NASCAR escapes the confines of the cookie-cutter tracks this week as the Sprint Cup hits the road at Watkins Glen International on Sunday, August 14 at 1:15 p.m. for 90-laps of right and left turn excitement at the Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips at the ‘Glen.’

Auto sports investors should keep in mind that Watkins Glen International is one of five tracks Jimmie Johnson has never won on the Sprint Cup circuit. Nine of 28 races have been won by the pole-sitter, but this has not happened since Kyle Busch won the race from the pole in 2008. Mark Martin has won this race three times from the pole, while Jeff Gordon leads all active drivers in road course wins with nine and Tony Stewart is second with seven wins. Wait until after Happy Hour to invest in this race as 18 of 28 races have been won from the Top-Five starting position.
 
Who will win the Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips?

Brad “Ain’t-Nobody-Driving-My-Car” Keselowski won at Pocono last week despite driving with a broken ankle. He beat Jeff Gordon, Johnson, and both Busch brothers in the late stages of the race for the gutsy victory. The win propelled Keselowski to the top of the wildcard standings and puts him in fine position to secure a spot in the Chase for the Sprint Cup. There are two wildcard entries in the 12-driver Chase, and thanks to his second win of the season and being within the Top-20, Keselowski looks like he’ll occupy one of the two wildcards.

As for the rest of the pack Carl Edwards held onto first this week after Pocono with Johnson still chasing the lead from nine points behind. Kyle (11 points), Kurt Busch (14 points), and Kevin Harvick (20 points) round out the top-five in the Sprint Cup standings. However, 59-points separate fifth place from Dale Earnhardt, Jr. in 10th place. Notably absent from the Top 10 is Denny Hamlin, currently in 11th place, who is 23 points behind Junior. The good news for Hamlin, so far, is that he has the second wildcard for the Chase with one win and four Top-5 finishes.

Juan Pablo Montoya won this race last year for the second win of his career.  Montoya led for 74 of 90 laps and brought home the win for Chip Ganassi Racing, the first at Watkins Glen. Kurt Busch finished second and Marcos Ambrose finished third for his third straight Top-3 finish at Watkins Glen. Kyle Busch’s eighth-place finish was the fifth consecutive Top-10 finish at the Glen. 

This Sunday is the second and final road course of the Sprint Cup season and there are several drivers I think should do well on the nine-turn road course known to locals as ‘The Glen.’ I can’t reiterate enough to wait until the qualifying order is set, but my leans include the usual suspects Jeff Gordon, Ambrose, Busch-squared, Edwards, and Johnson. Three of these drivers have an average finish in the Top 10; Stewart averages a 5.4 finish in 12 starts; Edwards an 8.1 finish in eight starts, but Ambrose has a ridiculous 2.6 average finish in three starts! Ambrose finished second last year and something tells me that this Aussie road course specialist will dominate on Sunday and earn his first Sprint Cup victory and bring one home for Richard Petty Motorsports. 

Pick! Marcos Ambrose, No. 9, +400

Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips Lucky Dog Long Odds Pick
 
Carl Edwards gets it. When he was asked at Pocono what it is like to race as the front-runner he responded that he doesn’t look at it that way. Edwards races with a mid-pack mentality and approaches each race like he is in seventh place rather than first. This approach should serve ‘Cousin Carl’ well Sunday, as he’ll try to stay ahead of Johnson and the Busch Brothers in the standings with a solid finish on Sunday. Don’t forget that Edwards won the pole last year, but finished the race fifth. Edwards by his nature will race to win rather than settle for a safe middle-of-the-pack finish. Edwards at +1500 is too tasty to pass up as my pick for this week’s long odds lucky dog.

Pick! Carl Edwards, No. 99. +1500

Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips – Odds for Top 3 Finish

Watkins Glen gets hot and humid in mid-August and that usually brings out “Smoke,” as in, Tony Stewart. Since 2002 Stewart has notched five wins and since 2005 has won at the Glen on alternating years in ’05, ‘07, ’09. In 2006 and ’08 Stewart finished second, but last year finished seventh. Stewart has been so dominant at Watkins Glen that last year’s result can only be seen as an anomaly. While there is a strong case for backing Stewart to win on Sunday a Top-3 finish is as good as money in the bank. 

Pick! Tony Stewart, No.14, +200

Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips – Odds for Top-3 Finish
Watkins Glen International, August 14, 1:15 p.m.

550 AJ Allmendinger     +1500 
551 Boris Said     +1000 
552 Brad Keselowski     +2000 
553 Brian Vickers     +3000 
554 Carl Edwards     +450 
555 Clint Bowyer     +1200 
556 Dale Earnhardt Jr     +2000 
557 David Ragan     +3000 
558 Denny Hamlin     +600 
559 Greg Biffle     +1500 
560 Jamie McMurray     +1000 
561 Jeff Burton     +3000 
562 Jeff Gordon     +250 
563 Jimmie Johnson     +250 
564 Joey Logano     +1800 
565 Juan Pablo Montoya     +200 
566 Kasey Kahne     +1000 
567 Kevin Harvick     +350 
568 Kurt Busch     +250 
569 Kyle Busch     +250 
570 Marcos Ambrose     +120 
571 Mark Martin     +2000 
572 Martin Truex Jr     +3000 
573 Matt Kenseth     +1800 
574 Paul Menard     +1800 
575 Regan Smith     +3000 
576 Robby Gordon     +750 
577 Ryan Newman     +900 
578 Tony Stewart     +200 
579 Field    +1200 

Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips – Odds to Win
Watkins Glen International, August 14, 1:15 p.m.

501 AJ Allmendinger     +5000 
502 Boris Said     +3000 
503 Brad Keselowski     +7500 
504 Brian Vickers     +10000 
505 Carl Edwards     +1500 
506 Clint Bowyer     +4000 
507 Dale Earnhardt Jr     +7000 
508 David Ragan     +10000 
509 Denny Hamlin     +2000 
510 Greg Biffle     +5000 
511 Jamie McMurray     +3500 
512 Jeff Burton     +10000 
513 Jeff Gordon     +750 
514 Jimmie Johnson     +750 
515 Joey Logano     +5000 
516 Juan Pablo Montoya     +700 
517 Kasey Kahne     +3000 
518 Kevin Harvick     +1000 
519 Kurt Busch     +750 
520 Kyle Busch     +750 
521 Marcos Ambrose     +400 
522 Mark Martin     +700 
523 Martin Truex Jr     +9000 
524 Matt Kenseth     +5000 
525 Paul Menard     +5000 
526 Regan Smith     +9000 
527 Robby Gordon     +2500 
528 Ryan Newman     +3000 
529 Tony Stewart     +700 
530 Field    +4000