Can anyone stop Shane van Gisbergen on road courses?

The New Zealand-born racer hasn’t fared particularly well on ovals in his maiden Cup Series campaign, limping to No. 25 in the regular season standings.  And yet, there’s not a driver in the garage who is better than the Trackhouse star on the road. He has three wins in 2025, the joint-second-best mark in Cup. All three have seen him slalom around corners and turns atop road courses.

SVG doesn’t just beat drivers on road courses. He embarrasses them. He posted the largest margin of victory in a Cup. Series race since 2009 with his conquest in Mexico City and cruised to titles at Chicago and Sonoma. With just 34 races under his belt, van Gisbergen is the fastest driver to four Cup Series wins in NASCAR history.

He’s also got unfinished business at Watkins Glen, the sight of this weekend’s Cup Series race. van Gisbergen looked assured to hoist the Go Bowling at The Glen trophy at the venue in 2024. But a late-race mistake opened the door for Chris Buescher to take home the checkered flag.

Given van Gisbergen’s showings on road courses this season, it seems unlikely that such a moment will happen again.

With that, here’s what you need to know about the pole sitter and starting lineup for Sunday’s Cup Series race, Go Bowling at The Glen.

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Who won the Go Bowling at The Glen pole for 2025?

Ryan Blaney took home the pole at Watkins Glen, outgunning van Gisbergen Hendrick Motorsports to capture his second pole of the season. He had the edge by a miniscule .33 seconds with a lap of 122.568 mph around the 2.45-mile road.

Joining Blaney and van Gisbergen in the top-five are Chase Briscoe, Ross Chastain and Kyle Busch.

Go Bowling at The Glen starting lineup 2025