Shane van Gisbergen Dominates Watkins Glen Road Race Again

Shane van Gisbergen won the NASCAR Cup Series road race at Watkins Glen on Sunday. He took the checkered flag by seven seconds even after a late pit stop put him 29 seconds behind the leader. That showed his dominance on the 2.45-mile (3.94-kilometer) course.

Nobody else had a shot. Van Gisbergen charged through the field on fresher tires faster than anyone could match. The New Zealand driver, known from Supercars, remains the best road racer in the series. Boris Said comes next.

Van Gisbergen will drop back in the standings until late June. The schedule heads to Sonoma after a stop in San Diego. He provides excitement on road race weekends but goes quiet for months on ovals and speedways.

The win raises questions for NASCAR. The series has several road courses amid a season of low TV ratings. A driver like Jeff Gordon or Dale Earnhardt dominating in the 1990s would draw fans. But Van Gisbergen, a newcomer from a different racing world, makes these races predictable.

Sunday's event at Watkins Glen likely posted poor numbers. Fans do not love watching one driver lap the field. Until Van Gisbergen contends on an oval, he will not connect with casual viewers.

Bubba Wallace and Christopher Bell exchanged words after the race. Wallace's spotter said he was not mad. Wallace later got wrecked by John Hunter Nemechek and finished 29th.

Cody Ware crashed hard late in the race. NASCAR did not throw a caution. Ware has a history of incidents, and producers may have missed it or chosen not to stop the action.

Fox wraps its Cup broadcasts with the All-Star race at Dover. Amazon Prime takes the next five races, followed by TNT and USA Network in July and August.

Natalie Decker ran in the Truck Series at Watkins Glen. She finished last, ejected for being too slow 20 laps in. Decker blamed an electrical issue from practice through the race.

A photo showed Decker with what looked like a nicotine pouch in her lip. She uses them despite the male-dominated sport.

Sam Busch dressed in country style like singer Ella Langley.