2022 CRC Brakleen 150 Race Picks

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Betting Predictions
Date/Time: Saturday July 23rd, 2022. 12:00PM (EST)
Where: Pocono Raceway
TV: FOX

The Camping World Truck Series will kick off the racing weekend at Pocono Raceway early Saturday with the running of the CRC Brakleen 150 which will be the opening act of a double header with the Xfinity Series. While a full afternoon of racing will create multiple betting opportunities, the Truck Series’ opening race at Pocono may be a rather difficult handicapping event especially after rain canceled all on-track activities on Friday. As a result, we will conduct a very cautious approach to the CRC 150 at Pocono.

Aside from the fact that all on-track activity was canceled on Friday, I would also point to the fact that the Truck Series has not participated at any “like” venues this season. While the argument could be made that the Tricky Triangle is a rather unique venue that should not be compared to other tracks, I routinely put Pocono into the category of a “horsepower” track where raw speed, either through engine power or chassis aerodynamics, will inevitably provide an advantage. The problem with that concept is that the Truck Series has not competed at any large ovals this season that provide an ideal comparable data set. Therefore, I feel like bettors are entering Saturday’s opening race with a very limited line of sight in terms of expectations.

Before I discuss my high level expectations and potential betting opportunities, I would stress a conservative betting strategy for Saturday’s opening act. In fact, I will likely downsize the amount of overall risk that goes into my betting card unless I really see some opportunities open up with betting odds. If we are truly being sharp, we must accept when strong angles are not present and avoid the idea of forcing bets. The good news is that we have multiple races on Saturday with twice the opportunities to grind out some profits. With everything said, let’s jump into a few thoughts and drivers that I believe will provide relative value.

Truck Series Pocono Betting Notes

• John Hunter Nemechek is the defending winner of the CRC Brakleen 150. In fact, JHN is the only former Pocono Truck Series’ winner in Saturday’s lineup.
• Corey Heim (#51), Ryan Preece (#17), and Austin Hill (#7) are notable part-time drivers that will be in action.
• In 12 all time races at Pocono, the race winner has never started outside the top 10 positions. The race winner has started on the front row in 7 of 12 events.
• Statistically, Pocono is Tyler Ankrum’s best track. Ankrum has a 5th place average finish in 3 career starts including a runner-up finish in 2019.
• Derek Kraus has finished inside the top 10 in both career starts at Pocono
• Grant Enfinger has finished outside the top 10 in 4 of 5 career starts at Pocono

Betting Targets

Personally, I don’t have the highest level of confidence going into Saturday’s CRC Brakleen 150. However, I do believe that the Kyle Busch Motorsports trucks will likely be the cream of the crop. Pole sitter Zane Smith has proven to be the top dog in the series this year and I think he will be a tough contender again on Saturday as well. Still, we have seen the KBM trucks shine at the only comparable horsepower venues this season at Daytona and Atlanta. John Hunter Nemechek should have an excellent opportunity to pick up his 2nd win of the season while the likes of Chandler Smith and Corey Heim provide some dark horse potential.

I really like the value of Corey Heim in all betting formats this week. Despite making his 1st career CWTS start at Pocono, Heim has a pretty impressive record in the ARCA Series at Pocono which includes a win in last year’s race. Despite only making 8 starts this season, Heim already has two victories on the season yet continues to fly under everyone’s radar. For that reason, Heim is a strong option for Saturday especially in H2H match-ups. Speaking of H2H match-ups, another driver that I really like is Tyler Ankrum. I have made a couple of mentions of Ankrum this year and I really thought he would have a better season with the championship caliber #16 team. While the performance has not been great, Ankrum has been a standout at Pocono and the lack of on-track activities on Friday should only help those individuals that already have a knack for getting around the Tricky Triangle.

In a somewhat non-dominant field, Austin Hill and Ryan Preece will likely find ways to contend on Saturday as well. Preece and the #17 team have shown the speed needed to be successful at Pocono and honestly Preece has been really good in the Truck Series. Meanwhile, Hill may be among the most talented drivers in Saturday’s field and nearly won this event in 2020. In his only two career starts, Hill has posted finishes of 2nd and 5th at Pocono. Therefore, I would classify Heim, Preece, and Hill as excellent pivot options against the top two favorites in Zane Smith and John Hunter Nemechek for those brave enough to chase value.

*Other drivers trending in a positive handicapping direction include Matt Crafton, Carson Hocevar, and Derek Kraus

Draftkings CRC Brakleen 150 Optimal Lineup

2022 CRC Brakleen 150 Race Picks

*Final*

John Hunter Nemechek +550 (.75 unit)
Ryan Preece +800 (.75 unit)
Corey Heim +1000 (.75 unit)

H2H Match-ups and Props

Corey Heim -115 over Carson Hocevar (2 units)
Tyler Ankrum +500 finishes Top 5 (1 unit)
Matt Crafton +1200 finishes Top 3 (.5 unit)