2011 NASCAR Heulva Good! Sour Cream Dips at The Glen Picks & Predictions
By Anthony Rome
(The Spread) - After a few weeks of high-speed racing, NASCAR shifts gears and goes road racing at Watkins Glen International in the Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips at The Glen.
You will hear plenty of fans complaining this week that this isn't NASCAR racing, but we think this is some of the best racing we will see this season since it's more than just turning left, and whichever driver has clean air.
One thing we always hear about for these races are the so-called "Road Course Ringers." Well, all you have to know is they have never won a race and putting your money on them has been a losing proposition. The only ringer we think has a legitimate chance here is Ron Fellows, since he has won here before in the Nationwide and Truck series and has also been very competitive in the Sprint series as well. Fellows has raced here many times in every type of car imaginable and this might even be considered his home track. Thus, keep a close eye on him.
Tony Stewart 7/1
Stewart has won four of the last seven races and has finished second during the other three races in that stretch. His seventh place finish here last season ended his streak of six-straight top two finishes at this track. We think Stewart runs better at Watkins Glen than he does at Sonoma were he finished 39th due to an accident. He is the most consistent driver in the series at The Glen and this is the time of the year where Stewart always seems to come on strong.
Marcos Ambrose 4/1
Ambrose has never finished worse than third in his three starts at Watkins Glen. He didn't have a very good car at Sonoma, where he struggled with the new tire like many other drivers did. But he still wound up finishing fifth because he's just that good of a road course driver. If Ambrose wants to have any chance of making the Chase this year, he's going to have to win on Sunday.
Live Longshot
Robbie Gordon 25/1
Gordon may be the best road course driver in this series, but always seems to find trouble or lets his temper get the best of him when things don't go his way. If his car is right and he gets out front, he could be long gone. But once he gets stuck back in traffic he seems to lose it and his day is over. There are too many question marks keeping him from being one of our top plays this week, but we like him enough to list him as a decent long shot pick.
2011 Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips at The Glen Information
Race Date: Sunday, Aug. 14
Location: Watkins Glen International, Watkins Glen, NY
Pre-Race: Noon ET
Green Flag: Approx. 1:18PM ET
TV Coverage: ESPN
Radio Coverage: MRN
Track Type: Road (90 laps)