The NASCAR Sprint Cup series will run the final road course race of 2015 at Watkins Glen International. The Cheez-It 355 is a chance for any driver to make The Chase.

When NASCAR runs the road races each year it is a chance for just about any driver to collect a win. While the power under the hood is important, it is not as important as it is at other tracks where the mega-teams typically have a distinct advantage.

When the 43 cars race around the 2.45 mile track they will encounter seven different turns. That puts a bigger emphasis on the driver’s ability to navigate the track in an efficient manner that can put them in a position to win the race near the end.

Handling will be very important which will require the crew chiefs and pit crews to adjust the cars through the race correctly. If the car has issues handling it can result in the driver sliding or spinning off the course. While most wrecks at Watkins Glen are not extremely serious (but can end a driver’s day), we saw last year that sometime those wrecks can be massive and dangerous.

The pit crews will not only need to be performing at the best physically to get the cars back on track without losing positions, they will also need to be 100% there mentally as well. The reason is that during the NASCAR races at Watkins Glen the cars will be pitting from the opposite side as they do everywhere else. The cars will stop in the pit with the right side (passenger side in our cars) near the pit wall. The drivers will also need to be there mentally since they will not be on the side to see easier how close they are to the wall. It may seem like a small difference to you, but I have seen this cause mistakes that have taken drivers out of contention for the win in the past.

Here are the top ten in driver rating at Watkins Glen over the past 10 races at the track.

#1 – Tony Stewart – 120.4 driver rating with 5 wins
#2 – Kyle Busch – 108.4 driver rating with 2 wins
#3 – AJ Allmendinger – 100.5driver rating with 1 win
#4 – Jimmie Johnson – 100.1 driver rating with 0 wins
#5 – Brad Keselowski – 97.5 driver rating with 0 wins
#6 – Carl Edwards – 95.0 driver rating with 0 wins
#7 – Kurt Busch – 94.2 driver rating with 0 wins
#8 – Martin Truex Jr. – 90.7 driver rating with 0 wins
#9 – Kevin Harvick – 89.0 driver rating with 1 win
#10 – Jeff Gordon – 85.7 driver rating with 4 wins

I pointed out previously that this is a race that just about any driver can win and punch their ticket to The Chase. Last year was the perfect example of this when AJ Allmendinger won the race and put himself on the Chase Grid as a result. Can AJ repeat the feat again this year? It is possible, but it will be difficult considering there have been only four drivers to ever win consecutive races at Watkins Glen in NASCAR history (Mark Martin 1993, ’94, ’95; Jeff Gordon 1997, ’98, ’99; Tony Stewart 2004, ’05; Marcos Ambrose 2011, ’12).

Tony Stewart should be a favorite for the win this week. However, he has not been performing up to par for the most part. That makes me wonder if he will be able to increase his all-time leading win count of five at Watkins Glen this year.

Jeff Gordon is in his final full-time Sprint Cup season and just one win behind Tony in total career wins at Watkins Glen. Jeff has a good chance to make the Chase Grid based on points, but it is not a sure thing in any way. He could lock himself in The Chase by scoring his first 2015 NASCAR win and 5th at Watkins Glen this week.

Kyle Bush has been the hottest driver over the past month and a half having won four of the past six races. Being second on the driver rating list with a pair of wins makes Kyle a favorite to not only grab the win, but also move into the top 30 in points making himself eligible to be put on the Chase Grid. If that happens he will catapult himself to the top seed with five wins total.

I am not going to pick any dark horse drivers this week because when NASCAR races at Watkins Glen (as I have already said) anybody has a chance to get the strategy right and win the race.

It will be interesting to see what story unfolds at Watkins Glen International when the NASCAR Sprint Cup series competes in the Cheez-It 355 Sunday, August 9th at 1pm central time.

By: Buck Stevens