Which NASCAR driver throws a strike this weekend? It's time for the Go Bowling at the Glen odds to play out, as the playoffs swerve into Watkins Glen's road course.
With the NASCAR Cup Series odds tightly packed at the top of the board, there should be plenty of urgency for the top drivers this week, as some are perilously close to the elimination cutoff.
Let's break down the latest NASCAR odds, and help you navigate this winding road course with our Go Bowling at The Glen betting picks for Sunday, September 15.
Odds to win 2024 Go Bowling at The Glen
| Driver |  |
 |
 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shane Van Gisbergen | +450 | +600 | +600 |
| Martin Truex Jr. | +550 | +500 | +550 |
| Kyle Larson | +650 | +800 | +800 |
| Ross Chastain | +700 | +700 | +700 |
| Tyler Reddick | +750 | +900 | +800 |
| William Byron | +1,100 | +1,400 | +1,400 |
| Chase Elliott | +1,100 | +1,200 | +1,200 |
| A.J. Allmendinger | +1,200 | +1,200 | +1,200 |
| Michael McDowell | +1,400 | +1,400 | +1,200 |
| Austin Cindric | +1,500 | +1,200 | +1,200 |
| Alex Bowman | +1,500 | +1,200 | +1,200 |
| Ty Gibbs | +1,600 | +1,400 | +1,400 |
| Joey Logano | +2,000 | +1,400 | +1,400 |
| Kyle Busch | +2,500 | +4,200 | +4,000 |
| Daniel Suarez | +2,800 | +2,500 | +2,200 |
| Denny Hamlin | +2,800 | +4,200 | +3,000 |
| Chris Buescher | +2,800 | +4,200 | +1,800 |
| Christopher Bell | +3,000 | +3,400 | +2,200 |
| Chase Briscoe | +6,000 | +6,000 | +6,000 |
| Ryan Blaney | +8,000 | +10,000 | +10,000 |
Odds as of 9-15.
Go Bowling at The Glen field
The first thing you'll notice about the Go Bowling at The Glen odds board are the names atop it. Yes, Kyle Larson, William Byron, and Tyler Reddick are still here, but this being a road course, specialists will be favored.
Names like Shane Van Gisbergen, A.J. Allmendinger, and Michael McDowell, who seldom find themselves in the pre-race Top 10 on odds boards, are among the favorites. Even Chase Elliott — the former road course standard-bearer, who's only won one race since his early 2023 injury — finds himself under 10:1 odds.
Larson's a two-time Glen champ, who might be feeling a bit of an onus this week, having slipped to 11th in the playoff standings and the Bottom 4 drivers being ousted after next weekend's Bass Pro Shops Night Race.
Byron's the defending champ in this race and sits fourth in points on the season, but he's been cold of late, with finishes of 27th or worse in three of five races.
Van Gisbergen gets the call-up from Xfinity for just his seventh Cup race of the season. While he won last year's Chicago road race, his best finish this season is 20th.
Much further down, we find habitual favorites like Ryan Blaney and Joey Logano, who are north of 40:1 for a reason, as they typically aren't as prolific on road courses.
Go Bowling at The Glen expert picks and predictions
Odds listed below courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook as of 9-10.
Go Bowling at The Glen pre-qualifying favorites
Kyle Larson (+600)
Larson’s two-year win streak was halted last year with a 26th-place finish. He was better than that reflected however, with a qualifying spot of fifth, then coming home sixth and fourth, respectively, in the pair of stages. Prior to that, Larson’s last four Watkins Glen finishes were sixth, eighth, first, and first. He won Sonoma this year, too.
William Byron (+650)
He led 66 of the 90 laps last season, won COTA this season, and has two Top-8 finishes in three road course starts in 2024.
Chase Elliott (+900)
The trendy pick. Hendrick Motorsports won at COTA with William Byron, at Sonoma with Larson, and Chicago with Bowman. Elliott won two of the last five years in Watkins Glen, with finishes of runner-up (2021) and fourth (2022) also in that span. He was 16th and 21st in COTA and Chicago this season, but fourth in Sonoma.
Tyler Reddick (+900)
With three road course wins to his credit, Reddick has finished seventh and eighth, respectively, the last two years at Watkins Glen. He’s finished fifth, eighth, and second, respectively, on road course events this season, too.
Go Bowling at The Glen sleepers
Christopher Bell (+1,100)
He was eighth in 2022 and third last year. Bell also had a Top-2 car in 2021 before a run-in with Larson. With two Top-10 finishes in three road course starts this season, including a runner-up at COTA in March, he’s a strong sleeper candidate.
Michael McDowell (+1,200)
A true road racer by nature, McDowell won Indy’s road course last year, won the pole here last year and led 17 laps before an electrical failure, and has finished second and fifth, respectively, the last two road race starts this season. He also placed sixth at Watkins Glen in 2022.
Ty Gibbs (+1,200)
A pair of third-place finishes in three road course starts this season and a fifth-place finish at Watkins Glen last season.
Go Bowling at The Glen fades
A.J. Allmendinger (+1,000)
He was runner-up and fourth in the last two Watkins Glen Cup races. He also has three runner-up finishes (2018, 2021, 2022) in his last four NXS starts there, too. However, Kaulig has struggled to find speed this season, and I don’t expect Allmendinger to just win a playoff race Sunday as a non-playoff driver, especially with these odds.
Denny Hamlin (+2,500)
He finished runner-up last year, but has finishes of 14th, 38th and 30th, respectively, on road course races this season.
Ryan Blaney (+4,500)
Strong candidate with a ninth-place finish last year and finishing 12th, seventh, and 10th, respectively this season. However, an outright win? Odds may be good for a shot in the dark, but I would fade.
Go Bowling at The Glen prop pick
Chris Buescher top Ford driver (+450)
McDowell is a favorite, which is why he’s +150 to win this group. However, trouble has found McDowell lately, and even with the pole last year, he retired early with a mechanical failure.
I like Buescher to pick up the pace for Ford if McDowell does falter. Buescher finished seventh at Watkins Glen last year, and eighth, third, and 20th, respectively, on these tracks this season.
With Fords largely struggling on tracks with left AND right hand turns, McDowell and Buescher have separated themselves within the manufacturer as top drivers on these tracks, and we’re getting WAY better odds to take Buescher.
Pick: Chris Buescher top Ford driver (+450 at bet365)
Popular motor sports futures odds
Watkins Glen International track analysis
This year’s race differs from last with last year’s running to the completion without stage breaks. This season, stage breaks are back, and drivers can manipulate the cautions to end the pair of stages and the top cars can punt on points to position themselves for track position to begin each stage.
An example of how that changes; the three winners in last year's stage break races punted on stage points each time. Here are the stage finishes of eventual winners in the five road course races without stage breaks:
- COTA: 23rd, first.
- Sonoma: second, seventh
- Chicago: third, fourth
- Indianapolis: first, second
- Watkins Glen: second, first
Otherwise, the car remains unchanged. The only change to the track is sausage kerbs being installed to get drivers within track limits rather than running wide. No one yet knows if that will alter how you attack the road course and if it changes anything in the gearing or setups, but for argument's sake, I don’t expect major alterations.
Go Bowling at The Glen trends
- Chevrolet has won the last five races here and is 3-for-3 this season, all wins on the season and at WGI coming from Hendrick Motorsports. Can anyone top them?
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Previous Go Bowling at The Glen winners
Larson's been tough to beat at Watkins Glen lately, but Elliott's also a former two-time winner who can keep up HMS' dominance at The Glen.
| Year | Winner |
| 2023 | William Byron |
| 2022 | Kyle Larson |
| 2021 | Kyle Larson |
| 2020 | (Moved to Daytona due to COVID protocols) |
| 2019 | Chase Elliott |
| 2018 | Chase Elliott |
| 2017 | Martin Truex Jr. |
| 2016 | Denny Hamlin |
| 2015 | Joey Logano |
| 2014 | A.J. Allmendinger |
How to make Go Bowling at The Glen picks
NASCAR betting is a nuanced process that can take any number of factors into account, and spans several different types of bets. Fortunately, our How to Bet NASCAR guide walks you through the basics, including how to read odds, different markets that are available, and what to consider when making your bets.
