It’s time for some adrenaline pumping, high-octane action when the Sprint Cup Series heads over to the Watkins Glen International for the Cheez-It 355. The hottest driver in all of NASCAR, Kyle Busch, suffered a temporary setback the last time around at the Windows 10 400. But he’s back and ready to add another win to his late season resurgence.
But it’s not all Busch. A.J. Allmendinger has been a killer at road courses in the Sprint Cup Series, especially at Watkins Glen where he’s had plenty of success. There are plenty of other racers capable of winning this big race at Watkins Glen. Read on for a look at the top racers heading into the Cheez-It 355.
The race is also on in Major League Baseball. Some of the league’s teams are putting out their best games to nail a postseason spot by winning their division or by clinching a wild card berth. Check out the race for the National League and American League Wild Card spots.
[sc:MultiSportArticles ]2015 NASCAR Cheez-It 355 Preview
Where: Watkins Glen, New York
When: Sunday, August 9, 2:00 PM ET
Line: view all Cheez-It 355 lines
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A.J. Allmendinger
If he can do it once, he can do it again. A.J. Allmendinger is the favorite at this year’s Cheez-It 355. Allmendinger was neck-in-neck, fender-to-fender against Marcos Ambrose in winning last year’s Cheez-It 355 at Watkins Glen International. He and Ambrose are two of the best road course drivers in the Sprint Cup Series.
[sc:NASCAR240banner ]Ambrose departed to stay in his native Australia, leaving Allmendinger as the runaway best road course driver in the series. It’s hard to ignore Allmendinger in this race; he has the second-best average finish position (7.8) at Watkins Glen and the third-best driver rating on the track. He has finished in the top 10 four consecutive times. Judging how he drives on this course, you can’t go wrong with Allmendinger at +450.
Kyle Busch
Kyle Busch had won three straight races and four out of the past five entering the Windows 10 400 last week. He could have won five out of the last six entering the Cheez-It 355, but ran out of gas in the final lap at Pocono.
Busch is not just one of the hottest drivers in the series right now; he’s also one of the best drivers at Watkins Glen. The Joe Gibbs Racing export has the second-best driver rating and the seventh-best average finish position (11.3) at the track. Busch had eight consecutive top 10 finishes at Watkins Glen before colliding with Martin Truex Jr. last year. He’s a hot pick at +600 coming into Watkins Glen.
Jimmie Johnson
A six-time Sprint Cup champion, Jimmie Johnson may be even more determined to win at Watkins Glen. He’s never won at the road course, only one of four Cup tracks he’s yet to take the checkered flag. The other three are Chicago, Homestead and Kentucky. Johnson’s has a 13.92 average finish position at Watkins Glen, but he had three-straight top 10 finishes before placing 28th last season.
Johnson is +800 to win his first title at Watkins Glen.
It’s going to be a tight race at the Glen this coming weekend. Create a betting account now and get your fix of high-octane racing action.
Sleeper
Tony Stewart
Tony Stewart should be one of the favorites to win this race, but his terrible season makes him a sleeper at +1,500. He hasn’t won in 21 starts this season and only has two top 10 finishes, with one coming from Pocono just this past week. However, Stewart could show his best form at Watkins Glen for the Cheez-It 355. He’s won the most races by any driver at the track with five. His familiarity with Watkins Glen may be the spark he needs to turn his season around.
Long Shot
Casey Mears
If you’re looking for a long shot to win this race, Casey Mears pays a lot at +10,000 to win the Cheez-It 355. Mears is pretty reliable at the Glen. He’s cracked the top 20 in seven straight starts on the track, including two straight top 15 finishes. Mears’ best finish at the Glen is fourth, which makes a win for him not too far-fetched.
2015 Sprint Cup Series Standings
| Place | Driver | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kevin Harvick | 780 |
| 2 | Joey Logano | 734 |
| 3 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | 717 |
| 4 | Jimmie Johnson | 713 |
| 5 | Martin Truex Jr. | 694 |
| 6 | Brad Keselowski | 681 |
| 7 | Matt Kenseth | 662 |
| 8 | Jamie McMurray | 631 |
| 9 | Kurt Busch | 620 |
| 10 | Jeff Gordon | 617 |
| 11 | Denny Hamlin | 614 |
| 12 | Paul Menard | 591 |
| 13 | Ryan Newman | 584 |
| 13 | Kasey Kahne | 558 |
| 15 | Clint Bowyer | 574 |
| 16 | Carl Edwards | 553 |
| 17 | Aric Almirola | 534 |
| 18 | Greg Biffle | 502 |
| 19 | Kyle Larson | 485 |
| 20 | Austin Dillon | 484 |
| 21 | Casey Mears | 467 |
| 22 | Danica Patrick | 462 |
| 23 | AJ Allmendinger | 460 |
| 24 | David Ragan | 440 |
| 25 | Tony Stewart | 417 |
| 26 | Sam Hornish Jr. | 390 |
| 27 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | 383 |
| 28 | Trevor Bayne | 370 |
| 29 | Justin Allgaier | 337 |
| 30 | David Gilliland | 331 |
| 30 | Cole Whitt | 331 |
| 32 | Kyle Busch | 318 |
| 33 | Brett Moffitt | 279 |
| 34 | Alex Bowman | 264 |
| 35 | Michael Annett | 248 |
| 36 | Matt DiBenedetto | 220 |
| 37 | Josh Wise | 186 |
| 38 | Michael McDowell | 124 |
| 39 | Jeb Burton | 120 |
| 40 | Alex Kennedy | 77 |
| 41 | Reed Sorenson | 41 |
| 42 | Bobby Labonte | 39 |
| 43 | Brian Vickers | 32 |
| 44 | Michael Waltrip | 26 |
| 45 | Mike Wallace | 8 |
| 46 | Eddie MacDonald | 7 |
| 47 | Will Kimmel | 6 |
| 48 | Ron Hornaday Jr. | 2 |
Writer’s Prediction
Kyle Busch (+600) edges Allmendinger to win the Cheez-It 355.
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