2022 Alsco Uniforms 300 Race Picks

NASCAR Xfinity Series Betting Predictions
Date/Time: Saturday May 28th, 2022. 1:00PM (EST)
Where: Charlotte Motor Speedway
TV: FS1

NASCAR’s Xfinity Series returns home to Charlotte Motor Speedway on Saturday with the running of the Alsco Uniforms 300. Last week, Tyler Reddick became the 9th different winner in the Xfinity Series through the opening 12 races. In fact, Reddick’s win was an organizational upset marking the first victory in history for Big Machine Racing. For tomorrow’s Alsco Uniforms 300, Austin Dillon will step behind the wheel of the #48 car for Big Machine Racing as the team looks for a 2nd straight victory.

The Xfinity Series has not had as many races on the 1.5 mile venues this season compared to other series. For that reason and the incredible parity among the Xfinity Series’ top drivers, I do not feel overly confident in predicting tomorrow’s outcome. I would have never expected Reddick to win last week considering the equipment he was piloting. Now I am unsure if Reddick’s win is attributed to his talent or if it means that we can’t trust any of the Xfinity Series regulars. Perhaps, both narratives are true and that is why Saturday’s race will feature a very conservative betting approach.

The one thing that I do believe remains intact is the continued impressive performance trends from J.R. Motorsports. I mentioned in last week’s preview that J.R. Motorsports has been thoroughly impressive this season and appears to have the edge over all other Xfinity Series competitors. Despite falling short on the victory, J.R. Motorsports still had 4 drivers in the top 7 positions. The J.R. Motorsports momentum continued earlier today when rookie Sam Mayer put the #1 car on the pole for Saturday’s Alsco Uniforms 300 with a lap of 179.892mph. Mayer was among 3 J.R. Motorsports cars that qualified in the top 4 positions which continues to support the narrative that betting focus should be centered around the J.R. Motorsports brigade on Saturday.

Practice and Qualifying Notes

I mentioned that Mayer captured the pole for tomorrow’s race. Justin Allgaier, Ryan Preece, Josh Berry and Brandon Jones were the rest of the top 5 qualifiers. Meanwhile, the overall betting favorite in Ty Gibbs did not even get the opportunity to qualify after the #54 car got into the wall during practice. While the starting positions are somewhat surprising for many, I would refer to the 30 minute practice session prior to qualifying that shed the most light on “race” speed. In terms of practice observations, Josh Berry emerged from the pack with the best overall average but he also had several more of his J.R. Motorsports teammates that were in close proximity to his top average.

Along with Berry, Justin Allgaier and Sam Mayer were among the top guys on the stopwatch in race trim on Friday. The only other driver that was in the neighborhood of those 3 drivers was Trevor Bayne who returns to the #18 car this week for Joe Gibbs Racing. However, that J.R. Motorsports momentum that I mentioned earlier remains undeniably evident. On the other side of the spectrum, Ty Gibbs and Noah Gragson did not look like the betting favorites that we have come to expect. Both drivers showed some struggles in race trim though Gragson’s appeared to be handling related. The #9 definitely had raw speed. Additionally, guys like Daniel Hemric and Austin Dillon were way down the speed charts compared to where most would expect.

Betting Targets

I had my sights set on Sam Mayer before he won the pole earlier today. Mayer caught my eye as a driver that got better with each lap during practice. I’m sure Mayer’s odds will be hit after winning the pole. However, I still believe he is a somewhat sharp pick for Saturday’s race. The driving style required for fast speeds is perfect for a talent like Mayer and I would not be surprised if that #1 car is at the front of the field throughout tomorrow’s race. Aside from Mayer, I am also gravitating towards the likes of Josh Berry and Trevor Bayne as low-tier favorites. I believe both Berry and Bayne have made the most of the opportunities this season and appear to have unloaded fast rides for the weekend. In a race where numerous drivers could emerge with the victory, Berry and Bayne are even more attractive due to their odds’ value compared to other more popular favorites.

In terms of drivers that should exceed expectations, I would list Ryan Preece, Riley Herbst, and Josh Williams among a trio of drivers that should be on everyone’s radar. Preece held the fastest lap for the majority of Friday’s qualifying session for the Alsco Uniforms 300 and the fact that he accomplished that feat in the #5 for B.J McLeod Motorsports is simply impressive. Meanwhile, Riley Herbst and Josh Williams were among the less popular names that looked really solid in race trim. Williams has struggled significantly this season but is another one of the B.J McLeod Motorsports cars so perhaps the BJM team has found some additional speed this weekend. Personally, I believe Williams provides the best H2H value out of the trio but all 3 drivers should remain on everyone’s betting radar.

2022 Draftkings Alsco Uniforms 300 Optimal Lineup

2022 Alsco Uniforms 300 Race Picks

*Final

Sam Mayer +800 (1 unit)
Josh Berry +850 (1 unit)

H2H Match-Ups and Props

Sam Mayer -145 over Daniel Hemric (3 units)
Trevor Bayne -130 over Ryan Preece (3 units)
Riley Herbst -110 over Austin Hill (2 units)