Two-time Watkins Glen International winner Chase Elliott qualified his No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 27th for Sunday afternoon's Go Bowling at the Glen NASCAR Cup Series race, and that is where he is set to start.
The team found a cracked brake rotor on Sunday before moving the No. 9 car to the 38-car grid, which resulted in a late replacement.
However, because brake rotors are a safety concern and a single-source part, meaning they cannot be legally modified by the teams, Elliott was not penalized as a result of the replacement.
Chase Elliott avoids Watkins Glen penalty
Elliott will not be sent to the rear of the field before Sunday's 100-lap race around the eight-turn, 2.454-mile (3.949-kilometer) Watkins Glen, New York natural terrain road course.
Chase Elliott car a little later to the grid than the rest. Team found a cracked brake rotor. In Cup, since it is a single-source part and a safety concern, can replace without penalty.
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) May 10, 2026
Nobody is set to drop to the rear of the field before Sunday's race, marking the third straight race in which all drivers are set to start exactly where they qualified.
Trackhouse Racing's Shane van Gisbergen, whose Watkins Glen win a year ago was one of his five victories in six road or street course races on the 2025 calendar, took the pole position for Sunday's race in Saturday's modified qualifying session and is set to lead the field to the green flag, alongside Spire Motorsports' Michael McDowell.
A full starting lineup for the Go Bowling at the Glen can be found here.
Fox Sports 1 is set to provide live coverage of the Go Bowling at the Glen beginning at 3:00 p.m. ET this afternoon. It's FS1's final Cup Series points race of the 2026 season, as Fox's portion of the schedule is set to wrap up with the exhibition All-Star Race at Dover Motor Speedway next Sunday. Start a free trial of FuboTV and catch all of the action from the season's second road course race at Watkins Glen International!
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