2019 World of Westgate 200 Race Picks

NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series Betting Predictions
Friday September 13th, 9:12PM (EST) at Las Vegas Motor Speedway
by Jay Horne of NASCARWagers.com, NASCAR Handicapping Service

After a 2 week hiatus, the Gander Outdoors Truck Series will return to action tonight with the running of the World of Westgate 200 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Tonight’s event will kick off 3 straight nights of racing from Sin City from NASCAR’s top touring series as we prepare for multiple betting opportunities throughout the weekend. For tonight’s World of Westgate 200, the intensity will pick up as the Truck Series’ playoffs closes out the Round of 8. Currently Johnny Sauter, whom many would have considered one of the main favorites for the championship, is on the outside of the cutoff line so it will be very interesting to see how the former champion performs later this evening. For now, we turn our focus towards the betting opportunities provided by tonight’s race and present our 2019 World of Westgate 200 race picks!

All on-track activity for the weekend began earlier today for all 3 series. Truck Series’ teams and drivers participated in a single practice session that stretched out for nearly 2 hours. At the end of the session, Stewart Friesen was on top of the board with a lap of 179.635mph. Following Freisen, Brett Moffitt, Grant Enfinger, Sheldon Creed, and Matt Crafton rounded out the top 5 in terms of single lap speed. Overall, I thought Brett Moffitt was clearly the best truck in practices. Moffitt had speed from the opening laps until time expired in practice. The #24 team had extremely solid race trim speed that appeared to get better with the more laps that were laid down which is the prototypical style of the #24 team.

Aside from Moffitt, I thought Stewart Friesen was probably the 2nd best truck based on raw speed. The biggest downside to Friesen’s stock is that the entire #52 team has not performed well since the beginning of the year and they are still winless on the pavement. With only 1 win on dirt, the #52 team needs to prove they can win rather than just showing speed in practices before we can consider Friesen’s betting odds anything but a flier choice. A few other trucks that were notably fast included the likes of Todd Gilliland and Matt Crafton. Now when I state those trucks were fast, I am not advocating betting suggestions. I am simply stating the facts of raw speed observations. By now, everyone should know Gilliland rarely matches the #4 team’s speed with results and additionally Crafton has just 1 victory in the last 3 seasons which came on dirt at Eldora. Needless to say, proceed with caution with these drivers.

Drivers to target

If I had to pick one driver for tonight’s race, I think Brett Moffitt is the guy to beat. Moffitt is not invincible by any means because the #24 truck does not have the elite takeoff speed. However if the #24 team can keep their track position and avoid any chaotic short runs to the checkered flag, they will be tough to beat. In terms of betting match-ups, I believe Matt Crafton is a sneaky play with potential. Before this stretch of short tracks and road courses in recent weeks, Crafton was one of the most consistent front-runners in the field each week at the 1.5 mile tracks and he showed really good speed in practice in race trim. I think the #88 would probably be a risk guy to bet on for the outright win but he could provide some potential in betting match-ups.

One of my favorite dark horses for tonight’s World of Westgate 200 includes the #8 of John Hunter Nemechek. John Hunter always seems to fly under the radar when he enters a Truck Series event but he also has a great track record of finding the front of the field as well. In the Truck Series, John Hunter seems to always get the best of the equipment and that could be the case for the #8 team again tonight. Nemechek was right there with the leaders on lap times and it would not be surprising to see the #8 truck in contention. Another flier option that I would use especially in DFS includes the #87 and fellow NEMCO teammate Tony Mrakovich. Mrakovich is making his 3rd start this season but first with the #87 team. The prior 2 starts were with the #8 team at NEMCO Motorsports and including a rather surprising 12th place finish at Dover. After a really solid afternoon in practice, Mrakovich could provide the fantasy salary relief and surprising upside needed in DFS line-ups.

Drivers to fade

By now, it may be surprising that you have not seen Ross Chastain’s name mentioned. Chastain has been among the weekly favorites for the entire 2nd half of the season and has produced 3 victories. However, Chastain and the #45 team have struggled rather significantly since unloading earlier today. The truck did not have great takeoff speed and struggled with long run speed as well. Now I understand the driver will get the best out of the equipment but I am still not convinced he will be able to get enough out of this truck to make it to the front.

Since Chastain is still viewed as a top tier favorites, I believe fading the #45 would be an ideal betting opportunity. If you want an additional name for fade consideration, I would throw Grant Enfinger’s name into the mix. The Thorsport Racing trucks have not exactly been great over the last few months as seen with the #13 truck with Johnny Sauter. They have had some weeks where 1 of their trucks emerge from the pack to have a decent run but they still struggled as a group. Earlier today, Enfinger looked to be on the wrong end of that performance conundrum and appeared to be the worst of the Thorsport Racing brigade.

Draftkings 2019 World of Westgate 200 Fantasy Predictions

2019 World of Westgate 200 Race Picks

*Final*

Brett Moffitt +350 (2 units)
Matt Crafton +1550 (.75 unit)
Harrison Burton +1750 (.75 unit) *early play
Todd Gilliland +2000 (.5 unit)

H2H Match-Ups

Brett Moffitt -130 over Ross Chastain (3 units)
Harrison Burton +115 over Johnny Sauter (2 units) *early play