NASCAR: 5 drivers most likely to win at Watkins Glen

NASCAR is set for the penultimate race of the 2023 Cup Series regular season this Sunday afternoon at Watkins Glen International.

Watkins Glen International is scheduled to host the fourth road course race and the 25th overall race of the 26-race 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season this Sunday afternoon.

The Go Bowling at The Glen is scheduled to be a 90-lap race around the eight-turn, 2.454-mile (3.949-kilometer) road course in Watkins Glen, New York, and it is a race that was won last year by Hendrick Motorsports’ Kyle Larson.

Larson is the two-time reigning winner of the event after Hendrick Motorsports’ Chase Elliott won it in both 2018 and 2019. Late contact with Elliott in a battle for the lead during last year’s race ultimately gave Larson the lead and victory after the teammates finished 1-2 in 2021.

While NASCAR Cup Series road course races have been relatively chaotic since the Gen 7 era began last year, Watkins Glen is a track where the favorites have generally thrived.

DraftKings Sportsbook, which is now giving fans an instant $150 for betting $5, lists Elliott as the +350 favorite to win Sunday’s race.

It should come as no surprise to anybody that Elliott and Larson are the top two favorites to win this race, given the fact that no driver not named Elliott or Larson has won the race since Martin Truex Jr. won it in 2017, then driving for Furniture Row Racing.

Likewise, it should surprise nobody that the Joe Gibbs Racing driver, who won the road course race at Sonoma Raceway earlier this season, is listed third at +650.

23XI Racing’s Tyler Reddick and Front Row Motorsports’ Michael McDowell are the other two road course winners this season, and they round out the top five.

While Reddick has become one of the sport’s best road course drivers, having won three times at such tracks since July 2022, and has emerged as a regular contender, is McDowell a serious contender to win back-to-back races and triple his career win total in an eight-day span?

In his 16-year Cup Series career, he has never had odds as low as +1000 to win a race, but following his popular win at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course, it’s hard to argue against his status as one of the favorites this weekend.

The Go Bowling at The Glen is scheduled to be broadcast live on USA Network from Watkins Glen International beginning at 3:00 p.m. ET this Sunday, August 20. Take advantage of FuboTV’s free trial offer today and don’t miss it!