Watkins Glen Fantasy NASCAR Post Practice Predictions / Confidence Ranking Picks

Watkins Glen is the second of the two road courses on the Sprint Cup schedule. Between the two Watkins Glen is faster and drivers can race more aggressively. Sonoma is more of a finesse track. I’ll also note the level of difficulty for Sprint Cup drivers seems to be lower at Watkins Glen which puts more drivers in the equation.

This year at Watkins Glen things are different. Watkins Glen has been freshly repaved and Goodyear has brought hard tires which get faster over a run. That points towards this being a race full of pit strategy. I’ll also note that this is a relatively short race and from a DFS fantasy prospective that means you should really focus on Place Differential Points (check out our Tool).

For Sunday’s race here is the Starting lineup. Also make sure you check out our Happy Hour Practice Notes and Happy Hour Speeds. Here’s links to Practice #1 Notes and Practice #1 Speeds.

I’ll also note that this is a combined Post Practice Predictions post/ Confidence Ranking Picks post. The regular post schedule will resume at Bristol. I will say every notable driver is covered in this post in more depth than usual.

[themify_box]Want to be a better fantasy racer? Get the ifantasyrace advantage and read all of our full exclusive content. End of season passes are now available. Join Now! [/themify_box]

1) Kyle Busch (Starting – 5th)
Watkins Glen Fantasy Outlook – Kyle Busch will be a favorite to win at Watkins Glen. He ranks as perhaps the best default fantasy pick you can make. It’s a great track for him and he’s been a super-elite performer here throughout his career. In practice Kyle Busch had a great car. In Happy Hour he had the best ten lap average. If he has an incident free race look for him to challenge for the win. One aspect you have to like about Kyle Busch is his momentum that you’ll read about below.
Watkins Glen Track History – Watkins Glen is a great track for Kyle Busch and ranks as one of his very best. In his career at this venue he has 2 wins, has finished in the top five 45% percent of the time and in the top ten 82% percent of the time. From a performance standpoint Kyle Busch should have a couple more wins here. Last year Busch had a great car and finished 2nd when the race reached its conclusion. In 2014 he had a tough race. In a short period of time he broke his window brace, got a speeding penalty and then damaged his car in frustration which sent him to the garage. Those problems led to his 40th place finish. In 2013 he raced his way to victory lane and led 29 laps. In 2012 he should’ve won but he was spun on the last lap while leading which caused him to finish 7th. Additionally in that race it should be noted he led 43 laps and earned the best driver rating. In 2011 he led more than half the race (49 laps) and finished 3rd. In the five Watkins Glen races prior to that he finished in the top ten.
Momentum – Over the last six races Kyle Busch has scored the most points and has a 6.5 average finish.
Yahoo A Driver / DraftKings Price $10,100

2) Carl Edwards (Starting – 1st)
Watkins Glen Fantasy Outlook – Carl Edwards should be on your short list of favorites at Watkins Glen. Over the last couple of seasons at road courses he belongs firmly in the conversation of being the best road course driver. In 5 of the last 6 races on this track type he’s finished in the top 8. In the one race he finished outside that range, he ran well but wrecked late. In race trim Edwards seemed really happy with how his car performed. In practice #1 when he focused solely on race trim he had the 4th best overall lap, and a quick ten lap average.
Watkins Glen Track History – Watkins Glen is a great track for Carl Edwards. His average finish is 8.4 and he currently has 3 straight top tens. Over that three race stretch he has a 5.7 average finish and the 6th best driver rating. Last year he had a solid showing finishing 8th and earning the 9th best driver rating. In 2014 he had a good car and used some pit strategy to walk away with a 5th place finish. Additionally in that race it should be noted he earned the 6th best driver rating. In 2013 he finished 4th.
Momentum – This team has been finding trouble on the track more recently. In 3 of the last 5 races he’s found trouble. The two he didn’t he finished in the top ten.
Yahoo B Driver / DraftKings Price $9,700

3) Joey Logano (Starting – 7th)
Watkins Glen Fantasy Outlook – Joey Logano is the defending champion at Watkins Glen and on Sunday he’ll be going for back to back wins. It will be tough for him to accomplish that task but I wouldn’t count him out. He’s become a very strong road course driver. Over the last five road course races his average finish is 4.4. At Sonoma earlier this year he finished 3rd. In practice Logano showed good speed and seemed pleased with how his car performed.
Watkins Glen Track History – Watkins Glen is a good track for Logano. In 4 of the last 5 races he’s finished in the top 7. Currently at Watkins Glen Logano has three straight top tens. Over that stretch he has a 4.7 average finish and the 5th best driver rating. Last year Logano had a great car. He only led 1 lap but it was the one that came with a trophy. In 2014 he had a strong showing and finished 6th despite having to overcome an early pit penalty on lap 25. In 2013 Logano finished 7th.
Momentum – If it wasn’t for wrecks at Pocono and Kentucky Logano would have 9 straight top tens.
Yahoo A Driver / DraftKings Price $9,500