2021 Go Bowling at the Glen Preview
Date: Sunday August 8th, 3:00PM (EST) | Location: Watkins Glen
For the first time in several weeks, NASCAR’s Cup Series will return to racing with Sunday’s running of the Go Bowling at the Glen. NASCAR’s top division enjoyed a rare two-week break during the Olympics but will now embark on a crucial four-week stretch to finalize the playoff field for the Chase for the Cup. This Sunday’s return to racing will also mark the first event at Watkins Glen since the 2019 season. Last year’s race was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but before that cancellation, Chase Elliott scored back-to-back victories in 2018 and 2019. Since Elliotts’ first Cup Series win in 2018 at Watkins Glen, he has quickly become the most prominent road course driver in the sport and will get a chance to earn his 3rd consecutive victory at Watkins Glen on Sunday.
Elliott has scored two road course victories this season at Circuit of the Americas and Road America. Elliott’s win at Road America may have been the most impressive in recent memory. The reigning champion started in the 34th position and never looked strong in the buildup to the start of the race through practice and qualifying sessions. However, Elliott improved his pace with every lap and eventually took over the lead in the closing laps to score his 7th career road course victory. When the green flag waves on Sunday, Elliott will be an overwhelming favorite at near 2-1 odds at most major sportsbooks. While I would typically never advocate betting on a driver at such crazy odds, Elliott could be the exception to that rule. As NASCAR’s top road course talent and arguably at his best track, Elliott is an undeniable betting option that could potentially dominate this race.
The biggest question is who can challenge Elliott on Sunday and potentially steal the victory? Due to the fact Elliott is an overwhelming favorite, we can find adequate betting value in pivoting against the reigning champion. The drivers that I have on my radar this week to provide sharp value include the likes of Joey Logano and Kyle Busch. For clarity, Martin Truex Jr and Kyle Larson definitely deserve to be in the conversation for the victory this week. However, I believe Logano and Busch offer the most upside based on current odds. Logano is my favorite driver of the bunch and opened at near 15-1 odds. Despite not having the greatest road course reputation, Logano’s 6.0 average finishing position in the four road course events this year is the best among all active drivers. For fantasy players, I would also point out that Logano has been in every winning DFS lineup this season at road course venues. Simply put, Logano should be targeted in all betting formats.
Though road course venues offer the potential for pit strategy due to the fact that cars can pit without losing a lap, I’m not exactly convinced we will see any surprise winners this week. Despite several road course races this season, Watkins Glen will still tailor towards drivers that have experience at this venue, and I believe that makes this Sunday’s Go Bowling at the Glen relatively top-heavy for futures (win) bets. If you are looking for additional betting options in the form of H2H formats, I would pay close attention to the likes of Christopher Bell and Ross Chastain. Bell scored one of the bigger upsets of the season back in February at the Daytona Road Course and has shown solid skills at these unique layouts. If you consider the #20 car team’s success at Watkins Glen in previous years with Erik Jones, this should be another prime opportunity for Bell to capture a quality finish. Lastly, Ross Chastain has likely been the most underrated road course threat on the road courses all season. In fact, Chastain’s average running position (10.3) at the road course races ranks 4th of all competitors. As a result, Chastain is one of those drivers that will likely yield profits in the appropriate match-ups on Sunday!
