Things to Watch During the Cheez-it 355 - Speedway Digest

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series rolls into Watkins Glen with just five races remaining until the Chase cutoff. There are several drivers with a win on Sunday at Watkins Glen could catapult them into this year’s edition of the Chase.

AJ Allmendinger will lead the field to the green flag on Sunday. Allmendinger is the defending winner of the Cheez-it 355. On Saturday, Allmendinger won his fourth career pole and swept the poles on the road courses in 2015.
Martin Truex, Jr. will start alongside Allmendinger on the front row. Truex is a former road course winner out in Northern California. The No. 78 has been on a bit of a decline since their win at Pocono back in June.
Tony Stewart hasn’t raced at The Glen since 2012. The No. 14 Chevrolet will start Sunday’s race from the third position and Stewart absolutely needs a win in order to make the Chase this season. He’s a five-time winner at The Glen and this might be his best shot at a victory this season.
Jeff Gordon will start from fifth in last-career start at Watkins Glen. The four-time winner had the car to beat a year ago but lost power just prior to halfway. Gordon is looking to go out on top and to extend his most-career wins of any driver in the history of NASCAR on a road course.
Kyle Busch is a two-time winner at Watkins Glen, his last coming in 2013. The Joe Gibbs Racing team is the hottest team in NASCAR in winning four out-of-the last five races. Busch sits 13 point outside of the top 30 in points.
Saturday’s Zippo 200 winner Joey Logano will start from the 16^th position. Logano picked up his first career win on a road course yesterday but has run well at The Glen since coming over to Team Penske in 2013.
Clint Bowyer was quickest in opening practice on Friday morning. Since then it has been a struggle for the No. 15 team to lay down one fast lap. Bowyer does seem to have one of the better cars on the long run and will need a good finish to continue riding that fine-line of the Chase bubble.
After finishing 43^rd last Sunday in Pocono, Kasey Kahne will look to rebound on a track that hasn’t fared well for him in the past. Currently, Kahne sits on the bubble of making the Chase. However, when Busch makes it into the top 30 in standings it will drop Kahne outside and the Hendrick Motorsports driver would fail to miss the Chase. The good news for Kahne is that on three of the next five tracks he has won at. Kahne will need a good run on Sunday.
Pocono winner, Matt Kenseth will see the green flag from the 26^th position. The driver of the No. 20 has never done very well on the two road course races, but is coming off of a top 10 last year in Watkins Glen. Pocono was one of Kenseth’s worst tracks and he won there. Can he do the same at Watkins Glen?

Watkins Glen is the last true wild card race before the Chase begins. Some teams will need to overachieve and be hopeful to obtain a solid point’s day. Others will just need to flat out win. The last four races at Watkins Glen have been instant classics and this one has the capability of the same.

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Dustin Albino

Dustin is a 20-year-old, currently studying journalism at Ithaca College. Albino has always wanted to report on NASCAR and beginning at the end of 2014 that is exactly what he did with Speedway Digest. Since that time he has become well-known around the garage area and is looking to attend even more races than he did in 2015. Twitter: @DustinAlbinoInstagram: @dustin_albino