2017 DC Solar 200 Race Picks
NASCAR Xfinity Series Betting Preview
Saturday March 18th, 4:00PM (EST) at Phoenix International Raceway
by Jay Horne of NASCARWagers.com, NASCAR Handicapping Service
The Xfinity Series will go racing in the Valley of the Sun tomorrow afternoon when the green flag is waved for the DC Solar 200. This weekend’s stop at Phoenix marks the 2nd race in the West Coast swing which will conclude next week in Fontana. The West Coast swing has provided great racing in the last few years and tomorrow’s race at Phoenix International Raceway will lend NASCAR’s first taste of short track racing for the 2017 season. We take this time to provide a full race preview and provide our 2017 DC Solar 200 race picks for the Xfinity Series at Phoenix!
The good news for bettors is tomorrow’s DC Solar 200 should provide some parity at the front of the field. The first 3 races of the season were decorated with the likes of Joey Logano, Kyle Busch, Brad Keselowski, Kyle Larson, Kasey Kahne, and Kevin Harvick from the Cup Series. As most are aware when you have the best Cup Series drivers participating each week, it diminishes any opportunity for a surprise winner or variance at the front of the pack. However, tomorrow’s race will not have near as many sharks from the Cup Series which should open the door for some of the Xfinity Series regulars and provide an opportunity for those guys to shine.
There will still be Cup Series drivers in tomorrow’s field including Erik Jones, Daniel Suarez, Ryan Blaney, and Austin Dillon. However, the crop of Cup Series drivers participating tomorrow still leaves room for opportunity to the Xfinity Series regulars. With that being said, the Cup Series guys will still be the favorites tomorrow afternoon especially Erik Jones and Ryan Blaney. Both the #20 and #22 cars have been the best of the bunch since unloading. Blaney and Jones were 1-2 in the 2nd practice on Friday and were also the fastest 2 cars in 10 lap averages in final practice. Phoenix is actually the site of Jones’ first win in the Truck Series in 2013 and he always races well at PIR. I personally thought the #22 was the best car from practices earlier today but I have a hard time putting them over the #20 considering Jones’ history at Phoenix. Either way, those two guys are clearly the favorites heading into Saturday!
However, I do not think the gap is that significant from Blaney and Jones to the rest of the field. Daniel Suarez has arguably been just as fast as anyone this weekend and has to be a threat considering JGR’s dominance at Phoenix last year. Additionally there are some legitimate dark horse threats emerging from the likes of Justin Allgaier and William Bryon. Byron has been pretty solid in his first 3 starts in the Xfinity Series as a rookie this season and I believe he is only going to get better. He was fast during all practices on Friday which shows that he could thrive in this field with less Cup Series drivers.
Meanwhile, Justin Allgaier is a guy that I have pegged as a potential upset threat. Allgaier has had a rough start to 2017 but the team has never lacked speed through their misfortunes in recent weeks. More importantly, Allgaier has a very impressive Phoenix resume that includes finishes of 4th or better in his last 4 starts to add value to his stock. Allgaier posted the 3rd best 10 lap average in final practice behind the Blaney and Jones so they have the speed in the car to make some noise. Considering his underdog type odds, I believe Allgaier is a play for the win and potentially an even better play in H2H action.
Speaking of H2H action, I think there could be several guys worthy of matchup bets tomorrow. Ty Dillon has not looked that strong in practices but has one of the most consistent Phoenix resumes among active drivers. The younger Dillon has finished inside the top 10 in all of his 6 starts at Phoenix in the Xfinity Series. If you can also find Matt Tift in a lower tier matchup, I think he could also provide some H2H value. As stated before, the JGR cars are strong just as they were all last year at PIR. Tift has not been any exception and he is going to have an excellent opportunity to produce a quality performance on Saturday. If you can find him in a matchup against another low tier driver, I think he is a sharp play as well. Check out the rest of our 2017 DC Solar 200 race picks below:
Get great NASCAR odds and numerous betting options courtesy of Bovada:
2017 DC Solar 200 Race Picks
*More picks to be posted closer to race time
Daniel Suarez +650 (1.5 units)
Ryan Blaney +800 (1.25 units)
Justin Allgaier +1350 (1 unit)
Two Team Parlay
Erik Jones +195 wins DC Solar 200
Team 2 – Open for CampingWorld 500(K)
Risking 1 unit to win: TBD
H2H Match-ups
Ty Dillon -115 over Daniel Hemric (4 units) *early forums play
