Fantasy Preview: The Glen

Only five race weekends have passed since the Nextel Cup Series rolled out of Infineon Raceway and in three of those events drivers challenged the flat tracks of New Hampshire International Speedway, Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Pocono Raceway. Many drivers think the entry into a road-course corner is similar to that of the flat tracks, so they have kept their skills sharp.

Added to the mix is a pair of Busch road races. The number of Buschwhackers in the field last week was limited somewhat by the difficulty in commuting from Pocono to Montreal, but those who were in the race gained valuable experience. This week, the Busch lineup at Watkins Glen International will have even more Cup regulars as even veterans try to get a little more seat time.

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The only way to get better on a road course is to log laps, and evidence for this can be seen in last week's race when Carl Edwards went back on the course many laps down to get some practice.

Last week at Pocono, fantasy owners were advised to fill their roster with veterans. This week is no exception because experience counts on a road course.

Road Warriors

Until last year's edition of this race, three drivers had swept Victory Lane on the road courses since the fall of 2002. Tony Stewart did it twice for four victories, while Jeff Gordon and Robby Gordon each accomplished the two-win feat once and none of these men show any signs of slowing down anytime soon.

Stewart has been as close to perfect as a driver can be at The Glen, with three victories and a runner-up finish in his last five races. The only time he struggled was in 2003 and in that event, he still managed to finish 11th. With back-to-back victories at Chicagoland Speedway and Indy, plus a solid sixth-place result last week at Pocono, he may have more momentum than ever. Disappointing results in the spring and early summer have left him with a relatively affordable salary cap, and with several good road ringers to stretch your fantasy dollar, he is the best value in the game.

Both racing Gordons are favored to earn top-five finishes, but might need a little luck to find Victory Lane. Jeff Gordon is one of the best road-course racers in the business, but The Glen has not been kind to him in recent seasons. After winning four of five races from 1997 through 2001, he's failed to crack the top 10 in the five races that followed. The closest he's come was 13th in this race last year, but it hasn't been for a lack of strength. Problems in the pits, errant fuel calculations and general bad luck have plagued him during that span. In 2007, he's finished in the top 10 in all but two races, however, and it's hard to imagine that with momentum like that on his side, he won't get the monkey off his back.

Robby Gordon is probably just happy to be here. After failing to heed NASCAR's instructions in last week's Busch race, Gordon was parked at Pocono and one has to believe serious consideration was given to suspending him for more than that single race. Officials fined him $35,000 and placed him on probation through the end of the season, but he will race in the Centurion Boats at The Glen and that is good news for fantasy owners. He's had some trouble recently on the more technical Infineon Raceway, but he's always great at The Glen. As a road ringer, he finished fourth here in 1997 and since then he's been in the top five in five of seven races. That includes a victory in 2003, a runner-up finish in 2005 and a fourth last year.

Road Wannabees

Last year Kevin Harvick broke into Victory Lane on a road course for the first time in this race. To prove it was not a fluke, he drove from the back of the pack to the front at Montreal last week. While that wasn't the prettiest performance we've seen in recent years, it will increase his confidence entering this weekend. Harvick's victory last year came as a bit of a surprise since his three previous road-course events ended in 37th-, 15th-, and 24th-place finishes at The Glen and Infineon combined. However, with that win under his belt, he went to Infineon in June and finished second.

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.