Published May 7, 2026 9:11 AM EDT

Audio By Carbonatix

The road-course aces sit at the top of win odds and DFS salaries. Watkins Glen rewards qualifying speed and punishes anyone who cannot manage the brakes. Value lies in mid-priced veterans and a few low-salary plays whose road-course form has gone unrewarded.

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Top DraftKings Picks for the 2026 Go Bowling at The Glen

1. Shane Van Gisbergen ($13,500) — Six road course wins with Trackhouse Racing make the case. The defending Glen winner led 38 laps from the front row last August. Anchor the lineup and pay the salary.
2. Connor Zilisch ($11,500) — The Trackhouse road course program is elite. SVG, Ross Chastain and Daniel Suarez won road races driving for team owner and former road course expert Justin Marks. Zilisch is a perfect fit for this team. He’s a perfect fit for this race.
3. Tyler Reddick ($10,500) — A COTA win in March came from the pole with 58 laps led. The Watkins Glen record reads four Gen 7 starts, a 12.75 average finish, and zero top-fives. The price reflects COTA, not the Glen.
4. Christopher Bell ($10,000) — Four Gen 7 starts at the Glen produced finishes of eighth, third, fourteenth, and second. The 10.75 road course average across two dozen Gen 7 starts ranks fifth in the field. The Glen win is overdue.
5. Chris Buescher ($8,800) — No driver in the field owns a better Watkins Glen Gen 7 record. Finishes of ninth, seventh, first, and third have come across four years. The 2024 win came on a last-lap pass of Van Gisbergen.
6. William Byron ($9,500) — A 2023 Glen win came with 66 laps led. The other three Gen 7 starts produced finishes of 22nd, 34th, and fourth. The volatility is real, but it’s the past. Byron was still figuring it out. He struggled to put together full races. That’s the past. He’s fast, and Hendrick’s road course program is top-notch. 
7. Chase Elliott ($9,700) — Two Glen wins are on his resume, but both were in the Gen 6 car. The Gen 7 record reads fourth, and then three finish outside the top-25. Elliott is no longer elite. It’s hard to be in this car. His 10.30 road course average across 23 Gen 7 starts still ranks fourth in the field.
8. Chase Briscoe ($8,600) — A second-place run at Sonoma and a fifth at the Glen anchored the 2025 road course slate. The No. 19 JGR Toyota has always been a threat to win on the road courses. Briscoe was more than a threat to win on road courses during his O’Reilly Series run.
9. Kyle Larson ($9,000) — The wins have dried up of late. The road courses are no exception. Larson won at Watkins Glen in 2022. His three finishes since are 26th, 12th, and 39th. The 17.67 road course average across 24 Gen 7 starts is the worst among the road course wins club.
10. Michael McDowell ($8,000) — A 12.83 road course average across 24 Gen 7 starts and a 2023 Indy road course win put him in elite company. The 9.23 average running position at Watkins Glen specifically ranks third in the field. Spire Motorsports has made big gains this season, but McDowell has not been a part of that improvement. That could change at The Glen.
11. AJ Allmendinger ($8,500) — A 2022 Glen runner-up, a 2023 fourth, and a 2023 ROVAL win anchor the road course resume. His 11.32 road course average running position across 24 Gen 7 starts ranks third in the field. It’s been a quiet year for the Dinger, but he is always a road course ringer. 
12. Ross Chastain ($7,600) — A 2024 Glen fourth came with 51 laps led. The 13.78 road course running position across 24 Gen 7 starts holds up. Chastain seems like an afterthought at Trackhouse these days. The team is struggling, and the spotlight is on his teammates this weekend. This is a perfect time for a low-owned Chastain to break the slate. 
13. Joey Logano ($6,900) — Is Logano Samson? He shaved his head and lost his powers. Logano is struggling, but it’s temporary. The No. 22 Penske Ford team will figure it out. Logano will start to put together complete races. There are better road course drivers in the field, but the difference is marginal. Logano still has the chops to bring home a top-5 finish. 
14. Carson Hocevar ($7,400) — Watkins Glen is not a technical track. It’s the superspeedway of road courses. If the car has speed and the driver is aggressive, a win is a possibility. Hocevar is not an expert at turning right, but his Spire ride is fast and he’s as aggressive as any driver in the field.
15. Daniel Suarez ($7,700) — Three of four Gen 7 starts at the Glen produced top-tens, including a fifth in 2022 and a seventh last August. Suarez won at Sonoma in the Gen 7 car. The concern is that he was driving Trackhouse cars. Spire has impressed in 2026, but can they match the road course speed of Trackhouse Racing?

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