NASCAR at The Glen, IndyCar at the Brickyard, and MotoGP Le Mans Race Wrap-ups

Shane van Gisbergen continued his road-course domination Sunday, charging from deep in the field late in the race to win the NASCAR Cup Series Go Bowling at The Glen at Watkins Glen International. It was his seventh Cup victory in just 14 road-course starts.

‘SVG’ won from the pole in his Trackhouse Racing Chevy, with Michael McDowell second, and Toyota driver Ty Gibbs third ahead of  Chase Briscoe and Tyler Reddick. Austin Dillon, AJ Allmendinger, Kyle Busch, Austin Cindric (highest placing Ford) and John Hunter Nemechek completed the top 10.

Van Gisbergen led 74 of the race’s 100 laps, but his late race, last pit stop dropped him more than 29 seconds behind leader Ty Gibbs. The former Australian Supercars champion then took advantage of fresh tires to carv through the field, retaking the lead with eight laps remaining, and pulling away to a win by more than seven seconds.

While NASCAR no longer has “road course ringers” that once parachuted into events at Sonoma or Watkins Glen, van Gisbergen has become something even more significant: a full-time Cup driver who is simply better than almost everyone else whenever the series turns right and left.

The race was a disaster for Hendrick Motorsports. Kyle Larson finished 23rd, Chase Elliott came home 24th, Alex Bowman was 25th, and William Byron limped to 36th after suffering damage in Stage 2.

Next race: Dover, May 16

IndyCar

Christian Lundgaard delivered a masterful drive Saturday at the IndyCar Sonsio Grand Prix on the Brickyard road course, capturing his second career series victory and the first 2026 win for Arrow McLaren. The Danish driver got flawless execution from the No. 7 Chevrolet pit crew to defeat Team Penske’s David Malukas in one of the season’s most dramatic strategy races.

Starting fourth, Lundgaard watched polesitter Alex Palou control the first 23 laps in his Chip Ganassi Racing Honda before a costly misunderstanding by his team changed the complexion of the race. When Alexander Rossi stopped on track, Ganassi mistakenly believed a full-course caution had been called instead of a local yellow. Palou and Andretti Global’s Kyle Kirkwood stayed out while Lundgaard and Malukas pitted at exactly the right moment.

Once the full-course caution was officially displayed, Palou and Kirkwood were forced to stop and rejoin the race at the rear of the field. Malukas inherited the lead, but Lundgaard quickly closed the gap and executed a daring pass for the top spot, pulling away to secure the victory. Graham Rahal completed the podium for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing.

Palou recovered from last to finish fifth behind Team Penske’s Josef Newgarden, while Kirkwood’s race unraveled due to another slow pit stop that left him ninth.

The race began with a massive opening-lap incident after Felix Rosenqvist tapped Pato O’Ward, sending both spinning in Turn 1 traffic. Scott Dixon, Caio Collet and several others were collected or forced onto the grass. Dixon somehow rebounded from heavy damage to finish sixth, while rookie Dennis Hauger climbed from 24th to eighth for Dale Coyne Racing after avoiding the early carnage.

Next race:  Indianapolis 500, May 24

MotoGP

Aprilia delivered a historic breakthrough weekend at the Bugatti Circuit in Le Mans as Jorge Martin swept to victory in Saturday’s sprint race the French Grand Prix on Sunday, giving the Italian manufacturer its first-ever MotoGP one-two-three finish.

Martin, riding for Aprilia Racing, charged from eighth on the grid to dominate Saturday’s sprint race. Ducati Lenovo Team rider Francesco Bagnaia finished second, while Martin’s teammate Marco Bezzecchi completed the podium in third. KTM’s Pedro Acosta narrowly missed the podium in fourth after another aggressive ride.

The sprint featured multiple crashes, most notably Marc Marquez’s violent final-lap accident while riding for the Ducati Lenovo Team. The six-time MotoGP champion suffered a foot fracture that ruled him out of Sunday’s Grand Prix. Raul Fernandez, Franco Morbidelli, Enea Bastianini, Luca Marini and Jonas Folger also failed to finish the sprint. Martin’s explosive opening lap, gaining seven positions by the first corner, was the biggest charge through the field on Saturday.

Sunday’s French Grand Prix produced an even bigger statement from Aprilia. Martin claimed his first Grand Prix victory since the 2024 season, ending a 588-day drought by hunting down and passing teammate Bezzecchi late in the race. Rookie Ai Ogura took third for Trackhouse MotoGP Team to complete Aprilia’s unprecedented podium sweep.

Ogura’s ride from eighth on the grid to third was among the standout performances of the weekend, while Fabio Di Giannantonio advanced late to fourth after passing Pedro Acosta. Bagnaia crashed out while fighting near the front, adding to Ducati’s difficult weekend after Marquez’s injury.

Next race:  Catalunya, May 16