Shane Van Gisbergen had a race to forget in Iowa last week, spinning twice, but he's back atop the oddsboard as the NASCAR Cup Series makes its annual trip to upstate New York and Watkins Glen International for the 2025 Go Bowling at The Glen.
The pre-qualifying Go Bowling at The Glen odds have "SVG" at a short price along with Trackhouse Racing teammate Connor Zilisch, with a big break back to Kyle Larson.
What's the best way to attack this race from a betting perspective? Read on for our Go Bowling at The Glen predictions and free betting picks for Sunday, August 10.
Odds to win 2025 Go Bowling at The Glen
| Driver |  |
|---|---|
| Shane Van Gisbergen | +165 |
| Connor Zilisch | +370 |
| Kyle Larson | +1000 |
| William Byron | +1000 |
| Christopher Bell | +1100 |
| Michael McDowell | +1400 |
| Chase Elliott | +1600 |
| Kyle Busch | +1800 |
| Tyler Reddick | +2000 |
| Chris Buescher | +2000 |
| AJ Allmendinger | +2000 |
| Ross Chastain | +2000 |
| Chase Briscoe | +2200 |
| Ty Gibbs | +2500 |
| Alex Bowman | +3500 |
| Carson Hocevar | +3500 |
| Daniel Suarez | +4500 |
| Joey Logano | +5500 |
| Austin Cindric | +6500 |
| Ryan Blaney | +7000 |
Odds as of 8-9.
Go Bowling at The Glen field
It will be a full field of 40 for the 2025 Go Bowling at The Glen. Non-regulars include JJ Yeley (No. 44), Josh Bilicki (No. 66), Katherine Legge (No. 78), and Connor Zilisch (No. 87).
Zilisch, of course, rates the best chance of that bunch to win this race, as he's listed as the second-choice in the pre-qualifying odds despite no Top 10s in three road course races this season. He has, however, won on three different road courses in the Xfinity Series, including Watkins Glen.
Series regulars facing far longer odds than usual include Kyle Larson (+1000), Ryan Blaney (+7000), and Denny Hamlin (+8000).
Go Bowling at The Glen expert picks and predictions
Odds listed below courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook as of 8-9.
Go Bowling at The Glen pre-qualifying favorites
Shane Van Gisbergen (+165)
He finished runner-up last year. Among his 11 Cup Series road course starts, Shane Van Gisbergen has five Top-5 finishes and eight Top-10 results, including four wins.
Christopher Bell (+1100)
He was eighth in 2022, third in 2023, and 14th last year. Bell also had a Top-2 car in 2021 before a run-in with Larson.
On road courses this season, Bell won at COTA, finished second in Mexico City, ran 24th at Chicago, and fifth in Sonoma.
Chase Elliott (+1600)
A two-time Watkins Glen winner, Elliott also finished runner-up in 2021 and fourth in 2022. However, he was only 19th last year.
Still, Elliott finished fourth in COTA, 15th in Mexico City, 16th at Chicago, and third in Sonoma this season. He has five Top-6 finishes in the last eight weeks.
Go Bowling at The Glen sleepers
Chris Buescher (+2000)
The defending race winner, who led three times for 19 laps, also finished ninth in 2022 and seventh in 2023. Chris Buescher's road course results in 2025 are: seventh, 10th, 18th, and 16th.
Ross Chastain (+2000)
Ross Chastain finished fourth last year and also improved six spots from 12th at COTA this season to sixth in Mexico City. He was 10th in Chicago and 24th at Sonoma.
Ty Gibbs (+2500)
He finished fifth in 2023 but 22nd last year. Gibbs placed 34th in COTA, third at Mexico City, second in Chicago, and seventh in Sonoma. He has three Top-7 finishes in the last five weeks.
Denny Hamlin (+8000)
The 2016 Watkins Glen winner was runner-up in 2023, has five Top-5 finishes in his last eight tries on the road course, and you get him for these odds… why not? He has six Top-3 finishes in the last nine races, so his No. 11 Toyota has the speed to compete in a strategy-filled race on Sunday.
Go Bowling at The Glen fades
Connor Zilisch (+370)
Really steep odds for a driver without a Top-10 Cup Series finish. He was 37th at COTA, 23rd in the Coca-Cola 600, and 11th in Atlanta. While he’s more than capable of being a contender, I just don’t see it happening yet, especially at these odds…
Kyle Larson (+1000)
Larson’s two-year win streak was halted in 2023 with a 26th-place finish. He was better than that reflected, however, with a qualifying spot of fifth, then coming home sixth and fourth, respectively, in the pair of stages. He then finished a distant 12th last year.
Prior to that, Larson’s last four Watkins Glen finishes were sixth, eighth, first, and first. However, he’s finished 32nd, 36th, 13th and 35th on road courses this season.
William Byron (+1000)
Byron led 66 of the 90 laps in 2023, but only finished 34th last year. He finished 28th in Mexico City, 40th in Chicago, and eighth at Sonoma. Last week's Iowa win was his first Top-5 finish in the last nine races.
AJ Allmendinger (+2000)
Allmendinger was runner-up and fourth in the last two of his last three Watkins Glen Cup races. He also has three runner-up finishes (2018, 2021, 2022) in his last four NXS starts there, too. However, he finished 30th, 17th, sixth, and 18th on road courses this season and 36th last year.
Go Bowling at The Glen prop pick: Michael McDowell Top 5 Finish
Michael McDowell placed sixth at Watkins Glen in 2022 and seventh last year. McDowell led every lap in the opening stage at Chicago before a mechanical malfunction ended his race early. He finished fourth in Sonoma and fifth at Mexico City.
Pick: Michael McDowell Top 5 Finish (+180 at DraftKings)
Popular motor sports futures odds
Watkins Glen track analysis
Other than moving from a playoff race back into the regular season, this year’s race remains unchanged from last year’s. However, last year’s race also featured some turnover up front. Will that feat happen again this weekend?
HMS dominated on this track and entered last year’s race weekend victors at WGI in five straight races. However, it finished 12-18-19-34 in 2024.
Ford earned its first win here since 2015, a part-time driver finished second, and rookies ran third and fifth.
Go Bowling at The Glen trend to know
- Eight of the Top 9 finishers last year didn’t score stage points in the opening stage.
Go Bowling at The Glen info
| Location: | Watkins Glen International, Dix, NY |
| Date: | Sunday, 8-10-2025 |
| Start time: | 2:00 p.m. ET |
| TV: | USA |
Previous Go Bowling at The Glen winners
Chris Buescher interrupted a five-race win streak for Chevrolet and Hendrick Motorsports at Watkins Glen last year.
| Year | Winner |
| 2024 | Chris Buescher |
| 2023 | William Byron |
| 2022 | Kyle Larson |
| 2021 | Kyle Larson |
| 2020 | Race Not Held — COVID-19 |
| 2019 | Chase Elliott |
| 2018 | Chase Elliott |
| 2017 | Martin Truex Jr. |
| 2016 | Denny Hamlin |
| 2015 | Joey Logano |
How to make Go Bowling at The Glen picks
NASCAR betting is a nuanced process that can take any number of factors into account, and spans several different types of bets. Fortunately, our How to Bet NASCAR guide walks you through the basics, including how to read odds, different markets that are available, and what to consider when making your bets.
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change.
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