August 10, 2025
Spire Motorsports brought some fast race cars to the track this weekend, and they were led by Justin Haley, which was a bit of a surprise. Haley isn't really known for his road course prowess, but he was able to beat out his teammate, Michael McDowell, for the fastest lap in practice for the Go Bowling at The Glen. Haley's No. 7 Chevrolet also had speed on the long run, ranking second-best in both 10- and 15-lap average. In qualifying, Justin ended up with the 23rd-fastest lap, so he's in a good spot for DFS purposes to pick up some Place Differential points. However, how fast will he actually be on race day? Again, road courses aren't Haley's best track type, but he did finish 15th at Sonoma last month and ended up 16th at COTA back in March. For a low-dollar, cap-saving option in DFS this weekend, Justin Haley could be a viable option at $5,700 on DraftKings.
--Jordan McAbeeSource: Jayski
August 10, 2025
If you're looking for a sneaky DFS play at Watkins Glen this weekend, consider Riley Herbst. Now, this isn't one of those drivers that you need to go crazy heavy on with your daily fantasy lineups, but there's a chance that he could sneak into the top 15 by the end of the Go Bowling at The Glen. And at $5,200 on DraftKings with a 29th-place starting spot, that'd be a great value in DFS. This season on road courses, Herbst has posted finishes of 17th at both COTA and Chicago Street Course, and was in line to score a top-20 result at Sonoma until the late-race cautions. Additionally, Herbst was 25th-fastest in five-lap average in practice this weekend, beating out 15 other drivers. If you need a sneaky pick in DFS to save some cap space, Riley Herbst could be your guy.
--Jordan McAbeeSource: Driver Averages
August 10, 2025
Connor Zilisch (collarbone) was set to compete in this week's Go Bowling for the Glen at Watkins Glen International, but had to withdraw from his entry in the No. 87 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet. Zilisch will miss the race due to a broken collarbone injury he received after falling from his car while celebrating in victory lane after winning Saturday's Xfinity Series race at Watkins Glen. Initially scored with a starting position of 25th, all other drivers starting on the inside lane behind Zilisch will each move up a row at the start of the green flag. The young 19-year-old Xfinity Series rookie driver has no further scheduled Cup Series races at this time for the rest of the 2025 season.
--Sean Engel - RotoBallerSource: NASCAR.com
August 10, 2025
Christopher Bell of Joe Gibbs Racing will start ninth in this week's Go Bowling at the Glen at Watkins Glen International. It will be the third time in his Cup Series career that Bell will start in the top 10 at the New York road course. In four previous Cup starts at Watkins Glen, Bell has three top-10 finishes and never finished lower than 14th. Through 23 Cup races in the 2025 season, Bell has three wins, 13 top-10 finishes, and an average finish of 12.6. Bell has especially been strong on road courses this season, with three top-5s in four races at the track type, including a victory at COTA. In practice for this week's race, Bell ranked 32nd in overall lap averages, 20th in five consecutive lap averages, 14th in 10 consecutive lap averages, and eighth in 15 consecutive lap averages. Bell is a driver who should never be underestimated at road courses. Do not be surprised if he places in the top 10 based on equipment and his overall history at road courses.
--Sean Engel - RotoBallerSource: DriverAverages.com
August 10, 2025
Chase Briscoe of Joe Gibbs Racing will start in the third position for the Go Bowling at the Glen at Watkins Glen International. Briscoe is the top qualifier this week from both JGR and Toyota, being the only driver from the manufacturer to start in the top five. In four Cup races at Watkins Glen, Briscoe has two top-10 finishes with an average finish of 18.8. With 23 races completed this season, Briscoe has one win, 11 top-10 finishes, and an average finish of 13.7. Briscoe has been hot with three runner-up finishes in the last four Cup races and led multiple laps in the last five. In practice for Sunday's Cup race, Briscoe ranked 31st in overall lap averages, 26th in five consecutive lap averages, 18th in 10 consecutive lap averages, and 14th in 15 consecutive lap averages. Although Briscoe's practice speeds were slow, he does have a high starting position this week and has been too consistent in order to outright ignore for DFS this week. Consider the No. 19 Toyota driver for tournament lineups, where he can pay off if he maintains his track position inside the top 10 or five.
--Sean Engel - RotoBallerSource: DriverAverages.com
August 10, 2025
Joe Gibbs Racing driver Ty Gibbs will start in the 14th position for the Go Bowling at the Glen at Watkins Glen International. The No. 54 Toyota driver continues to start every race at Watkins Glen 16th or better with his top-15 qualifying result in this week's Cup event. In three previous races, Gibbs has one top-5 finish and two outside of the top 20. He is a former Xfinity Series winner at the site, however. After 23 Cup races this season, Gibbs has 12 top-20 finishes and an average finish of 17.4, including three finishes of 11th or better at road courses. In practice for this week's race, Gibbs ranked fourth in overall lap averages, 13th in five consecutive lap averages, and 12th in 10 consecutive lap averages. Based on his equipment and practice speeds, expect Gibbs to compete for a top-10 finish. However, based on his salary of $8,700, he is playable in DFS, but a bit difficult to recommend over certain other drivers who have been faster in practice and displayed better history at Watkins Glen.
--Sean Engel - RotoBallerSource: DriverAverages.com
August 10, 2025
Ross Chastain of Trackhouse Racing will start in the fourth position for the Go Bowling at the Glen at Watkins Glen International. This is the first time that Chastain will start in the top five in consecutive races at Watkins Glen. In six Cup races at the site, Chastain has one top-5 finish, but it came from last year's race when he led 51 laps and finished fourth. Through 23 Cup races this season, Chastain has one win, nine top-10 finishes, and an average finish of 16.4. In practice for this week's Cup Series race, Chastain ranked 12th in overall lap averages, 11th in five consecutive lap averages, 10th in 10 consecutive lap averages, and seventh in 15 consecutive lap averages. Chastain may not provide much upside since he starts right at the front, but his run at the Glen last year proved that he should not be underestimated for his ability to compete at this track. Chastain is only worth rostering in tournament-based DFS lineups over cash, but he can be a sneaky option to compete for the win if circumstances line up for him.
--Sean Engel - RotoBallerSource: DriverAverages.com
August 10, 2025
Kyle Busch of Richard Childress Racing will start fifth for Sunday's race at Watkins Glen International, the Go Bowling at the Glen. Busch will start in the top five at a Watkins Glen race for the first time since 2019 this week. The No. 8 Chevrolet driver has two wins, 13 top-10 finishes, and an average finish of 11.7 in 19 Cup starts at the site. In 23 Cup races completed this season, Busch has seven top-10 finishes and an average finish of 17.4. This also includes three top-10s in four road course events this season. In practice for this week's race, Busch ranked 36th in overall lap averages and 38th in five consecutive lap averages. Despite his slow practice speeds, Watkins Glen has historically been a solid track for Busch, and he has been one of the more consistent performers at road courses this season. Although his starting position offers too little upside for cash game lineups, he is a driver pick who can pay off as a tournament option this week.
--Sean Engel - RotoBallerSource: DriverAverages.com
August 10, 2025
Spire Motorsports driver Carson Hocevar will start in the eighth position for Sunday's Go Bowling at the Glen at Watkins Glen International. It will be Hocevar's first time starting in the top 10 at the New York road course in his Cup Series career. In his only Cup start at the site in 2024, Hocevar placed third after starting in the 29th position. He also finished 10th and led one lap in his only Truck Series start at the Glen back in 2021. With 23 Cup races completed this season, the No. 77 Chevrolet driver has six top-10 finishes and an average finish of 22.3. In practice for Sunday's Cup race at the Glen, Hocevar ranked 16th in overall lap averages and 21st in five consecutive lap averages. Hocevar has been a wildcard boom-or-bust driver at road course events, especially this season, where he has only one finish in the top 15 at the track type. Considering that and his low upside from his starting position, Hocevar is hard to recommend as a DFS option for this week's race, only being playable in tournaments, but even then, there are more affordable options with better upside.
--Sean Engel - RotoBallerSource: DriverAverages.com
August 10, 2025
Daniel Suarez of Trackhouse Racing will start 19th for this week's Go Bowling at the Glen at Watkins Glen International. Suarez is the only driver from Trackhouse with a starting position outside of the top 15 this week at the site for Sunday's race. In seven previous races at Watkins Glen, Suarez has five top-20 finishes and an average finish of 13.6, while earning positive Place Differential four times. Through 23 Cup races in the 2025 season, Suarez has 10 top-20 finishes, including two at road courses, and an average finish of 22.0. In practice for this week's Cup race, Suarez ranked 18th in overall lap averages and 17th in five consecutive lap averages. The No. 99 Chevrolet driver makes for a decent DFS option due to track history, practice speeds, and equipment that is capable of placing in the top 20.
--Sean Engel - RotoBallerSource: DriverAverages.com
August 10, 2025
23XI Racing's Bubba Wallace will start 15th after qualifying for Sunday's Go Bowling at the Glen at Watkins Glen International. Wallace was the top qualifier of 23XI's three entries for this week's race and the only one from the team to qualify inside the top 15. In six races at Watkins Glen, Wallace has two top-20 finishes, but also collected positive Place Differential five times. In 23 Cup races in 2025, Wallace has one win, 12 top-20 finishes, including two at road courses, and an average finish of 18.2. In practice, Wallace ranked 22nd in overall lap averages and 30th in five consecutive lap averages. Despite his favorable past history at the Glen, Wallace is not one of the first drivers to recommend at the Glen for DFS this week. This is due to his underwhelming practice speeds and low upside from his starting position. Wallace is not the worst option, but there are better overall DFS options to recommend over him this week.
--Sean Engel - RotoBallerSource: DriverAverages.com
August 10, 2025
Team Penske's Austin Cindric earned a starting position of 13th after qualifying for the Go Bowling at the Glen at Watkins Glen International. Cindric was the lowest-qualifying driver from Penske's three entries in this week's race at the New York road course. In three Cup races at Watkins Glen in his Cup career, Cindric has three finishes of 16th or better, including one top-10 finish, which he scored in last year's race. The No. 2 Ford driver is also a former Xfinity Series race winner at Watkins Glen. After 23 Cup races so far this season, Cindric has one win, four top-10 finishes, and an average finish of 19.7. In practice for this week's race, Cindric ranked fifth in overall lap averages, 16th in five consecutive lap averages, seventh in 10 consecutive lap averages, and fourth in 15 consecutive lap averages. Although Cindric does not carry high amounts of upside compared to some other drivers, he does have equipment that can compete for a top-10 finish and has a decent history at the Glen, making him worth consideration this week, especially in DFS tournament games.
--Sean Engel - RotoBallerSource: DriverAverages.com
August 10, 2025
Wood Brothers Racing driver Josh Berry will start 24th in the Go Bowling at the Glen at Watkins Glen International. Berry's starting position will mark the third time in his Cup career that he will start a road course race inside the top 25. In his only prior Cup start at Watkins Glen in 2024 with Stewart-Haas Racing, Berry started 31st and finished in the 25th position. Berry also has one top-10 finish in two Xfinity starts at the Glen. In 23 races completed this year, Berry has one win, 10 top-20 finishes, and an average finish of 21.2. In practice for Sunday's race, Berry ranked eighth in overall lap averages, 18th in five consecutive lap averages, and 15th in 10 consecutive lap averages. Although Berry is not known for his skills on road courses, he presents a playable and decent option to consider for Watkins Glen this week, especially at his salary of only $6,200 on DraftKings.
--Sean Engel - RotoBallerSource: DriverAverages.com
August 10, 2025
Zane Smith of Front Row Motorsports qualified 34th for Sunday's Go Bowling at the Glen at Watkins Glen International. This is his lowest starting position to date in his Cup career at the site. In his only previous Cup start at Watkins Glen in 2024, Smith finished in fifth position after starting 19th. He also led four laps and finished sixth in his only Truck Series start at the track back in 2021. Through 23 Cup races so far this season, Smith has 12 top-20 finishes and an average finish of 21.0. In practice for this week's race, Smith ranked 17th in overall lap averages and 24th in five consecutive lap averages. Considering his equipment, practice speeds, and overall upside from his starting position, Smith is one of the best value options to pick for any DFS format this week.
--Sean Engel - RotoBallerSource: DriverAverages.com
August 10, 2025
Despite not being a noted road racer, Ryan Blaney pulled off an unexpected pole at Watkins Glen in a dramatic upset over Shane van Gisbergen. As a result, people will automatically assume he's a bad choice for DFS play since he's hardly ever led here nor has he finished better than fifth. His average finish of 16.1 seems to indicate that he'll lose a lot of positions while his lack of dominance in previous races means he won't likely make it up via lap leader or fastest lap points. However, the fact that he is starting on the pole with a Next Gen car that has produced many road course races with minimal passing suggests that IF he can hold off Shane van Gisbergen at the start - a major if - he might actually accrue a lot of bonus points in the opening stage, even if he will likely fade later. If you think his race will live up to his qualifying, he's definitely worth consideration especially since you rarely get him for $7,900.
--Sean Wrona - RotoBallerSource: Racing Reference
RADIO
