ToyotaCare 250 Race Picks
NASCAR Nationwide Series Betting Preview
Date and Time: Friday April 25th, 2014. 7:14PM Eastern
Where: Richmond International Raceway
TV: ESPNews
By: NASCAR Wagers, NASCAR Handicapping Service
The NASCAR Nationwide Series will get the racing weekend started on Friday night with the running of the ToyotaCare 250 at Richmond International Raceway. Earlier this afternoon, drivers participated in two full practice sessions and James Buescher posted the fastest lap in the final 90 minute session at 121.79mph. Qualifying for the ToyotaCare 250 will take place at 3:10pm eastern tomorrow which will set the starting grid. The green flag is expected to wave shortly after 7:00pm if Mother Nature cooperates as rain is in the forecast for tomorrow night’s event.
From a competition standpoint there is Kyle Busch and Kevin Harvick, then there is everyone else. Of course Busch and Harvick are big favorites anytime they make a start in the Nationwide Series, but this week both drivers are perhaps bigger favorites than normal. If you consider the venue, both Busch and Harvick are the undisputed kings of Richmond International Raceway. Busch has already posted 4 wins (in 18 starts) at Richmond in the Sprint Cup Series which is the most among all active drivers. Busch has an equal amount of wins (4) in the Nationwide Series as well at Richmond despite the fact the most recent was back in the fall of 2011.
Kevin Harvick has been even better in Nationwide Series action at Richmond. Harvick has posted 6 trips to victory lane which is the most in Nationwide Series history at Richmond International. Neither Busch nor Harvick was particularly impressive in practices today. However that should not worry bettors as both drivers will be up front barring any unforeseen misfortunes. Outside of Harvick and Busch, it becomes a guessing game of who could steal the spotlight. Many would point to Chase Elliot and rightfully so considering Elliot has posted back to back wins in the last two outings. Both of Elliots’ wins at Texas and Darlington were extremely impressive in different ways. Obviously Elliot is not your average rookie but could the kid really deliver a 3-peat?
A few other guys to pay attention to Friday night include young talents Ryan Blaney and Daniel Suarez. Suarez is a name many people have not heard of but he is a kid with a ton of talent. A Monterrey, Mexico native, Suarez has posted two wins in 4 starts in NASCAR’s K&N Pro Series East already this season. Blaney is another young gun that has already got his feet wet on several occasions in the Nationwide Series. Blaney most notably captured a surprise win last year at Kentucky Speedway. Blaney was actually the only Nationwide Series winner in 2013 to not have any Sprint Cup experience and he is a guy that has a ton of upside. Both Blaney and Suarez posted the fastest 10 lap averages during the first practice session. If there happens to be another surprise winner Friday night, it could easily be one of these two young drivers.
Of course there are several other competitors that will be participating tomorrow night that are capable of surprising people as well. While Harvick and Busch have to be considered ‘must’ bets, there are some other guys with value as well. Take a look at our ToyotaCare 250 race picks as we believe we have put together a winning roster:
NASCAR Wagers ToyotaCare 250 Race Picks
Kevin Harvick +300 (2 units): Richmond king, strong in long green flag runs in both practice sessions.
Regan Smith +1400 (.5 unit): Finished in top 5 in each of last two Richmond starts. 2nd fastest in 1st practice session and very happy with racecar.
Ryan Blaney +1000 (1 unit): Fastest in 1st practice, car a little loose in 2nd practice but still fast. Richmond corner entry and banking is very similar to Kentucky where he captured his first win at last year.
H2H Match-Ups
Brian Scott +100 over Elliot Sadler (2 units)
Chase Elliot +100 over Kyle Larson (2 units)
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