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
The NASCAR Cup Series goes road course racing in this week's Go Bowling at the Glen. William Byron won last time out at Iowa, claiming his second victory of the season and preserving three playoff positions for drivers to earn their way into the championship battle via points. However, with three races remaining in the regular season, there is still time for that picture be completely turned around. Chris Buescher currently holds the 16th and final playoff spot with a slim 23-point advantage over teammate Ryan Preece. Just one new winner from below him in the standings would put Buescher on the outside looking in, though. The margin is tight, but there may be some reason for optimism. Buescher won this race last season from the lowest starting position in series history at Watkins Glen. Even better is that he beat out road course dominator Shane van Gisbergen to do so. The Trackhouse Racing road course ace already has three road course victories to his credit this season and stopping him from claiming a fourth is going to be a tall task for Buescher and the rest of the NASCAR Cup Series field this week.
Key Stats at Watkins Glen International
- Number of races: 41
- Winners from pole: 10
- Winners from top-5 starters: 27
- Winners from top-10 starters: 31
- Winners from 21st or lower starters: 1
- Fastest race: 111.426 mph
Previous Watkins Glen Winners
2024 - Chris Buescher
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
Watkins Glen International is a natural-terrain road course that is very familiar to the NASCAR garage. The track has been referred to as the superspeedway of road courses given its medium- to high-speed corners, and it is one of the few circuits that turn right and left where it feels like NASCAR Cup machines can maintain momentum through a full lap. The circuit's elevation changes, flowing turns, and hard braking areas make it one of the more competitive road courses the series races on. However, even a few passing opportunities, track position is one of the most important factors. The other is strategy. Fuel strategy is one consideration, but having the freshest tires late in the race is also important. This is a fast track with tires that wear more than ever before, and having grip in the final miles enables drivers to make up significant ground. Teams that find the best combination of speed, strategy, and fresh grip will likely be racing near the front on Sunday. Fantasy players can get a good preview of what that may look like by paying close attention to practice and qualifying times. Most drivers that practice well at Watkins Glen also race well. Similarly, race winners also tend to qualify well, typically starting in the front five rows, though Chris Buescher bucked that trend last season when he won from the 24th starting spot.
RotoWire NASCAR DFS Tools
DraftKings Value Picks for the Go Bowling at The Glen (Based on Standard $50K Salary Cap)
DraftKings Tier 1 Values
Shane van Gisbergen - $12,700
Kyle Larson - $10,200
Christopher Bell - $9,800
William Byron - $9,500
DraftKings Tier 2 Values
Connor Zilisch - $9,200
Chase Elliott - $9,100
Chris Buescher - $9,000
Tyler Reddick - $8,800
DraftKings Tier 3 Values
Chase Briscoe - $8,500
Michael McDowell - $8,400
AJ Allmendinger - $8,200
Denny Hamlin - $8,100
DraftKings Long-Shot Values
Alex Bowman - $7,800
Kyle Busch - $7,700
Brad Keselowski - $7,000
Cole Custer - $5,300
NASCAR DFS Picks for the Go Bowling at The Glen
Shane van Gisbergen - $12,700
Chase Elliott - $9,100
AJ Allmendinger - $8,200
Kyle Busch - $7,700
Brad Keselowski - $7,000
Cole Custer - $5,300
Even with his outlandish cost this week, Shane van Gisbergen (DK $12,700, FD $15,000) has proven himself to be the top road course racer this season and is worth the outlay. He dominated and won three of the four road course races run so far, and while we always knew he was one of the best, if not the best, he now has the wins that make the difference in paying up to have him on the roster. Last year he narrowly lost out on this particular race victory, and he will not let that happen again. Despite the cost, SVG remains the top choice this week. Chase Elliott (DK $9,100, FD $11,000) has also been a dominant road course racer in this series albeit not since the introduction of this generation of car. However, we have seen Elliott begin to regain that prior form. This season on road courses he has three top-five finishes out of four attempts. He won at Watkins Glen in 2018 and 2019 and has two other top-five finishes from his eight career starts. Elliott should be a top-five contender again this week. While AJ Allmendinger (DK $8,200, FD $9,500) has had more than his share of trouble on road courses recently, he is typically quick, especially at Watkins Glen. He won this race in 2014 and started inside the top 10 in 11 of his 13 series appearances. A transmission issue in last year's race forced him to an early exit, but his sixth-place finish in Chicago shows he still has the goods. Allmendinger is a bit of a risky play given his lack of success so far this season, but if there is any track he can right the ship and take a race win, it would be Watkins Glen.
Another riskier but calculated option for fantasy players this week is Kyle Busch (DK $7,700, FD $8,000). Busch is a two-time Watkins Glen victor with 13 top-10s from his 18 career starts at the track. Those statistics alone make a case for his inclusion in rosters this week, but the real reason is his road course results in 2025. Busch may have his share of struggles elsewhere, but he has three top-10 finishes on road courses this season including both of his year-to-date top-fives. Brad Keselowski (DK $7,000, FD $5,800) is also worth a look. Keselowski enters this week's race off the back of three consecutive top-10 finishes and two top-fives. He has never won at Watkins Glen, but he boasts four top-fives and a pole at the track. He finished 11th at Sonoma and was 15th at COTA, too. With that, the salary cap has just enough room to grab Cole Custer (DK $5,300, FD $2,800). The Haas Factory Team driver is a past road course winner who grabbed his best finish of the season so far at Mexico City (eighth). Custer has three prior Watkins Glen starts with an average finish of 19.0 and a best of 11th in 2022.
NASCAR Cup Series Best Bets for the Go Bowling at The Glen
Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook as of 3:00 PM ET Thursday
Race Winner - Shane van Gisbergen +120
Top-Five Finish - Chase Elliott +185
Top-10 Finish - Brad Keselowski +330
Winning Manufacturer - Ford +800
Shane van Gisbergen has made himself very difficult to bet against on road courses. He won three road course races in a row and was very nearly the winner of this race last season in a part-time effort. There are plenty of reasons to go ahead and take his low odds this week, but the major driver is that his odds are positive. In other racing series, like Formula 1, a driver this dominant would be getting negative odds. Therefore, while I wouldn't normally recommend taking winner's odds this low, I'm willing to make an exception for SVG.
Among the rest of the wagers for the Go Bowling at The Glen, Chase Elliott for a top-five finish stands out. Elliott is a two-time Watkins Glen winner with two other top-five finishes from his eight starts. Elliott was once the dominant road course driver of the series, and he is regaining that form with the new car. In the four road races run this season, Elliott finished in the top five three times. His consistency this season is unparalleled and he is at his best at places like Watkins Glen. From a top-10 perspective, Brad Keselowski could be a good hedging wager to pair with SVG as winner. Keselowski finished in the top 10 at Watkins Glen six times from 14 tries. More importantly, he finished 15th or better at both COTA and Sonoma already this season with his best being an 11th-place result at Sonoma. With stage points not enough to get him into the playoff picture, we know his race strategy will be for the overall win, too. That combination of strategy and past success at the Glen make Keselowski a worthy bet for a top-10 finish.
In the manufacturer picture, Ford continues to get little respect. Yes, Chevrolet has SVG and Larson and Elliott, but a Ford won this race just last season in the hands of Chris Buescher. Five Fords finished in the top 10 in that race while Toyota's highest finisher was 14th. Chevrolet is the deserved favorite, but Ford has been competitive at this track and the odds don't reflect that, which gives wagerers a great value play for this weekend's race.
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