Watkins Glen CHEEZ-IT 355 Fantasy NASCAR Top Tier Elite Picks

Marcos Ambrose – Marcos Ambrose will be a very popular fantasy NASCAR pick for the Watkins Glen CHEEZ-IT 355. There’s a reason why he should be and that’s because this is his best track. Minus last season’s finish which should get an asterisk mark he’s never had a result worse than 3^rd. Last year he should’ve got his third consecutive win but his pit strategy left him vulnerable to cautions at inopportune times and on lap 59 teammate Aric Almirola brought out the caution. That was the turning point of the race for him because he was burned by that caution. At the time he was leading but because others pitted before the caution it dropped him back to 12th place. While he was back in traffic he struggled and never advanced through the field. The #9 car went from being the dominant car to just “being another car”. It should also be noted that there was speculation something broke while he was back in traffic. His race officially went downhill when he wrecked with 6 laps to go. At the time he was running in 10th. Prior to him getting burned by the caution there’s no dispute he had the best car. He led 51 of the first 59 laps until he was burned by the caution. Also in the race he started on the pole and earned the 2nd best driver rating despite finishing 31st. In 2012 he had a third place car but was aided by an oiled track on the last lap. If that element didn’t come into play there’s no way he would’ve went to victory lane. In that race he started in 5th, had a 6th place average running position, led 8 laps and earned the 3rd best driver rating. In his 2011 victory he started in 3rd, led 21 laps and earned the second best driver rating. In that race he was also aided by a late caution. One attribute you have to like about Ambrose this week is that he recently tested at Watkins Glen. (Yahoo B Driver)

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Kyle Busch – Kyle Busch is a good fantasy NASCAR pick to win the Watkins Glen CHEEZ-IT 355. He’s a two-time champion and currently has 8 consecutive top tens. Minus his rookie start then he has a 5th place average finish. Last season at Watkins Glen his car was very strong and he went to victory lane. He earned the #2 best PROS Rankings and after Marcos Ambrose was burned by a caution it was smooth sailing for him and he led the final 29 laps. Prior to Ambrose getting burned by the caution it was pretty evident he had the second best car. In last year’s race Busch started 5th, had a 3rd place average running position and earned the best driver rating. His primary strength in the race was being good through the esses. In 2012 he had the best car but lost the race on the last lap. What happened on the last lap is that the track was slick from oil and he was the first leader who drove through it. That slowed him down tremendously and ultimately resulted in him getting dumped by Keselowski. He was able to rebound from the last lap contact and finished 7th. In that race he started 2nd, had a 3rd place average running position, led 43 laps, earned the best driver rating and had the best PROS Ranking. In 2011 he also arguably had the best car but didn’t go to victory lane. In that race he started on the pole, led 49 laps and finished 3rd. He lost that race very late in the event (Yahoo Race Chart). In 2008 Busch got his first victory here. In that race he started on the pole and led 52 laps. Starting up front is very important at the Glen and he’s also been a qualifying machine. Outside of his rookie start he’s never qualified outside the top ten and has a 5.5 average starting position. At Sonoma this season Kyle Busch looked terrible and struggled to a 25^th place finish. I wouldn’t be concerned about that result having fantasy implications for Watkins Glen because he’s struggled there since 2008. (Yahoo A Driver)

Recommended Reading – Watkins Glen Front Runner Rankings, Watkins Glen Fantasy NASCAR Predictions, Yahoo C List Fantasy NASCAR Preview,  Watkins Glen Scouting Report, Who will win the Watkins Glen CHEEZ-IT 355

Brad Keselowski – Brad Keselowski has been a very safe fantasy NASCAR pick at Watkins Glen. He now has three consecutive runner-up finishes to his name there. Outside of his rookie start he’s never finished in any other position than 2nd. In last season’s race he had a very strong car that had good drive off. At the end he was the only driver who had anything for Kyle Busch and he could’ve won if he would’ve punted Kyle Busch out of the way for the second consecutive year. He choose to be nice and stayed off the back of the 18. What makes his 2nd place finish more meaningful is that his race wasn’t incident free. On lap 14 while he was running in 7th he spun. When he got back up to speed again he was back in 22nd. The spin opened up the pit strategy door for him which is a large part of how he got to be close to the front at the end. Also in the race last season he earned the 6th best driver rating and had a 10th place average running position. In 2012 his car was very strong. He started in 4th, had a 3rd place average running position, led 37 laps and earned the second best driver rating. During the final lap he punted Kyle Busch out of the way and then him and Ambrose dueled it out for the win on the oil slick surface. His 2nd place performance in 2011 was almost legendary because he had a broken ankle in that event. Last season in the Nationwide Series at the Glen Keselowski went to victory lane. At Sonoma this season Keselowski was really bad but I wouldn’t overreact about that for Sunday’s race. His driving style fits this venue much better. (Yahoo B Driver)

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