2019 Rinnai 250 Race Picks

NASCAR Xfinity Series Betting Preview
Saturday December 23rd, 2:00PM (EST) at Atlanta Motor Speedway
by Jay Horne of NASCARWagers.com, NASCAR Handicapping Service

The Xfinity Series and Gander Outdoors Truck Series will both be in action on Saturday in a rare NASCAR double header at Atlanta Motor Speedway. In the opening race, the Xfinity Series steps into the spotlight with the running of the Rinnai 250. In many ways, this is the first “real” race of the season at a traditional oval and 1.5 mile layout which predominantly makes up the majority of the racing schedule. Perhaps after the dust settles this weekend, we will get a better idea of what to expect in the coming weeks with these new 2019 rules packages. For now, we take our best guess at some things to expect on Saturday with our 2019 Rinnai 250 race picks!

Last year, I made mention on several occasions that the parity in the Xfinity Series seemed to be growing bigger with each passing weekend. The wave of youth in the sport has spawned numerous talented drivers looking to springboard their careers. For 2019, the wave of young drivers is bigger than ever before in the Xfinity Series. Guys like Austin Cindric, Chase Briscoe, Justin Haley, Brandon Jones, John Hunter Nemechek, Noah Gragson, Cole Custer, and Christopher Bell are among the promising upcoming talents that occupy full-time rides. Meanwhile guys like Ryan Preece, Tyler Reddick and Jeffrey Earnhardt will also be in action on Saturday in favorable rides.

Unlike previous years where we had 3-4 or more Cup Series drivers in the Xfinity Series field that were heavy favorites, tomorrow’s Xfinity Series field has a ton of parity which is a byproduct of the new age of youth that occupy so many seats. With the lack of Cup Series talent participating in the Xfinity Series this year, parity should be at an all-time high. Hopefully those factors lead to opportunistic betting odds, great racing, and big payouts. For now, I am still cautious because even from an equipment standpoint; these Xfinity Series cars are very even which is likely going to lead to some difficult handicapping in the weeks ahead.

For Saturday’s Rinnai 250, there are legitimately 8-10 drivers with the talent to pull off a victory that would not be too surprising. The man on top of that list is Christopher Bell who appeared to have the fastest car in practices earlier this afternoon. Bell finished 3rd in his first start at Atlanta last year after starting from the pole. Bell is probably the most talented young driver in the Xfinity Series field. Bell’s driving style is a pretty good match for Atlanta as he does a good job towards getting the best out of his car on long runs because he is incredibly consistent from the driver’s seat. Because Atlanta’s surface causes so much tire wear and fall off, consistency is important for several reasons including tire wear. If nothing changes, Bell is the deserving favorite ahead of Saturday’s green flag.

From practices, the JR Motorsports cars showed some strength throughout their organization. Noah Gragson, Ryan Preece, and Justin Allgaier posted 3 of the top 4 10 lap averages in the final session. Gragson was really impressive for his Atlanta debut in a stockcar and Preece also appeared to be within striking distance. Allgaier is probably worth keeping on your radar. With all the new drivers and prestigious young names, Allgaier is an easy driver to forget. However if those JR Motorsports cars perform like they have practiced, Allgaier should be tough. So keep the #7 on your radar and he may have some added value in H2H match-ups.

There were several other drivers that had their moments in practice that I would like to see race a few times before I make any premature judgments. Jeffrey Earnhardt, John Hunter Nemechek, and Chase Briscoe appeared to have sub par practices. Nemechek’s driving style is not exactly ideal for Atlanta. Earnhardt probably still has some upside and I was surprised that Briscoe was not better from a practice standpoint. Perhaps the jury is still out on several drivers. However if I was going to throw one final name into the mix, I would put Cole Custer pretty high on the list. Custer looked really good on the speed charts and on the stopwatch ahead of Saturday’s Rinnai 250. I previously tagged Custer as a driver that faded too often early in the 2018 season after continuously showing strong practice speeds and then fading deep into races. However he has shown great improvement and finished in the top 3 at both Darlington and Chicagoland which is among the most abrasive surfaces (like Atlanta) in NASCAR. Therefore, Custer should be a legitimate threat if they don’t lose any speed going into Saturday.

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2019 Rinnai 250 Race Picks

*Final

Cole Custer +450 (1.5 unit)
Tyler Reddick +1200 (.75 unit) *early play
Noah Gragson +1450 (.5 unit)
Austin Cindric +2200 (1 unit) *early play

Two Team Parlays

Christopher Bell +215 wins Rinnai 250
Team 2 – Open
Risking 1 unit to win: TBD

H2H Match-Ups

Cole Custer -115 over Justin Allgaier (2 units)
Austin Cindric -115 over Chase Briscoe (2 units) *early play