Fantasy: Recent streak has Smoke 'king of the road'

Watkins Glen International hosts the second road course race of the season this weekend with the Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips at The Glen. It was just six weeks ago that the series last visited a road circuit, when the Toyota/Save Mart 350 was run at Infineon Raceway.

With the results of that race fresh on our mind, we should be able to look back on that event for some indicators this weekend. However, the Glen is a strangely unique animal. The 11-turn, 2.45-mile track boasts higher speeds and more straights than the course at Sonoma. This wrinkle will put a bit of a unique flavor on the drivers for this week's race.

Sure, we'll see some of the familiar road course faces in our ranking, but some will be unique to Watkins Glen alone. Without a doubt, they'll all be chasing the No. 14 on Sunday. The following is our weekly power ranking for the Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips at The Glen at Watkins Glen International.

Top Fantasy Racing Drivers for Watkins Glen

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1. Tony Stewart
The mandatory start in your fantasy racing lineups this weekend is Stewart and his No. 14 Chevrolet team. In the last five races at the Glen he's collected three victories and two runner-up finishes. That's not perfection, but it's about as close as one could ever hope for in racing. Considering how well the championship standings leader is racing, Victory Lane is about a 50 percent proposition.

2. Carl Edwards
While Edwards has never won at The Glen, his consistency has to be respected. He enters this event riding a three-race top-10 streak at the facility. The No. 99 Ford has been running well lately, so there's just the slightest chance that Edwards could dethrone Tony Stewart Sunday. The racing style that is best suited for this road course seems to be one of Edwards' strengths.

3. Jimmie Johnson
Johnson has been a bit of a feast or famine driver at Watkins Glen in recent seasons. His last five starts at the New York road course have yielded a pair of top-five finishes, but have also yielded two finishes outside the top 15 with one DNF. Johnson is making his move in the championship standings, so we expect that momentum to be in play this weekend. Another top-five seems very likely.

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Mike Bell gives you all of the clicks to pick for your fantasy race team this weekend at The Glen and he likes the No. 42 to get career win No. 2.

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4. Marcos Ambrose
Our favorite road course ace has just a matter of time before he wins in the Cup Series. Ambrose has flirted with Victory Lane almost every time he's raced on the circuit's road courses and this weekend will be no exception. In this event one year ago, Ambrose charged from last place to finish third by the end of the race. Imagine what he can do with a good starting position.

5. Denny Hamlin
Hamlin's Watkins Glen resume speaks for itself. He always runs up front when the series visits the winding circuit in mid-state New York. His terrific outing this past weekend at Pocono is a confidence booster heading into this race. Hamlin has cracked the top 10 in each of his three career Cup starts at The Glen.

6. Mark Martin
Momentum and racing skill are the two main reasons to include Martin and the No. 5 team in your fantasy racing lineups this weekend. The veteran Hendrick Motorsports driver has made 19 career starts at The Glen and he's collected an amazing 16 top-10 finishes in those starts. That factors out to a mind-boggling 84 percent top-10 rate for Martin at Watkins Glen. Our money is on the 50-year-old Sunday.

7. Juan Montoya
When thinking of a particular set of drivers suited for NASCAR road courses, Montoya's name immediately comes to mind. He won his first career NASCAR race on the road circuit in Sonoma, Calif. Montoya has also raced well in various Nationwide Series starts on road courses. In this event one year ago, he led two laps and finished fourth. Watkins Glen should surrender another top-10 to the No. 42 Earnhardt Ganassi race team.

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8. Kasey Kahne
The No. 9 team has been running well lately and Kahne has been shoring up his position in the Chase field. Watkins Glen hasn't been particularly kind to the Richard Petty Motorsports star, but his performance in 2009 negates this factor just a bit. Kahne turned in a dominant performance earlier this year in winning at Infineon, so he should have more than enough skill and equipment to forge a top-10 at Watkins Glen.

9. Kyle Busch
While his recent struggles make fantasy racing owners cringe, you have to look past that just a bit this weekend at The Glen. Busch dominated this event one year ago. The No. 18 Toyota led 52 laps and ran away from Tony Stewart for the victory. While we don't expect Busch to stroll into Victory Lane on Sunday, it should be a rebound weekend for this struggling driver.

10. Kevin Harvick
When Harvick's No. 29 team started showing some improvement at the Brickyard a couple weeks ago, we had to take notice. This part of the schedule is very good for the Richard Childress Racing veteran. Harvick owns one victory and three top-fives in just his last five visits to the New York road course. While expecting a top-five may be a bit much, a top-15 finish seems almost certain.