Watkins Glen is the second and final road course race on the 2016 NASCAR Sprint Cup schedule, and from a DraftKings perspective you have to approach this race a little differently than what we’re used to. This race is only set to be 90 laps in length, so right away your laps led and fastest laps bonus points are limited. Therefore, it’s going to be best to target drivers that have the best chance to get place differential points. Strategy comes into these races much more than we would like, and because of that you sometimes have to think outside of the box with your Fantasy NASCAR picks and take drivers that you normally wouldn’t.
High-Dollar DraftKings Drivers to Target at Watkins Glen
($9,000 or above)
Kyle Busch ($10,100) – The #18 Toyota has had a bunch of speed in it this summer and this weekend at Watkins Glen is no exception. Rowdy is a two-time winner here at The Glen and is honestly one of the most consistent performers here as well. In the last ten Sprint Cup races here, Rowdy has ended up 9th or better in nine of them, and he finished 2nd here last season after going to victory lane here in 2013. Back at Sonoma, the #18 Toyota came home with a solid 7th-place finish, but we think Busch will be much better here at Watkins Glen on Sunday. Kyle had top 5 speed in both practice sessions this weekend and had the best ten-lap average in Happy Hour. If this team can play the strategy game right on Sunday, there’s a very good chance that Kyle Busch will be in contention for the Cheez-It 355 win.
Joey Logano ($9,500) – Joey Logano is the defending winner of this race and should be in contention here on Sunday as well. And on top of the #22 Ford being a potential race-winning car this weekend, Joey also qualified 7th for this year’s Cheez-It 355, so there’s a little bit of room there for place differential points as well. Logano is on the lower side of the high-dollar drivers this weekend, but honestly he’s one of the better options; in the last five Watkins Glen races, Joey has finished 7th or better in four of them, and at Sonoma (the other road course) earlier this season, the #22 Ford came home 3rd. Logano has had the plenty of speed to win races over the last month and a half, he just hasn’t had much luck on his side. This could be the race he finally gets back to victory lane on the Cup side. Don’t forget Logano won the Xfinity race here on Saturday.
Brad Keselowski ($9,300) – The other Penske driver should be a great pick this weekend as well. Brad Keselowski will start a little further back on Sunday (12th) but he has top 5 potential and that means a nice points day in DraftKings. Keselowski has made six career starts here at Watkins Glen and has three 2nd-place finishes to his name. In this race last season, the Blue Deuce came home 7th. This weekend, BK had top 10 speed in both practice sessions and was one of the few drivers that actually made a long run during Happy Hour. That tells us that they were focusing in on race runs during practice and that should pay dividends here on Sunday. Another reason to like the Penske Fords at Watkins Glen? Fuel mileage. The #2 and the #22 tend to get the most out of their fuel, and Keselowski is elite at saving gas during a race. It’s not uncommon for these road course races to come down to that either.
Mid-Dollar DraftKings Drivers to Target at Watkins Glen
(between $7,000 and $9,000)
Paul Menard ($7,400) – As we said earlier, with this race you really need to focus on place differential points. Because of that, Paul Menard becomes a pretty solid option for your DraftKings team, at a relatively low price. The #27 Chevrolet wound up 33rd in qualifying on Friday, but there’s more speed in that car than that. Menard was 12th fastest during the first practice session of the weekend, and he made a long run during Happy Hour, which tells us that they were getting his car ready for race runs. This is the second race for Paul Menard and new crew chief Danny Stockman, and that could end up being a positive because new crew chiefs are sometimes more willing to roll the dice and try and steal a win. In twelve career starts here at Watkins Glen, Paul Menard has never finished better than 12th, but if he can make it to the top 15 on Sunday, the gamble of rostering him on DraftKings will be well worth it. For what it’s worth, Paul finished 16th at Sonoma (the other road course) earlier this year.
Martin Truex, Jr. ($8,900) – It’s going to be hard to build a roster without Martin Truex, Jr. on it this weekend, so if you want to take a chance and fade him, now’s your chance. We anticipate that a pretty high percentage of teams will have the #78 Toyota on them this weekend. Truex had a blunder during qualifying on Friday and wasn’t able to make it to the final round, although he had a car that probably would have challenged for the pole. Instead, he’s going to start Sunday’s Cheez-It 355 at The Glen from 14th, so not only is he a great pick for place differential points, but also overall finish points as well. Truex came home 5th at Sonoma earlier this year and has finished 13th or better in four of the last five races here at Watkins Glen, including a career-best 3rd-place result back in 2013. During the practice sessions this weekend, the #78 Toyota was fastest in the first practice and 2nd-fastest in Happy Hour.
Low-Dollar DraftKings Drivers to Target at Watkins Glen
(under $7,000)
Aric Almirola ($6,300) – Almirola is another one of those drivers that must have just missed it in qualifying on Friday because he will roll off the grid from the 34th starting spot. With that being said, a screw up during qualifying is just music to our ears when it comes to DraftKings. Aric has made five career starts here at Watkins Glen International, and in three of those he has finished between 16th and 18th. The #43 Ford hasn’t shown that type of speed this weekend, but you never know how these races are going to play out from a strategy perspective. If you need another low-dollar driver to complete your DraftKings team this weekend, go ahead and throw Almirola on there. He has some of the better equipment in this price range and has a bunch of place differential points potential.
Danica Patrick ($6,100) – Believe it or not, Watkins Glen is one of the best tracks on the NASCAR circuit for Danica Patrick. She has only made three career starts at this road course but has never finished worse than 21st. The #10 Chevrolet will roll off the grid from the 31st starting spot today, but that’s actually just another reason to put Danica on your DraftKings roster; in the 2014 Watkins Glen race, Patrick started dead last and still ended up finishing 21st, and in in the 2013 race she started 35th and ended up finishing 20th. Danica is one of those drivers that hits her marks and stays out of trouble, and that’s going to pay dividends here on Sunday in the Cheez-It 355 at The Glen. At such a low price and with so much upside, Patrick should be one of the drivers you build around this weekend, as weird as that is to say.
