2015 Furious 7 300 Race Picks
NASCAR Xfinity Series Betting Preview
Saturday September 19th, 6:18PM (EST) at Chicagoland Speedway
by Jay Horne of NASCARWagers.com, NASCAR Handicapping Service
A near full field of Xfinity Series drivers will take part in this afternoon’s Furious 7 300 at Chicagoland Speedway. 41 drivers are scheduled to take the green flag which will wave at shortly after 6:00PM (EST) for 200 laps of action. It has been over two months since the Xfinity Series has raced on one of the 1.5 mile speedways. With the season and points championship winding down, these 1.5 mile tracks are sure to play a big part in the chase for the championship as 1.5 mile tracks will be featured in 5 of the next 6 races starting with today’s Furious 7 300 at Chicagoland. Get ready for a full afternoon of racing as we bring to you our 2015 Furious 7 300 race picks!
Chicagoland has brought some parity to the Xfinity Series in recent years. In fact, we have not seen a repeat winner at Chicagoland Speedway in the last 9 races. Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch both hold the all-time wins mark with 3 victories at Chicagoland Speedway and Joey Logano is the only other driver that has scored repeat victories in Joliet. The good news for the rest of the competitors is only 1 of those drivers is participating in today’s race and that would be the driver of the #54 car Kyle Busch. Busch will headline a group of Sprint Cup Series stars that includes Matt Kenseth, Kasey Kahne, Paul Menard, and Kyle Larson.
Obviously Busch will be a favorite for today’s race as he normally is in the Xfinity Series but I believe that all the JGR cars deserve major attention. Toyota engines occupied the top 4 times in Friday’s practice session which included 3 cars from the JGR stable. Daniel Suarez was fastest with a lap of 177.713mph and both Busch and Kenseth were closely behind. Those 3 cars also led all drivers with the 3 fastest 10 lap averages through Friday’s practice session as well. We have seen the JGR cars show their strength in the Sprint Cup Series in recent months but it appears they have brought some noticeable power with their Xfinity Series rides to Chicagoland this week as well.
The JGR cars had a strong run back in the June race at Chicagoland finishing 1st, 3rd, and 7th with Erik Jones, Busch, and Suarez. The only difference this week is that Kenseth will be behind the #20 instead of Jones but either way these cars should all be up front this afternoon. If you are looking for guys that could potentially contend for the victory outside of the JGR brigade, there are plenty of options. Kyle Larson was really strong in the Xfinity Series last year at Chicagoland finishing 2nd and 3rd in his 2014 showings. Larson also had a memorable run in the Sprint Cup Series race at Chicagoland last year finishing 3rd in a race where it looked like he was going to grab his first Cup Series victory.
The only problem with Larson this week is that #42 car has not been too impressive this season finishing in the top 5 just twice in 9 starts with the youngster behind the wheel. Other possible options include Kasey Kahne, Paul Menard, Chase Elliot, and Ryan Blaney. However, none of those cars looked really good in Friday’s practice. In fact, Menard was the fastest of the bunch which is probably the guy you least expected to challenge from that group. Therefore, I am very hesitant to bet on any of the big names in today’s race outside of the JGR teams. I really believe this race will be a 3 horse race between the #54, #20, and #18 in possibly that same order. Outside of those drivers, Larson would be my next pick as the only driver that could possibly steal the show barring any crazy fuel mileage or strange finishes.
2015 Furious 7 300 Race Picks
Daniel Suarez +875 (1 unit): has really come on during 2nd half of season flirting with possibly grabbing 1st win, finished 7 at Chicagoland in June, finishes of 4th at Kentucky and 3rd at Darlington since boost his stock with solid odds
Kyle Larson +1150 (1 unit): 2nd and 3rd at Chicagoland in 2014 appearances, receiving extremely generous odds after a solid Friday practice session, best bet outside of the JGR cars to win today
Two Team Parlay
Matt Kenseth +245 wins Furious 7 300
Open Slot 2
Risking 1 unit to win: TBD
H2H Matchups and Props
Kyle Larson -105 over Kasey Kahne (2 units)
