I Love New York 355 Betting News and Notes

Watkins Glen - Driver Tale of the Tape

AJ Allmendinger (No. 47 JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet SS)

· One win, three top fives, five top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 9.375, series-best
· Average Running Position of 12.513, fourth-best
· Driver Rating of 98.7, third-best
· 23 Fastest Laps Run, 13th-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 120.565, second-fastest
· 476 Laps in the Top 15 (65.9), fifth-most
· 140 Quality Passes, ninth-most

Clint Bowyer (No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford Fusion)

· One top five, four top 10s
· Average finish of 15.091, 10th-best
· Average Running Position of 16.030, 11th-best
· Driver Rating of 82.6, 11th-best
· 3 Fastest Laps Run, fourth-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 119.763, 11th-fastest
· 520 Laps in the Top 15 (52.4), 12th-most
· 133 Quality Passes, 10th-most

Kyle Busch (No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Camry)

· Two wins, five top fives, ten top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 10.083, second-best
· Average Running Position of 11.238, series-best
· Driver Rating of 110.4, series-best
· 103 Fastest Laps Run, 12th-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 120.613, series-fastest
· 815 Laps in the Top 15 (75.2), series-most
· 240 Quality Passes, series-most

Kurt Busch (No. 41 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford Fusion)

· Three top fives, seven top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 15.417, 11th-best
· Average Running Position of 15.532, ninth-best
· Driver Rating of 93.5, fifth-best
· 53 Fastest Laps Run, third-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 120.433, fourth-fastest
· 687 Laps in the Top 15 (63.4), seventh-most
· 235 Quality Passes, second-most

Denny Hamlin (No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Camry)

· One win, two top fives, five top 10s
· Average finish of 18.909, 12th-best
· Average Running Position of 14.994, eighth-best
· Driver Rating of 87.0, eighth-best
· 15 Fastest Laps Run, second-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 120.072, sixth-fastest
· 608 Laps in the Top 15 (61.3), ninth-most
· 214 Quality Passes, fifth-most

Kevin Harvick (No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford Fusion)

· One win, three top fives, eight top 10s
· Average finish of 15.000, eighth-best
· Average Running Position of 14.908, seventh-best
· Driver Rating of 91.5, seventh-best
· 21 Fastest Laps Run, fifth-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 120.055, seventh-fastest
· 668 Laps in the Top 15 (61.6), eighth-most
· 186 Quality Passes, sixth-most

Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet SS)

· Four top fives, eight top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 14.250, seventh-best
· Average Running Position of 12.605, fifth-best
· Driver Rating of 95.2, fourth-best
· 31 Fastest Laps Run, seventh-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 120.476, third-fastest
· 759 Laps in the Top 15 (70.0), third-most
· 224 Quality Passes, fourth-most

Matt Kenseth (No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Camry)

· One top five, seven top 10s
· Average finish of 13.167, sixth-best
· Average Running Position of 15.766, 10th-best
· Driver Rating of 82.4, 12th-best
· 6 Fastest Laps Run, eighth-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 119.713, 12th-fastest
· 586 Laps in the Top 15 (54.1), 11th-most
· 170 Quality Passes, seventh-most

Brad Keselowski (No. 2 Team Penske Ford Fusion)

· Four top fives, five top 10s
· Average finish of 10.143, third-best
· Average Running Position of 12.053, second-best
· Driver Rating of 102.4, second-best
· 61 Fastest Laps Run, 11th-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 120.316, fifth-fastest
· 454 Laps in the Top 15 (71.8 ), second-most
· 115 Quality Passes, 11th-most

Kyle Larson (No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet SS)

· One top five, one top 10
· Average finish of 15.000, ninth-best
· Average Running Position of 13.998, sixth-best
· Driver Rating of 84.6, 10th-best
· 9 Fastest Laps Run, sixth-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 119.641, 13th-fastest
· 172 Laps in the Top 15 (63.7), sixth-most
· 39 Quality Passes, 13th-most

Joey Logano (No. 22 Team Penske Ford Fusion)

· One win, three top fives, five top 10s
· Average finish of 12.750, fourth-best
· Average Running Position of 16.415, 12th-best
· Driver Rating of 86.8, ninth-best
· 9 Fastest Laps Run, 10th-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 119.958, ninth-fastest
· 403 Laps in the Top 15 (55.8 ), 10th-most
· 112 Quality Passes, 12th-most

Jamie McMurray (No. 1 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet SS)

· One top five, three top 10s
· Average finish of 20.083, 13th-best
· Average Running Position of 17.873, 13th-best
· Driver Rating of 82.1, 13th-best
· 9 Fastest Laps Run, series-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 119.809, 10th-fastest
· 565 Laps in the Top 15 (52.1), 13th-most
· 166 Quality Passes, eighth-most

Martin Truex Jr (No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Toyota Camry)

· Three top fives, six top 10s
· Average finish of 13.091, fifth-best
· Average Running Position of 12.328, third-best
· Driver Rating of 91.8, sixth-best
· 18 Fastest Laps Run, ninth-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 120.041, eighth-fastest
· 683 Laps in the Top 15 (68.9), fourth-most
· 228 Quality Passes, third-most

Watkins Glen 355
By Micah Roberts
VegasInsider.com

Is Kyle Busch about to bust loose with a string of wins? We've seen him do it before. He just grabbed his first win of the season at Pocono Raceway on Sunday and this week he goes to the road course at Watkins Glen where he's the active leader in wins.

He became the 14th different winner on the season and the 13th driver to clinch a spot in the playoffs with only five races remaining until the 16 playoff-eligible drivers are set. A couple of those drivers fighting for one of those spots have fared extremely well on the road courses.

There's only two road course races a season, but they're nothing alike so let's not put too much into the the June 25 race at Sonoma Raceway won by Kevin Harvick. Sonoma is a much more technical course with massive elevation changes while Watkins Glen is a much faster course with longer straights.

“I like going to Watkins Glen," Kyle Busch said. "It’s a road course, but it’s kind of a high-speed road course. The difference in the two road courses, you think of Sonoma as like a Martinsville-type road course and you would think of Watkins Glen like a 2-mile oval, like a California- or Michigan-type road course. Watkins Glen has some speed and has some wide-open spaces a little bit, but there is still a lot great racing that happens there since you are able to out-brake people getting into the corners, or having a better run through the bus stop, or maybe getting by someone in the carousel. It’s a fun place to race. I really like Watkins Glen and I hope that we can have another solid run there with our M&M’S Caramel Camry.”

There's a special group of drivers who always excel on the roads. There's also a bunch of other drivers who don't like it when they have to make both left and right turns.

Kyle Busch is the active leader with just two wins at Watkins Glen. The reason the number is so low because we've seen 18 road course wins recently with Jeff Gordon (9 wins), Tony Stewart (8 ) and Carl Edwards (1). We've also seen road aces like Marcos Ambrose and Juan Pablo Montoya return to other racing series. To put into perspective how wide open things are now without those greats, consider only five active drivers have ever won at Watkins Glen.

Busch won at the Glen in 2008 and 2013, Harvick won in 2006, A.J. Allmendinger won in 2014, Joey Logano won in 2015 and Denny Hamlin won last year. That's it! Two of those drivers are outside looking in to the playoffs as it sits right now and this is a great spot for them to clinch a berth.

Logano, who also finished second here last season, has a win (Richmond) on the season but the points were taken away due to failing a post-race inspection. The automatic berth was also disallowed. Now he sits in the No. 18 position 69 points out of the transfer spot that Matt Kenseth currently holds.

Kenseth is one of those drivers that hates making right turns with just one top-five finish in 35 career road course starts. Kenseth doesn't have a win this season and if it stays that way over the next five races, he'll need to qualify on points. This is definitely a race where Logano, and the 17th-place driver Clint Bowyer, can gain on Kenseth. Chase Elliott is 15th and Jamie McMurray is 16th and neither of them have a playoff qualifying win. Allmendinger is way back in 27th place, but did finish fourth in this race last season.

Bowyer also believes this is a spot he can win. His best finish there was fourth-place in 2012, but I was most pleased with his sixth-place run in 2015 while driving a jalopy. His lone road course win came at Sonoma in 2012, a year he won three times, and also the last year he won a race. He's been very impressive over the past six races, which includes being runner-up at Sonoma and Daytona.

Brad Keselowski has shown to take a much better liking to Watkins Glen than Sonoma over his career. He's got a 10.1 average finish in seven starts, which includes third-place last year and three other runner-ups.

Now how about a few drivers that don't like road courses or Watkins Glen that you may want to stay clear of in your wagering strategy. This is one of three tracks Jimmie Johnson has never won on.

“Watkins Glen hasn’t been too kind to the No. 48 team or me in particular in years past, but I look at this track every year as a personal challenge," Johnson said. "The past two weeks haven’t been kind to us either, but our qualifying has improved and we are finding speed.”

You can also add Dale Earnhardt Jr. (21.6 avg finish), Matt Kenseth (one top-5 in 17 starts), Austin Dillon (27.6 avg), Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (27.5 avg), Aric Almirola (25.1 avg), Kasey Kahne (21.0 avg) and Jamie McMurray (19.7 avg) into the category of drivers that would probably rather be racing on an oval this week.

The series is currently on a run of seeing 10 different winners in the last 10 races.

Top-5 Finish Prediction:

1) #11 Denny Hamlin (8/1)
2) #4 Kevin Harvick (8/1)
3) #18 Kyle Busch (7/1)
4) #22 Joey Logano (12/1)
5) #14 Clint Bowyer (15/1)

I Love New York 355 at The Glen Betting Predictions
By Adam Burke
Bangthebook.com

Opinions differ on how nice the 69th season of NASCAR Cup Series season has been, but we’re moving closer to the playoffs with each passing week. This week, the drivers will get together at Watkins Glen International in Watkins Glen, New York for the final road course race of the season. This year, it will be run as the I Love New York 355 at The Glen. This is a very scary week for the drivers on the bubble, since some very strange things occur and some very unlikely winners take the checkered flag at these road course races.

This is the 22nd race of the 26-race regular season. The drivers will be in Michigan next weekend, Bristol the following weekend, and then take a week off before visiting Darlington and Richmond to wrap up the regular season. The playoffs begin at Chicagoland Speedway on September 17. The playoffs consist of 10 races with the field of drivers eligible to advance dwinding from 16 to 12 to eight until the final four vie for glory at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 19.

With 21 races and a duel for each driver in the books, here’s how things stack up. Martin Truex Jr. has a huge lead over Kyle Larson with 823 points. Larson, who was docked 35 points at Kentucky, has 738 points. Kevin Harvick closed the gap considerably last week and sits in third with 726 points. Kyle Busch finally got that elusive first win of the season and inched closer to Harvick with 723 points. Brad Keselowski and Denny Hamlin are tied for fifth with 649 points.

That puts Chase Elliott in seventh with 616 points, just one more than Jamie McMurray with 615 points. This is a big week for those two drivers, as they are winless on the season. Elliott won his Daytona duel, but that doesn’t count as a qualifier for the playoffs. It is an even bigger week for Matt Kenseth, who sits in ninth with 594 points. Clint Bowyer is the one on the hottest seat with 577 points and no wins.

Fourteen different drivers have won a race this season and have punched their tickets to the playoffs. That means that there are only two open spots for the postseason among drivers without a win. There are four guys that are deserving of spots, but they better win if they want to remove the uncertainty. Losing a spot here to a driver like AJ Allmendinger or Dale Earnhardt Jr. would be pretty devastating. Tony Stewart and Chris Buescher both did it to those without a win around this time last year.

As mentioned, Watkins Glen is a road course. Right off the top, that means pretty much anybody has a shot to win it. Eight turns make up the 2.454-mile track on the short course. Drivers will make 90 trips around the track, barring the need for overtime, in Sunday afternoon’s race.

Martin Truex Jr. is the favorite at 5Dimes Sportsbook at +400, but being the favorite in a race like this hardly means much. Truex is favored based on his season-to-date performance. He had three wins and has five other top-five finishes this season. He’s also the leader in stage points and bonus points. Truex was in good shape at Sonoma with the most laps led and a Stage 1 victory, but he finished 37th. Truex has finished 16th or higher in all but four races this season when he has gotten into wrecks or had mechanical failures. So long as his car stays clean, he should be a factor. His best finish at The Glen came back in 2013 when he finished third. He’s seventh, 25th, and 13th over the last three years, so he’s not a great bet to win, but, again, anything can happen.

With the pressure off from grabbing his first victory of the season, Kyle Busch can breathe a sigh of relief in terms of his playoff chances. Busch is +450 this weekend. From a points standpoint, Busch was never in a precarious spot for making the playoffs, but we’ve seen some weird things this year and wins from three other drivers without a victory would have kept him out of being eligible. But, he got his win at Pocono, which has some road course elements. Busch won this race back in 2013 and also in 2008. Except for 2014, Busch hasn’t finished outside the top 10 since 2005. If you’re looking at a favorite, Busch is the way to go this week.

Brad Keselowski comes in at +800. A few wagering angles that you may want to consider this week, outside of looking at past results at Watkins Glen and Sonoma, is to factor in the guys that tend to run well on short tracks or restrictor plate tracks. Racing conditions at those venues are often tight and the guys that can handle and maintain their vehicles the best are the ones that have success. Keselowski finished in the top five at Sonoma, led the mops laps at Daytona the second time and in his duel, and finished seventh with a Stage 1 win at Talladega. He’s also finished second three times at Watkins Glen. Last season, he finished third and led the most laps. With back-to-back top-fives, two good runs at Pocono, and the other accolades mentioned above, he’s not a bad bet to grab his first career win at The Glen.

With this being a road course race, looking down the board is always a wise move. Joey Logano at +1750 is a pretty interesting price. Logano is the reigning two-time winner of the Zippo 200, which is the Xfinity Series race at Watkins Glen. He also won this race back in 2015 and finished second last year. Logano is working on four straight top-10 finishes at Watkins Glen. His price point seems to be a real good one for a guy with a record of success here and a guy that tends to run pretty good at Daytona and Talladega in those tight conditions. In fact, he might be the best value on the board this week.

Another guy to consider is Dale Earnhardt Jr. at +4400. We saw Tony Stewart grab a win as the sun was setting on his career late last season to get him into the Chase. Earnhardt ran well at Sonoma and finished sixth. One big thing about road courses is that they narrow the playing field in terms of equipment and power. The aerodynamics of the car are still important, but events like this put more emphasis on the drivers. Junior has been exceptional in restrictor plate races in his career. He hasn’t run all that well at Watkins Glen, failing to finish in the top 10 since 2005, but there’s something about the openness of the field in a race like this that could allow Earnhardt to slide right in.

It wouldn’t be a road course race without mentioning AJ Allmendinger. Allmendinger won this race in 2014 and has a background that features a lot of road course racing. He finished fourth here last year, but his only other top-five in a road course race, aside from the win in 2014, came back in 2010 at The Glen. It seems like perception and reality aren’t aligned with Allmendinger. Considering he’s the sixth favorite on the board at +1000, it’s hard to justify a play on him. That, however, would be the worst-case scenario for guys like Chase Elliott, Jamie McMurray, Clint Bowyer, and Matt Kenseth.

Coverage of the I Love New York 355 at The Glen will be on Sunday afternoon with a start time slated for 3 p.m. ET.

Kyle Hunter

A's at Angels
Play: Over 9

Jharel Cotton is really struggling with his command both in and out of the zone in the last couple months. He's walked four guys or more on three occasions in his last seven starts. Cotton has also allowed multiple home runs in 4 of his last 6 starts. Mike Trout is on fire right now, and he and the Angels offense should get some chances against Cotton and a terrible Oakland bullpen. After the deadline, this A's pen is significantly worse than it was before. Troy Scribner starts here for the Angels. Scribner had a 4.16 ERA and a 4.73 FIP in Triple A this year, which makes me highly doubt his staying ability in the majors. He has a history of problems with walks. This Oakland offense has some solid power against right handed pitching.

Power Sports

Arizona vs. San Francisco
Pick: San Francisco -165

No luck is better than bad luck, but in the case of Madison Bumgarner, he's had neither this season. A dirtbike accident back in April essentially derailed his 2017 and as a team - the Giants - have yet to recover. They enter play on Friday w/ the second worst overall record and run differential in all of baseball. Granted, Bumgarner's injury isn't the only reason the club has struggled. The team is shockingly just 1-7 in his eight starts after giving one away Sunday night to the Dodgers. Despite the poor won-loss record though, Bumgarner still owns a 2.92 ERA and 1.051 WHIP. He's due for a win and I'll recommend taking him here in the series opener vs. Arizona.

Sunday night saw Bumgarner come in and toss seven shutout innings against the Dodgers, which is very impressive when you review how LA has performed at home this season. But the Giants' bullpen blew the game in the bottom of the ninth and the end result was a 3-2 loss in extra innings. Incredibly, the Giants have scored three runs or fewer in all but two of Bumgarner's starts this season. One that they scored more was his first start of the year, which came at Arizona, but even that resulted in a 6-5 loss despite "MadBum" being perfect the first seven innings and hitting a home run himself. What a hard-luck this season this has been for him! But he still can claim a 2.58 ERA in 27 career appearances against the D'backs.

This should end up being a "giant" (pun intended) mismatch on the mound as Arizona is calling up Anthony Banda to start this one. He's made just one start so far (back on 7.22) and the D'backs lost to Washington. Banda allowed four runs in 5 2/3 IP that day. While a dominant home team, the D'backs have a losing road record and this series could be a bit of a "letdown" spot for them after taking two of three at Wrigley to start this week. The Giants offense definitely woke up yday, scoring 11 times in a win over Oakland. That was the 2nd time in the last 3 games they scored 10+ times. Bumgarner is due and Banda should be no match for him.

Will Rogers

Miami vs. Atlanta
Pick: Atlanta

The set-up: The Miami Marlins sat 13 games under .500 (17-30) on the morning of May 28. However, they have been inching their way towards a break-even record since and after taking two of three from National League East leader Washington have won six of their past eight to improve to 51-55 on the season. Miami still trails the Nts bay 12 games and is also 9 1/2 games out of a wild card spot but they hope to continue their climb towards .500 with a weekend series in Atlatat against the Braves. The Braves made it to .500 back on July 16 (45-45) but Thursday's 7-4 home loss to the Dodgers made it 13 losses in their last 17 contests.

The pitching matchup: Adam Conley (4-3 & 5.11 ERA) takes the mound for Miami and R.A. Dickey (6-7 & 4.01 ERA) for Atlanta. Conley has made three starts since rejoining Miami’s rotation following a 12-start stint at Triple-A New Orleans. He's 2-0 with a 1.74 ERA while allowing only four runs with four walks and 15 strikeouts in those starts (Miami is 2-1). More good news comes Miami's way in that Conley is 3-0 in five career appearances (four starts / team is 3-1) against Atlanta, winning two of his three starts against the Braves last season. Dickey has not panned out as well as the Braves had hoped and he just finished a July in which he did not win any of his six starts (he was 0-2 and the Braves 2-4), despite posting a 2.45 ERA. The 42-year-old knuckleballer lost his only start against the Marlins this season, giving up three runs in seven innings May 14 at Miami. However, he's 9-3 with a 2.87 ERA over 14 career starts vs. the Marlins.

The pick: Dickey deserved a much better fate in July than what he got and I'll back the vet (and his strong career mark against Miami) here in his first August outing.

Larry Wallace

Los Angeles at New York
Play: Los Angeles -124

I like the Dodgers in this match-up against the Mets. Darvish making his first start as part of the Dodgers. Darvish this year is 3-3 on the road with a 2.49 ERA. eGrom is 2-2 in his career against the Dodgers. The Mets are 1-4 in their last 5 games overall. The Dodgers are 6-1 in their last 7 games on the road against a team with a losing record.

Doc's Sports

Winnipeg vs. Ottawa
Play: Over 57

Two teams that have been trending to the over will meet when the Winnipeg Blue Bombers hit the road to take on the Redblacks at TD Place Stadium in Ottawa, ON on Friday night. The Blue Bombers have posted a perfect 9-0 record to the over in their last nine road games and they have gone an excellent 8-3 to the over in their last 11 games following a straight up win. The Redblacks have been an over team as well in the spot they are in here on Friday as they have gone up and over the number in each of their last four games following a bye week and they are 6-2 to the over in their last eight home games. Throw in the fact that the Redblacks are also 7-3-1 to the over following a game where they covered the spread while Winnipeg is 14-3 to the over in their last 17 games overall going back to the middle of the 2016 season, and that's where we'll have our Newsletter Free Play as we expect both teams to have trouble getting defensive stops in Ottawa on Friday night.

Jimmy Boyd

Detroit vs. Baltimore
Play:Baltimore -139

I'll take the Orioles to bounce back from Thursday's loss to the Tigers and continue their recent strong play. Baltimore had won 5 straight prior to yesterday's loss and you can't overlook how well this team has played at home this year. Even with veteran Justin Verlander on the mound, I just don't trust this Tigers team, which parted ways with a lot of key players. Not to mention Verlander's struggles on the road, where he's a mere 2-5 with a 5.32 ERA and 1.539 WHIP in 11 starts.

The Orioles counter with Kevin Gausman, who comes in 8-7 with a 5.37 ERA in 23 starts. However, he's been outstanding of late, posting a 0.44 ERA and 1.161 WHIP in his last 3 starts, just missing out on a complete game shutout in his last outing at Texas. I look for Gausman to keep it rolling here and for the offense to provide enough to secure the win.

Watkins Glen Fantasy Racing Preview
By: Jeff Wackerlin
Racingone.com

Detailed driver notes and statistics to help set your fantasy racing lineup for Sunday's I Love New York 355 at Watkins Glen International.

Who's HOT at Watkins Glen

• Joey Logano is the only driver that has finished in the top 10 in each of the last four races, including a win in 2015.
• Kyle Busch has finished ninth or better in 10 of his last 11 starts, including two wins.
• Brad Keselowski has finished seventh or better in five of the last six races, including three runner-up finishes.
• AJ Allmendinger has finished in the top 10 in five of his last six starts, including a win in 2014.
• Kurt Busch has the second-best average finish (7.0) in the last four races.
• Kevin Harvick, who is looking for the road course season sweep, has finished in the top 10 in two of his three track starts with Stewart-Haas Racing.
• Denny Hamlin is the defending race winner and finished fourth in June at Sonoma for his third straight road course top five. (Note: Smith On Standby for Hamlin)
• Matt Kenseth has finished in the top 10 in his last three starts.

Keep an Eye On at Watkins Glen

• Martin Truex Jr. led 25 laps in June at Sonoma up until engine issues, snapping a streak of two straight top 10s at road courses (Watkins Glen and Sonoma).
• Jamie McMurray has finished in the top 10 in his last two road course starts.
• Clint Bowyer, who finished second at Sonoma in June, has finished in the top 10 in three of his last six starts at The Glen.
• Kyle Larson has posted a 15.0 average finish in his three starts at Watkins Glen, including a fourth-place finish in 2014.
• Daniel Suarez has finished in the top 10 in the last three races of the season.
• Danica Patrick, who led 11 laps last year at The Glen, has finished in the top 15 in the last four races of the season.
• Dale Earnhardt Jr. has finished 11th or better, including a sixth-place finish at Sonoma in June, in his last four road course starts.
• Ryan Newman (13.0) and Chase Elliott (14.0) each have a top-10 average finish in the last three road courses races, dating back to Sonoma in 2016.

MRN.com Staff Picks

Jeff Wackerlin: Kyle Busch
Pete Pistone: Kyle Busch
Robbie Mays: Joey Logano
Tyler Burnett: Martin Truex Jr.
John Singler: Daniel Suarez

Driver Notes - Ordered by Average Finish (Top 15) in the Last Five Races at Watkins Glen

Joey Logano has recorded a series-best 4.0 average finish in the last four races at Watkins Glen, including a win in 2015. Logano finished 12th in June at Sonoma Raceway to snap a streak of five consecutive finishes of sixth or better at the two road courses.

AJ Allmendinger has finished in the top 10 in five of his last six starts at Watkins Glen. He won this event in 2014 for one of his three top 10s at the track with JTG Daugherty Racing. Allmendinger's fourth-place finish last year at The Glen is his only top 10 in the last five road course races. He finished 35th at Sonoma in June due to battery issues.

Brad Keselowski has finished in the top 10 in five of his seven starts at Watkins Glen, including a three runner-up finishes. He finished third at Sonoma Raceway in June to match his finish at The Glen last season. Keselowski has led a series-high 92 laps in the last five races with 55 coming in the last two races.

Matt Kenseth is one of two drivers (other Joey Logano) that has finished in the top 10 in each of the last three races at Watkins Glen. Out of the two road courses, The Glen has been Kenseth's best with him posting seven of his eight career road course top 10s there.

Kyle Busch has finished ninth or better in 10 of his last 11 starts at Watkins Glen, including two wins. His last win came in 2013 after leading 29 laps. Busch is also a two-time winner at Sonoma Raceway and has finished seventh or better in his last five road course starts.

Martin Truex Jr. finished seventh last year for his sixth top 10 in 11 starts at Watkins Glen. Truex has a strong run going in June at Sonoma, winning the first stage and leading 25 laps, but an engine issue took him out of the race. The 37th-place finish snapped a streak of two consecutive road course top 10s.

Kurt Busch has the second-best average finish (7.0) in the last four races at Watkins Glen. He's finished 11th or better in his three track starts with Stewart-Haas Racing, including two top fives. Busch's seventh-place finish at Sonoma Raceway in June was his fifth top 10 in the last six road course races.

Clint Bowyer scored his last of four top 10s in 11 starts at Watkins Glen in 2015. He finished second in June at Sonoma Raceway, which is one of three runner-up finishes with Stewart-Haas Racing this season.

Chase Elliott finished 13th in his first Cup start at Watkins Glen last season. Elliott finished eighth in June at Sonoma Raceway for his first top 10 in three road course starts in the Cup Series.

Kevin Harvick has finished in the top 10 in two of his three starts at Watkins Glen with Stewart-Haas Racing. He won at The Glen in 2006 and is the latest road course winner, scoring the victory at Sonoma Raceway in June. This weekend, Harvick will return in the same car (chassis No. 1034) that he led 24 laps en route to the victory at Sonoma.

Kyle Larson has posted a 15.0 average finish in his three starts at Watkins Glen, including a fourth-place finish in 2014. He won the pole at Sonoma Raceway in June, but finished 26th. Larson's 2014 finish is his only top 10 in seven road course starts.

Trevor Bayne finished ninth last year to lower his average finish to 15.5 in two starts at Watkins Glen. His one top 10 at The Glen is his only finish inside the top 20 in five road course starts.

Jimmie Johnson recorded his last of eight top 10s in 15 starts at Watkins Glen in 2015, in 10th. Johnson led 12 laps and finished 13th at Sonoma in June.

Ryan Blaney finished 19th in his first Cup start at Watkins Glen on 2016. He finished ninth at Sonoma Raceway in June for his first top 10 in three road course starts in the Cup Series.

Paul Menard has yet to finish in the top 10 in 13 starts at Watkins Glen. He does have three finishes of 17th or better in the last five races.

I Love New York 355 - Drivers to Bet
By: StatFox.com

After last week’s victory for Kyle Busch at the Overton’s 400, the world’s top Monster Energy Cup Series Drivers head to Watkins Glen for the I Love New York 355 on Sunday. Busch won that race after leading by 74 laps, and he’ll now try to make it two victories in a row on Sunday. The guy that will, however, be most confident on the track on Sunday is Denny Hamlin. Hamlin won this race a year ago, so he’ll be looking to defend that victory here. It is worth noting that this is a road course, which is a lot different than the standard race you’ll see these guys driving. The course is not the typical oval, so guys with different talents will be a bit better here. The all-time leader in wins in this race is Tony Stewart, who has won this thing five times. As for active drivers, Kyle Busch leads the pack with two victories here. With that out of the way, let’s now take a look at who might win this one on Sunday:

Kyle Busch (3-to-1) - Busch has a good thing going for him heading into this race, as he is the guy that won last week’s Overton’s 400 and also happens to be very successful at The Glen. As previously mentioned, Busch has won this thing twice in his career. It takes a different kind of driver to come away with a win on a road course, so it’s huge that he has already proven he has the chops to do it. Don’t be afraid to take him at 3-to-1, as it’s very likely he’ll win this thing. You rarely see a driver getting odds like that, and it is for good reason.

AJ Allmendinger (10-to-1) - Allmendinger is not a guy you’ll usually find as a pick here, but he is a driver that is at his best when performing on a road course. Allendinger has won this race before, as he came away with the win here in 2014. Allmendinger finished that one in 2:26:48, which is the second-fastest time in the past four years. It is not too hard to imagine him winning once again, and his 10-to-1 odds are worth taking a shot on.

Denny Hamlin (12-to-1) - Hamlin is another driver that really needs to be taken seriously at Watkins Glen. As previously mentioned, Hamlin won last year’s I Love New York 355 at The Glen. That makes it very interesting that he’ll be going off at 12-to-1 in this race. There are drivers ahead of him that have no business being there, so it’d be wise to take a shot on him here. It helps knowing that he has finished inside the top-five at five of the past seven races.

Daniel Suarez (60-to-1) - Suarez is just a rookie in the Monster Energy Cup Series, but he has come on strong in his first year. He has finished inside the top-10 in seven races, and he has also done so in each of the past three events. While he does not have much experience on road courses, it’s hard to pass up on his value at 60-to-1. He’s very much an unknown, but a quarter-unit play can’t hurt. He clearly has the talent to be a mainstay in the future.