This article is part of our NASCAR DFS series.
Go Bowling at The Glen
Location: Watkins Glen, N.Y.
Course: Watkins Glen International
Format: 2.45-mile road course
Laps: 90
NASCAR Go Bowling at The Glen Race Preview
Joey Logano became the first driver to secure his spot among the final 12 championship contenders with his second win of the season a week ago at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Two races remain in the first round of eliminations to determine what 11 drivers will join him, and the two races to come couldn't be more different. First up is a road course stop at Watkins Glen International and the annual Go Bowling at the Glen. The fast natural-terrain road course is the fourth road course stop of the season, all of which have been won by Hendrick Motorsports teammates. Looking at Watkins Glen's recent history, fantasy players will notice that Hendrick drivers have won the last five straight at the venue, too. Those statistics are likely to make the Hendrick teammates favorites to drive to victory and join Logano among the 12 final championship combatants. However, there is still a full complement of playoff protagonists that will be out to stop them this week as NASCAR heads to upstate New York for its next playoff stop.
Key Stats at Watkins Glen International
- Number of races: 40
- Winners from pole: 10
- Winners from top-5 starters: 27
- Winners from top-10 starters: 31
- Winners from 21st or lower starters: 0
- Fastest race: 111.426 mph
Previous Watkins Glen Winners
2023 - William Byron
2022 - Kyle Larson
2021 - Kyle Larson
2019 - Chase Elliott
2018 - Chase Elliott
2017 - Martin Truex Jr.
2016 - Denny Hamlin
2015 - Joey Logano
2014 - AJ Allmendinger
2013 - Kyle Busch
This season's Go Bowling at the Glen will be the 41st series race at Watkins Glen. It is a track that NASCAR is very familiar with, but this season there will be some differences. The track added rumble strips to places to force the drivers to respect track limits and a new tire is expected to wear faster. In the past, the track has been referred to as the superspeedway of road courses given its medium- to high-speed corners and that won't change much. The Glen offers several places to pass under braking, too. However, even with those passing opportunities, track position is one of the most important factors, though. Teams will set their cars up to maximize corner exit speed, which enables their driver to be fastest at the end of the straights, giving their drivers a chance to out brake opponents into the slower sections. Entering those braking areas at maximum speed gives drivers the best chance possible to make passes. The roughly 2.5-mile lap distance enables teams to try different pit strategies, too. Gaining positions on pit road with a quick stop pays dividends on track giving drivers a better chance gain position and perhaps getting them out of traffic, but mistakes must be avoided in order to not give up all that hard-earned track position a driver has gained. The teams that manage those tasks the best will have a good chance at the victory Sunday. As with most road courses, race winners typically start in the front five rows, and only five winners have started outside of the top 10 and won at the Glen since 2000. Qualifying will be something to pay attention to when selecting lineups.
RotoWire NASCAR DFS Tools
DraftKings Value Picks for the Go Bowling at The Glen (Based on Standard $50K Salary Cap)
DraftKings Tier 1 Values
Kyle Larson - $10,500
William Byron - $10,300
Chase Elliott - $10,000
Shane van Gisbergen - $9,800
DraftKings Tier 2 Values
Tyler Reddick - $9,500
Christopher Bell - $9,300
Ty Gibbs - $9,200
AJ Allmendinger - $9,000
DraftKings Tier 3 Values
Kyle Busch - $8,800
Michael McDowell - $8,500
Denny Hamlin - $8,100
Austin Cindric - $7,700
DraftKings Long-Shot Values
Alex Bowman - $7,600
Ryan Blaney - $7,400
Erik Jones - $6,400
John Hunter Nemechek - $5,500
NASCAR DFS Picks for the Go Bowling at The Glen
Lower-Risk Lineup ($50K Salary Cap)
Kyle Larson - $10,500
Tyler Reddick - $9,500
Kyle Busch - $8,800
Austin Cindric - $7,700
Chase Briscoe - $7,100
Erik Jones - $6,400
Given Hendrick's road course success, it is no surprise that Kyle Larson (DK $10,500, FD $13,500) is Sunday's early favorite. Larson has a great road course record with five total wins including two at Watkins Glen and one already this season. He was involved in a late crash in last year's race that left him with a 26th-place finish, though. Tyler Reddick (DK $9,500, FD $14,000) is hoping he can break Toyota's winless run at the Glen. Reddick has three career wins on road courses but none at Watkins Glen. However, Reddick finished fifth and eighth at COTA and Sonoma this season and was second in Chicago, too. He finished inside the top 10 in all three of his prior Watkins Glan starts and could be the driver that is able to get the job done for Toyota. Like Larson, Kyle Busch (DK $8,800, FD $9,000) is also a two-time winner at the Glen. Busch continues to be at his best this season, too. He enters the weekend with four consecutive top-10 finishes behind him for momentum and four career road course victories for confidence.
Austin Cindric (DK $7,700, FD $7,000) should also be on fantasy radars this week. The playoff contender put himself in position to potentially advance with his stage win and 10th-place finish a week ago at Atlanta, but should feel confident again this week on a road course. He brings an average finish of 14.5 from two Watkins Glen series starts into the weekend along with a win at the track in the Xfinity Series from 2019. Chase Briscoe (DK $7,100, FD $6,200) didn't fare as well as Cindric at Atlanta, but he should also be optimistic about his chances this week. Briscoe's best Watkins Glen finish was a ninth-place result in 2021, which was one of five career top-10 finishes on these types of tracks. While not a playoff contender, Erik Jones (DK $6,400, FD $3,500) is one not to pass on this week. He isn't known as a road course specialist, but Jones tends to outperform expectations at Watkins Glen. From six series starts, he finished in the top 10 four times and the top five twice.
Higher-Risk Lineup ($50K Salary Cap)
Shane van Gisbergen - $9,800
AJ Allmendinger - $9,000
Denny Hamlin - $8,100
Daniel Suarez - $7,900
Alex Bowman - $7,600
Ryan Blaney - $7,400
It is very difficult to win a Cup Series race as a part-time competitor and maybe even more difficult to win a playoff race. If there is any driver that could do that, it would be Shane van Gisbergen (DK $9,800, FD $12,000), though. The road racing star made his mark by winning his series debut last year in Chicago, and he has been competing full time in the Xfinity Series ahead of a move to Cup next season. His three Xfinity wins have all been on road courses but has a best finish of just 20th in seven Cup Series starts this season. Another part-time driver to consider this week is AJ Allmendinger (DK $9,000, FD $10,500). The experienced NASCAR competitor is usually a contender at road courses and especially at Watkins Glen. He won this race in 2014 and finished in the top 10 four of his last five series starts at the track.
Of the full-time series drivers, Denny Hamlin (DK $8,100, FD $8,200) looks like a bargain this week. Sure, Toyota hasn't won at Watkins Glen since 2017, but Hamlin won this race the season before that. He has nine top-10 finishes from 17 starts at this track and was last year's pole sitter who finished second. Daniel Suarez (DK $7,900, FD $8,000) is also confident of his chances after finishing second last week at Atlanta. Suarez is a Sonoma road course winner with three top-five finishes at Watkins Glen from six tries and could be another good low-cost option this week. Alex Bowman (DK $7,600, FD $7,800) doesn't have those same Watkins Glen statistics, but he won at Chicago and finished fifth last week at Atlanta. A Hendrick driver won the last five Watkins Glen races and all road course races so far this season. With those team results, it wouldn't be a surprise if Bowman were to be among the frontrunners this weekend. Another bargain may be Ryan Blaney (DK $7,400, FD $7,200). He won on the Charlotte infield road course several seasons ago and hasn't been terrible on other road courses either. His ninth-place finish in this race last season was his third top-10 at this track from seven tries, and he also finished 12th or better in all road course stops so far this season.
