The NASCAR Cup Series moves to Watkins Glen International on Sunday for the 2nd road-course track of the 2026 schedule — the Go Bowling at The Glen. The green flag drops at approximately 3:00 PM ET with 100 laps at 245 miles. Let’s set the scene before we get into our Go Bowling at The Glen best bets for Sunday, May 10. The race can be viewed or streamed on FS1.
Trackhouse Racing driver Shane Van Gisbergen is on the pole for Sunday’s race after a best speed of 123.937 mph in qualifying, holding off fellow Chevrolet driver Michael McDowell of Spire Motorsports at 123.488 mph. Meanwhile, Team Penske’s Austin Cindric is the top Ford in the field, going off from the #3 spot alongside Trackhouse Racing’s Ross Chastain. You have to go all the way to the #8 spot to find the top Toyota, with Christopher Bell behind the wheel of the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 20 machine.
SVG has 2 career NASCAR Cup Series starts at The Glen, posting a win and a runner-up finish with a Driver Rating of 133.8 — easily the best among any active driver. Bell has managed a 6.8 Average-Finish Position (AFP) across 5 starts, including a pair of top-5 finishes and a 96.9 Driver Rating, despite the fact he has never led at lap at the New York road course.
Spire’s Carson Hocevar, who has been on a heater lately, has managed a 3rd-place finish and 18th-place showing in 2 previous NASCAR Cup Series starts at Watkins Glen. Can “The Hurricane” keep up his impressive run, or will be shuffle down the leaderboard?
Don’t sleep on Kaulig Racing’s A.J. Allmendinger, either. Before there was SVG, Allmendinger was the original road course specialist and ringer. He is 4th among all active drivers with a 10.9 AFP in 14 career NASCAR Cup Series starts, posting a win, 5 top-5 finishes and 61 laps led, while posting 1 DNF and a 90.8 Driver Rating.
Now that the table is set, let’s get into my best bets for the Go Bowling at The Glen, with odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook at the time of publishing. Be sure to check out our NASCAR betting analysis every week throughout the season!
NASCAR best bet: AJ Allmendinger Top 10 Finish (+130)
At plus-money, Allmendinger is a sensational value for a top-10 finish at Watkins Glen. He finished 11th last season, which would be a painful result. In 2024, he started 6th, but he tumbled to 36th due to transmission issues early in the race. However, in 2023, he started 6th, led 2 laps, and ended up in the 4th spot when the dust cleared. In 2022, Allmendinger turned in a runner-up finish.
While Allmendinger hasn’t really done much this season, with just a single top-10 finish under his belt. That season-best, 9th-place showing came at the Circuit of the Americans in Austin, which was the first road course on the schedule.
NASCAR best bet: Daniel Suarez Top 10 Finish (+155)
Spire Motorsports driver Daniel Suarez is another value play in Sunday’s road-course run at The Glen. In 8 career NASCAR Cup Series starts, Suarez has managed a 12.8 AFP with 3 top-5 finishes, 4 top-10 runs and 14 laps led. On top of that, he has never had a DNF.
Suarez is coming off his 3 top-10 finish of the season — a 6th-place showing last week in the Wurth 400 at Texas Motor Speedway. He was just 25th at COTA in the first road course run, so that’s a little disconcerting. However, he started 19th last season at Watkins Glen and brought it home in 7th. He was also 7th at the Charlotte Road Course last season, showing his chops on the non-traditional ovals.
NASCAR best bet: Top Toyota Car – Christopher Bell (+230)
Bell is the top Toyota in the starting grid, going off on the outside of Row 4 after a qualifying speed of 123.215 mph in 3 laps completed. While his starting spot is impressive, that’s nothing compared to his career numbers at The Glen. He has a 6.8 AFP in 5 career NASCAR Cup Series starts at the New York road course, which is the best among all active drivers with at least 3 starts. It’s even more impressive considering a rather mediocre 15.6 Average Start spot, and the fact he has never led a lap at Watkins Glen.
NASCAR best bet: Team of Winning Driver – Team Penske (+950)
I’m not sure if Austin Cindric, Joey Logano or Ryan Blaney have a legitimate shot to win the Bowling at The Glen race on Sunday, but it’s worth a roll of the dice to nearly go 10x on your wager.
Cindric goes off from the 3rd spot in Sunday’s grid, and he has a respectable 13.8 AFP in 4 career NASCAR Cup Series starts at Watkins Glen — never finishing worse than 16th. Logano has won at The Glen before, posting 4 top-5 finishes with a 15.6 AFP in 16 career starts, while Blaney has a 15.0 AFP in 9 career starts with 37 laps led. It’s worth a sprinkle.
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