2016 Rattlesnake 400 Race Predictions
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Betting Preview
Friday June 10th, 9:19PM (EST) at Texas Motor Speedway
by Jay Horne of NASCARWagers.com, NASCAR Handicapping Service
All eyes will be on the Camping World Truck Series later this evening as they kick off a full weekend of racing. In fact, all of NASCAR’s touring series will be in action this weekend. While the Xfinity and Sprint Cup Series will be in Michigan, the Camping World Truck Series will accompany the IndyCar Series for a two night double header at Texas Motor Speedway. The action will start tonight when the green flag is waved for the Rattlesnake 400 as 34 trucks battle for the checkered flag. Follow us as we preview tonight’s event and provide our 2016 Rattlesnake 400 race predictions!
The driver that is currently listed as the overall favorite for tonight’s race is Matt Crafton and rightfully so. Crafton has captured wins in each of the last two Truck Series’ races at Dover and Charlotte. The victory at Charlotte added to an on-going trend of dominance on the 1.5 mile tracks for the #88 team. Crafton has won 6 of the last 12 races on 1.5 mile surfaces in Camping World Truck Series competition. If you add in the fact that Crafton has captured the checkered flag in this race in each of the past two seasons, then you have a pretty strong argument for the #88 truck for tonight’s race. Oh and let’s not forget the fact the #88 was the fastest truck in 10 lap averages throughout final practice late yesterday evening as well.
Obviously, Crafton is going to be one of the main contenders for the win tonight unless the #88 finds trouble. However, there are a few other drivers that should also be towards the front to challenge Crafton for the victory. One driver that continues to impress is Charlotte, NC native and 18 year old William Byron. Byron has been somewhat of a surprise story this season. He captured a win at Kansas Speedway and won the pole/led laps at the last two events at Dover and Charlotte. Byron has been very competitive on the 1.5 mile tracks and he showed a lot of speed in the #9 truck on Thursday.
Several other trucks were also pretty fast on Thursday, most notably out of the group were the trucks of Johnny Sauter and Spencer Gallagher . Gallagher has finished in the top 10 in all 5 races since the season opener at Daytona. The #23 truck ran well at Charlotte two weeks ago to bring home a 6th place finish and I think another good run is in-store for that team again tonight. Johnny Sauter and the #21 GMS Racing team has really run well over the last few weeks. Sauter posted finishes of 3rd and 4th most recently at Charlotte and Dover. It is apparent this team has clicked on some things after struggling in the races following Daytona. With that being said, I believe Sauter could be one of the most under rated threats heading into tonight’s race.
If you are looking for some thought’s for H2H match-ups, I thought Cole Custer and Tyler Reddick noticeably struggled comparison of lap times. Reddick has not performed to the level that most expected so far this season and Custer is not exactly known for doing well on the bigger surfaces. Custer posted solid finishes at Atlanta and Kansas earlier this year. However, the #00 team struggled at Charlotte and they have done the same thus far this weekend. Therefore, I believe both drivers will continue to struggle tonight if you want to consider fading them both in H2H situations.
2016 Rattlesnake 400 Race Predictions
Johnny Sauter +750 (1 unit): two-time Texas CWTS winner, finished 4th at Charlotte, team has found speed
Open Parlay
Matt Crafton +120 wins Rattlesnake 400
Slot 2 – Open
Risking 1.5 units to win: TBD
H2H Matchups
Johnny Sauter -130 over Timothy Peters (2 units)
