2026 NASCAR Cup Series at Watkins Glen Starting Lineup: Shane van Gisbergen on Pole & Full Grid — May 10

Shane van Gisbergen starts P1, with Michael McDowell alongside in P2 for the NASCAR Cup Series at Watkins Glen at Watkins Glen International. The confirmed field contains 38 starters.

Pole position

Shane van Gisbergen

No. 97 · Chevrolet

Outside pole

Michael McDowell

No. 71 · Chevrolet

Field

38 starters

NASCAR Cup Series

Race weekend

Sunday, May 10, 2026

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Grid briefing

Shane van Gisbergen leads the NASCAR Cup Series at Watkins Glen starting lineup

How the front row was set

On his 37th birthday, Shane van Gisbergen ran 71.165 seconds at 123.937 mph and beat Michael McDowell by 0.259 seconds. He gained more than two tenths through the bus stop alone.

What track position means at Watkins Glen International

Watkins Glen combines high speed with heavy braking into Turn 1 and the Inner Loop, making fuel windows and wheel-hop control important.

NASCAR Cup Series at Watkins Glen grid watch

Van Gisbergen converted pole into the win, making his bus-stop qualifying advantage a genuine preview of the completed race rather than a standalone statistic.

Starting-order facts checked against NASCAR Watkins Glen Cup pole report. A post-qualifying inspection or unapproved adjustment can still send a car to the rear without changing its scored starting position.

Row-by-row grid

Full NASCAR Cup Series at Watkins Glen starting lineup

Find a driver or car

Row	Start	Driver	Car	Manufacturer	Sponsor
1	1	Shane van Gisbergen	No. 97	Chevrolet	Red Bull
1	2	Michael McDowell	No. 71	Chevrolet	Superfile
2	3	Austin Cindric	No. 2	Ford	Superfile
2	4	Ross Chastain	No. 1	Chevrolet	Superfile
3	5	Connor Zilisch	No. 88	Chevrolet	Superfile
3	6	Joey Logano	No. 22	Ford	Shell Pennzoil
4	7	Ryan Blaney	No. 12	Ford	Duracell
4	8	Christopher Bell	No. 20	Toyota	Interstate Batteries
5	9	Chase Briscoe	No. 19	Toyota	Bass Pro Shops
5	10	Ty Gibbs	No. 54	Toyota	Superfile
6	11	Carson Hocevar	No. 77	Chevrolet	Zeigler Auto Group
6	12	AJ Allmendinger	No. 16	Chevrolet	Superfile
7	13	William Byron	No. 24	Chevrolet	Superfile
7	14	Chris Buescher	No. 17	Ford	Superfile
8	15	Tyler Reddick	No. 45	Toyota	Mobil 1
8	16	Daniel Suarez	No. 7	Chevrolet	Superfile
9	17	John Hunter Nemechek	No. 42	Toyota	Superfile
9	18	Bubba Wallace	No. 23	Toyota	Superfile
10	19	Cole Custer	No. 41	Chevrolet	Superfile
10	20	Denny Hamlin	No. 11	Toyota	Progressive
11	21	Kyle Busch	No. 8	Chevrolet	zone Jalapeno Lime
11	22	Todd Gilliland	No. 34	Ford	Superfile
12	23	Kyle Larson	No. 5	Chevrolet	Superfile
12	24	Erik Jones	No. 43	Toyota	Superfile
13	25	Austin Dillon	No. 3	Chevrolet	Superfile
13	26	Brad Keselowski	No. 6	Ford	Superfile
14	27	Chase Elliott	No. 9	Chevrolet	Superfile
14	28	Alex Bowman	No. 48	Chevrolet	Superfile
15	29	Ricky Stenhouse Jr.	No. 47	Chevrolet	Superfile
15	30	Ryan Preece	No. 60	Ford	Superfile
16	31	Ty Dillon	No. 10	Chevrolet	Superfile
16	32	Riley Herbst	No. 35	Toyota	Superfile
17	33	Zane Smith	No. 38	Ford	Superfile
17	34	Josh Berry	No. 21	Ford	Superfile
18	35	Noah Gragson	No. 4	Ford	Superfile
18	36	Cody Ware	No. 51	Chevrolet	Superfile
19	37	Josh Bilicki	No. 66	Ford	Superfile
19	38	Katherine Legge	No. 78	Chevrolet	Superfile

38 confirmed starters shown.

Grid to checkered flag

How the NASCAR Cup Series at Watkins Glen winner started

Shane van Gisbergen won after starting P1

Shane van Gisbergen moved from P1 to the win. The starting grid records where the car took the green; the race recap explains the decisive sequence that produced the finish.

Read the race recap and finishing order →

Quick answers

NASCAR Cup Series at Watkins Glen starting lineup FAQ

Who is on pole for the NASCAR Cup Series at Watkins Glen?

Shane van Gisbergen is the confirmed pole starter.

Who starts on the front row?

Shane van Gisbergen starts P1 and Michael McDowell starts P2.

How many cars are in the NASCAR Cup Series at Watkins Glen starting lineup?

The confirmed field has 38 starters.

Can the starting lineup change after qualifying?

Yes. Inspection failures, backup cars and unapproved adjustments can send a driver to the rear. The official scored start position may remain unchanged even when the car drops behind the field for the green flag.

How to use this tool

Read the starting grid

1
Use Start for the exact grid spot and Row to see which two cars share a row.
2
Search a driver, car number or manufacturer to jump straight to that entry.
3
Open the race recap after the checkered flag to compare start versus finish.

Race fan notes:

An entry list is not a confirmed lineup.
A car sent to the rear can retain its original scored starting position.