Back to News

September 13, 2024

NASCAR.com’s 36 for 36 picks for Watkins Glen fall race


NASCAR.com’s 36 for 36 continues at Watkins Glen International.

With 36 races and 36 full-time Charter cars, our players select one car per race, but there’s a simple twist: once they’ve made the pick, they can’t choose that car again for the rest of the 36-race season. Yes, that means every car will be selected exactly once … a survivor pool, by another name.

Follow along weekly as our panel of pickers — Dustin Albino from Jayski, along with Steve Luvender and Cameron Richardson from NASCAR.com — embarks on a season-long journey to think like strategists and prove their picking prowess.

We’ll also feature a fourth “community” 36 for 36 pick each week, as decided by fan vote on the r/NASCAR subreddit. Can the collective vote topple our trio of full-timers?

Current Standings:

  1. Steve Luvender: 689
  2. Dustin Albino: -71
  3. r/NASCAR Community: -75
  4. Cameron Richardson: -123

Race 28 of 36: Watkins Glen

An eventful playoff opener last week at Atlanta Motor Speedway shook up the 36 for 36 standings. A disappointing day for Todd Gilliland landed the r/NASCAR community just 10 points, enough to move Dustin Albino up into second place. Albino’s pick of Ricky Stenhouse Jr. proved fruitful enough for 34 points — tied for Stenhouse’s second-best points day of 2024. Steve Luvender and Cameron Richardson collected 22 points from picking Corey LaJoie.

Watkins Glen is the next step for the Cup Series and our picking panel. It’s the first time The Glen hosts a playoff race, and the prospect of fast-wearing tires is sure to keep things interesting. How did our pickers decide to approach this road-course weekend?

Jayski’s Dustin Albino: No. 2, Austin Cindric

Dustin’s pick last week: No. 47, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (34 points)

Total season points: 618 (second place, +1 from last week)

Dustin: With how well Cindric has performed on superspeedways in the Cup Series — he led a race-high 92 laps in the playoff opener at Atlanta — it might be easy to forget that he grew up road racing. He had immediate success on road courses in the Xfinity Series, and that translated to the Cup Series during his rookie campaign. Team Penske’s road-course program has been slightly off over the last year and a half, but I’m on the Cindric bandwagon of advancing to the Round of 12. With how the 2024 playoffs are set up, it’s reasonable to believe he will reach the Round of 8. Cindric was among the three drivers — Tyler Reddick and Daniel Suárez — that participated in a Goodyear tire test at Watkins Glen in June.

NASCAR.com’s Steve Luvender: No. 54, Ty Gibbs

Steve’s pick last week: No. 7, Corey LaJoie (22 points)

Total season points: 689 (first place)

Steve: Gibbs has yet to find Victory Lane in 78 Cup Series starts, but I think he could seriously contend for the win on Sunday. With four road-course victories in the Xfinity Series, including one of those coming at The Glen in 2021, he’s proven his proficiency in turning right and left. I suspect the road-racing prowess of the sophomore driver, combined with the speed of his Joe Gibbs Racing pit crew, will lead to a productive afternoon as the No. 54 team eyes the Round of 12.

NASCAR.com’s Cameron Richardson: No. 99, Daniel Suárez

Cameron’s pick last week: No. 7, Corey LaJoie (22 points)

Total season points: 566 (fourth place)

Cameron: Coming off a runner-up result at Atlanta, Suárez has significant momentum heading to one of his better tracks on the circuit. He owns three top-five results in six starts at The Glen, but I could be trapped once again as his other three results were 17th or worse. With a softer tire potentially shaking up the racing and strategy on Sunday, the No. 99 Trackhouse Racing team will need to play defense to maintain a 22-point cushion above the elimination line. If they do, it could mean another big points day for Suárez to continue his push into the Round of 12.

r/NASCAR Community: No. 34, Michael McDowell

r/NASCAR’s pick last week: No. 38, Todd Gilliland (10 points)

Total season points: 614 (third place, -1 from last week)

The NASCAR subreddit is going with Front Row Motorsports for the second week in a row, this time with Michael McDowell getting the nod. Here’s what Redditors had to say in this week’s voting thread:

u/FridgusDomin8or: “This has to be it for this week. McDowell is really good at Watkins Glen; I think back to last year’s race where he started up front, lost all his track position due to a pit road penalty, and drove back through the field (before his engine expired). He’s also a veteran who shouldn’t have a hard time knowing how to conserve tires if that comes into play.”

u/Extreme-Bite-9123: “Michael here. The guy is really good on the roads, and the glen is one of his better ones. Definitely take him here”

Check back next week to see how our pickers fared as the season-long 36 for 36 journey continues.

And, if you’ve got a competitive itch beyond meticulously managing your Fantasy Live lineup each week, feel free to save or print your own 36 for 36 sheet and see if you can beat our pickers and the Reddit community!

MUST WATCH