Fantasy NASCAR Picks: Sleepers and Fades for Watkins Glen
The NASCARCup Series drives its 2nd road course of the year with this weekend's Go Bowling at Glen. Watkins Glen will host the yearly event, this time going 100 laps (245 miles). Shane van Gisbergen enters the weekend as an overwhelming favorite, as is no surprise. However, there are many ways to try and beat him at a cost when playing fantasy NASCAR.
Van Gisbergen expects to be owned as much as any driver at any track, all season long. Van Gisbergen averages a finish of 1.5 at Watkins Glen. With ownership of van Gisbergen set to hit 80%, and maybe over 90%, he will have to be faded in Fantasy NASCAR.
The only format to use for van Gisbergen will be on NASCAR.com's Fantasy platform. That is a platform that allots a person 10 uses of any driver for the first 26 races of the season. Van Gisbergen does not require anywhere near 10 uses and really only needs to be used on the 4 regular-season road-course circuits. In that format, he is a must-use. Nonetheless, use these drivers as the next-best options.
Top Picks (Beyond SVG)
Chase Elliott, No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
Before the arrival of van Gisbergen, Elliott was considered among NASCAR's best road course racers. He has 2 wins at Watkins Glen with 2 poles won in 9 starts. He has 8 lead-lap finishes and 9 finishes, all running. Elliott now comes off his 2nd win of the season, thus flashing great speed. The road course package is very different, but this No. 9 team has all the experience to prime this car.
Christopher Bell, No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
Bell is the next-best finisher at Watkins Glen with an average finish of 6.5 and 4 top-10 finishes in his 5 starts. Toyota has flashed the far-best speed of any OEM in 2026. It is hard to see anything but a top-10 start and finish, and very likely a top-5 in both.
Mid-Tier Picks
Chase Briscoe, No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
Briscoe has a top-5 start in each of his last 4 races. At Circuit of the Americas, Briscoe also qualified 3rd. Despite a bad finish down in Austin, Briscoe runs strong on road courses, including 3 top-10's in 5 starts at Watkins Glen. As noted, the Toyotas have been very strong week in and week out.
Chris Buescher, No. 17 RFK Racing Ford
Buescher is a 1-time winner at Watkins Glen, featuring 4 top-10 finishes in 10 starts, all in his last 4 starts. At Circuit of the Americas, Buescher finished Stage 1 in 4th place. The car ultimately fell flat, finishing 24th. RFK Racing should be able to right their wrongs and avoid any part of the car overheating too much in a much colder setup in western New York.
Longshot Picks
Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
Hamlin is not viewed as a road-course racer, but his results at Watkins Glen are strong enough to make him a long shot. Hamlin flashes more-than-enough speed to place in top-10 stage finishes. He also has a win at Watkins Glen and a 2nd-place finish in 2023. Hamlin's last road course start earned him a 10th-place finish. Hamlin has alluded to more patient road-course racing to achieve better finishes.
A Note to All
Longshots ultimately are not as viable as Watkins Glen. Road course ringers such as van Gibsergen, Connor Zilisch, and Elliott are proven. With less caution and more lap-time disparity between good and bad drivers, stick with the favorites and mid-tier picks to dominate the week of Fantasy NASCAR.
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This story was originally published May 7, 2026 at 10:47 AM.