This article is part of our NASCAR DFS series.
Sunoco Go Rewards 200 at The Glen
Location: Watkins Glen, N.Y.
Course: Watkins Glen International
Format: 2.45-mile road course
Laps: 82
NASCAR Xfinity Sunoco Go Reward 200 at the Glen Race Preview
The NASCAR Xfinity Series returns to action to go road-course racing this week after a short break. Ty Gibbs won last time out at Michigan, his fifth win of the season and is the defending Watkins Glen victor. There are still five regular-season races remaining to finalize the 12-driver field that will battle for the 2022 championship. Ryan Sieg currently holds the final playoff spot with a 52-point advantage over Sheldon Creed. This will be the 28th time the Xfinity competitors have tackled the classic track. There have been 16 different winners from those races, but Gibbs will be the only former series winner at the track in Saturday's field. However, AJ Allmendinger will also have plenty of eyes on him this week. Watkins Glen is the last remaining road course in the series at which he has yet to win, and victory on Saturday would also help him extend his stay at the top of the points.
Key Stats at Watkins Glen International
- Number of races: 27
- Winners from pole: 9
- Winners from top-5 starters: 20
- Winners from top-10 starters: 22
- Winners from 21st or lower starters: 2
- Fastest race: 106.582 mph
Previous Watkins Glen Winners
2021 - Ty Gibbs
2019 - Austin Cindric
2018 - Joey Logano
2017 - Kyle Busch
2016 - Joey Logano
2015 - Joey Logano
2014 - Marcos Ambrose
2013 - Brad Keselowski
2012 - Carl Edwards
2011 - Kurt Busch
Watkins Glen is a fast natural-terrain circuit with plenty of elevation changes as well as a few hard-braking corner entries where drivers can make passes. The track encourages drivers to get into a rhythm and carry speeds through many of its fast bends. While cars can move forward through passes, track position is still extremely important. Restarts are also extremely important to get right. Moving forward is easier with cars bunched together, but that is also when trouble can happen. A damaged car can be very difficult to overcome on the high-speed circuit, where downforce and drafting can actually become a factor. Passing zones open at multiple spots on the 2.45-mile course, but one of the best is under braking into the bus-stop chicane. A good launch out of the flowing esses in order to set up an out-braking maneuver into the tight complex is how drivers will pull off moves there. Typical to other road courses, teams will work backward from the finish and stage breaks to determine their optimal pit windows, but strategies could change with caution periods and traffic.
RotoWire NASCAR DFS Tools
DraftKings Value Picks for the Sunoco Go Reward 200 at The Glen (Based on Standard $50K Salary Cap)
DraftKings Tier 1 Values
Kyle Larson - $10,800
AJ Allmendinger - $10,500
Ty Gibbs - $10,200
William Byron - $10,100
DraftKings Tier 2 Values
Ross Chastain - $9,900
Cole Custer - $9,800
Austin Hill - $9,600
Justin Allgaier- $9,400
DraftKings Tier 3 Values
Josh Berry - $8,800
Sheldon Creed - $8,600
Brandon Jones - $8,400
Riley Herbst - $8,000
DraftKings Long-Shot Values
Landon Cassill - $7,500
Myatt Snider - $7,300
Andy Lally - $7,200
Alex Labbe - $7,100
NASCAR DFS Picks for the Sunoco Go Rewards 200 at the Glen
Lower-Risk Lineup ($50K Salary Cap)
AJ Allmendinger - $10,500
Cole Custer - $9,500
Riley Herbst - $8,000
Landon Cassill - $7,500
Alex Labbe - $7,100
Kaz Grala - $6,800
Watkins Glen is the last road course on the Xfinity Series schedule that Allmendinger has yet to conquer. Despite winning at the track in the Cup Series, he has yet to visit Victory Lane there in Xfinity equipment. His three victories this season have all come on road courses and he should be one to beat this weekend. Cole Custer could give Allmendinger a run for his money, though. Custer has three series starts at the track with all resulting in finishes of 12th or better. This will be his fifth Xfinity start this season, and he won at Fontana. This will be Riley Herbst's second Watkins Glen start. He finished 13th in last year's race and has two top-10s on road courses this season. Landon Cassill will be aiming to get the maximum out of this week's race as he tries to confirm his spot in the playoffs. He has two top-15 finishes from the road course races already held this season and should be able to leverage his team to get the most from Watkins Glen this week. This track is another where fantasy players can confidently consider Alex Labbe, too. His best results this season have come on road courses, including his lone top-10 so far at Portland. Finishing off the lower-risk selections is Kaz Grala. This will be his eighth series start of the year, and finished 15th at Watkins Glen in his only Xfinity start at the track.
Higher-Risk Lineup ($50K Salary Cap)
Ty Gibbs - $10,200
Ross Chastain - $9,900
Brandon Jones - $8,400
Connor Mosack - $7,800
Andy Lally - $7,200
Jeremy Clements - $6,400
Ty Gibbs will be doing double duty again this week in the Cup Series, which should give him valuable information to help his Xfinity championship quest Saturday. Gibbs has excellent road racing skills and won his only prior start at the track last season in stunning fashion. Ross Chastain is another driver competing in two races this week. He is also an excellent road course racer who can compete with the best, and he should be a factor at the front of the field Saturday as he uses the Xfinity start to gain experience for Sunday. Brandon Jones has five prior Watkins Glen appearances. His best finish at the track came last year when he finishes sixth, and he comes with three top-15 finishes on road courses already in 2022. Trans Am driver Connor Mosack will make his second series appearance this week. He qualified eighth earlier this season at Portland in his Xfinity debut and won at Watkins Glen in the Trans Am series in 2021. Road course veteran Andy Lally should also be an option with upside potential for fantasy rosters this week. Lally was 10th at this track in his only prior Xfinity race at the track, and this will be his fourth series start of the year. Jeremy Clements is also worth consideration this week. He finished ninth at Road America this year and should be a top-20 finisher this week, too. This will be his 11th Watkins Glen appearance, and he has two 11th-place finishes from those starts.
