Yahoo C List Fantasy NASCAR Preview – Watkins Glen
Jeff Gordon – Jeff Gordon will drive the #88 again at Watkins Glen. I can’t say I’m high on his fantasy value but from an allocation perspective it makes a lot of sense. I don’t think anybody in the Yahoo C list will be great this weekend so why not use Gordon who it’s believed has limited starts remaining. Watkins Glen has been a brutal track for Jeff Gordon. Since his 2001 victory he hasn’t finished better than 9th! Last year Jeff Gordon started in 5th and ran in the top ten until he had brake issues on lap 29 that dropped him down a handful of laps and led to his 41st place finish. In 2014 Jeff Gordon had a strong car but walked away with a 34th place finish. In the race he looked top two good but on lap 50 while he was running in 2nd he slowed on the track because some electronic connection came undone. That brought out the caution and dropped him down a few laps which led to his misleading result. In 2013 he had another tough afternoon. He started in 28th and on lap 14 while he was running in 28th he got into the wall hard nose first. That damage sent him to the garage for several laps and relegated him to a 36th place finish. In 2012 he had about a 10th place car but spun on the last corner of the last lap which caused him to finish 21st. In the two Watkins Glen races prior to that he finished 10th and 13th. It should be noted in Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s last two Watkins Glen races he’s finished 11th.
Ryan Blaney – At Sonoma this spring Ryan Blaney finished 23rd. I think he’s probably capable of running better at Watkins Glen. It’s been a better track for Penske Racing and I expect their speed to carry over to him and the #21 team. In the Sprint Cup Series Blaney has never made a start here. In no NASCAR national series has Blaney raced at Watkins Glen so lets hope he spends plenty of time on the simulator.
Chase Elliott – Chase Elliott didn’t have a strong showing at Sonoma this summer so I’m not going to get my hopes up too much about him at Watkins Glen. At Sonoma he finished 21st, had a 20th place average running position, earned the 20th best driver rating and only ran in the top fifteen 10% percent of the time. I will note Watkins Glen is typically the easier of the two road courses for Sprint Cup drivers to navigate. In the Sprint Cup series Chase Elliott has no starts under his belt at Watkins Glen. Last year in the Xfinity Series he finished 7th.
[themify_box ]Want to be a better fantasy racer? Get the ifantasyrace advantage and read all of our full exclusive content. Join Now! [/themify_box]
David Ragan – David Ragan has a 24.9 average finish at Watkins Glen. You can expect him to finish right around that range again. Since 2009 he’s finished within a +5.9/- 5.9 deviation of his average result. Last year he finished 23rd. In the three races prior to that he had results of 19th, 21st and 22nd. At Sonoma earlier this year he didn’t run well and finished 32nd. Early in the race he was caught speeding in pit road which put him back in the field and while he was in traffic shortly afterwards he ran into the back of Gilliland which popped up his hood which covered up much of his front window. That led to him getting black flagged. It was just one of those afternoons for him.
Boris Said – Boris Said will be returning to action at Watkins Glen driving the #32. The era of road course ringers is over though so don’t expect much. I would say a result in the mid-twenties is the best case scenario. Last year at Watkins Glen Said finished 32nd. In the four Watkins Glen races prior to that he finished in either 22nd or 25th.
Chris Buescher – Now that Chris Buescher has a win under his belt he needs to point his way into the top 30 in points. That means he needs to play it safe and pick up a few positions here and there. Chris Buescher made a very forgettable start last year in the #34. As soon as the race started he had some sort of problem under his hood which quickly dropped him a lap down. When the checkered flag waved he finished two laps down in 30th. This summer at Sonoma Buescher finished 30th.
Make sure you read the full spectrum of our 2016 Watkins Glen Fantasy NASCAR Rankings
Top Tier Elite Picks > Front Runners Rankings > Mid Pack Predictions > Yahoo C List Preview
