NASCAR Wild Card at Watkins Glen

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Cheez-It 355 at the Glen
(Photo courtesy of NASCARmedia.com/Jared C. Tilton/NASCAR via Getty Images)

It’s time for the race that can be a NASCAR Wild Card heading to The Chase. It’s the Cheez-It 355 at the Glen on the road course of Watkins Glen International.

The race is a Wild Card because any team can hit on the right strategy and have all the cards fall into place just right to have a shot at the win. The track levels the playing field between the bigger teams with huge budgets and the small teams with limited resources.

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Cheez-It 355 at the Glen
(Photo courtesy of NASCARmedia.com/Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images)

Don’t get me wrong, there is still skill needed by the drivers and pit crews to have a shot to win. In fact, both drivers and pit crews have a unique challenge at Watkins Glen when it comes to pitting. At this track the cars are serviced in the pits with the right side of the car next to the pit row wall. That leaves the chance of a mental mistake by the driver or pit crew as a real possibility and a mistake there could cost the driver the chance to win.

The leveling between teams happens on the 2.45-mile track as the amount of power and speed under the hood is not the most important factor in who will win the race. That power and speed is needed, but a team with a less powerful, less expensive engine can find a way to get in front of a car from a team with major research and development dollars packed under the hood of their car.

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Cheez-It 355 at the Glen
(Photo courtesy of NASCARmedia.com/Chris Graythen/Getty Images)

Driving skill can also trump the power factor. Watkins Glen has seven different turns for the drivers to navigate through. That means any driver can make a mistake and go from up front to way back in the pack on any lap of the race due to an accident. The reverse can also happen. A driver can navigate the turns well, avoid the accidents and find their way to the front of the field.

So, which drivers have done well over their Sprint Cup careers on the road course in New York state? Let’s take a look.

Top 10 Driver Ratings at Watkins Glen
Tony Stewart – 116.1
Kyle Busch – 109.9
AJ Allmendinger – 99.9
Brad Keselowski – 99.4
Jimmie Johnson – 98.4
Carl Edwards – 95.1
Kurt Busch – 94.5
Kevin Harvick – 92.9
Martin Truex Jr. – 90.8
Kyle Larson – 98.7
(NOTE: Driver Ratings compiled from 2005-2015 races {11 total} among active drivers at Watkins Glen international.)

Tony Stewart is at the top of the list for driver ratings and in the same sport as far as winning at Watkins Glen. In his final Sprint Cup season as a driver, Tony could add to his already series leading total of five wins at Watkins Glen with another victory this week.

While Jeff Gordon is not an active driver in NASCAR any longer, he is again filling in for Dale Earnhardt Jr. in the #88 Chevrolet. If Jeff can capture the win this weekend it will increase is current total of four wins at the track to a tie with Tony Stewart at five.

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Cheez-It 355 at the Glen
(Photo courtesy of NASCARmedia.com/Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images)

Kyle Busch has two Watkins Glen Sprint Cup wins on his resume while Kevin Harvick, AJ Allmendinger and last year’s race winner Joey Logano each has a single win.

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Cheez-It 355 at the Glen
(Photo courtesy of NASCARmedia.com/Jared C. Tilton/NASCAR via Getty Images)

Which teams will find a way to complete the race on one less pit stop than the other drivers? Which drivers will crash and take themselves out of contention for the win? Will it be a driver with a 2016 win or a driver without a win this year that makes the trip to Victory Lane?

All of these questions and more will be answered this Sunday, August 7th starting at 1:30 PM central time (2:30 PM eastern time) when the NASCAR Sprint Cup series races 90 laps (220.5 miles, 355 kilometers) around Watkins Glen International in the Cheez-It 355 at the Glen.

By: Buck Stevens