NASCAR

NASCAR Daily Fantasy Helper: Go Bowling at the Glen

Kevin Harvick qualified 16th, putting him in a great spot for NASCAR DFS. Which other drivers should you target in Sunday's race at Watkins Glen?

After watching Kyle Busch go to victory lane yet again at Pocono, we move to Watkins Glen for the second road course of the season. Road racing is a lot more of a technical animal than traditional oval racing in that it includes sharp turns on both the left and right side.

A few notes before we get into the good stuff. First off, there are only 90 laps in this race, so we are looking mainly at place differential as the means of scoring fantasy points. As there are only nine laps-led points to go around for this race. Also to note, this article is being written before pre-race inspection. So be aware of any changes in the starting lineup and make adjustments accordingly.

Here at numberFire, we've always got you covered for everything NASCAR DFS. Our track preview gives you more information about this track, our driver preview helps bring you up to speed on drivers' recent history here and elsewhere, and our Heat Check Podcast with Jim Sannes gives you insight how he is approaching this weekend's slate.

High-Priced Drivers

Kevin Harvick ($12,500): While not technically the fastest car on the track, Harvick was certainly one of the best, like he has been all season. Harvick starting in the 16th position is just too easy of a decision when it comes to targeting drivers with high place-differential upside. Because Sonoma is the only track that would be comparable to Watkins Glen, we will reference it throughout the article. And in that race, Harvick was able to lead the second-most laps behind only race winner Martin Truex, though Harvick could have won it if not for iffy pit strategy. But more importantly, Harvick accumulated the most fast laps, an even better predictor of the car better at obtaining speed on a road course. No matter where Harvick starts officially, you can bet that the 4 car will be able to gain spots quickly once the race begins.

Kyle Busch ($12,300): Oh, would you look at that, another article that starts with Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch. What a surprise! Even without pre-race/post-qualifying inspection, it's pretty obvious how Busch's fantasy outlook will playout. If he passes inspection, then he will start second (or even first, depending on what happens with Denny Hamlin), and have the potential to lead the most laps. If Busch fails inspection, then it is possible for him to be a place-differential monster with even more fantasy upside than if he were to pass. Either way, we are presented with a great car that had the best 10-lap run in second practice and has the potential of ending up in the optimal lineup.

Mid-Priced Drivers

Kurt Busch ($10,500): After recommending one Busch, why not discuss the other, who is starting 21st (NOTE: Busch and Paul Menard ($7,500) failed post-qualifying inspection and will now start 36th and 37th, respectively. Both will be superb candidates for place-differential points.) One thing that the elder Busch has going for him is track type history. His last five races here have seen him average a 6.8 finishing position. Not only does Kurt Busch have experience here, but has a great car setup for this race, as well. Running the third best 10-lap average, which was even better than Harvick's. He probably won't he leads laps or anything like that, but someone with Kurt Busch's experience on road courses combined with superior equipment should lead to a solid fantasy outing for the 41 car.

Clint Bowyer ($10,300): I sense a little bit of deja vu in the air. Bowyer, who is starting in 19th at Watkins Glen, also started 19th at Sonoma, where he ended up garnering the most place differential of the entire field, driving his way from 19th to a 3rd-place finish and an average running position of 6th. We shouldn't put too much stock in Bowyer's 24th-ranked single-lap practice time in the second practice. This team and crew certainly know what they are doing, especially at a road course. Bowyer is capable of a good finish and can rack up place-differential points.

Low-Priced Drivers

Chris Buescher ($7,000): You ever watch the Frankenstein movie where the scientist looks at his new living creation and proclaims "It's alive!"? Well, that's pretty much how we should feel about Buescher's road course skills after evaluating his performance at Sonoma. In the Sonoma race, there were no bad breaks from accidents or bad pit stops as he was able to drive up the field from the 23rd spot all the way to a 12th-place finish. Even at Watkins Glen last season, he was able to grab 11th place. Buescher is capable of doing the same at Watkins Glen and could be a very clutch value play.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. ($6,400): I know what you might be thinking -- Wrecky Stenhouse at a road course sounds like pure carnage just waiting to happen. I get it. But I don't think that's how things will play out at Watkins Glen. There are only five races before the playoffs start, and being on the cusp of a spot, Stenhouse needs every point that he can get, so he may attempt to be a little bit more of a conservative driver to avoid crashing out of the race. His Sonoma performance suggests he can place fairly well, and his practice numbers from both Sonoma and Watkins Glen back that up. With that said, Stenhouse is probably only in play if you need to pivot off of Buescher, who is likely to be highly owned.


Evan Cheney is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Evan Cheney also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username Theman90210. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in his articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.