Samwise NASCAR Cup Series Newsletter
Saturday, May 9, 2026
Honeycutt Completes Historic ARCA-Truck Sweep at Watkins Glen
Kaden Honeycutt etched his name in NASCAR history at Watkins Glen International on Friday, winning both the ARCA Menards Series and the Craftsman Truck Series races on the same afternoon. He is just the second driver to accomplish an ARCA-Truck same-day sweep, joining Sam Mayer who did it at Bristol Motor Speedway in 2020. Honeycutt, starting seventh in the Bully Hill Vineyards 176 at The Glen, passed Connor Zilisch through a tight Turn 1 on the first overtime lap to claim his first career Truck Series victory in his 67th start. Zilisch settled for second, and Shane van Gisbergen recovered from eighth on the grid to finish third.
Sources: NASCAR.com, Motorsport.com, Jayski
Chastain Claims Cup Pole at Watkins Glen; Truex Leads Playoff Drivers
Ross Chastain claimed the pole for Sunday’s Go Bowling at The Glen, posting a qualifying lap of 122.279 mph at Watkins Glen International on Saturday. It is the second Cup Series pole of Chastain’s career and his first on a road course, prompting the Trackhouse Racing driver to describe the achievement as a career moment. Martin Truex Jr., who led all playoff drivers in qualifying, will start alongside Chastain on the front row, 0.134 seconds back. Shane van Gisbergen, the defending race winner, qualified third. Alex Bowman and Austin Cindric rounded out the top five, setting up a competitive front pack for Sunday’s 100-lap race.
Sources: NBC Sports
Van Gisbergen and Rookie Zilisch Converge for Sunday Cup Showdown at The Glen
Sunday’s Go Bowling at The Glen Cup race pits two of NASCAR’s preeminent road-course specialists against each other as defending race winner Shane van Gisbergen and Cup rookie Connor Zilisch converge at Watkins Glen International. Van Gisbergen, who has six Cup road-course victories and won the last four straight Glen races across his career, has yet to win in 2026 and is eager to convert at the track where his road-course dominance has been most pronounced. Zilisch, in his first full Cup season with Trackhouse Racing, enters Sunday ranked 16th in points and brings a perfect 2-for-2 record at Watkins Glen from his O’Reilly Series appearances in 2024 and 2025.
Sources: NASCAR.com
Zilisch Bids for Unprecedented Third Straight O’Reilly Win at The Glen
Connor Zilisch enters Saturday’s Mission 200 at The Glen seeking an unprecedented third consecutive O’Reilly Auto Parts Series victory at Watkins Glen International. The 19-year-old Trackhouse Racing Cup rookie has a perfect record at The Glen, winning his O’Reilly Series debut there in 2024 and repeating in 2025 during a 10-win championship season. Now racing for JR Motorsports while carrying full Cup duties at Trackhouse, Zilisch faces competition from van Gisbergen, also entered for JR Motorsports in the O’Reilly race. Together, Zilisch and van Gisbergen have combined for 11 wins in the last 13 O’Reilly road-course events.
Sources: NASCAR.com
Brent Crews Posts First Career NASCAR Truck Pole at Watkins Glen
Eighteen-year-old Brent Crews claimed the first pole of his NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series career on Friday at Watkins Glen International, posting a lap of 70.222 seconds at 125.602 mph. Crews became the 150th different driver to win a Truck Series pole position. The Kyle Busch Motorsports driver started from the front but ultimately finished seventh in the race after leading 19 laps during the opening stages. Ty Majeski qualified second alongside Crews on the front row, while Connor Zilisch and Shane van Gisbergen started fifth and eighth respectively. Kaden Honeycutt, who won the race from P7, was the biggest mover through the field.
Sources: NASCAR.com, Jayski
Watkins Glen Returning to NASCAR Postseason as September Chase Race in 2027
NASCAR has confirmed that Watkins Glen International will move from its current May slot to a September date in 2027, re-entering the postseason Chase for the Championship. The announcement reverses the experiment of placing the road course on Mother’s Day weekend in 2026, the earliest the event had ever been held, which drew mixed reactions over timing and weather risk in upstate New York. By shifting to September, Watkins Glen rejoins the first round of the Chase, restoring road-course racing to the playoff field. No specific 2027 date has been announced, but NASCAR officials confirmed the September window during the current Watkins Glen race weekend.
Sources: RACER, Motorsport.com
Reddick Leads by 109 Points as Cup Series Arrives at Watkins Glen
Tyler Reddick enters Watkins Glen International weekend as the NASCAR Cup Series points leader with 526 points, holding a 109-point advantage over second-placed Denny Hamlin heading into Race 12 of 36. Chase Elliott’s Texas victory last Sunday vaulted him to third at 409 points, 117 back of Reddick. Ryan Blaney sits fourth at 371 points, with Chris Buescher fifth at 345. The playoff cutline sits at position 16, currently occupied by Chase Briscoe with 242 points. Joey Logano remains outside the top 16, seven points below the provisional cut. Ryan Preece, docked 25 points for the Texas incident with Ty Gibbs, holds position 12 with 298 points.
Sources: NASCAR.com, Motorsport.com
Cup Series Standings (Top 16)
1. Tyler Reddick — 526 pts
2. Denny Hamlin — 417 pts
3. Chase Elliott — 409 pts
4. Ryan Blaney — 371 pts
5. Chris Buescher — 345 pts
6. Carson Hocevar — 333 pts
7. Ty Gibbs — 330 pts
8. Kyle Larson — 318 pts
9. Brad Keselowski — 311 pts
10. William Byron — 308 pts
11. Bubba Wallace — 304 pts
12. Ryan Preece — 298 pts
13. Christopher Bell — 291 pts
14. Daniel Suarez — 271 pts
15. Austin Cindric — 248 pts
16. Chase Briscoe — 242 pts ← Cutline
Manufacturer Standings
1. Toyota — 513 pts
2. Chevrolet — 440 pts
3. Ford — 381 pts
Curated by JD · samwise.agency
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.