2016 Road America 180 Race Predictions

2016 Road America 180 Race Predictions
NASCAR Xfinity Series Betting Preview
Saturday August 27th, 1:19PM (EST) at Michigan International Speedway
by Jay Horne of NASCARWagers.com, NASCAR Handicapping Service

Today immediately following the Camping World Truck Series Careers for Veterans 200 at Michigan, the Xfinity Series will take over the spotlight when the green flag is waved for the Road America 180 at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. Today’s event will mark the 3rd road course race in the last 4 weeks for the Xfinity Series. We had the luxury of witnessing great racing in those prior 3 races and we expect another similar show this afternoon. With rain looming in the area, we also have a strong possibility of seeing the rain tires in action again today similar to what we saw at Mid-Ohio. If you remember, the rain tires really shook things up at Mid-Ohio and that could be the case again today. Follow us as we preview and provide our 2016 Road America 180 race predictions!

When the rain tires were introduced at Mid-Ohio, it really changed the way the race unfolded. The difference in slick tires and rain tires caused a big variance in speed and also the drivers that could get the most out of their cars. Justin Marks appeared to have a top 5 car but dominated once the rain tires were put on. Therefore, it will be interesting to see if Marks or others can take advantage of a wet surface if the rain tires are introduced this evening. With so much rain around the area, I highly doubt we will see a dry race. Therefore, I think everyone needs to pay attention to the guys that were able to perform well in the rain at Mid-Ohio and use that to your advantage when setting your roster this afternoon.

Rain or no rain, we know going into today’s race that Alex Tagliani and Michael McDowell have been the class of the field thus far throughout the weekend. Tagliani is making his first start of the season in the Xfinity Series but he has been in this #22 car for Team Penske in prior road course races. Tagliani is one of the best road course racers in the series when he competes and has 3 runner-up finishes in his 7 career starts. In 2014, he ran out of gas while leading at Road America and rallied back for a 2nd place finish. Today the veteran open wheel driver looks to break through and get his first victory.

Tagliani won the pole for today’s race over Michael McDowell. However, both guys were equally fast throughout practices and should be the biggest threats for the victory today. Owen Kelly and Justin Marks were the fastest two guys behind Tags and McDowell. Still, the front two had a pretty sizeable gap over Kelly and Marks. The gap behind the top 4 was even bigger so I am not expecting too many surprises today whether rain or shine. However if the rain tires do come into play, I think you have to give some serious attention to Marks considering how he dominated on the wet surface at Mid-Ohio.

If you are looking for a few more guys to consider then look no further than guys like Ty Dillon and Justin Allgaier for value in matchups. Both guys perform well on the road courses and typically race better than their speed charts may indicate. I still think the top 4 drivers have a wide gap on the rest of the field so I do not know if these guys can win. However, Dillon and Allgaier should race their way forward. I also would not be surprised to see Darrell Wallace Jr and Brennan Poole post quality runs as well. Wallace was really strong at Mid-Ohio before the rain come into play so he may be risky with today’s conditions. Poole on the other hand should be solid no matter what the conditions entail.

2016 Road America 180 Race Predictions

Want to bet on today’s races? Get immediate access and the best odds with 5 Dimes

Justin Marks +600 (1.5 units)

Two Team Parlay

Alex Tagliani +175 wins Road America 180
Slot 2 – Open
Risking 1.5 units to win: TBD

H2H Matchups

Justin Allgaier -105 over Justin Marks (3 units) (early forums pick)
Brennan Poole +100 over Ryan Reed (2 units)
Alex Tagliani -160 over Owen Kelly (2 units)