May 11, 2026, 12:13 PM ET

Michael McDowell was one of the top contenders for the win at the Go Bowling at the Glen at Watkins Glen International. McDowell started the race from second and ran there during the whole first stage until his first pit stop on lap 17. Due to how far away from the pack McDowell was at the time of pitting, he did not fall too far behind and was able to finish the first stage in 10th and gain one stage point. In the second stage, McDowell ran in the top three behind Shane Van Gisbergen and Connor Zilisch through most of the stage, but took a different pit strategy on lap 40 during a caution. Unlike Van Gisbergen and Zilisch, McDowell stayed off of pit road and inherited the lead when the race went back to green. Due to being on older tires, McDowell steadily lost positions at the end of the stage and fell back to 12th, losing out on further stage points. McDowell pitted between stages and then used the tire advantage he gained in the third stage to make it up to second behind Van Gisbergen until his final pit stop on lap 75. From there, McDowell charged through the field to make it back to second, where he finished the race. This would be McDowell's second top-5 finish of the season, as well as his first at Watkins Glen. After 12 races this season, McDowell is now 21st in the regular-season standings and 58 points behind the cutoff position for the final spot in this year's Chase.--Sean Engel - RotoBaller
Source: NASCAR.com