2015 Firecracker 250 Race Picks
NASCAR Xfinity Series Betting Preview
Saturday July 4th, 7:48PM (EST) at Daytona International Speedway
by NASCARWagers.com, NASCAR Handicapping Service
Later tonight we will celebrate the 4th of July NASCAR style with the running of the infamous Xfinity Series Firecracker 250 at Daytona International Speedway. The return of restrictor plate racing at NASCAR’s most popular track is reason to be excited for tonight’s event especially when you add in the fact that anyone can win this race just as Ryan Reed proved back in February. So get ready for a wild night of racing under the lights as we celebrate our nation’s Independence Day on NASCAR’s biggest stage at Daytona. Take a look at our 2015 Firecracker 250 race picks preview!
Rookie Daniel Suarez will lead the field to the green flag tonight after winning the first pole of his career. Suarez set a blistering pace in terms of single car speed but keep in mind that things will be much different tonight in race conditions in the draft. Therefore practice and qualifying speeds have very little importance towards predicting the cars that should be contending for the victory. In these restrictor plate races, you have to focus on drivers that are known for finding their way to the front of the pack and hope that lady luck is on your side. From a driver’s perspective, it is all about avoiding trouble and putting yourself in position for the win in the closing laps. Big wrecks are inevitable at Daytona but hopefully we can pick a few drivers that can avoid the mayhem to capture the checkered flag.
Among the popular contenders tonight are guys like Joey Logano, Kasey Kahne, and Regan Smith. There is not an overwhelming amount of Sprint Cup Series talent in tonight’s field which only puts more value on Sprint Cup Series stars Joey Logano and Kasey Kahne. Logano captured a win in the Xfinity Series back at Talladega in May and is a previous winner of the 2011 Firecracker 250. Kahne won the Firecracker 250 last year and JR Motorsports has been really strong at the superspeedways of the past few years. Speaking of JR Motorsports, Regan Smith is another promising threat for tonight’s race due to his recent resume on the superspeedways. In the last two years, Smith has scored wins at both Daytona and Talladega while also posting a runner-up finish in this race one year ago. All 3 of the previously mentioned drivers appear to have the most restrictor plate proven resumes to their credentials which definitely gives each driver some solid value.
However, there are still plenty of drivers that could potentially win tonight’s race. Nobody expected Ryan Reed to win the season opening race at Daytona back in February and there is a chance another similar result could unfold later this evening. If you are looking for a few dark horses to consider, look into drivers like Chris Buescher and David Ragan. Ragan will be in the #20 for Joe Gibbs Racing this week and is well known for his restrictor plate talent. Chris Buescher, the Xfinity Series point’s leader, has posted two really strong showings this year at the superspeedways. Buescher posted a runner-up finish in Daytona in February and was in the thick of it again on the final lap at Talladega before falling back to a 5th place finish. From an overall standpoint in both restrictor plate races, the only car that has been better than the #60 of Buescher is the #22 car (Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano). Therefore it would not be surprising to see the #60 at the front of the pack when this race concludes.
Of course you could look at even bigger long shots back through the field. Guys like Aric Almirola and Elliot Sadler have potential. Almirola is a Sprint Cup Series guy that has posted top 10 finishes at both restrictor plate tracks this year and run with the leaders for a large portion of the Winn-Dixie 300 at Talladega. Remember Almirola won the Coke Zero 400 on the Sprint Cup Series side just one year ago. Sadler is a guy with some restrictor plate credentials with a win last year and is among a group of Roush-Fenway cars that look really strong which also brings in the possibility of looking into a driver like Darrell Wallace Jr. Wallace has raced well in his first year in the Xfinity Series and the #6 team has consistently improved throughout the season. I believe Wallace will score a win before the year is over and tonight’s race at Daytona is a good opportunity to do just that.
2015 Firecracker 250 Race Picks
Regan Smith +1000 (1 unit): one of the best restrictor plate drivers in the field, won at Daytona in February 2014 and posted runner-up finish in 2014 Firecracker 250, Smith was running up front this past February before getting wrecked, expect the #7 to return to the front
Chris Buescher +1100 (1 unit): really strong restrictor plate performances in 2015 including runner-up at Daytona in February, 6th in practice 1 (Did not participate in final practice)
2 Team Parlay
Joey Logano +300 wins Firecracker 250
David Ragan -125 over Aric Almirola
Risking 1.5 units to win: +930
H2H Match-ups
Chris Buescher -115 over Chase Elliot (2 units)
