Hard Turn

A NASCAR BLOG BY Jeff Owens

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Fantasy Week 22: Centurion Boats at The Glen

Aug 7

If there is one thing that is becoming clear about NASCAR road racing, it’s that you can’t just automatically pick the same old guys anymore. You used to be able to pencil in Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart, Robby Gordon and a handful of other drivers and be reasonably sure one of them was going to win.

Not anymore.

Kyle Busch proved that at Infineon Raceway in June when he won his first Cup race on a road course. David Gilliland finished a surprising second, while Clint Bowyer and Casey Mears also finished in the top five. Denny Hamlin finished second at Watkins Glen last year while Jamie McMurray has also been a factor in each of the past two road races.

So who do you pick?

Your options are much greater now than they have ever been before.

Group A

That said, it still makes sense to pick either Gordon or Stewart in this group. Though neither has won a race this season, they are still the kings of NASCAR road racing, with four wins each at Watkins Glen and a total of 15 road wins between them. Stewart and Gordon squared off in a classic battle last year, with Stewart winning when Gordon spun while leading late in the race. Kyle Busch’s win at Sonoma in June certainly earns him consideration, but Gordon and Stewart should still be your favorites.

Group B

Of the drivers in this group, only Mark Martin has won a Cup road race, and he’s not racing at Watkins Glen. Your best bet is probably Hamlin, based on his runner-up finish here last year. He has also won a Nationwide Series at Mexico City, so he knows his
way around a road course. Looking for a sleeper? Casey Mears would be a good gamble. He finished fifth at Sonoma and is usually solid on the road courses thanks to his experience in open-wheel racing.

Group C

Unlike most weeks, this group is loaded with possibilities, starting with Robby Gordon, who has a Cup win on both of NASCAR’s road courses. Though he has struggled with his own team, Gordon is always a threat on road courses. If he can run a mistake-free race and his pit crew can keep him in contention, his chances of winning, or at least running up front, are good. Juan Pablo Montoya scored his only Cup win at Sonoma last year and backed that up with sixth-place run there in June. A widely publicized run-in with Kevin Harvick ruined his chances at Watkins Glen last year, but he, too, could be a major factor. David Gilliland and Jamie McMurray are also worth taking a gamble on given their recent road-racing success. Gilliland, who also has a road-racing background, finished second at Sonoma while McMurray has been a contender in the last few road-course events.

Group D

Unlike Group C, this list has almost no good choices as practically none of them have had any success on road courses. Brian Vickers did manage to finish 15th at Sonoma, so he would probably be the top choice. If you want to take another gamble, try Paul Menard, who seems to be at least respectable on the road courses.

Group E

This is where you will find all you road-course ringers, and you have to pick one. The question is, which one?

Ron Fellows, who is racing for Dale Earnhardt Inc. this weekend, should attract plenty of attention because of his road-course win in the Nationwide Series race at Montreal last week. Of the road-course ringers, Fellows has had more NASCAR success than any of them and could be a factor this weekend filling in for Regan Smith in the No. 01. Marcos Ambrose also deserves consideration. He should have won last week’s race at Montreal and was surprisingly strong at Sonoma for the Wood Brothers, whom he will race for again this weekend. Boris Said, a perennial road-course contender, is also in this group as is Patrick Carpentier, an open-wheel veteran who could contend for Gillett Evernham Motorsports.

Grab one of these guys and it could pay of big with at least a top-five finish.