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Fantasy NASCAR Picks for the Cheez-It 355 at Watkins Glen

By Rich Pelesky

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Aug 8, 2015; Watkins Glen, NY, USA; Sprint Cup Series driver Kevin Harvick (4) during qualifying for the Cheez-It 355 at Watkins Glen International. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Hoffman-USA TODAY Sports

Fantasy NASCAR Picks for the Cheez-It 355 at Watkins Glen

Whether you are a fantasy racing player or just a NASCAR fan, let us be your one stop shop for all the information you need to prepare you for NASCAR races in the 2015 season. Go to our Fantasy NASCAR Hub at https://fansided.com/category/nascar-fantasy/ and bookmark it!

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MUST SEE: Fantasy NASCAR Scoring Changes on DraftKings effective 8/2!

If you haven’t already, check out our 2015 Cheez-It 355 at The Glen Fantasy Preview and Fantasy Analysis. This will give you insight in how you should make your selections for the race which is based on track and race history as well as the initial practices. Also, it has resources to help fantasy players familiarize themselves with the new DraftKings Daily NASCAR contests and scoring.

Before we get to my picks, let’s take a look at the field!

Next: The Field: Qualifying Order with DraftKings Salaries

Aug 8, 2015; Watkins Glen, NY, USA; Sprint Cup Series driver AJ Allmendinger (47) wins the pole during qualifying for the Cheez-It 355 at Watkins Glen International. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Hoffman-USA TODAY Sports

Race Entrants in Qualifying Order w/ DraftKings Salaries

NOTE: Due to DraftKings changing the number to entrants from 5 to 6 but keeping the salary cap at $50,000, the salaries will be lower than in previous contests.

  1. #47 A.J. Allendinger, Kroger/Bush’s Baked Beans Chevrolet for $10,200
  2. #78 Martin Truex Jr., Furniture Row Chevrolet for $8,800
  3. #14 Tony Stewart, Bass Pro Shops/Mobil 1 Chevrolet for $8,800
  4. #4 Kevin Harvick, Budweiser/Jimmy John’s Chevrolet for $10,000
  5. #24 Jeff Gordon, Axalta Chevrolet for $8,700
  6. #42 Kyle Larson, Target Chevrolet for $7,400
  7. #88 Dale Earnhardt Jr., Nationwide Chevrolet for $8,200
  8. #18 Kyle Busch, M&M’s Crispy Toyota for $10,500
  9. #48 Jimmie Johnson, LOWES Chevrolet for $8,900
  10. #3 Austin Dillon, Dow Chevrolet for $6,600
  11. #2 Brad Keselowski, Miller Lite Ford  for $9,900
  12. #51 Justin Allgaier, Brandt Chevrolet for $6,600
  13. #11 Denny Hamlin, FedEx Ground Toyota for $7,600
  14. #41 Kurt Busch, Haas Automation Chevrolet for $10,400
  15. #19 Carl Edwards, Stanley Toyota for $9,200
  16. #22 Joey Logano, Shell Pennzoil Ford for $9,600
  17. #1 Jamie McMurray, McDonald’s Chevrolet for $7,900
  18. #15 Clint Bowyer, Maxwell House Toyota for $8,300
  19. #55 David Ragan, Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota for $6,200
  20. #31 Ryan Newman, Caterpillar Chevrolet for $7,400
  21. #43 Aric Almirola, Smithfield Ford for $6,800
  22. #10 Danica Patrick, GoDaddy Chevrolet for $6,600
  23. #5 Kasey Kahne, Time Warner Cable Chevrolet for $8,000
  24. #9 Sam Hornish Jr., Medallion Bank Ford for $7,800
  25. #16 Greg Biffle, Cheez-It Ford Fusion for $7,400
  26. #20 Matt Kenseth, Dollar General Toyota for $8,100
  27. #83 Matt DiBenedetto, Burger King Toyota for $5,600
  28. #27 Paul Menard, Libman/Menards Chevrolet for $7,300
  29. #13 Casey Mears GEICO Chevrolet SS for $6,700
  30. #17 Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Ford Ecoboost Ford Fusion for $6,600
  31. #95 Michael McDowell, KLOVE Ford for $5,600
  32. #34 Chris Buescher, Bully Hill Vineyards Ford for $5,600
  33. #35 Cole Whitt, Tweaker Energy Shots Ford for $5,600
  34. #6 Trevor Bayne, AdvoCare Ford Fusion for $6,100
  35. #33 Alex Kennedy, Dream Factory Chevrolet for $5,600
  36. #40 Landon Cassill, TBA Chevrolet for $5,900
  37. #38 David Gilliland, Love’s Travel Stops Ford for $6,000
  38. #32 Boris Said, Genesee Brewing Company Ford for $6,400
  39. #7 Alex Bowman, TBR Chevrolet for $5,700
  40. #46 Michael Annett, Switch Hitch  Chevrolet for $5,800
  41. #26 Jeb Burton, Maxim Toyota for $5,700
  42. #23 J.J. Yeley, Dr. Pepper Toyota for $5,700
  43. #98 Timmy HIll, Premium Motorsports Ford for $5,600

Next: High Priced Drivers - $9,000 and up

Jun 28, 2015; Sonoma, CA, USA; Sprint Cup Series driver Kurt Busch (41) leads driver Kevin Harvick (4) during the Toyota/SaveMart 350 at Sonoma Raceway. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-USA TODAY Sports

High: $9,000 and up

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    • #41 Kurt Busch, Haas Automation Chevrolet for $10,400 (Qualed 15th): A great road-course racer, Kurt has five Top 5 finishes in his last 10 races at Sonoma and Watkins Glen. Busch finished no less than 14th in any of the weekend sessions. The 15th starting position (and the potential position differential points) is too appealing to pass up – the #41 has as good of a chance as anyone to take the checkered flag.

    #2 Brad Keselowski, Miller Lite Ford  for $9,900 (Qualed 11th): Keslowski is very good at this road course which perfectly fits his aggressive racing style as shown in his three straight 2nd place finishes from 2012 through 2014. He has a Driver Rating of 97.5, fifth-best among active drivers along with 39 Fastest Laps Run (8th). A hiccup in the “Bus Stop” hurt his qualifying run on Saturday but the #2 was fast and effective on most of his weekend runs. He also finished 2nd in Saturday’s XFinity race here.

    Aug 8, 2015; Watkins Glen, NY, USA; Sprint Cup Series driver Jimmie Johnson (48) and driver Alex Bowman (7) during qualifying for the Cheez-It 355 at Watkins Glen International. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Hoffman-USA TODAY Sports

    Medium-High: $8,000 to $8,900

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    #48 Jimmie Johnson, LOWES Chevrolet for $8,900 (Qualed 9th): Johnson has four Top 5s, seven Top 10s and one pole here. He has impressive performance numbers at WGI as well: Average Running Position of 10.1 (2nd) and Driver Rating of 100.1 (4th). He’s looking for his first win here and the accomplished NASCAR driver would love to add a win here to his trophy case. His 3rd fastest lap in the first practice and 9th place mark in a highly competitive final Qualifying Group attests to the #48’s speed.

    Honorable Mention: #88 Dale Earnhardt Jr., Nationwide Chevrolet for $8,200 (Qualed 7th): Junior is a greatly improved road course driver with no finish less than 11th in his last 3 races at Sonoma and The Glen. As one of Chevrolet’s NASCAR stars he could have a dominant car for a manufacturer that had 11 of the Top 17 finishers in the 2014 Cheez-It 355.

    Next: Medium-Low Priced Drivers - $7,000 to $7,900

    Aug 8, 2015; Watkins Glen, NY, USA; Sprint Cup Series driver Greg Biffle (16) during qualifying for the Cheez-It 355 at Watkins Glen International. Mandatory Credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Sports

    Medium-Low: $7.000 to $7,900

    #16 Greg Biffle, Cheez-It Ford Fusion for $8,600 (Qualed 25th):  Biffle is resurrecting his season with Top 20s in 4 of the last 5 races including an impressive 5th place finish at Pocono that put him back in the Chase conversation. He had a 8th at Watkins Glen in 2014 and a 6th here in 2012. Look for him to show the speed he demonstrated in the 2nd practice (3rd) and skill to improve his 25th starting position to get a big fantasy number.

    #27 Paul Menard, Libman/Menards Chevrolet for $7,300 (Qualed 28th): Menards is a good road course racer and could be a spoiler on Sunday. He has Top 20s in 4 of the last 6 races here. He may not win or get a Top 5 but could get a lot of points starting from the 14th row. Plus, his current place in the standings (13th) means he should run a smart, conservative race that could easily put him in the Top 20 and at 40+ FP.

    Next: Low Priced Drivers - $6,900 and below

    Jul 25, 2015; Indianapolis, IN, USA; NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Austin Dillon during qualifying for the Crown Royal 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

    Low: $6,900 and below

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    • #13 Casey Mears GEICO Chevrolet SS for $6,700 (Qualed 29th): Mears has the pedigree and a decent record at road course racing: his seven consecutive Top 20s at Watkins Glen is impressive considering the cars and teams he has driven for. Expect him to have another mid-teen performance and return a lot of FPs for a very inexpensive price-tag of $6,700.

    Honorable Mention: #3 Austin Dillon, Dow Chevrolet for $6,600 (Qualed 10th): The young, talented driver had a good Cup road course début with a 16th at Sonoma. Plus, he has avoided trouble and has been consistent lately with 8 straight Top 25 Cup finishes. He also showed prowess by finishing no less than 12th in any of the sessions this weekend. The 10th starting spot reduces his value but this is countered by an extremely low price of $6,600.

    Fantasy Football: Two Quarterback Draft Strategy

    Please participate in my poll question and make your comments below!

    Need help with your daily or season-long fantasy NASCAR contests? Contact me on Twitter @Rich_Pelesky and I will give you the guidance you need to make the best fantasy decisions.

    Next: Get More In-Depth Fantasy Coverage with our Cheez-It 355 Fantasy Analysis