2016 Buckle Up Your Truck Race Predictions

2016 Buckle Up Your Truck Race Predictions
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Betting Preview
Thursday July 7th, 8:48PM (EST) at Kentucky Speedway
by Jay Horne of NASCARWagers.com, NASCAR Handicapping Service

NASCAR will kick off 3 straight nights of racing at the newly redesigned Kentucky Speedway this evening when the Camping World Truck Series takes the green flag for the Buckle Up Your Truck 225. After having last week off, the Truck Series looks to regain the spotlight on the repaved 1.5 mile surface at Kentucky. Currently 31 trucks, including well-known names like Kyle Busch and Daniel Suarez, are slated to battle it out over the course of 150 laps for the checkered flag. Take a look as we preview tonight’s race and provide our 2016 Buckle Up Your Truck race predictions!

The racing action has been great in the Camping World Truck Series this season specifically on the 1.5 mile tracks. If you take into account the number of great drivers participating this evening, then we should have another great race on our hands at nightfall. Obviously, if you are going to start with predictions then it would be hard to pick a winner from anywhere outside of the Kyle Busch Motorsports stable. Kyle Busch, who will lead a 4 truck brigade from KBM shop tonight, has dominated in the Truck Series by winning 10 of his last 16 starts. Busch has two Kentucky victories in this series coming in 2011 and most recently in 2014. Therefore, he will be an overwhelming favorite this evening which is the case any time he buckles up for Truck Series competition.

If anyone outside of Busch is going to take the checkered flag, I would put my money on one of the other 3 KBM trucks that will be in action tonight. The KBM trucks have proven to be among the best in the field all season but they also have some of the best talent behind the wheel in those trucks as well. Christopher Bell broke through with his first victory at Gateway two weeks ago. Bell’s victory may have come as a surprise to some but he has driven very well in the #4 truck this season. In fact, Bell has posted finishes of 9th or better in 5 of his last 6 starts which includes a 4th place finish at a similar Kansas layout.

The other two KBM trucks that will be in action tonight include Daniel Suarez and William Bryon. Even though Suarez has never won in the Truck Series, he has come very close on several occasions and has progressed significantly as a driver. Suarez finished 4th in this race last year in his only Kentucky start in the Truck Series. William Byron on the other hand has captured several checkered flags in his first season in the Truck Series. In fact, Byron has won 2 of the 4 races on the 1.5 mile tracks this season including most recently at Texas. The #9 truck has become a threat everywhere this season and I expect that team to be really fast again this evening.

Throughout Wednesday’s practices, it appeared that Byron and Busch had the fastest trucks from lap times. Brett Moffitt was the only driver to post a faster lap than the two KBM trucks through a mock qualifying run. However, there were several drivers that posted impressive speeds on the longer runs in final practice. Johnny Sauter specifically stood out with the fastest 10 lap average but I thought Daniel Hemric and Matt Crafton were noticeably fast as well. If you remember, Crafton dominated the 2nd half of this race last year in route to a victory and he is notorious for being strong on the 1.5 mile tracks. Sauter has also been running extremely well in recent weeks. The #21 truck has posted finishes of 4th or better in 5 of his last 6 starts. Therefore, they may be a solid underdog pick tonight especially if something unexpected happens to Kyle Busch.

With so many strong competitors participating tonight, track position will be important because it is going to be difficult to work your way back to the front a driver gets back in traffic. However, there should be plenty of competition towards the front of the field to keep things exciting from the green flag to the time the checkered flag waves later tonight. For now, we give your out best betting advice for who to have on your betting card when the time comes for that checkered flag to wave.

2016 Buckle Up Your Truck 225 Race Predictions

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Kyle Busch +115 (4 units): won 10 of last 16 Truck Series starts, two-time Kentucky CWTS winner
Johnny Sauter +1350 (1 unit): finished 4th or better in 5 of last 6 starts, dark horse pick

H2H Match-ups

Johnny Sauter -145 over Timothy Peters (2 units)