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For the second time this season, the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series (MENCS) will go road course racing — this time at Watkins Glen International.
Road courses always provide exciting side-by-side racing, while the additional intrigue of how teams will approach strategy — based on differing agendas like racing for stage points as opposed to winning the race — will make this event unique.
To make this weekend’s NASCAR Props Challenge picks, we’ll lean on historic results from Watkins Glen, as well as how teams with different agendas will likely approach this race.
1. Will the pole sitter lead the first seven laps? Yes or No?
Denny Hamlin won the Watkins Glen pole in 2018 but finished with just two laps led in the race. Green flags/restarts can get dicey at road courses, so I expect that at least one driver can snag the lead from the polesitter by Lap 8.
Pick: No
2. The Stage 1 winner will lead O/U 5.5 laps in the first stage?
Stage 1 will be 20 laps on Sunday. In last year’s race, Martin Truex Jr. won Stage 1 but led a total of four laps throughout the entire race.
Pick: Under
3. Will the Stage 1 winner score stage points in Stage 2? Yes or No?
In two MENCS races at Watkins Glen since stage racing was introduced, the Stage 1 winner did score points in Stage 2.
Pick: Yes