The NASCAR season is revving up and DraftKings is shifting into high gear with an assortment of fantasy NASCAR contests. Dive into the best fantasy racing picks for the NASCAR Cup Series Go Bowling At The Glen at Watkins Glen.
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Set your DraftKings fantasy NASCAR lineups here: NAS $300K Glen Drive [$100K to 1st] (Cup)
Fantasy NASCAR Driver Rankings: Go Bowling At The Glen at Watkins Glen
1. Shane van Gisbergen ($12,700) — The Kiwi has not forgotten The Glen. He let one slip away in 2024. The typically flawless road course expert overcooked the esses and lost the lead on the final lap. Talent, a fast car, and motivation are hard to beat.
2. Christopher Bell ($9,800) — The Watkins Glen entry lists are stacked this weekend. Stars are racing in all three series. Bell is one of the best, and he’ll get extra reps subbing for Stewart Friesen in the Truck Series.
3. Connor Zilisch ($9,200) — His salary says it all. Con-Zilla turned 19 years old less than a month ago. He’s the fifth most expensive driver. The kid could become the greatest driver of all time. He’s won on the road and ovals in every series from Mazda to Late Models. Could he win a Cup race as a part-timer? His Trackhouse teammate, SVG, did it.
4. William Byron ($9,500) — After a runner-up finish at COTA, Byron earned two top-10 finishes in the next three road courses. His results have not been elite, but his speed is. Byron has the second-best cPOMS (Continuous Percentage of Max Speed) on road courses in 2025.
5. Kyle Busch ($7,700) — Since 2023, Rowdy has earned the second-most road course top-10 finishes (nine). It’s been a while since he’s won, but in a potentially volatile and caution-filled race at The Glen, Rowdy can win.
6. Kyle Larson ($10,200) — The road has been rough for Larson in 2025. He does not have a top-10 finish. Three of his road course finishes were outside the top 30. Watkins Glen was a wreckfest in 2024. A DNF is not unlikely, but neither is a trip to Victory Lane.
7. Tyler Reddick ($8,800) — The proliferation of unique road courses on the NASCAR circuit has ushered in a new era. Domination is over. Road course kings are as anachronistic as monarchies. Reddick took the throne from Chase Elliott, but his reign was short-lived. Equipment equality and track diversity have created an era of NASCAR populism on road courses.
8. Chris Buescher ($9,000) — The unbelievable happened at The Glen in 2024. Buescher broke through and beat Shane van Gisbergen at Watkins Glen. For years, Buescher had been knocking on the door. His first win was a big one. He applied pressure late and forced SVG to make a mistake. Buescher took the lead on the final lap.
9. Ross Chastain ($8,300) — Trackhouse was in control of the 2024 race at Watkins Glen. Chastain and SVG were running one and two in Stage 2 but were unable to pit early because the third Trackhouse driver, Daniel Suarez, brought out a caution. Chastain recovered for a top-5 finish.
10. Chase Elliott ($9,100) — The last time Elliott won a road course race was in 2021. He hasn’t lost his touch. Winning is tough in an even field with an even car. The wins are absent, but the top-5s are not. Elliott has three top-5 finishes in the four road races this season.
11. A.J. Allmendinger ($8,200) — This is why The Dinger was promoted to the Cup Series. A road win at The Glen would secure a playoff position for Kaulig Racing. This hasn’t been a great road course season for Allmendinger, but the tracks have been unique, and the weather has impacted the racing.
12. Chase Briscoe ($8,500) — Similar to William Byron, Briscoe’s results do not reflect his speed (third-highest cPOMS). This stat rates each of a driver’s laps against the fastest driver on that lap.
13. Michael McDowell ($8,400) — The best measures of road course speed in the era of stage racing are cPOMS (a ratio that compares a driver’s lap time with the fastest driver’s lap time) and Loss Rating (a measure of positions lost from lap to lap, weighted based on position). McDowell has a top-5 cPOMS and LR in 2025.
14. Alex Bowman ($7,800) — The problem with road courses and stages is best illustrated by Alex Bowman’s stats. He’s earned three top-10 finishes in the 2025 road races. His speed (cPOMS) ranks 22nd, and his Loss Rating is 18th. Wrecks, stages, and strategy make road course races plate racing lite in DFS.
15. Denny Hamlin ($8,100) — The 2024 Watkins Glen race featured three cautions in the last 10 laps. There was also a wreck on lap one. Hamlin was involved and limped around the track outside the top 30 for the remainder of the race.
