Daily Fantasy NASCAR DraftKings Forecast: 2025 Go Bowling at The Glen

If there is a road course on the current NASCAR Cup Series schedule that is better for stock car racing than Watkins Glen International, I haven’t seen it.

This long and winding course in Upstate New York has been a staple of this series for decades and has played host to some really memorable moments, too.

Who could forget that three-way tango between Kyle Busch, Brad Keselowski and Marcos Ambrose in 2012? How about Chase Elliott’s first win? This place just had a last-lap pass for the win just one year ago as well (more on that later).

What I’m getting at is that the Glen is a super fun place for placing bets, because it has a wild, unpredictable side that is just hard to put into words.

The keys to the race are simple, but so very important to selecting your rosters.

Pay close attention to Next Gen statistics from races here, but only here. There are so many courses on the schedule now, and it seems there are only a few drivers who are great on every single one. You can look at finishing results from the others when completing your roster, but get the elite first and foremost.

Also pay close attention to those who are good at saving fuel. Clearly that is a hot topic around the sport right now, and it holds true here. There have been many races won this season thanks to good fuel mileage, and I expect this will be no different.

Starting track position is another huge factor. Passing in this car is nearly impossible at any track right now, but particularly on road courses and short tracks. So if you start up front, you have to maintain your day there.

You can’t have your crew make any mistakes on pit road or get leap frogged by strategy plays. You really may not ever see the front again if you do.

If you can find the right combination of drivers who are able to do all that and more, it’s perfectly OK to take a flyer on an underdog or two to fill out your roster. There have been a few surprise winners over the years here, so it’s worth it.

Let’s take a look back at how my lineup did out at Iowa Speedway last Sunday.

Fantasy Breakdown: 2025 Iowa Corn 350

Right on the Money	Lick Your Wounds
Ryan Preece: 68.8 points scored	Justin Haley: 8.3 points scored
Ryan Blaney: 64.1 points scored	Chase Elliott: 29.8 points scored
	Christopher Bell: 30.5 points scored

2025 DraftKings Rules of the Road

Drivers will be awarded points based on their finishing position, position differential, fastest laps and laps led. The driver who wins the race scores 45 fantasy points, while second place gets 42 points, third gets 41 points and so on, at least through the top 10. The 11th-place finisher scores 32 points, 21st gets 21 and 31st gets 10.

However, any spots drivers lose or gain on the track are added or subtracted from their score. If the driver leads a lap, they will earn 0.25 points for each lap led and 0.45 points for each fastest lap.

Fantasy Forecast

Shane Van Gisbergen, $12,700

I’ll make this simple: no one in the field, and I mean absolutely no one, is going to stop Shane van Gisbergen from winning or finishing in the top two.

Van Gisbergen is simply too good, and while his price tag is hefty, there is zero chance he’s not up front when the checkered flag is shown on Sunday, barring circumstances outside his control.

Chris Buescher $9,000

The only man to beat van Gisbergen head to head at a road course is coming into this weekend as the complete last hope in stopping him: Chris Buescher.

And it was right here at the Glen, no less.

It’s for that reason he should be another lock for you. Even if he doesn’t win, he should snag a top-10 effort easily.

Michael McDowell $8,400

It’s been a brutal two weeks for Michael McDowell. He’s only managed to score six total fantasy points, and it has seemed somewhat pace-related.

However, this kind of racing is McDowell’s specialty, so he should be able to at the very least wind up in the top 15.

Depending on where he starts the race Sunday, that could mean a big points day.

Ryan Preece $7,600

I was wrong about Ryan Preece getting his first win at Iowa Speedway last weekend. But I won’t apologize for being right about him being good there. He rolled off 33rd and wound up in the top five by day’s end. I certainly feel like I made the right call on that one.

Now, I know Preece isn’t considered a road course ace by any means, but he has having a career year turning right and left, and I think that will continue. His value is great here. Top 15 points is an amount you should walk away pleased with.

Brad Keselowski $7,000

It’s really sad how good Brad Keselowski has been over the past month while knowing he will not get any kind of a chance to race for a second title, barring a win before the end of the regular season.

Ever since coming up just short at EchoPark Speedway, he’s finished in the top 10 in four of his last six starts, plus a near-top-10 run at Sonoma Raceway.

The opportunity for Keselowski to win at these road courses for the first time in his career is certainly closing, and 13 years after that wild finish, it’s time for him to get it done if he’s going to.

Ty Dillon $5,500

I’ve had this race circled for the No. 10 team ever since Sonoma.

I’m sure you read that sentence and are puzzled by it, but hang in there.

Ty Dillon went on a magical run in the In Season Challenge. Sure, he came up just shy of winning that. But that move he made on Alex Bowman to advance to the semifinals was all I could think about. It was a true, beautiful bump-and-run, and we see too few of those nowadays.

Let’s face it, too: turn 1 at Watkins Glen is perfect for that kind of move.

(I also went broke because I signed van Gisbergen.)

Prop Bets and Locks

1. Ford +800 to win: I really do love this wager. Ford may not have the same amount of weapons on road courses as Chevrolet does, but Buescher, Ryan Blaney and Preece have all been very good on them this season. They have more than a shot to win this thing.
   
2. All Hendrick Motorsports drivers finish in the top 10, +745: If there was ever a racing parlay that may hit, it’s this one. Chase Elliott and Kyle Larson have won at Watkins Glen multiple times, and William Byron has also gotten a win there. The question mark is Alex Bowman, but he’s no slouch on the right and left turns either. Love the odds and the low risk, high reward of this one.
   
3. Connor Zilisch +500 to win: The phenom is back in the Cup Series, and while this isn’t a very likely outcome, it’s a fun bet to keep an eye on. Plus the oddsmakers seem to love it. This bet isn’t one I’d put more than $10 on, but it’s low risk, high reward as well.