2017 NASCAR Week 22: Watkins Glenn

I Love New York 355 at the Glen

Watkins Glen International

By Richard Tix

What to Watch For?

Can A.J. Allmendinger Get it Done at WG?

• The header says it all, can Allmendinger join the Playoff party? Is biggest shot to do so is this weekend at WG where he has won before and shown off his road course prowess. If he does win Sunday he would mark the 15th different driver to win in 2017 and the 14th to have a win counted towards the playoffs (Joey Logano has an encumbered win).No doubt a win by the No. 47 team would set off chaos in the NASCAR community and the playoff picture.

The Cutoff Line

• I was interested in the points championship for the longest time and really wanted to focus in on it, but since pointing it out Truex has taken off from the struggling Kyle Larson. So since that fell apart, onto the biggest storyline for the remaining regular season races, the Playoff cutoff line.With five regular season races left we have thirteen different winners that qualify for the Playoffs (14 if you include Joey Logano's encumbered win), which means the cutoff line is already tight. If someone new wins (say AJ this weekend), the heat will be 150 degrees in the kitchen for win-less drivers. Right now Matt Kenseth is the 16th driver and the final guy to get into the playoffs if they started today. MK is in the clear by only 17 points over Clint Bowyer (17th) and 69 over Joey Logano and his encumbered win. Elliott, McMurray, Kenseth, Bowyer, Logano, Jones, Suarez, Allmendinger, Bayne, Earnhardt Jr, and Menard are all win-less with the hot seat getting hotter each week. I don't believe even Elliott or McMurray are safe just yet because one win by someone below them puts immense pressure on them and one step closer to the bubble spot. 

Will Kyle Busch Continue to Heat Up?

• Kyle Busch finally locked up his first win of 2017 at Pocono last weekend after seemingly starting to pick up the pace in the last couple months. In 2014 Brad Keselowski started to heat up right around this same time on the way to his first Championship, so could Kyle do the same? BK had six top fives and two wins starting at WG in in 15 races (12 top tens) and KB is just as capable, if not more so, to take off on a hot run for his second Cup Championship. Even with only one win and a slow start for he and JGR, Kyle is still fourth in points and tied for third in playoff points behind Truex and Johnson. Look this weekend for Rowdy to have another strong run at WG and to help catapult him going into the Playoffs.

**This section is just a quick look at some of Cup drivers latest finishes. This is not a tool for fantasy purposes and NBTW only is looking at end results. No deep statistic's are involved, but rather it is just a quick way to get ready for the race and get caught up on who has finished well at each track**

The Good

• AJ Allmendinger- A win, two top fives, and 50 laps lead in his last three races at WG. He could again shock the NASCAR world.
• Kyle Busch- Rowdy's name can be considered up there with AJ's as one of the best at WG. He has two wins and many memorable moments here.
• Joey Logano- JoLo is the overlooked of the three, but shouldn't be. He has four straight top tens, including a win, and five top tens in his last six (involved in a wreck in the other). 

The Middle

• Brad Keselowski- I wouldn't exactly call this the typical middle I use, but it still counts. Why? Well, first BK has been really good here with five top tens in seven tries (normally too good for me to consider for this section). However, he also just can't close in on a win here so I am throwing him in here to spotlight coming up short.

The Bad

• Ricky Stenhouse Jr- Here is a trend that should change Sunday: In his four starts here, his finish position has gotten worse each year (18, 20, 34, and 38th). He also doesn't qualify well here either.
• Paul Menard- 13 starts, zero top tens. Also, only two top 15's in that same time.
• Kasey Kahne- Kasey also has 13 starts and zero top tens. Unlike Menard, KK has four top 15's, but his average finish in his last four is 27th with two finishes outside the top 30.