There are only three events left in the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series regular season. The first of those is the Go Bowling at The Glen race that’s scheduled for August 10. This is one of the six road races in this season’s Cup Series, which is great news for some drivers (e.g., Shane van Gisbergen) but bad news for others (e.g., Denny Hamlin, Brad Keselowski, etc.).
2025 Go Bowling at The Glen Odds
| Driver | Odds |
|---|---|
| Shane van Gisbergen | +150 |
| Connor Zilisch | +400 |
| Kyle Larson | +1100 |
| William Byron | +1100 |
| Chase Elliot | +1200 |
| Christopher Bell | +1200 |
| Tyler Reddick | +1400 |
| Michael McDowell | +1400 |
| AJ Allmendinger | +1500 |
| Chris Buescher | +1800 |
| Ty Gibbs | +1800 |
| Chase Briscoe | +2000 |
| Ross Chastain | +2500 |
| Carson Hocevar | +2500 |
| Kyle Busch | +3000 |
| Joey Logano | +4000 |
| Alex Bowman | +4500 |
When, Where, and How to Watch?
- Place: Watkins Glen International in Watkins Glen, New York
- Date: Sunday, August 10, 2025
- Time: 2:00 p.m. ET
- How to Watch: USA Network
Reasons Why SVG Is the Top Favorite for the 2025 Go Bowling at The Glen
It’s his rookie season in the NASCAR Cup Series, but Shane van Gisbergen has already won three races. That’s super impressive, especially given that most other Cup Series legends took their time before they started winning. Kyle Larson, for example, had to wait for three seasons to grab his first victory.
It sounds great, but there’s a caveat – all three of those wins happened on road courses. His first win happened at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in Mexico City. The second was on the street course in Chicago, while the third happened at Sonoma.
He didn’t do too great at ovals, which is why, despite three wins, he’s sitting in 25th place in the Drivers’ Championship. Nevertheless, his place in the Playoffs seems secure due to those wins. There are currently 13 winners in the 2025 Cup Series, and given that there are 16 Playoff places up for grabs, all three-win drivers seem safe.
That said, there’s no pressure on SVG to win the August 10 race. He can relax and enjoy the ride, which often results in superb performances.
All Eyes on 19-Year-Old Connor Zilisch
He’s not eligible for Cup Series points, but he’s expected to do very well on August 10. Connor Zilisch is a 19-year-old prodigy who’s competing full-time in the Xfinity Series. He has already driven three Cup Series races, but in two of those – at Circuit of the Americas and Charlotte Motor Speedway (Coca-Cola 600) – he was involved in a crash.
His most recent Cup Series race was the one in Atlanta, where he finished 11th. Judging by the NASCAR odds, he’s gonna do even better this time around. He’s seen as the No. 2 favorite to win at Watkins Glen, mainly because he tends to do well on road courses.
He even has a win on this course – last September, he won the Xfinity race (Mission 200 at the Glen) held on this course.
Who Needs to Go All-In at The Glen?
The race for Playoff spots is heating up, with 13 drivers booking their tickets already. With three more regular-season races left, those guys are safe, no matter what happens. The other three spots are up for grabs.
To claim a spot, a driver must win one of the three remaining races. If we don’t get any new winners, the top 3 non-winners with the highest number of points will get there.
Ahead of the 2025 Go Bowling at The Glen race, the three drivers occupying those positions are:
- Tyler Reddick – He’s currently in the 6th place overall with 673 points, but he’s still without a single win this season. While the chance is that he’ll probably get to the postseason based on points, he’d love to win a race. The reason we think he might do it on August 10 is that he’s good when racing on road courses, the evidence being that he finished 6th at Sonoma and 3rd in Chicago.
- Alex Bowman – He finished fourth in Mexico City, eighth in Chicago, and then had a blunder at Sonoma where he finished 19th. Despite that, he’s obviously a fine road driver who could do okay at The Glen.
- Chris Buescher – This guy hasn’t done much on road courses, but he’s in need of a win, or at least a very good performance that would help him leapfrog Bowman and/or Reddick in the standings.
These three guys are bound to go all-in on August 10, but they’re not the only ones. The 2012 Cup Series champ, Brad Keselowski, is also determined to challenge for a Playoff spot. The same goes for A. J. Allmendinger, Carson Hocevar, and others.
2025 Go Bowling at The Glen Prediction
Shane van Gisbergen looks like a safe pick for the 2025 Go Bowling at The Glen. He’s the best road racer on the Cup Series roster right now. Sure, he doesn’t need to win on August 10, but he’d love to do it. This is his first season in the top NASCAR tier, so he wants to impress everyone.
If you need more convincing that SVG is the right bet for the 2025 Go Bowling at The Glen, let us remind you that each time he was the No. 1 favorite, he ended up winning.
Pick: Shane van Gisbergen