2015 Kroger 200 Race Picks
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Betting Preview
Saturday October 31st, 1:46PM (EST) at Martinsville Speedway
by Jay Horne of NASCARWagers.com, NASCAR Handicapping Service
The Camping World Truck Series will take center stage this afternoon with the running of the Kroger 200 at Martinsville Speedway. With just 4 races remaining, Erik Jones has taken control of the points lead and currently has an 18 point advantage over Tyler Reddick who is followed closely by Matt Crafton. Today’s aggressive short track racing could play a big impact into the race for the championship and several drivers have shown speed thus far this weekend proving we could have several drivers capable of pulling off a victory this afternoon. Take a look as we preview today’s race and provide our 2015 Kroger 200 race picks!
Throughout practices on Friday, Timothy Peters appeared to have one of the fastest trucks. Peters scored his first victory of the season last week at Talladega and he has been really solid at Martinsville in recent years as well. Peters has 1 Martinsville victory on his resume coming back in 2009 and nearly won this race 1 year ago with a runner-up finish. The #17 truck was fastest in both practices so it will be interesting to see if the team has the long run speed to match. While Peters was the fastest on Friday, I believe most people still expect Matt Crafton to be the guy to beat this afternoon and rightfully so.
Despite just 1 victory in 27 starts, Crafton has been really good on the paperclip in recent years. He scored his first victory in the spring race last year and has finished 4th or better in 5 of the last 6 races including a runner-up finish to Joey Logano back in March. Crafton actually led 100 laps in the Kroger 250 back in March and he should have plenty enough speed to lead some laps while contending for a victory this afternoon. Crafton typically is better in race conditions than he practices and he did post the 2nd best 10 lap average in final practice to affirm that expectation.
Crafton’s teammate Johnny Sauter should also be a contender this afternoon. Sauter has two Martinsville victories which is the most among today’s field. He posted the best 10 lap average in final practice and was another truck that ran well here back in the spring resulting in a 4th place showing. Both of Sauther’s two victories have come since 2011 and he could be a sneaky mid-range guy that could surprise this afternoon.
Of course other obvious threats for today’s race include guys like Erik Jones, Cole Custer, and Daniel Suarez. All 3 drivers have plenty of truck series experience and success already. Jones would obviously be the first driver that most people would jump towards. However, he has never really raced extremely well at Martinsville. He has posted two top 5 finishes in the last two races but never really contended for a victory. To paint that picture a little more clearer, Jones has led just 2 laps in his 4 starts at Martinsville during his truck series career. Therefore, I think Jones and Custer (for similar reasons)are overpriced from an odds standpoint.
If you are looking for some other guys to keep your eye on, consider Ross Kenseth and John Nemechek. I think most people that are a fan of the sport will be interested in seeing how the son of Sprint Cup Champion Matt Kenseth performs in his first truck series start so that is a reason in itself to keep an eye on the #18 truck. However, I think John Nemechek could be a guy that has a really surprisingly strong run this afternoon. Nemechek has proved himself on the short tracks already and he showed some solid speed in race trim. Keep the #8 truck on your radar for any H2H situations.
2015 Kroger 200 Race Picks
Matt Crafton +350 (1.5 units): 2014 Martinsville winner, runner-up in March, top 4 finishes in 5 of last 6, starting 13th
Johnny Sauter +675 (1.25 units): two-time Martinsville winner, fastest 10 lap average in final practice, has some work to do starting 17th
Daniel Suarez +800 (1.25 units): only 1 prior Martinsville start in Truck Series resulting in 6th place finish in March, shown plenty of speed throughout all sessions, dark horse pick of the day
Two Team Parlay
Matt Crafton +320 wins Kroger 200
Open Slot 2
Risking 1 unit to win: TBD
