2015 Great Clips 250 Race Picks
NASCAR Xfinity Series Betting Preview
Saturday June 12th, 2:18PM (EST) at Michigan International Speedway
by NASCARWagers.com, NASCAR Handicapping Service
On Saturday an enormous cast of talent will unleash onto Michigan International Speedway when the green flag drops for the Xfinity Series Great Clips 250. Tomorrow’s lineup features the most talented field of the season in the Xfinity Series. After suffering a broken leg in a crash back at Daytona, Kyle Busch makes his return to the #54 car while fellow Sprint Cup superstars like Kevin Harvick, Joey Logano, Denny Hamlin, Kyle Larson, and last year’s winner Paul Menard will all be in action. So how will things unfold when the most talented Xfinity Series field of the season meets NASCAR’s fastest track? Find out our thoughts in our 2015 Great Clips 250 race picks preview!
Truth be told, this race is literally wide open. Obviously the Sprint Cup Series talent in today’s field seems to be overwhelming but the Xfinity Series regulars have held their own against the Cup guys in recent weeks. Guys like Chase Elliot, Chris Buescher, Darrell Wallace Jr, and even Brian Scott all had a really solid practice session on Friday. Due to rain washing out the first practice, the Xfinity Series only got 1 full practice on Friday. If you consider how well Buescher and Wallace have run in recent weeks, it would not be surprising to see either driver have another great run on Saturday. Chase Elliot was a guy that we pointed out in our “Weekend’s Underdogs” article posted on Wednesday. Elliot is having a quiet year but he has finished 8th or better on all ovals this year outside of Daytona and Talladega. I really like the JR Motorsports horsepower this week and I believe Elliot could have his best run of the season on Saturday as well.
Still these young guys are going to have their hands full when it comes to overthrowing the Sprint Cup Series guys on Saturday especially if you take into account that Kevin Harvick, Denny Hamlin, Joey Logano, Kyle Busch, and Paul Menard have all scored a victory at Michigan in the Xfinity Series. The question is who is the best bet to score another Michigan victory? While most would consider Paul Menard a long shot to score his 2nd straight victory, he was actually the best of the Sprint Cup Series guys in Friday’s practice. Menard finished 6th on speed and all of the RCR cars looked really strong (Brian Scott 2nd, Ty Dillon 9th, Brendan Gaughan 13th). Considering Menard’s betting odds, it may not be a bad idea to consider him for a 2nd straight win. After all this is his best track and the #33 team has proved to have plenty of speed all year.
Going into Saturday’s 250 mile race, I am not a big fan of either Denny Hamlin nor Kevin Harvick. After back to back poor performances at Richmond and Charlotte, Harvick had a subpar practice in the #88 car on Friday finishing 14th on the leaderboard. The #88 bunch had a really strong start with Harvick at the driver seat early this year but that momentum has fizzled out. Hamlin has not been in an Xfinity Series car at Michigan since 2009 and he looked pretty average on times on Friday as well. In fact without much explanation, go ahead and add Kyle Larson to that list of cars that looked average at best.
On the contrary, Joey Logano and Kyle Busch looked to have solid speed. Obviously Kyle Busch is always a factor in Xfinity Series races but I am sure many bettors will be gun shy in regards to pulling the trigger on the #54 in his first race back. Not that I could blame anyone for not jumping on the #54 this week but it would also not be the least bit surprising to see Rowdy in victory lane. I believe Logano may have the best car of the bunch once again. There has been several weeks where the #22 car has had the field covered this year. However if you remember last year, Logano dominated the closing laps before suffering a flat tire with less than 10 to go which paved the way for Menard to get the victory. If not for that flat tire, Logano would be the only driver in this field with more than 1 Michigan victory. If there is not any misfortune again on Saturday, Logano could get some revenge on last year’s bad luck and find his way back to victory lane.
2015 Great Clips 250 Race Picks
Kyle Busch +495 (1 unit): appeared to have 2nd best car in practice behind #22, 6 top 5’s and 1 victory in 7 Xfinity Series starts at Michigan
Chase Elliot +1100 (.5 unit): reasons listed above, fastest in practice, starting 11th
Winning Parlay
Joey Logano +230 wins Great Clips 250
Aric Almirola -115 over Daniel Suarez
Risking 1.5 units to win: +775
H2H Match-ups
Paul Menard -105 vs. Kyle Larson (2 units)
