2024 Clean Harbors 250 Race Picks

NASCAR Truck Series Betting Predictions
Date/Time: Saturday August 10th, 2024. 7:30PM (EST)
Where: Richmond Raceway
TV: FS1

After a two week hiatus, NASCAR returns to action this weekend at Richmond Raceway. On Saturday, the Craftsman Truck Series will have the luxury of kicking off the weekend with the running of the Clean Harbors 250. Unlike the Cup Series who race late Sunday, Saturday’s Clean Harbors 250 will be the final race of the regular season for Truck Series competitors. At this time, there are currently 8 drivers that have locked themselves into playoff contention which means two positions are up for grabs. To make things interesting, two-time series champion and defending champion Ben Rhodes is among the group of drivers hovering at the cutoff line, in terms of points. Needless to say, Saturday’s Clean Harbors 250 will be the final race to decide the championship contenders for the Truck Series playoffs.

The last time we saw the Truck Series in action was 3 weeks ago at Indianapolis Raceway Park (IRP). In that race, Ty Majeski became just the 5th different Truck Series winner this season, among full-time competitors. Majeski’s victory was not too surprising considering how well he has performed at IRP throughout his career. Aside from IRP, Corey Heim and Christian Eckes remain the top two heavy favorites in the series. Both Heim and Eckes scored wins at the other 3 short tracks earlier this year before the stop at IRP. Additionally, Heim (5) and Eckes (3) have combined to win 8 races this year and have consistently been the best guys in the field on a near weekly basis.

Obviously, Heim and Eckes will enter the race weekend as the heavy betting favorites. While Heim leads the series with the most wins, Eckes has arguably been better at the short tracks via his wins at Martinsville and Bristol. With that being said, I personally don’t believe that Heim and Eckes are as big of favorites as current betting odds suggest. Unlike some other short tracks, Richmond produces a significant amount of tire wear which can increase the volatility of how this race unfolds especially if late-race tire strategy comes into play. For those reasons and more, we will highlight some drivers that deserve betting attention going into the weekend and try to identify the best betting opportunities for Saturday’s return to racing!

Handicapping and Betting Strategy

From a handicapping perspective, we will look for the best short track talents that have consistently performed well throughout the season. While Richmond has some differences compared to other short tracks on the schedule this season, there are also a lot of similarities. Therefore we can look at some of the other races this season at the short tracks and even look back at how some of the more-experienced drivers have performed in recent years at Richmond to formulate opinions for those that should run well. After we establish those baselines, we can also use Saturday’s practice and qualifying sessions to solidify our drivers that deserve the most betting focus.

From a betting perspective, our best paths to profit will likely be in the form of H2H match-ups. Current betting odds for the outright win are relatively conservative due to the top-heavy talent in the likes of Ty Majeski, Heim, and Eckes. While Majeski may not have the wins total this season compared to Heim and Eckes, he has been very strong at the short tracks and has been very strong historically at Richmond. As a result, the top 3 drivers have a high likelihood of finding victory lane and are producing minimal betting value. While potential upsets are not completely out of the question, I still believe the best betting opportunities will be exploiting value in the form of H2H match-ups.

Betting Targets

I was somewhat surprised to see Majeski listed as the outright betting favorite but honestly I agree with the odds-makers assessment. Majeski has been really good at Richmond, which has a lot of similarities to IRP, where he dominated in the Truck Series’ last race. Additionally, the #98 team appears to be peaking which means this will be a great opportunity for Majeski to go back to back. If that does not happen, Corey Heim gets the nod of the cap over Christian Eckes due to a number of reasons. I simply feel that Heim is better and has overcome some of the early season disadvantages from a speed perspective. Therefore if you are going to take any of the betting favorites, Majeski and Heim are both solid options.

Behind the top 3, Grant Enfinger and Nick Sanchez are notable drivers that are worthy of dark horse consideration. Enfinger actually is very good at the short-flat tracks and is a former Richmond winner (2020). Meanwhile, Nick Sanchez is a top talent that is getting very generous betting odds despite the fact he is not known as a great short track talent. Needless to say, I’m not very convinced about any of the dark horses this week which includes rookie phenom Connor Zilisch who will be making his 2nd start of the season following his 4th place result at COTA earlier this year.

Instead, I believe our best betting targets are those that will provide the most H2H value as alluded to earlier. The drivers that I believe are poised to outrun their current betting odds and beat the drivers around them with similar odds include the likes of Grant Enfinger, Ben Rhodes, and Jake Garcia. Enfinger is a legitimate dark horse for the outright victory and I would take his consistency over the other drivers with similar betting odds. While I am not a fan of Ben Rhodes, he has been pretty solid at this style of racing throughout his career and has a much higher ceiling than current odds suggest. Lastly, Jake Garcia may be my favorite long shot on the card for both H2H match-ups and prop bet opportunities. Garcia has struggled with results in recent weeks but has been a solid short-track guy throughout his career. In fact, Garcia has top 5 finishes at both last year’s race at Richmond and the season finale at Phoenix which has a lot of similarities to Richmond. Therefore, I think Garcia has some major upside based on current odds.

2024 Clean Harbors 250 Optimal Lineup

2024 Clean Harbors 250 Betting Picks

*FINAL*

Corey Heim +400 (1 unit)
Grant Enfinger +1000 (.75 unit)

H2H Match-Ups and Props