Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Ryan Blaney were victims of a chaotic opening lap at the Watkins Glen NASCAR race, resulting in DNFs for both drivers. Shane van Gisbergen, despite his strong performance, lost the lead to Chris Buescher due to a driver error in the final lap, finishing second in the NASCAR Cup Series race. Van Gisbergen also had a challenging weekend in the Xfinity Series, finishing fifth after a tight battle with AJ Allmendinger and Chandler Smith. Connor Zilisch, an 18-year-old debutant, secured his first win in the Xfinity Series race amidst the chaos. Looking ahead, van Gisbergen will transition to a full-time role in the Cup Series next season, but remains focused on securing a win before that. His performance at Watkins Glen indicates his growing prowess in NASCAR as he prepares for future challenges.