WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. — So far in 2026, it’s been a real struggle for Richard Childress Racing in the NASCAR Cup Series. Through 11 races, Austin Dillon had not scored a top-10 finish for the entire season. Before Watkins Glen International on Sunday, May 10, his best run had been a 12th at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Despite that, he was ahead of teammate Kyle Busch in the standings.
While Busch earned a top-10 finish at Talladega Superspeedway, he had struggled mightily at times. That included a stretch of five consecutive races finishing outside of the top 20. That was enough for first-year crew chief Jim Pohlman to be ousted in favor of Andy Street right after the 10th-place finish at Talladega.
That backdrop makes Sunday’s performances in the Go Bowling at the Glen even better. Both Dillon and Busch were right in the hunt for much of the day.
Dillon was running in the top five in the closing laps before fading to sixth late. To give you an idea of his team’s futility, the sixth-place finish was the No. 3 team’s first top-10 finish since Dillon’s victory at Richmond Raceway last August, a span of 23 races.
“We work really hard on these road races,” Dillon said after the race. “I put a lot of effort into them to get better and we didn’t qualify great, but Richard Boswell and everyone on the Bass Pro Shops/Winchester AA White Flyer team did a good job pushing the strategy early to go hard.”
While what happens at Watkins Glen may not necessarily translate to the rest of the season, there is an importance that comes out of a good run here for Dillon.
“Yeah, it’s huge,” Dillon continued. “It’ll help us set up for the next points race, [the Coca-Cola 600], from a qualifying standpoint. Having a good run today puts us in the first group when we race again for points. I’m proud of our team, proud of our effort. It was refreshing.”
Busch also ran well during the race. Likely the biggest moment for both RCR drivers occurred when the yellow flew on lap 61 when Joey Logano cut his left-front tire and left the carcass on the backstretch. The vast majority of the field chose to pit here, Busch and Dillon included. Race winner Shane van Gisbergen did not.
That left both drivers having to save fuel. Busch got himself up to fifth late in the going, but he ran harder than Dillon to get there. In the closing laps, he was right behind Chase Briscoe and looking to get fourth.
Unfortunately, running as hard as he did cost him. Busch ran out of fuel in the last couple of turns and dropped back to eighth by the checkered flag. Regardless, that is Busch’s best run of the year by far. He didn’t luck into a top 10.
“Strong day for the No. 8 zone Jalapeño Lime Chevrolet,” Busch said in a post-race release. “We were a top 10 car for the majority of the race, and ended eighth here at Watkins Glen International. We made the adjustments and strategy calls we needed to drive forward and make up track position after qualifying 21st, despite battling a car that trended tight throughout the race. We ran out of fuel at the end of the race, but we’re still going home with our second top 10 finish of the season. I’m proud of the work the entire Richard Childress Racing team is putting in back in Welcome, N.C., and will look to continue that momentum as the season progresses.”
On the surface, that quote seems pretty innocuous. Nothing really special. Sure, Busch fought a tight condition, but that’s something he’s done hundreds of times. The race was a lot more involved than that.
Busch entered Sunday’s race less than 100%. He had been suffering from a sinus cold. Partway through the race, he radioed his crew and requested the presence of Dr. William Heisel after the race for treatment.
Despite his less-than-stellar physical health, Busch kept his strong form for the remainder of the race. Oftentimes, being in a good racecar can make a driver feel better…until the end of the race. Then, reality returns once the race ends.
Dillon’s sixth-place finish moved him up five places to 22nd, while Busch’s run moved him up two places to 24th. They’re still 63 and 66 points out of the Chase, but if they can build something out of Watkins Glen to benefit themselves going forward, they’ll be able to cut into that margin.
Phil Allaway has three primary roles at Frontstretch. He's the manager of the Frontstretch email newsletter that publishes Monday-Friday and occasionally on weekends. He keeps TV broadcasters honest with weekly editions of Couch Potato Tuesday and serves as the Frontstretch Sports Car racing editor.
Outside of Frontstretch, Phil is the press officer for Lebanon Valley Speedway in West Lebanon, N.Y. He covers all the action on the high-banked dirt track from regular DIRTcar Modified racing to occasional visits from touring series such as the Super DIRTcar Series.