2016 American Ethanol E15 250 Race Predictions
NASCAR Xfinity Series Betting Preview
Sunday June 19th, 1:46PM (EST) at Iowa Speedway
by Jay Horne of NASCARWagers.com, NASCAR Handicapping Service
Last night the Camping World Truck Series put on a great race in the Speediatrics 200 that was highlighted by a great battle between multiple trucks in the closing laps for the victory. Today the Xfinity Series will get their opportunity to capitalize an opportunity to produce great racing, which is often the product of Iowa Speedway, when the green flag waves for the American Ethanol E15 250. As we narrow in on the green flag, we take this time to preview today’s race and provide our 2016 American Ethanol E15 250!
The overall favorite for today’s race will also be the guy leading the field to the green flag in Erik Jones. Jones lead all Xfinity Series regulars with 2 victories and is becoming one of the biggest threats on a weekly basis. If you throw in the fact that today’s field, lacks most of the Sprint Cup Series talent that we typically see then you have a bigger case for Jones’ chances this afternoon. Jones has 2 Camping World Truck Series victories at Iowa and posted finishes of 3rd and 7th in the two Xfinity races here last year. He has been one of the fastest cars throughout the weekend thus far so we expect the #20 to be one of the main contenders this afternoon.
I know I stated that today’s field lacks Sprint Cup Series talent, largely due to the fact the Sprint Cup Series has the week off, but there is one exception to that rule in Brad Keselowski. Keselowski will be participating in today’s race and he is tied with Ricky Stenhouse Jr for the most wins all-time in the Xfinity Series with 3 wins. The #22 team has been gaining ground on the Joe Gibbs Racing cars in recent weeks and today’s opportunity at Iowa will present a great chance for Keselowski to get Team Penske back to victory lane. Keselowski posted the best 10 lap average in final practice and I expect that he will be right with Erik Jones in terms of speeds as the two best cars going into today’s race.
Another guy that I think could definitely be a factor is Daniel Suarez. Suarez got his first win last week at Michigan but the truth is he has been running really well all season. Suarez also has a pretty solid resume at Iowa despite the finishing to show for it. Suarez started from the front row in both 2015 races and led 48 laps in this race one year ago. Suarez definitely knows how to get around Iowa so if you consider the way the #19 car is running along with some added confidence then I expect him to be really strong today as well.
I think the #20, #22, and #19 cars have the best chance for the win this afternoon. However, that is not to rule out the possibility of an upset winner. Track position can be really important at Iowa. It’s not the fact that it is overly hard to pass but it is the time that it takes to get around another car that makes it difficult. If a driver gets caught back in traffic, the leaders can be gone before he clears those cars. Therefore, teams have to make sure they nail their pit stops and do not have any troubles on pit road to ensure they are not having an uphill battle.
If those top 3 cars have trouble, I can see guys like Ty Dillon, Ben Kennedy, and even Alex Bowman coming into the picture. Ben Kennedy had a chance at the win last night in the Truck Series and he posted the fastest lap in both of Friday’s practices. Kennedy is in a fast #2 RCR car and he has proved that he is really good at Iowa. Dillon and Bowman are two guys that I think could flirt with the top 5 as well. Dillon posted a solid 4th place finish in the last Xfinity Series race at Iowa and his lap times were pretty solid in the final session on Friday. Bowman did not run many consecutive laps to judge his long run speed. However, the #88 posted solid laps with every circuit that he run throughout both sessions on Friday so I think he could be a dark horse type pick this afternoon especially in H2H matchups.
2016 American Ethanol E15 250 Race Predictions
Brad Keselowski +500 (2 units): 3-time Iowa winner, car looks good on long run speed, expect the #22 to be really good during 2nd half of the race
Ben Kennedy +1500 (.5 unit): fastest in both practices, looking to contend for victory
Alex Bowman +2000 (.5 unit): dark horse pick, has a pair of Iowa starts under his belt including 7th place 2013 finish, #88 car looks good
H2H Matchups
*Early forums pick – Alex Bowman -125 over Darrell Wallace Jr (2 units)
Ty Dillon +130 over Elliott Sadler (2 units)
