Watkins Glen Fantasy NASCAR Top Tier Elite Picks

Martin Truex Jr. – Martin Truex Jr. should be near the top of your fantasy NASCAR radar at Watkins Glen. It’s been a phenomenal track for him and I view him as the premiere road course racer in the series. Earlier this season he easily raced his way to victory lane at Sonoma (led 59 laps), and last year on this track type “Performance Wise” he was top 2 good or better in all three races. At Watkins Glen, Truex Jr. has performed at an extremely high-level and over the last three races he’s been top 2 good. Last year, Truex Jr. had a great performance. When the checkered flag waved he finished 2nd, earned the 3rd best driver rating and had a 4th place average running position. Right near the end before he sputtered on fuel he was right on Chase Elliott’s bumper. In 2017, Truex Jr. had a great car and raced his way to victory lane. He excelled over long runs and he had enough fuel to go the distance. In addition to winning he earned the best driver rating, had a 3rd place average running position, led a race high 24 laps and finished 2nd in the first two Stages. In 2016, Truex 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, he earned the 5th best driver rating and had an 8th place average running position.

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Kyle Busch – Kyle Busch is an elite performer at Watkins Glen who’ll be tough to beat. He’s a two-time winner who’s finished in the top ten in 12 of the last 13 races. Over the last four combined Watkins Glen races, Busch has the best driver rating, a 4.5 average finish and a 6.8 average running position. Last year, Busch had a phenomenal car that I would argue was the best, but unfortunately his race wasn’t incident free. During a caution right around lap 54 while he was the race leader he had to make a second pit stop because of a fueling issue which dropped him from 1st back to around 20th. After that, Busch hit the after burners and drove his way up to a 3rd place finish. Also from the race it should be noted he earned the 2nd best driver rating, led 31 laps and still had a 5th place average running position despite his problem. In 2017, he may have very well had the best car but he finished a misleading 7th. In the race he started on the pole and led every lap of the opening segment. Then during the Stage caution while leading he made a second pit stop which dropped him back in the running order. When Stage #2 ended he rebounded to finish 9th. Then later on lap 45 while he was battling Keselowski for 8th he spun out which dropped him back to the mid 30’s. That makes his 7th place finish pretty remarkable. In 2016 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. In 2015 he had a strong showing. He finished 2nd, earned the 2nd best driver rating and had a 6th place average running position. At Sonoma earlier this season, Busch finished 2nd. On Sunday, look for Busch to finish in the top five and be a serious threat to win.

Denny Hamlin – Denny Hamlin is one of the better road course racers in NASCAR and at Watkins Glen there’s a good chance he’ll be a factor. He’s a recent winner and over the last couple of races here he ranks as one of the best. Over the last three races, “Performance Wise” he’s been top five good. Last year, Denny Hamlin was very competitive, but finished a misleading 13th. During a caution around lap 55 while he was running in 3rd he was penalized when his team had an uncontrolled tire. If that didn’t happen, I think he had a great chance to finish in the top five. Despite his problem he still earned the 8th best driver rating and had a 9th place average running position. In 2017, Hamlin had a strong showing and when the checkered flag waved he finished 4th and earned the 9th best driver rating. In Stage #2 he finished 6th. In 2016, Hamlin had a great race. He finished 1st, earned the 3rd best driver rating and had a 7th place average running position. I will note if it wasn’t for a late restart he would’ve finished 3rd. At Sonoma earlier this year, Hamlin finished 5th.

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Top Tier Elite Picks > Front Runners Rankings > Mid Pack Predictions > The Low Tier