2017 UNOH 175 Race Predictions

2017 UNOH 175 Race Predictions
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Betting Preview
Saturday September 23rd, 1:17PM (EST) at New Hampshire Motor Speedway
by Jay Horne of NASCARWagers.com, NASCAR Handicapping Service

The Chase for the Camping World Truck Series’ Championship will begin tomorrow afternoon with the running of UNOH 175 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. The current 8 driver roster for the Truck Series’ Chase includes Christopher Bell, Johnny Sauter, Matt Crafton, John Hunter Nemechek, Ben Rhodes, followed by rookies Chase Briscoe, Kaz Grala, and Austin Cindric. If you consider the fact that the Chase excludes Xfinity or Cup Series drivers from participating, those Chase drivers should be the main competitors for victories over the next 7 races. Therefore these 8 drivers will be under the microscope as we look to predict race winners starting with our 2017 UNOH 175 race predictions for tomorrow’s Truck Series race at Loudon.

One of the important notable facts heading into tomorrow’s race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway is the fact that there are not any former Loudon winners in the field. Veteran Matt Crafton has probably been the best among the veterans that have raced in Loudon previously. Crafton owns an extremely strong track record at New Hampshire with top 3 finishes in each of the last 3 years and has not finished outside the top 6 since 2008. Now I will be the first to admit that Crafton and the #88 team has not performed as well as expected this year. In fact, Crafton’s only win this season come at Eldora in the infamous dirt race. On the pavement, Crafton has under performed for the majority of the year. Therefore, I am still skeptical of Crafton’s chances despite his resounding performance on this track in recent years.

In all likelihood, this Chase will be a battle between Christopher Bell and defending champion Johnny Sauter. Bell has been the most dominant guy this season with a series leading 4 victories. Meanwhile, Sauter has come on strong in recent weeks including last week’s win at Chicagoland. If you remember, Sauter come on strong at the end of 2016 as the Chase began and he rode that momentum to a championship. The #21 team has shown a very similar pattern in recent weeks and is starting to hit their stride. As far as Sauter’s chances tomorrow, I would not count him out by any means. He was pretty solid in practice finishing 6th in Happy Hour and has a pretty solid resume at Loudon which includes top 10 finishes in every start (6 total) and 4 top 5 finishes. I personally believe the #21 team has been better on the bigger tracks this season especially on longer runs and that factor is the only reason I am considering foregoing Sauter on my lineup.

If we are judging by practices, Sauter was decent but not great. I thought Christopher Bell easily looked like the best truck. Bell was fastest in final practice and he also held the fastest 10 lap average in both sessions. Bell finished 2nd last year in his first New Hampshire start which says a lot. Also let us not forget, Bell was running down race leader William Byron in those final laps but simply ran out of time. Considering his finish here last year along with his speed in practices, Bell is your clear favorite heading into Saturday. Another name that may be worth mentioning especially if we are mentioning speed in final practice includes Ben Rhodes. Rhodes was 2nd in both single lap speed and 10 lap averages. Rhodes is one of those guys that is tough to predict because the overall team speed varies from week to week. I don’t personally see him as a threat for the victory but I do not want to discourage anyone from considering him a dark horse either.

Lastly, we will have to keep our eyes on several guys making their first Loudon start. Rookie Chase competitors Chase Briscoe, Kaz Grala, and Austin Cindric will all be making their first start at New Hampshire Motor Speedway along with part-time driver Todd Gilliland in the #51 KBM machine. If you saw some of my previews earlier this year, then perhaps you remember that I really like the youngster Gilliland. I am really optimistic on his future despite some bad luck in his first few races. On Friday, Gilliland was closely behind Bell as the only driver in the top 3 in both practices. Therefore, I will take a gamble once again on the rising talent and formally declare the #51 my dark horse pick of the week.

2017 UNOH 175 Race Predictions

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Matt Crafton +500 (1.25 units)
Todd Gilliland +1850 (1 unit)

H2H Matchups

Christopher Bell +125 wins UNOH 175
Team 2 – Open
Risking 1.25 units to win: TBD

H2H Matchups

Ben Rhodes +115 over Noah Gragson (2 units)