NASCAR DFS Picks: DraftKings, FanDuel Daily Fantasy Lineups for the Go Bowling at the Glen (2026)

May 10, 2026

Sean's NASCAR DFS picks for DraftKings, FanDuel for the Go Bowling at the Glen at Watkins Glen International (2026). His top NASCAR daily fantasy lineup plays and DFS sleepers.

For the second time in 2026, the NASCAR Cup Series will hit a road course after Chase Elliott scored his second win of the season at Texas. This week, the Cup Series will head to upstate New York for it's once yearly trip to Watkins Glen International. Below are my NASCAR DFS lineup picks for the Go Bowling at the Glen on DraftKings and FanDuel this week. This slate locks on 5/10/2026 at 3:00 p.m. EST. If you have further questions or want to discuss racing, you can find me on X at @SeanE247.

Watkins Glen is one of NASCAR's oldest road course venues. Although Watkins Glen made a few appearances in the 1950s and 1960s, it became a permanent fixture of the Cup Series schedule in 1984, racing every year from there outside of the 2020 season. The New York road course features multiple track layouts, but the Cup Series races on the "short course with inner loop chicane" layout, which features seven full-sized turns, elevation changes, and a chicane designed to keep speeds in check on the backstretch of the track. Compared to other road courses, Watkins Glen is more straightforward with fewer turns, emphasizing a mixture of speed and driver skill for success.

Compared to previous seasons, the lap count at Watkins Glen is slightly higher, as this week's Cup race goes from 90 laps to 100 laps. While this still does not affect the DFS strategy greatly, it is worth noting. As for DFS strategies, it is best to roster one to two drivers who are expected to compete for the win and maybe lead a few laps in the process. The rest of a potential lineup should heavily factor pure finishing position while also keeping in mind drivers who are likely to gain positions from Place Differential. Be sure to, as always, diversify lineups with different driver combinations if playing multiple lineups to maximize the opportunities to cash out. This is notable since Watkins Glen is a track where drivers could easily tank a lineup by going past track limits, making mistakes, overshooting a corner, or experiencing technical issues.

DFS Lineup Picks - DraftKings, FanDuel

Once you've read this article, be sure also to check out all of our other weekly NASCAR DFS articles to help you set your optimal DFS lineups. You should also check out our NASCAR DFS lineup tools for the ultimate combination of DFS resources to help you win big, including our Lineup Optimizer, DFS Cheat Sheet, Research Station, and more.

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Disclaimer: All the drivers presented as picks for this week's race are meant to be some of my top DFS recommendations of the week. They are not originally intended to fit all into one lineup.

Shane Van Gisbergen

Starts 1st - DK: $13.5K, FD: $14.5K

With the Cup Series returning to road course action this week, it's time to do another edition of Shane Van Gisbergen analysis for why he is always the first driver to discuss for road racing DFS lineups. It's a tradition at this point, and until he stops being the driver to beat at road courses in the Cup Series.

SVG has two starts at Watkins Glen in the Cup Series, and both of them were top-2 finishes. In 2024, he finished second and led one lap as he fell short of the win against Chris Buescher, while in 2025, he got redemption and won at the Glen for the first time. Currently, Van Gisbergen has six wins and 344 laps led in his Cup career at road and street courses, both of which lead all drivers in that span.

Shane van Gisbergen describes the tire fall off as “insane” for this weekend at Watkins Glen. #Nascar pic.twitter.com/nonSIMRGFq

— Frontstretch (@Frontstretch) May 9, 2026

In practice, SVG ranked as the fastest driver in the five, 10, and 15 consecutive lap average categories. On both DFS sites, SVG is far and away the most expensive driver of the week, but he is the top standout favorite among all drivers. Fantasy players need to have some kind of exposure to SVG this week, as he is likely to dominate and lead a high number of laps.

Tyler Reddick

Starts 15th - DK: $10.5K, FD: $12.5K

While Connor Zilisch has been Van Gisbergen's biggest rival through the weekend so far, as they both have been racing in all three national series this weekend, Tyler Reddick might be the driver most likely to directly take the fight to and beat SVG this week. Reddick did exactly that the last time NASCAR visited a road course at COTA earlier in the season.

DAYTONA 🏆 ATLANTA 🏆 COTA 🏆

Tyler Reddick makes NASCAR history for Michael Jordan and 23XI Racing, sweeping the first three races of the season for the first time ever! pic.twitter.com/JPQNe2gV9s

— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) March 1, 2026

In five Cup starts at Watkins Glen, Reddick has four top-10 finishes, an average finish of 12.2, and has never finished better than seventh. He also scored positive PD in three of his five races at the Glen. At road and street courses, Reddick has a current streak of five top-10 finishes in a row, remaining as one of the most consistent in the field at the track type.

In practice for this week's race, Reddick ranked sixth in five consecutive lap averages and second in 10 consecutive lap averages. Reddick is also worth consideration for all lineups this week, especially as he carries a solid amount of upside from his starting position while showing that he has a car capable of placing in the top five.

Christopher Bell

Starts 8th - DK: $10K, FD: $12K

Christopher Bell's 2026 season has been defined as having plenty of speed with cars capable of winning, but he has had unfortunate circumstances that have prevented him from capitalizing on that speed. Watkins Glen represents a track where Bell could start to turn his season around for the better.

In five Cup starts at the Glen, the No. 20 Toyota driver has never finished outside of the top 15, and he has four top-10 finishes. Bell scored his best career Cup finish at Watkins Glen of second last year and has finished in the top three in two of the last three races at the site. In each of the last four road course races in the Cup Series, Bell placed third or higher.

In practice for this week's race, Bell ranked third-fastest in five consecutive lap averages. Fantasy players looking for a favorable pivot option outside of SVG, Reddick, and perhaps Zilisch this week should consider Bell as a viable play. This is especially the case in tournaments, as some may be fading him due to his recent finishing struggles, when instead he should be rostered.

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— brent buckner (@tenndolly2) August 7, 2023

Chris Buescher

Starts 14th - DK: $8.8K, FD: $9.5K

One driver who should never be fully overlooked when it comes to Watkins Glen is Chris Buescher. The No. 17 Ford driver is one of the most underrated road racing talents in the sport, and he has a history of favorable and great finishes at the Glen.

In 10 races at Watkins Glen, Buescher has one win, four top-10 finishes, and an overall average finish of 14.8. Buescher has the longest active top-10 streak of all drivers at Watkins Glen, with four consecutive races going into this week's race. He is also the only driver in the field who has yet to finish outside of the top 10 in the Next-Gen car at the Glen since its introduction in 2022.

Chris Buescher talked about the new track limits at Watkins Glen and adjusting to them during a Ford Racing media call today. Chris understands what NASCAR is going for, but likes the tire wall off the carousel more as opposed to the sporadic tire packs off Turn 1.

"I'm kind of… pic.twitter.com/uM7I5eOJme

— Steven Taranto (@STaranto92) May 6, 2026

In practice for this week's race, Buescher ranked 17th in five consecutive lap averages, 13th in 10 consecutive lap averages, and seventh in 15 consecutive lap averages. Buescher has enough upside from his starting position to warrant a start in all formats, especially at one of his better tracks of the past few years.

Carson Hocevar

Starts 11th - DK: $7.4K, FD: $7.2K

One driver who has been on a streak of favorable finishes lately, who should not be overlooked, is Carson Hocevar. The No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet driver has placed 17th or better in the last six races this year, including top-10s in three of the last four. He has also climbed up to sixth in the regular season standings.

Although road and street courses are not his best track type, Watkins Glen may be his best track of that type to race. In two Cup starts at the Glen, Hocevar has two top-20 finishes, including his only Cup Series road course top-5 finish of third back in 2024. Hocevar also ran the Truck Series race at Watkins Glen earlier in the weekend, where he ran as high as second before crashing out on a restart.

In practice for this week's race, Hocevar ranked among the top 10 fastest in the five, 10, and 15 consecutive lap average categories, including third in 10 consecutive lap averages. Considering his practice speeds and his experience earlier in the weekend, Hocevar is likely to place in the top 10 and be an asset to fantasy players this week.

Ryan Preece

Starts 30th - DK: $6.7K, FD: $6.8K

Road courses tend to shake up the salaries quite a bit on both DraftKings and FanDuel, putting certain drivers in different salary tiers where they normally would be found. Sometimes, this leads to certain drivers being considered more valuable since the DFS sites can undervalue the performance of a driver at a road course, like Ryan Preece.

In five Cup Series races at Watkins Glen, Preece has three top-20 finishes with an average finish of 20.6. The No. 60 Ford driver also earned three consecutive finishes with positive PD in his last three Cup races at the Glen, including two straight top-15s going into this week's race.

Ryan Preece says he was "honestly, a bit surprised" he was penalized for the incident between him and Ty Gibbs at Texas. Said he was mowing his lawn in a place without great cell service when he got the call and found out he was penalized when he called back.

When asked if he… pic.twitter.com/eD1Q9ShEnV

— Steven Taranto (@STaranto92) May 9, 2026

In practice, Preece ranked 16th in five consecutive lap averages, seventh in 10 consecutive lap averages, and third in 15 consecutive lap averages. Considering his practice speeds, recent results, and his high upside offered from his starting position, Preece is one of the better DFS value options to roster this week, especially as he is likely to be more motivated to finish well after his penalty at Texas last week.

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