2020 Pocono Organics 150 Race Picks

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoor Truck Series Betting Predictions
Saturday June 27th, 12:45PM (EST) at Pocono Raceway
by Jay Horne of NASCARWagers.com, NASCAR Handicapping Service

The Gander RV & Outdoor Truck Series will kick off the racing weekend at Pocono early Saturday with the running of the Pocono Organics 150. The Truck Series will be the first leg of a double header on Saturday with the Cup Series following Saturday afternoon with the Pocono Organics 325. So far this season, Grant Enfinger is the only Truck Series regular to score a win. Enfinger scored wins at Daytona and Atlanta. Both Chase Elliott and Kyle Busch have scored the rest of the wins this year. Therefore, we should have a great opportunity to see a new face in victory lane this week and we believe we know who that will be! Take a look as we provide our 2020 Pocono Organics 150 race picks!

Through 10 Truck Series races in the history at Pocono Raceway, Kyle Busch (2) is the only driver that has multiple wins. After scoring his 2nd Truck Series victory of the year at Homestead, the Truck Series regulars can be relieved to know that Rowdy will not be in Truck Series competition this week. However last year’s winner, Ross Chastain, will be back as he attempts to join Rowdy as the only multiple Truck Series victors at Pocono. Chastain dominated this event last year leading 54 of 60 laps in route to a victory and he returns this week to Niece Motorsports looking for an encore performance as one of the main betting favorites.

Another name that will likely catch some attention this week is the guy driving the notorious #51 truck in Brandon Jones. Jones will be stepping down from the Xfinity Series into one of the best rides in the Truck Series in effort to find victory lane. Jones has ran pretty well in the Truck Series in recent part-time roles for Kyle Busch Motorsports including two runner-up finishes in his last 3 starts of 2019 in the #51 truck. Jones has actually finished in the top 5 in 8 of his last 13 Truck Series starts which proves he should be a legitimate threat on Saturday. Surprisingly despite the quality runs, Jones has still never visited victory lane in 45 career starts in the Truck Series and will be looking to end that streak on Saturday. Despite several Xfinity Series starts at Pocono, Jones has never competed in Truck Series competition at Pocono and that is one concern going into Saturday’s event if you are looking to bet on Jones to capture the checkered flag.

Drivers to Target

I was actually surprised when Chastain dominated this race a year ago. I did not believe in the performance of Niece Motorsports at the time and was undeniably wrong in my expectations. I still don’t believe the Niece Motorsports trucks are quite where they want to be but Chastain has to be given serious betting consideration based on recent performance combined with last year’s dominant victory. Fresh off a strong 3rd place run at Homestead, Chastain tops my list over Austin Hill and Brandon Jones as the betting favorites ahead of Saturday’s green flag.

The good news for bettors is that there are several dark horses worthy of betting consideration that could get the job done and provide solid payouts as well! Austin Hill has been running great in recent weeks and should be a top notch candidate again this week. Hill actually won the pole for last year’s race at Pocono but suffered mechanical failure early therefore keep eyes on the #16. Additionally, Christian Eckes and Tyler Ankrum are both solid dark horse predictions. Eckes recently posted finishes of 3rd at Atlanta and 8th at Homestead which are difficult venues. He also posted a strong 4th place finish in the #51 truck last year and also earned an ARCA win at Pocono. Therefore, Eckes has enough experience and the equipment to go after a win on Saturday.

For Tyler Ankrum, he fits the mold of a perfect dark horse candidate flying completely under the radar. Ankrum has pulled off the big underdog victory before back at Kentucky last year. He also finished 2nd to Chastain in last year’s race at Pocono. Heck just look back to that difficult race at Homestead two weeks ago won by Kyle Busch, Ankrum finished 2nd in that race! Obviously the consistency has been a factor for the #26 team this year but I have confidence in the driver this week to have another quality run which could pay huge dividends if he can bring home the trophy.

Fantasy Targets

Johnny Sauter had the luxury of drawing the pole position this week as he continues to seek his 1st win of the season. I tweeted out earlier this week that Sauter has led just 16 laps in 10 career starts at Pocono so I’m not sure how long he will be able to hold the lead. More importantly, the Thorsport Racing Trucks as a group have been very inconsistent this season. Therefore among the favorites, I will continue to target Austin Hill, Ross Chastain, and perhaps Brandon Jones as the best fantasy favorites that should have the ability to run up front and possibly lead some laps. Jones may not be a “favorite” but could be a good pivot play from the 10th starting position. Chastain appears to be the most appealing anchor this week based on last year’s win and the fact he will be starting from the 16th position.

In terms of value plays that may help save salary cap room, I really like both Brennan Poole ($7,500) and Parker Kligerman ($7,300) as your best value options. Despite rather inferior equipment, Poole is starting from the 29th position and Kligerman is starting from the 40th position in his 1st Truck Series start of the year. Kligerman was decent with the #75 truck in 2019 in limited starts earning finishes of 20th, 13th, and 10th. Therefore, Kligerman is a must-play in terms of value. For Brennan Poole, he has finished in the top 20 in 4 of the 5 races this year with the lone exception at Charlotte. A 20th place finish on Saturday would result in a minimum of 33 points and I think the ceiling is much higher. At just $7,500, it’s not a bad play.

I believe the difference-makers for this race will be the drivers will be the drivers in the $8,000-9,000 range. There are several options from Johnny Sauter, Matt Crafton, Tyler Ankrum, Zane Smith, Ben Rhodes, Christian Eckes, and others. It’s really hard to gauge the best fantasy option out of that group because they all have potential yet some have less favorable starting positions and the majority have been inconsistent from week to week. I definitely think Matt Crafton is in-play if you can fit him into your line-up. Otherwise, I like Christian Eckes at $8,400 as the cheaper of all of those drivers mentioned in that range.

2020 Pocono Organics 150 Optimal Lineup

2020 Pocono Organics 150 Race Picks

Final

Austin Hill +700 (1.25 units) *early play
Christian Eckes +825 (1 unit)
Zane Smith +1550 (.75 unit)
Tyler Ankrum +2500 (.5 unit)

Two Team Parlay

Ross Chastain +105 over Brett Moffitt
Team 2 – Open for Pocono Organics 325
Risking 1 unit to win: TBD

H2H Match-ups

Sheldon Creed -125 over Stewart Friesen (2 units)