2017 M&Ms 200 Race Predictions
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Betting Preview
Friday June 23rd, 8:30PM (EST) at Iowa Speedway
by Jay Horne of NASCARWagers.com, NASCAR Handicapping Service
The Camping World Truck Series will kick start this weekend’s racing activities later tonight with the running of the M&Ms 200 at Iowa Speedway. The Xfinity Series will also race at Iowa Speedway tomorrow night while the Monster Energy Cup Series will cap off the weekend at Sonoma on Sunday for 3 straight days of racing. However, tonight the spotlight will shine solely on the Truck Series as they battle for 200 laps at Iowa Speedway in what promises to be an exciting race. With numerous drivers contending for victories in recent weeks, parity is at an all-time high in the Truck Series which was evident last week with John Hunter Nemechek ended his struggles to score his 1st win of the season. Luckily I was on the winning side of Nemechek’s win last week and we hope to keep the momentum going in the Truck Series later this evening. So take a look as I provide my 2017 M&Ms 200 race predictions for Iowa Speedway!
A lot of people are not very familiar with Iowa Speedway possibly because it does not reside on the Cup Series schedule. For anyone unfamiliar with Iowa, it is a 0.875 mile track located in Newton, Iowa. Iowa Speedway opened in 2006 making it one of the newest tracks that is used by any of NASCAR’s top 3 series. It was also aided in design by Hall of Fame driver Rusty Willace to mirror many characteristics to Richmond International Raceway. Therefore, Richmond and even Phoenix are good tracks to compare driving styles and past history to aid in handicapping scenarios. Obviously the Truck Series has not visited Richmond or Phoenix this season but keep those things in mind for tomorrow’s American Ethanol E15 250 because the Xfinity Series has visited both tracks already this season.
As for the Truck Series tonight, I believe you have about 4-5 drivers with legitimate chances to win. Obviously Christopher Bell is the weekly favorite as the best overall talent in the Truck Series and driver to one of the fastest trucks in series thanks to Kyle Busch Motorsports. Chase Briscoe is probably the hottest driver in the series in recent weeks with two straight runner-up finishes. Briscoe has not just had a fast truck in recent weeks but he has purely out driven several of his competitors as well. I was really big on Briscoe before the season began but admittingly backed off those thoughts after the #29 team suffered a slow start. However, Briscoe has had somewhat of a “coming out” party in the last few weeks and I think this team is very close to a victory. I also like Briscoe’s driving style for Iowa as well so he is right at the top of my list for tonight’s 200 lap event.
The other guys that I believe everyone would agree should be in the conversation include Ben Rhodes, John Hunter Nemechek, Matt Crafton, and Johnny Sauter. Obviously it is hard to ever count out Sauter and Crafton due to their veteran status and crafty ability to steal victories. Sauter has been the most consistent driver this season with finishes of 3rd or better in all but two races. Crafton on the other hand has not had the same speed and I am inclined to avoid the #88 until he shows me something better. I would not rule out the #88’s chances tonight because he is one of those drivers that can come out of nowhere to win races but I just think with the #88 team’s current struggles that it is highly improbable.
Ben Rhodes and John Hunter Nemechek are two drivers that I do not think anyone should overlook. Even with a disastrous start to the season, I still backed John Hunter Nemechek in last week’s victory at Gateway. One thing about Nemechek is that he has always been strong on the shorter tracks and he is very aggressive which sometimes works to his favor. I believe Nemechek’s driving style is very good for Iowa and I would not be surprised if he contends again this evening. Lastly, Ben Rhodes has shown speed throughout practices which may indicate he is ready to contend again. Despite some mediocre runs in the last 2 weeks, Rhodes has still posted 4 straight finishes of 8th or better. I personally consider Rhodes a 1.5 mile driver that excels with steep banking. However, he paced the field with the best 10 lap average in final practice. Typically in the past when Rhodes has practiced well he has backed it up with strong performances so keep that in mind.
Obviously practice speeds do not mean everything. After all, this morning’s practices will be considerably different than the track conditions we will witness under the lights later this evening. Practice speeds simply indicate speed which is never a bad thing. If you are looking for a couple of true longshots for big odds or H2H reasons, then consider both Brandon Jones and Ryan Truex. Truex has been running extremely well with 6 straight top 10s and he was one of the fastest trucks at Gateway during the 2nd half of last week’s race at Gateway. Gateway also has some similarities to Iowa so drivers that performed well last week should continue to do so tonight in theory.
One driver that did not participate last week is Brandon Jones who will be behind the wheel of the #99 truck later this evening. Jones will be making just his 2nd start in the Truck Series this year but he is a regular in the Xfinity Series. Jones stated in interviews earlier today that he really likes Iowa and he has chosen to race here in each of the last 4 years which includes a runner-up finish in 2015. Jones was even fast in the Xfinity Series car in the 1st practice this afternoon so it is evident that he likes this racetrack. After posting the fastest lap in final practice in the Truck Series, I would have to say he knows how to get around Iowa Speedway. Hopefully you can find a matchup with Jones who will likely be under values going into tonight’s race!
2017 M&Ms 200 Race Predictions
Chase Briscoe +475 (1.5 units)
Ben Rhodes +700 (1.25 units)
Ryan Truex +2000 (.5 unit)
Two Team Parlay
Christopher Bell +175 wins M&Ms 200
Team 2 Open
Risking 1 unit to win: TBD
