Racing at the Glen

The first NASCAR race I ever attended was held at Watkins Glen. Rusty Wallace won the race with a splash of gas late in the running. Do I remember it? No. But my dad made sure i'd see the race when I got older, he taped the entire thing and I use to spend my afternoon's watching it. Boy was that fun.

Anyway, Watkins Glen has always been a great place for road course races. Lots of great names have won at Watkins Glen and races here tend to be not only fun but oftentimes heated. Just ask Juan Pablo Montoya and Kevin Harvick.

Anyway, here are my picks to win this weekend.

Kyle Busch, No. 18 M&M's Toyota (Joe Gibbs Racing)
Last Week: 36th place finish in the Sunoco Red Cross Pennsylvania 500
Career at Watkins Glen: 16.3 Avg. Finish, 0 top 5's, 2 top 10's
Why he could win: Busch proved at Infineon earlier this year that he was a threat to win anywhere on the circuit. Because of this I have every expectation (especially now that qualifying has rained out and he is on the pole) that he will run up front and be a threat to win.

Tony Stewart, No. 20 Home Depot Toyota (Joe Gibbs Racing)
Last Week: 2nd place finish in the Sunoco Red Cross Pennsylvania 500
Career at Watkins Glen: 6.1 Avg. Finish, 4 wins, 5 top 5's, 7 top 10's
Why he could win: It's Watkins Glen, why shouldn't Tony Stewart be a serious threat to win? Just look at that average finish! If he isn't running up front by the end of the race something is seriously wrong.

Jeff Gordon, No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet (Hendrick Motorsports)
Last Week: 10th place finish in the Sunoco Red Cross Pennsylvania 500
Career at Watkins Glen: 12.4 Avg. Finish, 4 wins, 6 top 5's, 8 top 10's
Why he could win: Please see Tony Stewart's why he could win, all the information there pretty much applies to Jeff Gordon as well.

My pick for the under dog driver isn't really an under dog, but in the grand scheme of things I really think he is.

Robby Gordon, No. 7 Jim Beam Dodge (Robby Gordon Motorsports)
Last Week: 37th place finish in the Sunoco Red Cross Pennsylvania 500
Career at Watkins Glen: 8.8 Avg. Finish, 1 win, 7 top 5's, 7 top 10's
Why he could win: If any independent driver can win at Watkins Glen Robby Gordon is the man to do it. He always brings quality equipment to the road courses and should always be considered a threat to win. Anyone that overlooks him will be in for a rude awakening Sunday.