2017 US Cellular 250 Race Predictions

2017 US Cellular 250 Race Predictions
NASCAR Xfinity Series Betting Preview
Saturday July 29th, 3:44PM (EST) at Iowa Speedway
by Jay Horne of NASCARWagers.com, NASCAR Handicapping Service

Shortly after the Camping World Truck Series concludes at Pocono Raceway on Saturday, the Xfinity Series will get their opportunity to take over the spotlight with the running of the US Cellular 250 at Iowa Speedway. Interestingly, this race features all Xfinity Series full-time and part-time drivers because the Cup Series is in Pocono. Therefore the window of opportunity is open for several drivers to score a victory including several young drivers who will be seeking the first win of their careers. Take a look as we dissect this interesting field and provide our 2017 US Cellular 250 race predictions!

Even though this is a standalone race with a lot of new faces, the Xfinity Series just visited Iowa Speedway a little more than a month ago to give us some type of perspective entering tomorrow’s race. In that race last month, rookie William Byron emerged from the field to score the first Xfinity Series win of his career. Since that monumental win, Byron has caught fire winning two additional races in the last 4 events. Byron’s emergence is starting to resemble the way he took over the Camping World Truck Series a year ago and he will enter tomorrow’s race as the overall favorite to take home the checkered flag.

However there are several drivers that are looking to accomplish what Byron did back in June by winning their first race of the season. A few drivers like Kyle Benjamin, Ryan Preece, and others will be looking for their first career Xfinity Series win just like Byron last month. If you do not recognize the names of Preece and Benjamin, they are both part-time drivers for Joe Gibbs Racing who have been put in very advantageous situations behind the wheel of the #18 and #20 machines who have historically been among the best in the series.

Both drivers have tremendous upside in talent. Preece has run full-time in the Xfinity Series but was never on a team that was capable of winning. When Preece got his first chance to drive for JGR back at Loudon, he piloted the #20 car to a 2nd place finish behind Kyle Busch. Therefore, expectations are high for Preece’s encore performance. Meanwhile, teammate Kyle Benjamin has equally high expectations. He has been really fast in all of his appearances this season but simply has not had the finishes to show for it. However on Friday, Benjamin showed really impressive long run speed to indicate this team should be a threat when the green flag is waved Saturday afternoon.

Speaking of practices, both Benjamin and Preece ran very well in practices. Preece finished with the best 10 lap average and Benjamin was close behind in 2nd. I jumped on Preece early in the week when he was nearly 12-1 and his odds will be nearly or less than half of that by the time the green flag waves. For those that took Benjamin at similar odds, the case can be made that you got a great number for two young drivers that could easily have a chance to win this race if they stay out of trouble. With that being said, I do not believe that Preece nor Benjamin are the overall favorites going into tomorrow’s race. Obviously William Byron promises to be a factor amidst his recent hot streak despite a pair of mediocre practices on Friday. Additionally, most people including myself expect Sam Hornish Jr to be among the key drivers competing for the win.

Hornish had his first start of the season back in June and showed great speed throughout the entire weekend despite being out of the car for more than a year. As most are aware, Hornish scored a win at Iowa last year under similar circumstances after being out of the car for an extended period of time. For a part-time driver, you always worry if lack of seat time or “rust” will come into play to effect a driver’s performance. However, Hornish has jumped in the #22 car and looked good in nearly every occasion in these part-time roles. On Friday I watched lap times very closely and I believe the #22 was the class of the field in race trim. Lap times were very close among the top cars but nevertheless the #22 appeared to be best.

Since I believe the competition will show some parity, I would not rule out of the chances of Justin Allgaier or Elliott Sadler. Allgaier has been very strong at the shorter tracks this season and Iowa fits his driving style. Sadler has run pretty solid everywhere this season finishing 8th or better in 7 of the last 8 races. For whatever reason, Sadler never practices extremely well but I personally thought the #1 car was pretty good. So for that reason and the fact Sadler seemingly always races forward, the #1 should be given some dark horse consideration. Another name that I would also like to mention is Daniel Hemric who I believe has some H2H potential. Hemric fought handling issues throughout practices on Friday but the car was really fast in lap times. If they can get some of the handling issues fixed, the #21 car could be really good. Therefore, Hemric may be worth a gamble as he should be matched up against lower tier drivers!

2017 US Cellular 250 Race Predictions

All *early forums plays listed below are courtesy of 5Dimes! Make sure you are getting the best odds by signing up here 5Dimes

*Check back closer to race time for added plays

Sam Hornish Jr +450 (2 units) *early forums play
Ryan Preece +1150 (1 unit) *early forums play

H2H Matchups and Props

Sam Hornish Jr -130 over Elliott Sadler (2 units) *early forums play
Ryan Preece -135 over Kyle Benjamin (2 units)