The NASCAR Cup Series will move to Upstate New York this weekend. After William Byron’s win in Iowa, Watkins Glen International will mark a return to road course racing for the sport on Sunday.
Last season, Chris Buescher was able to out-duel Shane van Gisbergen in the closing laps, capping off an epic victory in the playoffs. SVG already has three wins in 2025, while Buescher doesn’t have any. Perhaps the latter can lock himself into the playoffs this weekend at The Glen.
Looking ahead, BetMGM Sportsbook has us covered with the odds. See if your favorite driver has a shot at the dub in Iowa this weekend, in what should be a doozy of a race on the road course in New York.
Shane van Gisbergen (+125)
Shane van Gisbergen hasn’t been anything special at NASCAR’s more traditional ovals. However, that couldn’t be further from the truth on road courses.
He has three wins, and he’s the favorite to notch No. 4 this weekend at Watkins Glen. The Trackhouse Racing star came up just short of victory at the track during his Cup Series race in 2024, and SVG will be even more motivated to get the job done this time around.
Connor Zilisch (+550)
It’s not often that someone of Connor Zilisch’s age is among the favorites to win a NASCAR Cup Series race. Zilisch isn’t your everyday normal prospect though.
He’s proven to be a tremendous road course racer, and ahead of what’s likely to be a jump to the next level, he’s looking to make his mark. Winning at Watkins Glen would help do that for the Trackhouse Racing prospect.
Christopher Bell (+900)
Christopher Bell started P17 at Iowa, and that’s where he finished, as well. Not his finest performance, as he was expected to be one of the contenders for the win on Sunday.
Looking ahead to Watkins Glen, Bell has performed well at the road course. He’s never finished below P14, so there’s some merit for a solid showing after a disappointing one in Iowa.
Kyle Larson (+1000)
Once again, Kyle Larson squandered a solid starting position at Iowa. He rolled off P3, but contact with Chase Elliott, along with some other mistakes, meant a P28 finish for the Hendrick Motorsports star.
Thankfully, Larson is heading to a track he loves in Watkins Glen this coming weekend. He won there in both 2021 and 2022. We’ll see if he can get back to Victory Lane in New York this time around.
Tyler Reddick (+1600)
Without a win on the season, Tyler Reddick needs all the points he can get. He’s in a solid spot, but a P19 finish like he notched at Iowa won’t help if he continues to stack them up.
In his Cup career, Reddick has three top 10s at Watkins Glen. Last season though, he finished P27. We’ll see if he can get back on track in New York in 2025.
Chase Elliott (+1600)
Chase Elliott got tangled up with his teammate in Kyle Larson at Iowa. It put a damper on both of their afternoons, as the No. 9 Chevrolet team had to salvage a P14 finish out of their trip to Iowa.
Watkins Glen is a special track for Elliott. He won his first race in Upstate New York back in 2018, and he won again at the track in 2019. Win No. 3 could be on the horizon this time around.
William Byron (+1600)
Talk about taking care of business. William Byron started on the front row, and he saved just enough fuel to hang on to win at Iowa Speedway over the weekend. Win No. 2 of 2025 in the bank for the No. 24 team.
Perhaps this will be the start of a little hot streak for Byron. He won at Watkins Glen in 2023, so we could see him end up in Victory Lane again in 2025.
Ty Gibbs (+1800)
Ty Gibbs is still searching for his first Cup Series win. Whenever it comes to a road course, he’s in the mix, and that could mean a trip to Victory Lane is in his future.
It hasn’t been an easy season, but Gibbs has strung together some better performances as of late. Perhaps this weekend in New York will prove fruitful for the Joe Gibbs Racing wheelman.
NASCAR Watkins Glen Odds Continued:
- Michael McDowell (+1800)
- Chris Buescher (+2000)
- AJ Allmendinger (+2200)
- Chase Briscoe (+2500)
- Ross Chastain (+3000)
- Alex Bowman (+4000)
- Kyle Busch (+5000)
- Carson Hocevar (+5000)
- Denny Hamlin (+6000)
- Ryan Preece (+6000)
- Austin Cindric (+8000)
- Joey Logano (+8000)
- Daniel Suarez (+8000)
- Ryan Blaney (+8000)
- Brad Keselowski (+12500)
- Todd Gilliland (+15000)
- Bubba Wallace (+20000)
- Riley Herbst (+35000)
- John H. Nemechek (+35000)
- Cole Custer (+35000)
- Zane Smith (+35000)
- Noah Gragson (+35000)
- Justin Haley (+35000)
- Erik Jones (+35000)
- Josh Berry (+50000)
- Ty Dillon (+50000)
- Ricky Stenhouse Jr (+50000)
- Austin Dillon (+50000)
- Josh Bilicki (+100000)
- Cody Ware (+200000)
- Katherine Legge (+200000)
- JJ Yeley (+200000)
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