Watkins Glen Fantasy NASCAR Top Tier Elite Picks
Kyle Busch – Kyle Busch will be tough to beat at Watkins Glen. At Watkins Glen you can’t make a better default fantasy pick than him. He’s won here twice and performance wise he should have a couple more wins. Since 2006 at this serpentine track he’s only once finished outside the top ten and that race wasn’t incident free. Last year he had a great car and finished 6th. It should be noted he was better than his result but some poor late restarts were very unfriendly to him. Strength wise he probably should’ve finished 2nd. Additionally in the race he earned the 2nd best driver rating and had a race best 5th place average running position. In 2015 he had a strong showing. He finished 2nd, earned the 2nd best driver rating and had a 6th place average running position. Throughout the event he was a consistent front runner. In 2014 he had a tough race (Window brace broke, pit penalty and then took his frustration out on Truex which damaged his car which sent him to the garage) and finished 40th. Prior to that race he had a 8 consecutive top tens and a 5.0 average finish over that stretch. In 2013 he had a strong car and raced his way to victory lane. Additionally in that race he earned the best driver rating, had a 3rd place average running position and led 29 laps. In 2012 he should’ve won but on the last lap the track was slick from oil and that led to him getting spun while he was leading. Additionally in that race he earned the best driver rating and led 43 laps. 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. (Yahoo A Driver)
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Martin Truex Jr. – Martin Truex Jr. should be on your short list of favorites at Watkins Glen. In recent races he’s run extremely well here. Since 2011 minus 2015 when he had problems he has a 7.4 average finish and has had a result in the top 13 every race. Last year Treux Jr. had a great car but finished a misleading 7th. When the finish line was in sight on the final lap Keselowski spun him while he was running in 2nd. Additionally in the race he earned the 5th best driver rating and had an 8th place average running position. In 2015 he had a strong showing and had top five potential but with 22 laps to go while running in 3rd he came down pit road because of a flat tire. That dropped him back to 36th. When the checkered flag waved he finished 25th. In 2014 when he had a down year he finished 13th. In the three Watkins Glen races prior to that he had results of 3rd, 4th and 10th. Earlier this year at Sonoma Truex Jr. had a great car that was fast over long runs but problems under his hood derailed his afternoon. (Yahoo A Driver)
Kevin Harvick – Kevin Harvick won at Sonoma earlier this year, I wouldn’t be surprised if he wins at Watkins Glen and pulls out the broom on this track type for the season. What made him so good at Sonoma is that his car was extremely fast over long runs. I expect him to have that strength again on Sunday. At Watkins Glen Harvick is a former winner who’s run very well recently. Last year he had a strong car but poor pit strategy and then a late accident led to his 32nd place finish. Performance wise he was top ten good and his driver rating ranked as the 12th best. In 2015 if Harvick had a little more fuel he would’ve reached victory lane. Instead he ran out on the last lap while leading which led to his 3rd place finish. Additionally in the race he earned the best driver rating and led the most laps (29). In 2014 he had a great car but had an early self-inflicted problem which held him back and led to him finishing 7th. In 2008 Kevin Harvick raced his way to victory lane holding off Tony Stewart. (Yahoo A Driver)
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Top Tier Elite Picks > Front Runners Rankings > Mid Pack Predictions >The Low Tier
