NASCAR Preview: Cheez-It 355 at Watkins Glen International

Things are getting tight in NASCAR as the drivers head to Watkins Glen to compete at the Cheez-It 355. There are only five races left before the start of the Chase for the Sprint Cup Challenger Round and this week’s race will favor those racers that thrive on road courses.

This week’s race will feature the second of two road track races, the other one being the Toyota Savemart 350, held at the Sonoma Raceway on June 28.

This kind of track forces us to take a look at drivers that excel on it; drivers like the Busch Brothers, A.J Allmendinger and Brad Keseloswki. Also Joey Logano and Carl Edwards will probably be among those competing for top spots by the time the checkered flag is waved at the finish line.

A.J Allmendinger: his record would indicate that he loves racing at the Glen. Since 2010 he has finished twice in the top 10 and twice in the top five, including a victory last year over Marcus Ambrose, who this year returned to his native Australia to race there. The only black spot for AJ was 2012 when he missed the race due to a suspension for failing a random drug test.

Kurt Busch: in 2013 he finished ninth at the Glen, and last year he made the podium as he finished third behind Allmendinger and Ambrose. He continues to prove himself as a top road track racer also at Sonoma where in 2013 he finished fourth, and this year he crossed the finish line only behind his brother Kyle by a half second.

Kyle Busch: he won at the Glen in 2013 and this year he took the top spot at Sonoma, beating both his brother Kyle and Clint Bowyer. Another reason to like the younger Busch for Sunday? Only he and Jimmie Johnson have won four races so far this year, but he is undoubtedly the hottest one as those four victories have come in the last six races.

Brad Keselowski: he finished second at the Glen from 2011 to 2013 but last year he struggled with brake issues and finished 35^th. This season he has finished fifth once, he came second three times and has a victory at the Auto Club 400 in Fontana, California.

Joey Logano: He finished in the top 10 the last two years he’s raced at this event. This year at the Toyota Savemart 350 he finished in fifth position making it the twelfth time this season that he has made the top five. He only has one victory this year, but it came at the Daytona 500.

Carl Edwards: he has never won at the Glen, but from 2009 to 2014 he finished in the top five four times. He also won at Sonoma last year and this year he took the top spot at the Coca-Cola 600 in Concord, North Carolina.

Other drivers who have not been dominant recently at the Glen but may have a chance due to their road track pedigree are:

Tony Stewart: he has won this race five times, more than any other driver, but his last victory came in 2009. In the last two races at the Glen he did not participate.

Jeff Gordon: he has won this race four times at the Glen, second only to Stewart, but the last time he did it was in 2001. Since then his best result has been ninth in 2007 and has failed to finish better than 21^st since 2012.

Here’s the list of futures for the 2015 Cheez-It 355 at the Glen winner.

Futures Courtesy of DonBest.com

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