ryan Preece on the playoff bubble. Amid the mounting playoff pressure, 23XI Racing also lost its appeal and would have to race as an open team. He\u2019s thrived ever since. After finishing seventh at Dover and then winning the Brickyard 400, Wallace pulled off an insane comeback at Iowa Speedway. In the final stage, he went from being 2 laps down to placing 8th.<\/p>\n

Related: Bubba Wallace Takes Jab at Critics After Brickyard 400 Win<\/a><\/p>\n

Wallace\u2019s hot streak was put to the test at Watkins Glen. While he\u2019s historically struggled at road courses, the driver of the No. 23 car has made real strides this season. It all came together on Sunday afternoon, with Wallace placing 13th. It marks his fourth consecutive top-eight finish. That\u2019s outstanding momentum just two weeks before the playoffs begin.<\/p>\n

Loser: Ty Gibbs\u2019s Hubris and Emotion<\/p>\n

\"NASCARCredit: Bob Goshert\/For IndyStar \/ USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images<\/p>\n

Joe Gibbs Racing has done whatever it can to help Ty Gibbs become a great driver. Ahead of the race in Atlanta, JGR tabbed Chris Gabehart to serve as the de facto crew chief for the No. 54 car. He finished 14th in that race and then delivered top-10 finishes at Chicago, Sonoma, and Dover. It was good enough to push Gibbs through the NASCAR In-Season Challenge, allowing him to defeat Ty Dillon easily despite finishing 21st in the Brickyard 400.<\/p>\n

Read More: Top Prospect \u2018Likely\u2019 to Race Full-Time in Xfinity for Joe Gibbs Racing in 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

One would think that experience, paired with Gabehart\u2019s track record with Denny Hamlin, would be enough to convince Gibbs to trust his strategy. Nope. Gabehart first had to directly tell Gibbs to get his composure together and focus on racing after previous incidents. Then, as the No. 54 started dropping out of the top 20, Gibbs questioned the team\u2019s strategy and\u00a0said over the radio<\/a>, \u201cWe\u2019re f****** right now, so we\u2019ve got to do something.\u201d Gabehart immediately responded by telling Gibbs, \u201cWell, I\u2019m sure you\u2019ve got a real good understanding then from inside the car. So you know, you can call the strategy if you want or you can keep rolling. But I would do the best I could to go as fast as I can.\u201d Gibbs offered a sarcastic \u201cTen-four!\u201d in response and was a non-factor for the rest of the race. Gibbs ended the day in 33rd place.<\/p>\n

\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\tNFL, MLB & college football writer for Sportsnaut. Graduated from San Diego State University with BA in Journalism, 2019. … More about Matt Johnson<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Sunday\u2019s Cup Series race at Watkins Glen International wrapped up the NASCAR schedule this weekend, ending a three-race…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":74257,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[70],"tags":[5263,425,1703,8656,3335,99],"class_list":["post-74256","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nascar","tag-kyle-larson","tag-nascar","tag-nascar-cup-series","tag-ryan-blaney","tag-shane-van-gisbergen","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/74256","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=74256"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/74256\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/74257"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=74256"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=74256"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=74256"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}