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Starting lineup and qualifying

2026 NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series at Watkins Glen Starting Lineup: Rajah Caruth on Pole & Full Grid — May 9

Rajah Caruth starts P1, with Justin Allgaier alongside in P2 for the NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series at Watkins Glen at Watkins Glen International. The confirmed field contains 38 starters.

Pole position

Rajah Caruth

No. 88 · Chevrolet

Outside pole

Justin Allgaier

No. 7 · Chevrolet

Field

38 starters

NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series

Race weekend

Saturday, May 9, 2026

Open weekend hub →

Grid briefing

Rajah Caruth leads the NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series at Watkins Glen starting lineup

How the front row was set

Rain canceled Watkins Glen qualifying, so NASCAR used its rule-book metric and placed Rajah Caruth first with Justin Allgaier second. No timed pole lap was completed.

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 O'Reilly Auto Parts Series at Watkins Glen grid watch

Connor Zilisch won from P17, a nine-row charge that made the metric front row far less predictive than the road-course race pace.

Starting-order facts checked against Official NASCAR Statistics Watkins Glen lineup. 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 O'Reilly Auto Parts Series at Watkins Glen starting lineup

RowStartDriverCarManufacturerSponsor
11Rajah CaruthNo. 88ChevroletHendrickCars.com
12Justin AllgaierNo. 7ChevroletHellmann's
23Sheldon CreedNo. 00ChevroletRoad Ranger
24Brent CrewsNo. 19ToyotaMobil 1
35Sam MayerNo. 41ChevroletAudibel
36Parker RetzlaffNo. 99ChevroletHendrickCars.com
47Brandon JonesNo. 20ToyotaMenards
48Jesse LoveNo. 2ChevroletWhelen
59Austin HillNo. 21ChevroletBennett Transportation
510Sammy SmithNo. 8ChevroletHendrickCars.com
611Jeremy ClementsNo. 51ChevroletHendrickCars.com
612Shane van GisbergenNo. 9ChevroletSuperFile
713Ryan SiegNo. 39ChevroletHendrickCars.com
714William SawalichNo. 18ToyotaSoundGear
815Anthony AlfredoNo. 96ChevroletHendrickCars.com
816Dean ThompsonNo. 26ToyotaHendrickCars.com
917Connor ZilischNo. 1ChevroletBass Pro Shops
918Brennan PooleNo. 44ChevroletHendrickCars.com
1019Patrick StaropoliNo. 48ChevroletHendrickCars.com
1020Lavar ScottNo. 45ChevroletHendrickCars.com
1121Alex GuenetteNo. 92ChevroletHendrickCars.com
1122Harrison BurtonNo. 24ToyotaHendrickCars.com
1223Jeb BurtonNo. 27ChevroletHendrickCars.com
1224Blaine PerkinsNo. 31ChevroletHendrickCars.com
1325Taylor GrayNo. 54ToyotaOperation 300
1326Josh BilickiNo. 07ChevroletHendrickCars.com
1427Corey DayNo. 17ChevroletHendrickCars.com
1428Ryan EllisNo. 02ChevroletHendrickCars.com
1529Ross ChastainNo. 32ChevroletHendrickCars.com
1530Alex LabbeNo. 0ChevroletSS GreenLight Racing
1631Derek WhiteNo. 53ChevroletHendrickCars.com
1632Glen ReenNo. 55ChevroletStripes
1733Kyle SiegNo. 28ChevroletHendrickCars.com
1734Carson KvapilNo. 91ChevroletHendrickCars.com
1835Austin GreenNo. 87ChevroletHendrickCars.com
1836Will RodgersNo. 42ChevroletHendrickCars.com
1937Matt WilsonNo. 35ChevroletHendrickCars.com
1938Preston PardusNo. 50ChevroletHendrickCars.com

38 confirmed starters shown.

Grid to checkered flag

How the NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series at Watkins Glen winner started

Connor Zilisch won after starting P17

Connor Zilisch moved from P17 to the win, a net gain of 16 positions. 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 O'Reilly Auto Parts Series at Watkins Glen starting lineup FAQ

Who is on pole for the NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series at Watkins Glen?

Rajah Caruth is the confirmed pole starter.

Who starts on the front row?

Rajah Caruth starts P1 and Justin Allgaier starts P2.

How many cars are in the NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts 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. 1

    Use Start for the exact grid spot and Row to see which two cars share a row.

  2. 2

    Search a driver, car number or manufacturer to jump straight to that entry.

  3. 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.