Marcos Ambrose leads a pack of cars during the Cheez-It 355 at The Glen at Watkins Glen International last season. [Credit: John Harrelson/NASCAR via Getty Images]
by Dan Margetta and John Wiedemann
The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series is back to turning left and right as the famed road course at Watkins Glen hosts the RACE NAME Sunday afternoon.
CHEEZ-IT 355 at The Glen Watkins Glen International 220.5 miles (90 laps) Sunday, August 10, 12pm ET ESPN, 1pm ET
MRN, Sirius XM Ch. 90
The Watkins Glen road course presents another wildcard race that could produce a surprise winner. It also represents perhaps the last chance for those road racing specialist type drivers to earn a coveted Chase spot before the cut off in a few weeks.
If you enjoyed the drama of pit and fuel windows that was a part of the race story in the last couple weeks, you may be able to enjoy the same. Normal road course strategy has crew chiefs figuring out their pit windows and short pitting.
Here are some of the drivers that we thing you should be watching this weekend.
Marcos Ambrose
Dan Margetta: All eyes are on Marcos Ambrose this week as this race could be a make or break event for his NASCAR career. Already heavily rumored to be heading back to Australia next season, a win this week would put him in the Chase and go a long way towards solidifying this team. Ambrose is supposedly the best road racer on the tour but has little to show for it in the win column. The skills are there to win this week if the performance matches the potential.
Tony Stewart
John Wiedemann: Tony Stewart was always a guy that you expected to see at the front of the pack at a road course. But the last three seasons at Watkins Glen were not the results Stewart would be looking for, two finishes around twentieth and missing last year’s race due to his broken leg. Stewart returns to the Glen with a need for a win. Still on the outside looking in to the field of Chase qualifiers, that win would boost Stewart into the play off group. Stewart’s history at the road course is stellar with five wins and an average finish of 7.9. This race is certainly one that could see Stewart in victory lane.
Clint Bowyer
DM: Speaking of guys that need to win to make the Chase, Clint Bowyer definitely fits that category. He’s a very good road racer and should be a strong candidate to capture the elusive first win of the season. Don’t count out Clint Bowyer on Sunday just because he doesn’t look or act like a road racer. He could surprise people on Sunday.
Kurt Busch
JW: Kurt Busch has yet to win at Watkins Glen in the Sprint Cup Series and this weekend could be his time to find victory lane. Besides the issues that have befallen the entire Stewart-Haas team, all of the cars have had one thing, and that is speed. There might not be a better driver to handle the speed on a road course than Kurt Busch. Looking at his statistics doesn’t necessarily give one hope for a victory, but I would throw all that out this weekend. Besides, when Kurt Busch is fast, he is fun to watch.
Kyle Busch
DM: You would think the aggressive Kyle Busch on a road course would be like a bull in a china shop, but surprisingly Kyle Busch runs well here. He won last year and lost the year before on the final lap. Look for Kyle Busch to try to tame Watkins Glen once again and drive to victory lane for a second straight year.
Brad Keselowski
JW: Brad Keselowski doesn’t need another win, doesn’t need a good finish because he is all set for the Chase. But, with nothing to lose, Keselowski can let it rip and that should make for an exciting weekend. The Blue Duece has a great road course history, thanks mostly to Rusty Wallace, and Keselowski has picked up right where Rusty left off. Keselowski hasn’t won yet, but with three top fives and an average finish of 6.5, you can bet that victory lane is a place that Brad is headed.
AJ Allmendinger
DM: AJ Allmendinger is my long shot pick this week. An accomplished road racer with wins in both sports cars and Indycars , Allmendinger is pretty good in a stock car as well. He does have some Nationwide Series wins on road courses and could wind up being a wildcard type Chase entry with a victory on a Sunday.
Martin Truex Jr.
JW: Martin Truex Jr. is still looking to turn this season around and once again, this weekend is a track that he should be able to accomplish that. Kurt Busch finished 9th last year in the car that Turex is now racing. Truex himself scored his best finish last season at The Glen with a third place run after qualifying third as well. In eight races, Truex has scored five top ten finishes and has qualified in the top ten the last three seasons. For me, this is still a wait and see kind of deal for Truex, but I believe he will turn his season around soon.