2016 Hisense 300 Race Predictions
NASCAR Xfinity Series Betting Preview
Saturday May 28th, 2:46PM (EST) at Charlotte Motor Speedway
by Jay Horne of NASCARWagers.com, NASCAR Handicapping Service
Tomorrow afternoon NASCAR’s Xfinity Series returns to action at Charlotte Motor Speedway with the running of the Hisense 300. Last year Austin Dillon scored victories in both Charlotte Xfinity Series races and the hometown boy will get a chance to score his 3rd straight victory at Charlotte on Saturday. Dillon is part of a talented group of drivers from the Sprint Cup Series that will be participating tomorrow which includes the likes of Denny Hamlin, Ryan Blaney, Kyle Larson, and Joey Logano. With so many strong competitors showing on the entry list, we expect an exciting afternoon of racing. Follow us as we provide our full race preview and 2016 Hisense 300 race predictions!
There was not any form of on-track activity this afternoon in either the Xfinity or Sprint Cup Series. The Xfinity Series actually completed both scheduled practices on Thursday in preparation for tomorrow’s race. From a practice standpoint, Erik Jones seemed to stand out amongst the competition. Jones, who has won two races already including most recently at Dover, was fastest in practice 1 and 3rd in final practice. Jones has been one of the most consistent frontrunners in the Xfinity Series this season and he has proved that he can best the Sprint Cup Series guys when given the opportunity. Sprint Cup Series drivers have dominated at Charlotte winning the last 13 Xfinity Series races. However, Jones should have the car to put that streak in jeopardy once the green flag waves on Saturday.
Another guy that I believe could also threaten that streak is Daniel Suarez. Suarez has had a few chances to score that elusive first win but has fallen short each time. Obviously with an extremely talented field, his chances to score that first win tomorrow in Charlotte against so many Sprint Cup Series competitors appear to be grim. However, his lap times were very impressive on Thursday and the car seemed to only get better after several laps. Therefore if anyone is going to stop the Sprint Cup guys on Saturday, my bet would be one of the young guys from the Joe Gibbs Racing camp as they laid down some really impressive lap times on Thursday.
Outside of Jones and Suarez, I believe both the cars of Denny Hamlin and Austin Dillon will also be strong enough to contend for the victory on Saturday. Dillon came on strong at the end of final practice and his two wins here last year make him a strong threat to replicate that success again. Hamlin posted the 2nd best 10 lap average in final practice behind Suarez and honestly was as fast as anyone throughout both practices on Thursday. Obviously, the track will be a bit different than it was on Thursday but Dillon and Hamlin appeared to have their cars going in the right direction.
Kyle Larson, who has been running really good on the Sprint Cup side, also come on strong towards the end of final practice. As many know, Larson is one of those drivers that excel on longer runs when you have to search around the track for grip. Charlotte’s upper groove will likely come into play as this race progresses which should play into Larson’s hand. I am not sure if the #42 team has a winning car but I do believe they will run well especially towards the latter half of the race.
If you are wondering why I have not mentioned Ryan Blaney or Joey Logano as contenders yet, it is not because they did not show speed on Thursday. Blaney actually finished 3rd in practice 1. However, I am still not confident in the Team Penske Xfinity program at this time. The #22 team has dominated in this series over the last several years with the likes of Brad Keselowski, Joey Logano, and Ryan Blaney behind the wheel. However, the team has noticeably struggled thus far in 2016. I am not convinced that they have their race speed figured out yet and I think they have some work still to do.
2016 Hisense 300 Race Predictions
Daniel Suarz +700 (1.25 units): chasing first win, very strong practice speeds, starting 2nd
Kyle Larson +525 (1.25 units): should be good on track conditions, look for the #42 to get better throughout the race, starting 5th
H2H Matchups
Daniel Suarez -140 over Ryan Blaney (3 units)
Denny Hamlin -160 over Joey Logano (3 units)
Darrell Wallace Jr -115 over Brendan Gaughan (2 units)
Austin Dillon -115 over Ryan Blaney (2 units)
