Fantasy Preview: The Glen (cont'd)

In that Sonoma race, Harvick crossed the line behind another driver who wants to etch his name alongside Stewart and the Gordons as multiple winners on the road courses.

There was never any doubt that Juan Montoya would be strong on the road courses given his background in Champ cars and Formula 1, but few expected him to win in his first outing. A little pit strategy and a lot of strength gave him his first Cup victory, however, and now fantasy owners know that he is more than capable of following with another.

Road Ringers

Every time the NASCAR series rolls onto the road courses, NASCAR owners roll out the road ringers.

These specialists from the sports-car ranks -- and more recently from open-wheel series -- have been a fabric of the road-course landscape throughout the Modern Era. Stock-car purists are quick to point out that one of them has yet to win since Mark Donohue accomplished the feat in 1973 on the now defunct Riverside International Raceway, but fantasy owners don't particularly care about that stat. These drivers have logged some strong results, and your fantasy roster is made up of more than a single entry.

Ron Fellows has been much better at The Glen than he has been at Infineon. Perhaps that is because this is the closest thing he's going to find to a home track since he hails from nearby Ontario. He has five victories in the Busch and Craftsman Truck series' combined and has finished second in Cup twice, which means that he is capable of winning outright if he can get track position at the end. If he finishes in the top 10 anywhere, he is going to be a great value.

Boris Said is better at Infineon than The Glen, but he is capable of putting together a strong race, as well. He finished third in 2005 and his odds of repeating that feat have improved since. Now that Said is campaigning his own Ford -- with support from Roush Fenway Racing -- the chemistry in the team is going to be better than ever. If you have room for only one road ringer, give the nod to Fellows, but Said is certainly a viable option.

This week, two new road ringers join the mix. Scott Riggs will give way to Patrick Carpentier in the No. 10 Dodge. Last week at Montreal, he got into the spirit of things when he was cutting across rumble strips aiming for Harvick's back bumper. The wily veteran knew better than to let him get that close and the Quebecois had to settle for second, but he was impressive enough to get a call from Ray Evernham. The driver has the skill and the car will be strong enough for a top-10 finish, but the ultimate result will come down to strategy and track position.

Robby Gordon will reportedly field a car for Marcos Ambrose this week, although it has not yet shown up on the official entry list. Keep an eye out for the No. 77, however, because if Gordon's backup car is as strong as his primary one, the Tasmanian Devil will be a factor at the front of the pack. Ambrose showed aggression and skill last week in Montreal, and that is what it's going to take to score a top-15 in Cup. He cut his teeth on the Australian V8 Supercar series, and if you have watched any of those races on SPEED during the long winter months, you know that his road-racing resume is stellar.