Final Watkins Glen Practice Notes: Start position key as ever

A.J. Allmendinger starts from the pole in Sunday's Cheez-It 355  

LAS VEGAS -- Of the 32 NASCAR Sprint Cup races held at Watkins Glen International's 2.454-mile 11 turn road course, 21 have been won from a top-five start position, a stat that should make desperate road racing legends Tony Stewart and Jeff Gordon feel a little more confident heading into Sunday's Cheez-It 355. Stewart will start third and Gordon will start fifth.

Stewart and Gordon have combined to win nine races at the Glen over their careers, but neither has won a race this season. Gordon, in his final Cup season, has only three top-five finishes through 21 races while Stewart doesn't have any. Gordon is 10th in points, but has no guarantee of making the Chase without a win. Stewart, sitting 25th in points, has to go all out to win in order to make the Chase.

These two have battled hard on the roads and have even had post race altercations. Gordon was 'King of the roads' and the Stewart came along and stole the crown away. Now neither wears the crown, and the driver who had worn it the previous five seasons, Marcos Ambrose, is no longer in the Cup series.

So who is the new King of the roads?

Read More Here....Final Watkins Glen Driver Ratings


Micah Roberts, a former Las Vegas sports book director, has been setting NASCAR odds since 1994. Follow him on twitter @MicahRoberts7