2020 Boyd Gaming 300 Race Picks

NASCAR Xfinity Series Betting Predictions
Saturday February 22nd, 4:16PM (EST) at Las Vegas Motor Speedway
by Jay Horne of NASCARWagers.com, NASCAR Handicapping Service

The Xfinity Series will get their opportunity to roll the dice in Sin City this afternoon with the running of the Boyd Gaming 300 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The fact that this race occurs in the gambling capital of the world seems to fit the narrative of this afternoon’s event. For the first time in years, the Xfinity Series looks completely up for grabs. We have no true “favorites” despite what the odds may suggest and the parity is perhaps at an all-time high. With the Big 3 (Christopher Bell, Tyler Reddick, Cole Custer) all graduating to the Cup Series, the opportunity awaits for the next group of drivers to take the next step forward. We take the time to provide our expectations and provide our 2020 Boyd Gaming 300 race picks for today’s race at Vegas!

In all honesty, today’s Xfinity Series race should be approached with caution because of the level of uncertainty. These next few races should tell us a lot about what to expect throughout the rest of the season. Guys like Chase Briscoe, Austin Cindric, Ross Chastain, Noah Gragson, and perhaps Brandon Jones should all benefit from the Big 3’s departure. Justin Allgaier and Justin Haley will be ready to reclaim Xfinity Series success as well and then you have the talented rookies of Riley Herbst and Harrison Burton who are in Grade A equipment. Needless to say, it is difficult to predict who is going to emerge from the pack to be the guy(s) to beat on a weekly basis. I believe most people would agree Ross Chastain is probably the most talented driver in the field but is the equipment at Kaulig Racing sufficient? Chase Briscoe would likely be the next best option as a driver that should have a big year but again that is all speculation until we see things unfold on the track.

Boyd Gaming 300 Practice Notes

The Xfinity Series held an 80 minute practice session on Friday as the solo preparation session for today’s race. At the end of the practice, Ross Chastain stood on top of the leaderboard with the fastest lap at 176.881mph. Not only did Chastain post the fastest lap of the session but he also had the best race speed as well. The #10 car posted the best 5 and 10 lap averages of the afternoon. From a lap times perspective, Chastain’s speed was pretty impressive with a clear 2-3 tenths advantage over the median of his nearest competitors. It is also worth noting that Chastain is the only former Las Vegas winner competing this afternoon. Chastain dominated the DC Solar 300 in 2018 when he got an opportunity with Chip Ganassi and will look for another checkered flag this afternoon as the potential favorite in the field.

Behind Chastain, the water gets a little muddy. If you look at lap time stats, Noah Gragson and Harrison Burton were way up the leaderboard in terms of lap averages. However, I was not impressed with either Gragson or Burton’s lap after lap detail throughout the entire session. Gragson has decent speed but I don’t know if it is going to hold up in the long run. A few of the guys that I was impressed with included the likes of Austin Cindric and Chase Briscoe. Briscoe did not appear to have the best speed on the beginning of the run but the #98 team looked really solid after 10-15 laps. We saw a good balance of different setups in the Cup Series on Friday that were similar to this mentality. Do you want the fast take off speed or do you want the long run speed? It appears the #98 team is seeking the long run advantage which will pay off if we get long green flag runs.

The drivers that I would suggest in both H2H match-ups and Draftkings lineups as potential dark horses include Austin Cindric and Myatt Snider. I know Cindric is probably not a true “dark horse” but I feel like he will still be a less popular option among the favorites. I personally thought Cindric had the best speed out of everyone not named Ross Chastain. Meanwhile, Myatt Snider has the true dark horse title to his name. Snider earned a ride in the #21 with Richard Childress this year after doing a lot of overseas racing in 2019. Snider has had a few flashes of potential mainly in the Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series and I expect Snider will impress with his opportunity. In practices, the #21 looked really solid with lap times comparable to many of the leaders. For that reason, I believe Snider will be a great H2H option as a driver that will likely not catch the attention of the betting public.

2020 Boyd Gaming 300 Draftkings Predictions

*Qualifying was rained out. The starting line-up will be set by the rule book*

2020 Boyd Gaming 300 Race Picks

*Final*

Ross Chastain +540 (1 unit)
Austin Cindric +880 (1 unit)

H2H Bets

Myatt Snider +115 over Michael Annett (3 units)
Ross Chastain +100 over Justin Allgaier (2 units)