2022 Worldwide Express 250 Race Picks

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Betting Predictions
Date/Time: Saturday August 13th, 2022. 8:00PM (EST)
Where: Richmond Raceway
TV: FS1

The 2nd race in the Camping World Truck Series playoffs will take place Saturday night with the running of the Worldwide Express 250 at Richmond Raceway. In the opening playoff race at IRP, Grant Enfinger delivered an upset with his first victory of the season and by doing so has already secured his spot in the Round of 8. While Enfinger’s fate is sealed for the opening round of the playoffs, there are 9 other drivers that are fighting to keep their playoff hopes alive and that means the intensity will pick-up for a Saturday night style short-track event!

Unlike the Cup Series that will be racing on Sunday, the Truck Series has not competed at either Richmond or Phoenix previously this season. The reason I mention Phoenix is because it is commonly compared to Richmond when trying to level set expectations. Typically the lack of comparable events would be problematic for bettors however I would point to the Truck Series’ last race at IRP as a viable comparison to Richmond Raceway. Indianapolis Raceway Park (IRP) is a flat .686 mile short track that requires drivers to roll the center of the corner and manage tire wear much like Richmond Raceway which is a slightly larger .75 mile oval. In the most simplest way, Richmond is a slightly larger IRP and can be comparable for handicapping reasons.

Despite Enfinger’s victory at IRP, many fans may forget that several drivers had a chance to win the opening race of the playoffs. Ty Majeski was leading in the final laps before Enfinger passed him for the victory. John Hunter Nemechek led the most laps (75) and even Taylor Gray nearly pulled off an unthinkable upset with the help of strategy before he was wrecked on a late race restart. Needless to say, don’t expect Saturday night’s Worldwide Express 250 to be dominated by any single individual as the recipe for victory will include many variables. Despite the variables, I do believe tomorrow night’s race will provide more opportunistic betting opportunities just like we had at IRP mainly in the realm of match-ups and I’m feeling pretty optimistic going into the weekend.

Handicapping Strategy

Just for clarity, we are going to take a few chances at future style bets in trying to predict potential winners that will emerge from tomorrow’s Worldwide Express 250. With that being said, I would encourage bettors to limit overall risk for all win (futures) bets. I still think the sharp edge will come via match-ups especially with so many part-time drivers that are on the entry list. This is the time (playoffs) of the year where Xfinity/Cup Series full-time drivers are barred from competition and many young/inexperienced drivers get opportunities. Most casual fans or bettors may not track the upcoming talent in the sport and that is usually very favorable for sharp bettors. I’m expecting a few of those opportunities and hopefully we can target a few additional sharp H2H match-ups as well.

Richmond Fast Facts

• Grant Enfinger and John Hunter Nemechek are the only former CWTS winners at Richmond competing in Saturday’s race
• The race winner has started from the front row in 6 out of the 11 CWTS races at Richmond that held qualifying
• There have been a minimum of 11 cautions in 3 of the last 4 CWTS races at Richmond
• Tyler Ankrum is the only driver to finish in the top 5 in each of the last two races at Richmond
• Grant Enfinger has the highest average running position (4.5) among all drivers at Richmond with multiple starts
• Ben Rhodes (2nd at IRP) has the 2nd highest average driver rating (122.1) at Richmond

Betting Targets

Keep in mind, practice and qualifying sessions for Saturday’s Worldwide Express 250 will not take place until Saturday afternoon within just a few hours of the green flag. Therefore, my betting predictions have been constructed prior to on-track activities. I will update this page with the fantasy line-up and final betting thoughts after tomorrow’s sessions. However, bettors will have a tight window between the time qualifying ends and the green flag waves; therefore will be at the mercy of oddsmakers to repost odds late Saturday evening.

As it currently stands, I’m still giving Zane Smith the overall favorite and nod of the cap. I was impressed by Smith’s rally at IRP after sustaining damage and the young driver also led 44 laps at Richmond in the 2020 race. I am convinced that Smith is the best talent in the series and I would expect a cleaner race from the #38 team. Obviously Smith is not a surprising pick so let’s talk about the drivers that could yield betting value. The drivers that I believe provoke sharp value include the likes of Enfinger, Ben Rhodes, Ty Majeski, and Tyler Ankrum. To be clear, I am mainly looking at Rhodes and Ankrum as H2H targets because both drivers provide value based on their match-up tiers. Rhodes is paired against top-tier drivers but is also in the range of guys like Christian Eckes, Stewart Friesen, and others. If Rhodes does not get an optimal qualifying effort, I believe his H2H value will be even better closer to race time. Meanwhile, Ankrum is a damn near bottom-tier talent that has tremendous upside following back to back top 5 finishes at Richmond over the last two starts.

For Majeski and Enfinger, I think both drivers provide valuable pivot options among the favorites. A lot of bettors are going to look at the Kyle Busch Motorsports drivers which dominated this race last year and give specific focus to Nemechek following last year’s victory. However, JHN has not been performing at the level we expected and while he remains dangerous; I can chase better value on guys like Majeski and Enfinger who are arguably performing as well as anyone over the last few races. While Enfinger will likely not hit pay dirt for a 2nd straight race, I am keeping him high on my radar because he absolutely excels on the flatter surfaces. Therefore, Enfinger remains a viable betting option. Lastly, keep Taylor Gray on the radar as well. I mentioned prior to IRP that I am a big fan of the 17 year old and he nearly pulled off the biggest upset of the season in any series. Gray returns to the #17 truck this week and is still an underrated option in match-up formats.

Practice Observations/Final Thoughts

Practice and qualifying wrapped up just less than an hour ago at Richmond Raceway. Ty Majeski and Chandler Smith have emerged as the cars to beat posting the fastest laps in both practice and qualifying. Majeski edged out Smith to earn the pole. I previously took Smith ahead of practices for the outright win so I am happy with that selection but I am regretting not pulling the trigger on Majeski. Despite so many close calls in recent weeks, Majeski is overdue for a victory and I just have a gut feeling that he gets it done tonight.

Aside from the top two guys, I thought John Hunter Nemechek had good race pace but was just not as fast in the opening laps. Granted, race conditions will be different later this evening under the lights but it appears that Nemechek will likely be a factor before things conclude tonight. Other drivers that were also impressive, at least for H2H match-up purposes, included guys like Tyler Ankrum, Rajah Caruth, and Matt DiBenedetto. Ankrum was already on my radar for his prior performances at Richmond. However, both Caruth and DiBenedetto were much better than I expected from a practice perspective. I believe Caruth offers the most upside since he basically blew his opening qualifying lap. Therefore, look for potential opportunities for Caruth to move forward.

Draftkings Worldwide Express 250 Optimal Lineup

2022 Worldwide Express 250 Race Picks

*Final*

John Hunter Nemechek +450 (1 unit)
Chandler Smith +700 (.75 unit)
Ben Rhodes +1200 (.75 unit)

H2H Match-ups and Props

Grant Enfinger -120 over Christian Eckes (2 units)
Ty Majeski -125 over Carson Hocevar (2 units)
Rajah Caruth -110 over Kaz Grala (2 units)
Taylor Gray -130 over Colby Howard (2 units)