NASCAR Fantasy Picks: Watkins Glen Go Bowling At The Glen

This week’s NASCAR fantasy picks for Watkins Glen Go Bowling At The Glen.

Has anyone else been wondering what will become of Jimmie Johnson if he doesn’t get a win – or at least win another stage or two – this season? If so, you’re not the only one.

Looks like Mr. H had the same thing on his mind this week when he reassigned Johnson’s crew chief, Kevin Meendering, to a new position within the Hendrick organization. Johnson’s new crew chief, Cliff Daniels, will assume the lead this weekend as the 48 team tries desperately to get something going at The Glen on Sunday.

While you can’t blame every team’s woes on who’s leading them in the pits, you can’t argue that the one-two-combination of Chad Knaus and Jimmie Johnson will go down in NASCRA history as a dynamic duo. But even with Knaus on board, the last few season of Johnson’s career have been rife with trouble. Last weekend at Pocono was the first stage win for Johnson since NASCAR began the stage format. Let that sink in for a minute.  The first stage win. Ever.

While everyone can hope that Daniels will be the one to light a fire under Johnson, it remains to be seen how much of a spark he has left. Don’t get me wrong; I have nothing but respect for Jimmie Johnson. This future Hall-of-Famer was a consistent champion for several years, and he seems like an overall “nice guy.” But “nice” isn’t going to get you into the race-for-the-chase. And your future HOF shoe-in isn’t going to help you get the 12 points you so desperately need to get above the cutoff line for the playoffs.

I hope that Daniels is the man. I hope that Jimmie can reach deep enough inside himself to pull out a win. Only time will tell on both accounts, and time is something that is running out fast for the 48.

Last Week’s NASCAR Fantasy Picks: Recap from the Gander RV 400 at Pocono Raceway

Brilliant NASCAR fantasy picks:

• Denny Hamlin – WINNER
• Martin Truex Jr. – finished 3^rd
• Brad Keselowski – finished 8^th

Bold NASCAR fantasy picks:

• Eric Jones – finished 2^nd
• William Byron – finished 4^th
• Ryan Blaney – finished 10^th

Bonkers NASCAR fantasy picks:

• Clint Bowyer – finished 11^th
• Aric Almirola – finished 12^th
• Joey Logano – finished 13^th

And now, here are this week’s Brilliant, Bold, and Bonkers NASCAR Fantasy picks for Watkins Glen Go Bowling At The Glen

Brilliant NASCAR fantasy picks

Kyle Busch

• Wins: 2
• Top 5 finishes: 6
• Top 10 finishes: 12

Road courses are always tricky, but this guy knows how to pull a rabbit out of his hat at The Glen. Don’t be surprised if the 18 takes all this Sunday.

Martin Truex Jr.

• Wins: 1
• Top 5 finishes: 5
• Top 10 finishes: 8

He only has one win here, but Truex knows how to get around a road course. Sweet finishes the last two weeks should give him enough momentum to cruise right to the winners circle.

Denny Hamlin

• Wins: 1
• Top 5 finishes: 3
• Top 10 finishes: 6

Tired of seeing the same JGR guys in the brilliant category? Hamlin is on a tear right now, and he’s got the power to drive this one home for the second week in a row.

Bold NASCAR fantasy picks

Daniel Suarez

• Wins: 0
• Top 5 finishes: 2
• Top 10 finishes: 2

If the 41 team plans to get a win this season, Watkins Glen is one of the best places to go for it. Suarez has been good here in the past. Though he’s only been here twice, he’s finished in the top 5 both times. Victory lane is not an inconceivable notion for Sunday.

Eric Jones

• Wins: 0
• Top 5 finishes: 1
• Top 10 finishes: 2

When a driver is hot, and they have decent numbers at a track, you pick them for your fantasy. No driver is hotter except Denny Hamlin, but I think that Jones has a real shot at getting his first win this weekend–as long as his JGR peers don’t beat him to the finish line.

Chase Elliott

• Wins: 1
• Top 5 finishes: 1
• Top 10 finishes: 1

I hesitate to place Elliott in a position of possibility, but he’s been consistently good at The Glen, and that’s a good sign. Elliott really needs to have a strong finish here in order to boost up his confidence a bit. He hasn’t had a top 10 finish since Pocono—the June race, not last week. I worry about the 9 team, but I’m putting my good faith in him for a good result.

Bonkers NASCAR fantasy picks

Kyle Larson

• Wins: 0
• Top 5 finishes: 1
• Top 10 finishes: 2

This just isn’t a good track for the 42 team, and the last two races brought him an average finish of 14^th. Better to wait until Michigan to give this guy the props he deserves because he’s not an ideal contender this week.

Ryan Newman

• Wins: 0
• Top 5 finishes: 1
• Top 10 finishes: 3

Newman has been around the block a time of two, and that includes 17 trips to Watkins Glen in his career. And you can see how well he’s done. This week, I’d leave the 6 car out of the equation for fantasy.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

• Wins: 0
• Top 5 finishes: 0
• Top 10 finishes: 0

The 17 hasn’t had a good finish since Charlotte, and I don’t see him coming out on the winning end of this road course. Unless there’s a major catastrophe that takes out all of JGR and Hendrick, the chances of a win are slim-to-none.