Watkins Glen Post Practice Fantasy NASCAR Predictions – Cheez-It 355 at The Glen

11. Jeff Gordon – Starts 5th – Yahoo! A Group
Pre-Practice Rank: 14th
**Risk Factor: Medium Risk**

I’m not sure what to think of Jeff Gordon this weekend. He typically doesn’t show speed like this off the truck, so in a way it wouldn’t surprise me to see the #24 in victory lane when it’s all said and done on Sunday (seriously). However, Gordon has been such a disappointment in fantasy racing this year that it’s hard for me to even rank him near the top 5 going into Sunday’s Cheez-It 355 at The Glen. Then you have to take into account the fact that Jeff hasn’t had a result inside the top 10 at this track since the 2011 season. Still, Gordon is a four-time winner at Watkins Glen, and this team does still need a win to lock themselves into the Chase. With the unpredictable nature that these road courses tend to have, it would almost be too perfect if Gordon wound up in victory lane on Sunday, wouldn’t it? Jeff was the fastest car during Saturday’s Happy Hour practice session, for what it’s worth. Momentum-wise, Jeff picked up his fourth top 10 in the last five Sprint Cup races with that crazy finish at Pocono last weekend.

12. Tony Stewart – Starts 3rd – Yahoo! B Group
Pre-Practice Rank: NR
**Risk Factor: Medium Risk**

Well, what do you know: Tony Stewart finally grabbed his second top 10 finish of the season last week at Pocono. In reality, though, we need to put an asterisk next to that result because of how the race played out. Still, it’s clear that this #14 team is really making strides, and even a luck finish like that can really boost morale. This week at Watkins Glen, Smoke has had a pretty decent race car but he has been surrounded by controversy. I’m sure you’ve heard all about the lawsuit so I won’t waste your time. However, Stewart didn’t let that bother him during qualifying on Saturday and will roll off the grid in 3rd for this year’s Cheez-It 355 at The Glen. This track used to be a “definitely pick Tony Stewart in fantasy” type of venue, but over the last couple years it’s been really hard to really use him anywhere. I’m not getting my hopes up this week but I do think Tony could wind up with a teens finish when it’s all said and done. If he has any luck on Sunday, he might be able to crack the top 10. Stewart was 14th-fastest in Practice #1 and followed that up with the 10th-best lap in Happy Hour. Smoke hasn’t raced at Watkins Glen since 2012, but you can’t look past the fact that he ended up 1st or 2nd for six years in a row here from 2004 to 2009. It’s super hard to trust Tony Stewart, but this looks to be the week where he’s finally a decently solid fantasy option. I think this is the first time I’ve said that all year.

13. Kyle Larson – Starts 6th – Yahoo! B Group
Pre-Practice Rank: 16th
**Risk Factor: Medium Risk**

Kyle Larson has shown a ton of speed all weekend long, but we’ve really become so accustomed to that that it doesn’t mean much to me. This team really needs to start finishing out races before I take them seriously. The good news is that Larson ended up 12th at Pocono last weekend, which followed up his solid 9th-place run at Indianapolis. So maybe they’re starting to get on a roll, who knows. In this race last year, Larson started mid-pack but ended up 4th when it was all said and done. With that being said, that was back when he was able to rattle off great finish after great finish. That just isn’t happening this season. Looking back at Sonoma, Larson started 4th that day and ended up finishing 15th when it was all said and done. I could easily see a similar day out of him here at Watkins Glen on Sunday. One good thing to mention is that the #42 Chevrolet was 2nd-fastest in Happy Hour on Friday and was 2nd to Kevin Harvick in terms of ten-lap average during that session.

14. Clint Bowyer – Starts 18th – Yahoo! B Group
Pre-Practice Rank: 12th
**Risk Factor: Medium Risk**

Clint Bowyer is a great road course racer, although his strength really shows at Sonoma. Still, he has ended up 11th or better in three of the last four races here at Watkins Glen, so that’s not too shabby. Clint also grabbed another top 10 finish at Pocono last weekend, which is his second in a row and fifth in the last seven Sprint Cup races. That’s pretty good considering this #15 has notched just eight top 10s throughout the entire 2015 season thus far. Clint had the fastest lap in the first practice session this weekend but the #15 Toyota really slowed down in Happy Hour, ending up 32nd on the speed chart. In qualifying, Bowyer kind of replicated his performance on Friday by qualifying 18th. I am by no means confident that he will be able to pull off a solid top 15 finish on Sunday, but Clint Bowyer is one of those drivers that will either end up inside the top 10 or outside of the top 20. That’s just how he is. For what it’s worth, Bowyer came home 3rd back at Sonoma a couple of months ago. When you pair that with the fact that this team is starting to get some momentum, the #15 Toyota is a nice sleeper for a top 10 in this year’s Cheez-It 355 at The Glen.

15. Matt Kenseth – Starts 26th – Yahoo! A Group
Pre-Practice Rank: 10th
**Risk Factor: Medium Risk**

With his very lucky win at Pocono–hey, a win is still a win, right?–Matt Kenseth has now finished 7th or better in each of the last four Sprint Cup races as well as six of the last eight. Most people would think that that streak will come to an end now that we’re at a road course track, but the fantasy racers aren’t “most people.” Kenseth is actually a pretty good road course racer, and believe it or not, these tracks take into account momentum a lot more than people realize. So what I’m saying is, Kenseth is a perfect “out of a box” top pick this weekend. He never likes to show his hand in practice, so I’m not overly concerned about the #20 Toyota looking like a top 20 car at best during both practice sessions on Friday. Matt finished 9th in this race one year ago and has ended up top 10 in two of the last three Watkins Glen races. My only major concern right now is that Kenseth qualified 26th. This just means it’s going to be vital for him to stay out of trouble early, but it could make him a very solid fantasy pick in leagues like NASCAR.com, FOX, and DraftKings.

The Next Ten:

16. Denny Hamlin
17. Austin Dillon
18. Jamie McMurray
19. Ryan Newman
20. Kasey Kahne
21. Greg Biffle
22. David Ragan
23. Justin Allgaier
24. Danica Patrick
25. Sam Hornish, Jr.