In this post you will only find all-time stats, if you are looking for only active drivers stats or Next Gen stats check out my next article Active/Next Gen Cup Track Stats: Watkins Glen.
Active means any driver who started a race in the 2026 Cup Series season.
First Winner: Buck Baker 08/04/1957
Most Recent Winner: Shane Van Gisbergen 08/10/2025
| Rank | Race | Start Pos. | Driver | Rank | Race | Start Pos. | Driver |
| 1 | 2024-28 | 24 | Chris Buescher | T5 | 1996-20 | 13 | Geoff Bodine |
| 2 | 2000-21 | 18 | Steve Park | T5 | 2001-22 | 13 | Jeff Gordon |
| 3 | 2015-22 | 16 | Joey Logano | T5 | 2009-22 | 13 | Tony Stewart |
| 4 | 2003-22 | 14 | Robby Gordon | 9 | 1990-18 | 12 | Ricky Rudd |
| T5 | 1989-18 | 13 | Rusty Wallace | 10 | 1997-20 | 11 | Jeff Gordon |
In 42 Watkins Glen Cup races only Chris Buescher, in 2024, has started outside the Top 20 and won the race. In addition, only 10 drivers have started out of the Top 10 and went on to win. Photo by Sean Gardner — Getty Images
| Rank | Race | Finish | Driver | Rank | Race | Finish | Driver |
| 1 | 1997-20 | 35 | Todd Bodine | 6 | 1988-18 | 32 | Geoff Bodine |
| T2 | 1991-18 | 34 | Terry Labonte | T7 | 2001-22 | 31 | Dale Jarrett |
| T2 | 2014-22 | 34 | Jeff Gordon | T7 | 2013-22 | 31 | Marcos Ambrose |
| T4 | 2003-22 | 33 | Jeff Gordon | 9 | 2015-22 | 24 | A.J. Allmendinger |
| T4 | 2012-22 | 33 | Juan Pablo Montoya | 10 | 2006-22 | 19 | Kurt Busch |
– It’s usually feast or famine for the Pole winner at Watkins Glen as only 5 out of 35 races that Pole qualifying has been held have seen the Pole winner finish between 10th and 30th.
| Race | Driver | Race | Driver |
| 1957-35 | Buck Baker | 1994-20 | Mark Martin |
| 1964-40 | Billy Wade | 1995-20 | Mark Martin |
| 1986-18 | Tim Richmond | 1998-20 | Jeff Gordon |
| 1993-19 | Mark Martin | 2019-22 | Chase Elliott |
– Mark Martin dominated Watkins Glen in the mid 1990’s as from 1993-1995 he won 3 straight races and 3 straight Poles!
| Race | Driver | Race Finish |
| 2019-22 | Chase Elliott | 1st |
| Drivers to win both Stages and Race | Drivers to win Pole, both Stages & Race | ||
| Race | Driver | Race | Driver |
| 2019-22 | Chase Elliott | 2019-22 | Chase Elliott |
The 2019 race here was the Chase Elliott show as he not only became the first and only driver to sweep both stages here, but he did it from the Pole and won the race as well for a clean sweep. Photo by Sean Gardner — Getty Images
| Best Laps Led% by Winner | Worst Laps Led% by Winner | ||||||
| Rank | Race | Laps Led% | Driver | Rank | Race | Laps Led% | Driver |
| 1 | 1957-35 | 100 | Buck Baker | 1 | 2015-22 | 1.11 | Joey Logano |
| 2 | 2005-22 | 90.22 | Tony Stewart | 2 | 1988-18 | 4.44 | Ricky Rudd |
| 3 | 2019-22 | 88.89 | Chase Elliott | 3 | 2022-25 | 5.56 | Kyle Larson |
| 4 | 1994-20 | 83.33 | Mark Martin | 4 | 2012-22 | 8.89 | Marcos Ambrose |
| 5 | 2010-22 | 82.22 | Juan Pablo Montoya | 5 | 2016-22 | 11.11 | Denny Hamlin |
| 6 | 1965-33 | 80.30 | Marvin Panch | 6 | 2001-22 | 15.56 | Jeff Gordon |
| 7 | 2023-25 | 73.33 | William Byron | 7 | 1996-20 | 16.67 | Geoff Bodine |
| 8 | 1987-18 | 70.00 | Rusty Wallace | 8 | 2024-28 | 20.65 | Chris Buescher |
| 9 | 1995-20 | 67.78 | Mark Martin | T9 | 1989-18 | 22.22 | Rusty Wallace |
| 10 | 1964-40 | 62.12 | Billy Wade | T9 | 1990-18 | 22.22 | Ricky Rudd |
| T9 | 2007-22 | 22.22 | Tony Stewart | ||||
– In 1957 Buck Baker became the first ever winner here, and he led all 44 laps in doing so; but on the other hand in 2015 Joey Logano became the first (and only) driver to win here leading just 1 lap.
| Rank | Race | Laps Led% | Driver | Fin. | Rank | Race | Laps Led% | Driver | Fin. |
| 1 | 1957-35 | 100 | Buck Baker | 1st | 6 | 1965-33 | 80.30 | Marvin Panch | 1st |
| 2 | 2005-22 | 90.22 | Tony Stewart | 1st | 7 | 2023-25 | 73.33 | William Byron | 1st |
| 3 | 2019-22 | 88.89 | Chase Elliott | 1st | 8 | 1987-18 | 70.00 | Rusty Wallace | 1st |
| 4 | 1994-20 | 83.33 | Mark Martin | 1st | 9 | 1995-20 | 67.78 | Mark Martin | 1st |
| 5 | 2010-22 | 82.22 | Juan Pablo Montoya | 1st | 10 | 1964-40 | 62.12 | Billy Wade | 1st |
– Every driver that has led over 60% of the laps in a race here at Watkins Glen has gone on to win the race. So, leading 61+ laps this weekend almost guarantees a victory.
| Rank | Race | Driver |
Driver Rating |
Fin. | Rank | Race | Driver |
Driver Rating |
Fin. |
| 1 | 2005-22 | Tony Stewart | 150.0 | 1st | 6 | 2008-22 | Kyle Busch | 145.1 | 1st |
| 2 | 2010-22 | Juan Pablo Montoya | 149.8 | 1st | 7 | 2025-24 | Shane Van Gisbergen | 143.7 | 1st |
| 3 | 2019-22 | Chase Elliott | 149.7 | 1st | 8 | 2017-22 | Martin Truex Jr. | 139.5 | 1st |
| 4 | 2023-25 | William Byron | 149.3 | 1st | 9 | 2009-22 | Tony Stewart | 139.1 | 1st |
| 5 | 2018-22 | Chase Elliott | 148.8 | 1st | 10 | 2013-22 | Kyle Busch | 138.2 | 1st |
Tony Stewart is the only driver to ever get a perfect Driver Rating here at Watkins Glen, and he did it in the first race that Driver Rating was calculated here as well. Photo by Alan Marler — Sporting News via Getty Images via Getty Images
| Most Recent | Driver | Finish | Most Recent | Driver | Finish |
| 2012-22 | Kyle Busch | 7th | 2023-25 | William Byron | 1st |
| 2015-22 | Joey Logano | 1st | 2023-25 | Denny Hamlin | 2nd |
| 2018-22 | William Byron | 8th | 2023-25 | Christopher Bell | 3rd |
| 2019-22 | Chase Elliott | 1st | 2023-25 | A.J. Allmendinger | 4th |
| 2019-22 | Erik Jones | 4th | 2023-25 | Ty Gibbs | 5th |
– From 2012 to 2022 only 5 drivers ran every lap in the Top 15 in a race here, but in 2023 the entire Top 5 did so. However, since stage cautions were instituted again in 2024 the last 2 races have seen 0 drivers accomplish this feat.
| Most Lead Lap cars at finish of race | Fewest Lead Lap cars at finish of race | ||||
| Rank | Race | # of cars | Rank | Race | # of cars |
| 1 | 2025-24 | 35 | T1 | 1964-40 | 2 |
| 2 | 2005-22 | 34 | T1 | 1965-33 | 2 |
| T3 | 2000-21 | 33 | 3 | 1957-35 | 3 |
| T3 | 2006-22 | 33 | 4 | 1986-18 | 13 |
| T3 | 2007-22 | 33 | T5 | 1987-18 | 15 |
| T6 | 2003-22 | 32 | T5 | 1990-18 | 15 |
| T6 | 2008-22 | 32 | T7 | 1991-18 | 17 |
| T8 | 2002-22 | 31 | T7 | 1994-20 | 17 |
| T8 | 2010-22 | 31 | 9 | 1995-20 | 18 |
| T8 | 2015-22 | 31 | T10 | 1989-18 | 19 |
| T8 | 2022-25 | 31 | T10 | 1993-19 | 19 |
| T8 | 2023-25 | 31 | |||
| T8 | 2024-28 | 31 | |||
– Last years Watkins Glen Cup race was historical as 35 drivers finished on the lead lap, the most in a Cup race here ever.
| Best Avg. Fin. by Starting Position (1-40) |
Worst Avg. Fin. by Starting Position (1-40) |
||||
| Rank | Start Pos. | Avg. Fin | Rank | Start Pos. | Avg. Fin |
| 1 | 3rd | 11.69 | 1 | 36th | 30.74 |
| 2 | 7th | 11.74 | 2 | 37th | 30.35 |
| 3 | 4th | 12.05 | 3 | 35th | 29.44 |
| 4 | 2nd | 12.48 | 4 | 34th | 28.77 |
| 5 | 1st | 12.52 | 5 | 38th | 28.21 |
| 6 | 6th | 13.33 | 6 | 40th | 28.15 |
| 7 | 8th | 13.43 | 7 | 33rd | 27.28 |
| 8 | 5th | 13.98 | 8 | 39th | 27.16 |
| 9 | 9th | 14.57 | 9 | 32nd | 26.79 |
| 10 | 11th | 15.55 | 10 | 31st | 26.23 |
– Historically at Watkins Glen, the better you start the better you finish, and the worse you start the worse you finish.
| Best Avg. Driver Rating (since 2005)(3+ starts) |
Best Avg. Top 15% (since 2005)(3+ start) |
||||||
| Rank | Driver | Driv. Rate | Starts | Rank | Driver | Top 15% | Starts |
| 1 | Marcos Ambrose | 121.61 | 7 | 1 | Tony Stewart | 86.73 | 10 |
| 2 | Tony Stewart | 112.84 | 10 | 2 | Marcos Ambrose | 81.17 | 7 |
| 3 | Juan Pablo Montoya | 103.28 | 8 | 3 | Juan Pablo Montoya | 76.66 | 8 |
| 4 | Kyle Busch | 102.22 | 20 | 4 | Christopher Bell | 75.00 | 5 |
| 5 | Chase Elliott | 101.82 | 9 | 5 | Martin Truex Jr. | 71.55 | 18 |
| 6 | Martin Truex Jr. | 98.03 | 18 | 6 | Kyle Busch | 70.99 | 20 |
| 7 | Christopher Bell | 96.92 | 5 | 7 | Carl Edwards | 70.66 | 12 |
| 8 | Carl Edwards | 95.02 | 12 | 8 | William Byron | 69.62 | 7 |
| 9 | William Byron | 92.24 | 7 | 9 | Chase Elliott | 68.35 | 9 |
| 10 | Kurt Busch | 92.04 | 16 | 10 | Jimmie Johnson | 67.73 | 15 |
Marcos Ambrose may be the best Cup driver ever at Watkins Glen as he is the only driver to rank top 2 in both tables above and both tables below. Photo by Jeff Zelevansky — Getty Images for NASCAR
| Best Avg. Fin. All-time (5+ Watkins Glen starts) |
Best Laps Led% All-time (5+ Watkins Glen starts) |
||||||
| Rank | Driver | Avg. Fin. | Starts | Rank | Driver | Laps Led% | Starts |
| 1 | Scott Pruett | 5.80 | 5 | 1 | Chase Elliott | 20.94 | 9 |
| 2 | Marcos Ambrose | 6.14 | 7 | 2 | Marcos Ambrose | 18.51 | 7 |
| 3 | Christopher Bell | 6.80 | 5 | 3 | Tony Stewart | 15.58 | 16 |
| 4 | Carl Edwards | 8.92 | 12 | 4 | Kyle Busch | 13.79 | 20 |
| 5 | Mark Martin | 9.05 | 22 | 5 | Jeff Gordon | 12.11 | 24 |
| 6 | Tony Stewart | 9.94 | 16 | 6 | Juan Pablo Montoya | 11.33 | 8 |
| 7 | Wally Dallenbach Jr. | 10.11 | 9 | 7 | Mark Martin | 10.59 | 22 |
| 8 | A.J. Allmendinger | 10.86 | 14 | 8 | William Byron | 10.44 | 7 |
| 9 | Martin Truex Jr. | 11.17 | 18 | 9 | Dale Earnhardt | 10.22 | 15 |
| 10 | Dale Earnhardt | 11.53 | 15 | 10 | Brad Keselowski | 9.45 | 15 |
| Most Watkins Glen Starts All-time |
Best Laps Completed% (5+ Watkins Glen starts) |
|||||
| Rank | Driver | Starts | Rank | Driver | Lap Comp% | Starts |
| 1 | Jeff Gordon | 24 | T1 | Martin Truex Jr. | 100 | 18 |
| T2 | Kevin Harvick | 22 | T1 | Darrell Waltrip | 100 | 14 |
| T2 | Mark Martin | 22 | T1 | Carl Edwards | 100 | 12 |
| T2 | Michael Waltrip | 22 | T1 | Christopher Bell | 100 | 5 |
| T2 | Terry Labonte | 22 | T1 | Danica Patrick | 100 | 5 |
| T6 | Dale Jarrett | 21 | T1 | Scott Pruett | 100 | 5 |
| T6 | Ricky Rudd | 21 | T1 | Tyler Reddick | 100 | 5 |
| T8 | 7 drivers tied | 20 | T8 | Dale Earnhardt | 99.92 | 15 |
| T8 | Clint Bowyer | 99.92 | 14 | |||
| 10 | Casey Mears | 99.91 | 13 | |||
In 18 starts here Martin Truex Jr. incredibly never finished a lap down at Watkins Glen. Photo by Jeff Zelevansky — Getty Images
| Most Watkins Glen Wins All-time |
Best Win% All-time (5+ Watkins Glen starts) |
|||||
| Rank | Driver | Wins | Rank | Driver | Win% | Wins |
| 1 | Tony Stewart | 5 | 1 | Tony Stewart | 31.25 | 5 |
| 2 | Jeff Gordon | 4 | 2 | Marcos Ambrose | 28.57 | 2 |
| 3 | Mark Martin | 3 | 3 | Chase Elliott | 22.22 | 2 |
| T4 | Marcos Ambrose | 2 | 4 | Kyle Larson | 18.18 | 2 |
| T4 | Chase Elliott | 2 | 5 | Jeff Gordon | 16.67 | 4 |
| T4 | Kyle Larson | 2 | T6 | Steve Park | 14.29 | 1 |
| T4 | Kyle Busch | 2 | T6 | William Byron | 14.29 | 1 |
| T4 | Rusty Wallace | 2 | 8 | Mark Martin | 13.64 | 3 |
| T4 | Ricky Rudd | 2 | 9 | Juan Pablo Montoya | 12.50 | 1 |
| T10 | Kyle Busch | 10.00 | 1 | |||
| T10 | 18 drivers tied | 1 | T10 | Rusty Wallace | 10.00 | 2 |
| T10 | Chris Buescher | 10.00 | 1 | |||
– With the way Cup drivers are more prepared to race at Road Courses now a day it may be hard for anyone to ever tie or break Tony Stewart’s Wins records above.
| Rank | Driver | Poles | Rank | Driver | Poles |
| T1 | Dale Earnhardt | 3 | T4 | Denny Hamlin | 2 |
| T1 | Mark Martin | 3 | T4 | Kyle Busch | 2 |
| T1 | Jeff Gordon | 3 | T4 | Terry Labonte | 2 |
| T4 | Chase Elliott | 2 | T9 | 16 drivers tied | 1 |
| T4 | Carl Edwards | 2 |
– With a Pole this weekend Chase Elliott, Denny Hamlin, or Kyle Busch would tie some NASCAR greats for most Poles here at Watkins Glen.
| Most Watkins Glen Top 3’s All-time |
Best Top 3% All-time (5+ Watkins Glen starts) |
|||||
| Rank | Driver | Top 3’s | Rank | Driver | Top3% | Top3’s |
| 1 | Mark Martin | 9 | 1 | Marcos Ambrose | 85.71 | 6 |
| 2 | Tony Stewart | 7 | 2 | Tony Stewart | 43.75 | 7 |
| 3 | Marcos Ambrose | 6 | 3 | Mark Martin | 40.91 | 9 |
| T4 | Martin Truex Jr. | 5 | 4 | Christopher Bell | 40.00 | 2 |
| T4 | Kyle Busch | 5 | 5 | Chase Elliott | 33.33 | 3 |
| T4 | Rusty Wallace | 5 | 6 | Martin Truex Jr. | 27.78 | 5 |
| T4 | Jeff Gordon | 5 | 7 | Ernie Irvan | 27.27 | 3 |
| T8 | Brad Keselowski | 4 | 8 | Brad Keselowski | 26.67 | 4 |
| T8 | Denny Hamlin | 4 | T9 | Kyle Busch | 25.00 | 5 |
| T10 | 7 drivers tied | 3 | T9 | Rusty Wallace | 25.00 | 5 |
– Marcos Ambrose was so good here that in 7 races he only finished out of the Top 3 once!
| Most Watkins Glen Top 5’s All-time |
Best Top 5% All-time (5+ Watkins Glen starts) |
|||||
| Rank | Driver | Top 5’s | Rank | Driver | Top5% | Top5’s |
| 1 | Mark Martin | 12 | 1 | Marcos Ambrose | 85.71 | 6 |
| T2 | Tony Stewart | 8 | 2 | Mark Martin | 54.55 | 12 |
| T2 | Ricky Rudd | 8 | 3 | Robby Gordon | 53.85 | 7 |
| T4 | Robby Gordon | 7 | 4 | Tony Stewart | 50.00 | 8 |
| T4 | Martin Truex Jr. | 7 | 5 | Chase Elliott | 44.44 | 4 |
| T4 | Kyle Busch | 7 | 6 | Carl Edwards | 41.67 | 5 |
| T4 | Rusty Wallace | 7 | T7 | Christopher Bell | 40.00 | 2 |
| T8 | Marcos Ambrose | 6 | T7 | Scott Pruett | 40.00 | 2 |
| T8 | Denny Hamlin | 6 | 9 | Martin Truex Jr. | 38.89 | 7 |
| T8 | Jeff Gordon | 6 | 10 | Ricky Rudd | 38.10 | 8 |
– The fact Mark Martin has the most Top 5’s here, by quite a good margin, and still has the 2nd best Top 5% tells you just how good he was at the Glen.
| Most Watkins Glen Top 10’s All-time |
Best Top 10% All-time (5+ Watkins Glen starts) |
|||||
| Rank | Driver | Top 10’s | Rank | Driver | Top10% | Top10’s |
| 1 | Mark Martin | 16 | 1 | Marcos Ambrose | 85.71 | 6 |
| 2 | Kyle Busch | 13 | 2 | Christopher Bell | 80.00 | 4 |
| T3 | Tony Stewart | 11 | 3 | Scott Pruett | 80.00 | 4 |
| T3 | Martin Truex Jr. | 11 | 4 | Tyler Reddick | 80.00 | 4 |
| T3 | Kevin Harvick | 11 | 5 | Wally Dallenbach Jr. | 77.78 | 7 |
| T6 | Kurt Busch | 10 | 6 | Mark Martin | 72.73 | 16 |
| T6 | Rusty Wallace | 10 | 7 | Tony Stewart | 68.75 | 11 |
| T6 | Ricky Rudd | 10 | 8 | Carl Edwards | 66.67 | 8 |
| T9 | Denny Hamlin | 9 | 9 | Kyle Busch | 65.00 | 13 |
| T9 | Jeff Gordon | 9 | 10 | Juan Pablo Montoya | 62.50 | 5 |
Furthering how good Mark Martin was at Watkins Glen, he is the only driver that is in every table above from Wins to Top 10%. Photo by ISC Archives — CQ-Roll Call Group via Getty Images
| Most Watkins Glen Stage Wins All-time (since 2017) |
Best Stage Win% All-time (since 2017) |
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| Rank | Driver | Stage W’s |
Rank | Driver | Stage W% | Stage W’s |
| T1 | Martin Truex Jr. | 3 | T1 | Martin Truex Jr. | 21.43 | 3 |
| T1 | Chase Elliott | 3 | T1 | Chase Elliott | 18.75 | 3 |
| 3 | Joey Logano | 2 | 3 | Joey Logano | 12.50 | 2 |
| T4 | Chase Briscoe | 1 | 4 | Chase Briscoe | 10.00 | 1 |
| T4 | Ross Chastain | 1 | T5 | Ross Chastain | 7.14 | 1 |
| T4 | William Byron | 1 | T5 | William Byron | 7.14 | 1 |
| T4 | Chris Buescher | 1 | T7 | Chris Buescher | 6.25 | 1 |
| T4 | Daniel Suarez | 1 | T7 | Daniel Suarez | 6.25 | 1 |
| T4 | Kyle Busch | 1 | T7 | Kyle Busch | 6.25 | 1 |
| T4 | Michael McDowell | 1 | T7 | Michael McDowell | 6.25 | 1 |
| T4 | Ryan Blaney | 1 | T7 | Ryan Blaney | 6.25 | 1 |
– Martin Truex Jr. is the only non-active driver to get a Stage Win here at Watkins Glen, and what’s more is that he has the best Stage Win% here all-time too.
| Most Watkins Glen Stage T10’s All-time (since 2017) |
Best Stage T10% All-time (since 2017) |
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| Rank | Driver | Stage T10’s |
Rank | Driver | Stage T10% | Stage T10’s |
| 1 | Kyle Busch | 10 | 1 | Kyle Busch | 62.50 | 10 |
| T2 | Chase Elliott | 9 | 2 | Martin Truex Jr. | 57.14 | 8 |
| T2 | Denny Hamlin | 9 | T3 | Chase Elliott | 56.25 | 9 |
| T2 | Kyle Larson | 9 | T3 | Denny Hamlin | 56.25 | 9 |
| 5 | Martin Truex Jr. | 8 | T3 | Kyle Larson | 56.25 | 9 |
| T6 | Alex Bowman | 7 | T6 | 12 drivers tied | 50.00 | 1-7 |
| T6 | William Byron | 7 | ||||
| T8 | A.J. Allmendinger | 6 | ||||
| T8 | Erik Jones | 6 | ||||
| T8 | Joey Logano | 6 | ||||
– Since getting a Stage T10 on Road Courses usually means forgoing the race win it’s no shock to see only 5 drivers have a Stage T10% better than 50% here.
| Most Watkins Glen Starts without Win |
Longest Watkins Glen Win Streak All-time |
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| Rank | Driver | Starts | Rank | Driver | Streak | Year |
| T1 | Michael Waltrip | 22 | T1 | Mark Martin | 3 | 1993-95 |
| T1 | Terry Labonte | 22 | T1 | Jeff Gordon | 3 | 1997-99 |
| 3 | Dale Jarrett | 21 | T3 | Tony Stewart | 2 | 2004-05 |
| T4 | Bobby Labonte | 20 | T3 | Marcos Ambrose | 2 | 2011-12 |
| T4 | Jeff Burton | 20 | T3 | Chase Elliott | 2 | 2018-19 |
| T4 | Ken Schrader | 20 | T3 | Kyle Larson | 2 | 2021-22 |
| T4 | Kurt Busch | 20 | T7 | 28 drivers tied | 1 | 1957-2025 |
| T8 | Joe Nemechek | 19 | ||||
| T8 | Matt Kenseth | 19 | ||||
| T8 | Ryan Newman | 19 | ||||
| T8 | Sterling Marlin | 19 | ||||
– From 1993 to 1999 Jeff Gordon and Mark Martin combined to win 6 of the 7 Cup races held at Watkins Glen, each winning 3 in a row with Geoff Bodine sandwiched in between.
| Most Watkins Glen Starts without Pole |
Longest Watkins Glen Pole Streak All-time |
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| Rank | Driver | Starts | Rank | Driver | Streak | Year |
| T1 | Kevin Harvick | 22 | 1 | Mark Martin | 3 | 1993-95 |
| T1 | Michael Waltrip | 22 | T2 | 32 drivers tied |
1 | 1957-2025 |
| T3 | Bobby Labonte | 20 | ||||
| T3 | Jeff Burton | 20 | ||||
| T3 | Ken Schrader | 20 | ||||
| T3 | Kyle Petty | 20 | ||||
| T7 | Joe Nemechek | 19 | ||||
| T7 | Matt Kenseth | 19 | ||||
| T7 | Ryan Newman | 19 | ||||
| T7 | Sterling Marlin | 19 | ||||
– Mark Martin is the only driver to win back-to-back poles here, and he ended up with 3 in a row. So, don’t expect Ryan Blaney to win the pole this weekend (since he won it last year).
| Most Watkins Glen Starts without Top 3 |
Longest Watkins Glen Top 3 Streak All-time |
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| Rank | Driver | Starts | Rank | Driver | Streak | Year |
| 1 | Michael Waltrip | 22 | 1 | Tony Stewart | 6 | 2004-09 |
| 2 | Dale Jarrett | 21 | 2 | Marcos Ambrose | 5 | 2008-12 |
| T3 | Bobby Labonte | 20 | T3 | Mark Martin | 4 | 1993-96 |
| T3 | Ken Schrader | 20 | T3 | Martin Truex Jr. | 4 | 2017-21 |
| T5 | Joe Nemechek | 19 | T5 | Rusty Wallace | 3 | 1987-89 |
| T5 | Sterling Marlin | 19 | T5 | Jeff Gordon | 3 | 1997-99 |
| T7 | Michael McDowell | 16 | T5 | Brad Keselowski | 3 | 2011-13 |
| T7 | Paul Menard | 16 | T5 | Chase Elliott | 3 | 2018-21 |
| 9 | Kasey Kahne | 15 | T9 | 9 drivers tied | 2 | 1991-2025 |
| T10 | Clint Bowyer | 14 | ||||
| T10 | Greg Biffle | 14 | ||||
– During Tony Stewart’s impressive 6 race Top 3 streak here he had an equally impressive 4 wins in that span.
| Most Watkins Glen Starts without Top 5 |
Longest Watkins Glen Top 5 Streak All-time |
|||||
| Rank | Driver | Starts | Rank | Driver | Streak | Year |
| T1 | Joe Nemechek | 19 | 1 | Mark Martin | 10 | 1989-98 |
| T1 | Sterling Marlin | 19 | 2 | Tony Stewart | 6 | 2004-09 |
| T3 | Michael McDowell | 16 | T3 | Jeff Gordon | 5 | 1995-99 |
| T3 | Paul Menard | 16 | T3 | Marcos Ambrose | 5 | 2008-12 |
| 5 | Kasey Kahne | 15 | T5 | Martin Truex Jr. | 4 | 2017-21 |
| 6 | David Ragan | 13 | T5 | Chase Elliott | 4 | 2018-22 |
| T7 | Aric Almirola | 12 | T7 | Rusty Wallace | 3 | 1987-89 |
| T7 | Dave Blaney | 12 | T7 | Rusty Wallace | 3 | 1997-99 |
| T7 | Derrike Cope | 12 | T7 | Robby Gordon | 3 | 2005-07 |
| T7 | Elliott Sadler | 12 | T7 | Brad Keselowski | 3 | 2011-13 |
– Despite Michael McDowell being really good on road courses in his career, he has never been able to get a Top 5 finish here.
| Most Watkins Glen Starts without Top 10 |
Longest Watkins Glen Top 10 Streak All-time |
|||||
| Rank | Driver | Starts | Rank | Driver | Streak | Year |
| 1 | Paul Menard | 16 | 1 | Mark Martin | 12 | 1989-2000 |
| 2 | Kasey Kahne | 15 | 2 | Kyle Busch | 8 | 2006-13 |
| 3 | David Ragan | 13 | 3 | Tony Stewart | 7 | 2004-10 |
| T4 | Aric Almirola | 12 | 4 | Jeff Gordon | 6 | 1994-99 |
| T4 | Dave Blaney | 12 | T5 | Dale Earnhardt | 5 | 1986-90 |
| T4 | Derrike Cope | 12 | T5 | Carl Edwards | 5 | 2006-10 |
| T4 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | 12 | T5 | Marcos Ambrose | 5 | 2008-12 |
| T8 | Austin Dillon | 11 | T5 | Martin Truex Jr. | 5 | 2016-21 |
| T8 | Bobby Hamilton | 11 | T9 | 11 drivers tied | 4 | 1989-2025 |
| T8 | Rick Mast | 11 | ||||
– There are 7 drivers that have made 12+ starts here and not gotten a Top 10 finish. Meanwhile, Mark Martin got a Top 10 in 12 straight starts, a record that will be hard to break.
| Most Watkins Glen Stages without Stage Win |
Longest Watkins Glen Stage Win Streak (since 2017) |
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| Rank | Driver | Stages | Rank | Driver | Streak | Race |
| T1 | Austin Dillon | 16 | 1 | Chase Elliott | 3 | 2018.22 s2- 2019.22 s2 |
| T1 | Brad Keselowski | 16 | T2 | 13 drivers tied | 1 | — |
| T1 | Denny Hamlin | 16 | ||||
| T1 | Erik Jones | 16 | ||||
| T1 | Kyle Larson | 16 | ||||
| T1 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | 16 | ||||
| T7 | Alex Bowman | 14 | ||||
| T7 | Bubba Wallace | 14 | ||||
| T9 | A.J. Allmendinger | 12 | ||||
| T9 | Aric Almirola | 12 | ||||
| T9 | Corey LaJoie | 12 | ||||
| T9 | Kevin Harvick | 12 | ||||
| T9 | Ty Dillon | 12 | ||||
– Chase Elliott is the only driver to win multiple stages in a row at Watkins Glen, and to make it even better he did it 3 times in a row and won both races as well.
| Most Watkins Glen Stages without Stage T10 |
Longest Watkins Glen Stage T10 Streak (since 2017) |
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| Rank | Driver | Stages | Rank | Driver | Streak | Race |
| 1 | Corey LaJoie | 12 | T1 | Martin Truex Jr. | 6 | 2017.22 s1-2019.22 s2 |
| T2 | Josh Bilicki | 10 | T1 | Kyle Busch | 6 | 2021.23 s1- 2023.25 s2 |
| T2 | Justin Haley | 10 | 3 | Denny Hamlin | 5 | 2018.22 s2- 2021.23 s2 |
| T4 | David Ragan | 6 | T4 | Chase Elliott | 4 | 2018.22 s2- 2021.23 s1 |
| T4 | Landon Cassill | 6 | T4 | Erik Jones | 4 | 2018.22 s2- 2021.23 s1 |
| T6 | Carson Hocevar | 4 | T4 | Joey Logano | 4 | 2021.23 s1- 2022.25 s2 |
| T6 | Cole Whitt | 4 | T4 | Kyle Larson | 4 | 2022.25 s2- 2024.28 s1 |
| T6 | Josh Berry | 4 | T4 | Alex Bowman | 4 | 2024.28 s1- 2025.24 s2 |
| T6 | Kyle Tilley | 4 | T9 | Brad Keselowski | 3 | 2017.22 s1- 2018.22 s1 |
| T6 | Mike Rockenfeller | 4 | T9 | Michael McDowell | 3 | 2022.25 s2- 2023.25 s2 |
| T6 | Noah Gragson | 4 | T9 | Christopher Bell | 3 | 2022.25 s2- 2023.25 s2 |
| T6 | Parker Kligerman | 4 | T9 | Chase Briscoe | 3 | 2024.28 s1- 2025.24 s1 |
| T6 | Zane Smith | 4 | T9 | Ryan Preece | 3 | 2024.28 s2- 2025.24 s2 |
– Out of the 29 drivers to have 10+ stage starts here at Watkins Glen only the 3 drivers at the top of the “without Stage T10” table above have yet to get a Stage T10 here.