NASCAR at Watkins Glen: 10 Drivers With a Chance to Win

As the Sprint Cup Series heads to the final road course race of the season, it is time to take a look at the drivers that will be in the thick of things at the end.

The ten drivers aren’t that hard to figure out.

The bigger surprise may be the list of drivers that will NOT be in it at the end of the race on Sunday. Those drivers would include the two drivers that are first and second in the points standings as of today.

That’s right, Kevin Harvick and Jeff Gordon fans, don’t look now but the weekend might not go so well for these two.

Harvick did win here in 2006 but he has had a 35th- and 36th^-place finish in two of the last three races here.

Gordon has only one top ten finish here in the last five years, when he finished in ninth place. His average finishing position over the last five years here is 20.4 respectively.

Other drivers not to be looking for up front on Sunday; Dale Jr, Jeff Burton, and last weekend’s winner, Greg Biffle.

Greg has finished 38th twice in the last five years, while Jr and Burton have struggled quite a bit here over recent years, both with averaging finishing positions worse than 26th.

Enough about them, lets take a look at the ten drivers that really have a shot at this race on Sunday.

Robby Gordon

Robby definitely makes his hay on the road courses, and he has done quite well here over the last five seasons.

Though the last two years didn’t go accordingly, Robby managed to finish in the top five three different times from 2005 to 2007, including a runner-up finish in 2005.

Joey Logano

Joey has only been here once, but finished fairly well in 16th place as a rookie.

He hasn’t really struggled to find his way around the track, and with Gibbs power under the hood, he should be fine if he can stay out of trouble.

If he can keep his cool like he has been, he should be able to get through the mental aspect of this grueling race.

Joey has only been here once, but finished fairly well in 16^th place as a rookie. He hasn’t really struggled to find his way around the track, and with Gibbs power under the hood, he should be fine if he can stay out of trouble. If he can keep his cool like he has been, he should be able to get through the mental aspect of this grueling race.

Kurt Busch

Speaking of guys who need to show composure. With the incident last weekend with Jimmie Johnson, Kurt needs to keep the focus on his team, and doing what is best for the organization.

Kurt is quietly having a good season, and despite all of the encounters with the No. 48 team, he has had some good quality finishes.

The last three races here, Kurt has finished 11th, 10th, and seventh respectively. He can continue to build on that this weekend.

Kyle Busch

From one Busch brother to another, Kyle really needs to have a solid run.

He has won more races than he has lost in the Nationwide Series, but that hasn’t really translated over to the Cup Series this year.

This would be the perfect track to get going, too.

He has finished in the top ten here in four of the last five events, including his win in 2008. Look for Rowdy to be up near the front once again.

Carl Edwards

Carl has been creeping up the last couple of weeks, quietly in fact.

With another solid finish last week at Pocono, he is starting his charge towards the front.

Carl has four top-five finishes at the Glen in his last five starts, including last year’s third place finish.

As things look right now, it appears he will be your pole sitter for tomorrow's race.

Denny Hamlin

So he is human after all. After NOT winning the Pocono race last weekend, Denny looks to rebound and score another top-five finish at the Glen.

In his four races at this track, he has never finished outside of the top-ten.

He finished second here in 2007, and that has only seemed to make him even hungrier for a win.

Denny needs to grab some more bonus points for the Chase, and he certainly has a good chance this weekend.

Jimmie Johnson

You have to include this team in virtually every race, because there just aren’t many places where they don’t perform well enough to finish in the top 10.

The Glen is another track that this team has found success. While they haven’t tasted victory here in the last five visits, they have recorded three top-ten finishes, and have finishes no worse than 17th.

A win might not be in the grasp for them this weekend, but they sure do like hearing people say that I’m sure.

Juan Montoya

Montoya has raced here three times in the Cup Series. His first visit was a disaster.

The last two years…fourthand sixth, respectively. Obviously he knows his way around and has equipment that is more than capable of getting the job done.

You can expect him to qualify near the front, and if he can keep a cool head and his crew doesn’t make any bad decisions, maybe Juan will finally be able to smile, on his way to victory lane.

(Juan is my pick for this weekend.)

Marcos Ambrose

Much like Montoya, Ambrose hasn’t raced here that many times, but he is already one of the best. In just two races here in the Cup Series, he has finished in third in 2008, and second in 2009.

So that means 2010 means a first-place finish right? Ambrose may be one of the most talented road course drivers the series has ever seen, but he will have to rely on his pit crew to be mistake-free, and hope that there aren’t any mechanical issues.

With a possible run at the pole, look for Marcos to be up front all day.

Tony Stewart

Domination. What else can you say about one particular driver at a specific track?

Would you like to know Stewart’s finishing positions for the last six races at The Glen? First, First, Second, First, Second, First.

I’m sorry, but there is no way you could talk about this race and not mention the performances by Tony Stewart over the years.

This will probably be (and should be) everyone’s pick, and for good reason. I expect to see Stewart and Ambrose go neck and neck at The Glen once again.

The Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips at The Glen can be seen on ESPN this Sunday, Aug. 8 at 1pm.