NASCAR Fantasy Fusion: Cheez-It 355 at The Glen

Track Classification: Road Course

Similar Track: Infineon Raceway (Sonoma)

Distance: 2.428 Miles

Drivers with Most Top 10s (Last 5 Years):

By Race

Both with 4 - AJ Allmendinger and Kyle Busch 

All with 3 - Carl Edwards, Martin Truex Jr., Brad Keselowski, Jimmie Johnson, Kurt Busch and Joey Logano  

By Track

All with 3 - AJ Allmendinger, Martin Truex Jr., Brad Keselowski, Jimmie Johnson, Joey Logano and Kyle Busch
All with 2 - Carl Edwards, Kevin Harvick, Clint Bowyer, Matt Kenneth, Greg Biffle and Kurt Busch

Recent Pole Winners:

2014 Jeff Gordon
2013 Marcos Ambrose

The Likely Suspects: Pick carefully, my friends, as selecting drivers who qualify in the top 10 starting position is key. More than 70 percent of the time that's where the winner will be. I am looking at these likely suspects this week: AJ Allmendinger, Carl Edwards, Martin Truex Jr., Jimmie Johnson, the Busch Brothers, Joey Logano, Kevin Harvick and Brad Keselowski.

My 2 Cents: The key to succeeding in fantasy games is not to go with the emotional picks. This week that means don't be seduced into picking road-race ringers. Instead look for Sprint Cup regulars with open wheel experience. This week's no-brainer selection is a two-way tie between AJ Allmendinger and Kyle Busch. My next picks are: Brad Keselowski, Carl Edwards, Kurt Busch and Jamie McMurray. I will round out my team with Justin Allgaier and David Gilliland.

My final four: Kyle Busch, Carl Edwards, AJ Allmendinger and Justin Allgaier.

Points to ponder:

• Hendrick Motorsports and Joe Gibbs Racing are tied for the most wins at Watkins Glen in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with six each.
• AJ Allmendinger leads all active drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in average finishing position at Watkins Glen with a 7.833.
• Jeff Gordon leads all active drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in laps led at Watkins Glen with 262 laps led in 22 starts.
• 21 of the 32 (65.6 percent) NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Watkins Glen have been won from a top-five starting position.
• 23 of the 32 (71.8 percent) NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Watkins Glen have been won from a top-10 starting position.
• 19 different drivers have won at Watkins Glen International in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, led by Tony Stewart with five wins; followed by Jeff Gordon with four.

Enjoy the race! Post your comments here or follow me on Twitter at @purplecatpr.