Shane van Gisbergen delivered one of the biggest comeback wins of the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season at Watkins Glen International on Sunday, May 10. The Trackhouse Racing driver started from the pole, controlled most of the race, then fought back from 26th place after a late green-flag pit stop dropped him deep in traffic.
His dramatic victory completely changed the NASCAR Cup Series standings and tightened the NASCAR playoff picture heading into the next part of the regular season.
Tyler Reddick still leads the NASCAR Cup Series standings with 567 points after finishing fifth at Watkins Glen International. Denny Hamlin remains second with 438 points, while Chase Elliott sits third with 422 points.
Ryan Blaney and Chris Buescher round out the top five in the NASCAR points standings. Van Gisbergen’s victory pushed him to 16th in the standings with 283 points, placing the Chevrolet driver directly on the playoff cutline as the postseason battle continues to heat up.
NASCAR Cup Series Standings After Watkins Glen International
1. Tyler Reddick – 567 points
2. Denny Hamlin – 438 points
3. Chase Elliott – 422 points
4. Ryan Blaney – 405 points
5. Chris Buescher – 375 points
6. Ty Gibbs – 372 points
7. Carson Hocevar – 342 points
8. Kyle Larson – 332 points
9. Brad Keselowski – 318 points
10. Bubba Wallace – 313 points
11. Christopher Bell – 311 points
12. William Byron – 309 points
13. Ryan Preece – 296 points
14. Daniel Suárez – 295 points
15. Austin Cindric – 287 points
16. Shane van Gisbergen – 283 points
17. Chase Briscoe – 277 points
18. Joey Logano – 245 points
19. Ross Chastain – 236 points
20. AJ Allmendinger – 235 points
21. Michael McDowell – 225 points
22. Austin Dillon – 220 points
23. Zane Smith – 217 points
24. Kyle Busch – 217 points
25. Erik Jones – 214 points
26. Todd Gilliland – 206 points
27. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. – 193 points
28. John Hunter Nemechek – 189 points
29. Riley Herbst – 186 points
30. Noah Gragson – 168 points
31. Josh Berry – 160 points
32. Connor Zilisch – 145 points
33. Ty Dillon – 140 points
34. Alex Bowman – 127 points
35. Cole Custer – 113 points
36. Cody Ware – 93 points
37. Casey Mears – 9 points
38. BJ McLeod – 3 points
39. Katherine Legge 2 points
NASCAR Playoff Standings Tighten After Shane van Gisbergen’s Watkins Glen Win
The NASCAR Cup Series standings shifted significantly after Watkins Glen International produced another chaotic road-course race. Van Gisbergen passed Ty Gibbs with eight laps remaining and pulled away to beat Michael McDowell by 7.288 seconds.
The New Zealander earned his first NASCAR Cup Series win of 2026 and the seventh of his career. Every one of those victories has come on road or street courses. The win also marked his second straight triumph at Watkins Glen International.
Ross Chastain won Stage 1 while van Gisbergen dominated Stage 2. Tire strategy, pit-road decisions, and aggressive passing moves shaped the race from start to finish. Several Toyota, Chevrolet, and Ford teams also battled mechanical issues and costly mistakes during the event.
Ty Gibbs climbed to sixth in the NASCAR playoff standings after finishing third. Carson Hocevar stayed seventh with 342 points, while Kyle Larson remained eighth with 332. Brad Keselowski sits ninth with 318 points, and Bubba Wallace rounds out the top 10 with 313.
Tyler Reddick Still Leads NASCAR Cup Series Standings
Despite the Watkins Glen chaos, Tyler Reddick continues to control the NASCAR Cup Series standings through consistency and race-winning speed. The 23XI Racing driver now has five wins, eight top-five finishes, and nine top-10 finishes through 12 races.
His 129-point lead over Denny Hamlin remains the biggest gap in the regular-season points battle. Still, drivers like Chase Elliott, Ryan Blaney, Ty Gibbs, and Shane van Gisbergen continue gaining momentum as the NASCAR playoff race grows tighter each week.
With 24 races left before the NASCAR playoffs begin after Race 26, every position in the NASCAR Cup Series standings remains important. Drivers fighting for a playoff spot near the cutline face mounting pressure as the series heads to the All-Star Race at Dover Motor Speedway.
NASCAR Cup Series Standings Collapse After Watkins Glen Thriller Shakes Up Playoff Picture