Congratulations to Dale Earnhardt Jr. on picking up his third victory of the season and sweeping the races at Pocono this year. The win gives Dale the same amount of bonus points when the Chase starts as Jimmie Johnson and Brad Keselowkski with three wins each so far this season. Now there are only five races left until the Chase and there are still spots up for grabs.
CHEEZ-IT 355 AT THE GLEN
With only five races left until the Chase the series heads to Watkins Glen, NY for the second road-course race of the season. I think that the series will fill another Chase spot with a different winner this week, which means someone else won’t make it on points.
Right now Greg Biffle holds the final spot for the Chase in the point standings, one point ahead of Kasey Kahne, two points ahead of Austin Dillon, and five points behind Kyle Larson. I believe this last spot will be taken by Marcos Ambrose this week when he wins the race at Watkins Glen and qualifies for the Chase and then the next four weeks will be a real battle to secure the final spot in the Chase. The fireworks are going to fly.
Marcos Ambrose: Marcos has had a terrible year after improving over the last few years since he joined the series. I thought he would win the race at Sonoma earlier this season, but that didn’t happen and now the only way he makes the Chase is to win a race. That race will happen this weekend on the road course or it won’t happen at all. Marcos has nothing to lose by letting it all hang out and that is exactly what he will do this weekend.
Tony Stewart: Tony has won five times at Watkins Glen and he needs a win to make the Chase also. I picked Marcos to win because he is at home at a road course, but Tony is no slouch here and anyone that knows Tony’s passion for racing knows that he will not go down quietly. You will see a man on a mission doing everything he can to win this race and qualify his team for the Chase, and he can do it.
Jeff Gordon: Jeff won three races in a row and four out of five here early in his career. The way this team has been performing this season, they are in that same form right now as they were years ago when Jeff was winning a lot of races and championships and this team has that same mentality right now.
Brad Keselowski: Brad already has three wins this season and is solidly in the Chase. That doesn’t matter to him right now. He enjoys the competition so much that he isn’t afraid to mix it up with anyone on a road course. I think one of the best finishes I ever saw in NASCAR was the last lap battle between Brad, Marcos, and Kyle Busch that Marcos won and all Brad said after the race was something to the effect of, that is the way racing is supposed to be.
Kyle Busch: Now we talk about Kyle. Oil on the track on the last lap of the race I am talking about above, is what cost him that race. Kyle has won two races here and without the oil probably would have three wins here already. Kyle finished thirty-third in the first race he ran here, but hasn’t finished outside of the top ten since then, nine races ago. He is also the defending champion at this track.
Carl Edwards: Carl has six top ten finishes in nine career starts at this track. The big question with this team right now is will they give Carl what he needs to win a race or will this team use him for experimentation for the rest of the season now that he won’t be driving for Roush/Fenway next season. I don’t think it will be bad as long as Carl is in contention to win the championship, but one never really knows.
Kevin Harvick: Kevin has won a race here before, and the way he has been driving this season, one never knows when he will win again. He has had a car capable of winning every week this year and this week will be no different. Kevin has been racing long enough to know that seasons like this don’t come along all the time and you had better take advantage of them while you can.
Jimmie Johnson: I think it is time for this team to address the right rear tire problem that has been plaguing them for the past month or more. With three wins under their belt, I think they had the right idea to experiment with lower tire pressures, but now that we are getting closer to the Chase, I think they need to get back in the trend of just trying to win races on their talent.
These are your top picks for this week’s race. There will be some road course specialists enter into this week’s race, and if you are in a league like the Yahoo league where you can only start drivers so often during the season you will need to take a chance on one of these drivers this weekend. I am pretty sure that Boris Said will be entered in a car and we will need to watch the entry list that comes out on Tuesday to see if drivers like Juan Pablo Montoya are in the field. This type of pick can put you over the top in your individual league where the rest of the competition doesn’t know who is entered into the race. Check back Wednesday or Thursday after the entry list is out to see any changes I have made to the C group for the Yahoo league.
YAHOO! FANTASY NASCAR PICKS FOR WATKINS GLEN INTERNATIONAL
Yahoo Driver Group A
- Jeff Gordon
- Kyle Busch
Yahoo Driver Group B
- Marcos Ambrose
- Tony Stewart
- Jamie McMurray
- Brad Keselowski
Yahoo Driver Group C
- Boris Said
- Nelson Piquet Jr.
MY TOP-5 OVERALL AT WATKINS GLEN INTERNATIONAL
- Marcos Ambrose
- Tony Stewart
- Kyle Busch
- Jeff Gordon
- Brad Keselowski
Dark Horse: Jamie McMurray
Stay Away From: Dale Earnhardt Jr.