3M 250 Race Picks
NASCAR Xfinity Series Betting Preview
Sunday May 17th, 2:16PM (EST) at Iowa Speedway
by NASCARWagers.com, NASCAR Handicapping Service
In a rare occurrence, the NASCAR Xfinity Series will take center stage this Sunday afternoon when the green flag drops on the 3M 250 at Iowa Speedway. The Camping World Truck Series and the Sprint All-Star Race were in Charlotte this weekend for back to back nights of exciting racing which concluded last night when Denny Hamlin won his first Sprint All-Star Race. As a result of the weekend’s festivities in Charlotte, the Xfinity Series will have a rare standalone event on Sunday that does not include any Sprint Cup Series drivers. Therefore several young drivers will have the opportunity to shine tomorrow when the green flag drops goes at Iowa Speedway. Take a look at our preview and 3M 250 race picks!
One of the top young guns in the sport by the name of Erik Jones will be behind the #20 car tomorrow as one of the big favorites in the race. Jones will be piloting the #20 machine that won the pole for Sunday’s 250. Ironically it was not Jones that won the pole but rather Drew Herring that was filling in for Jones on Saturday who won the pole. Therefore Jones will officially start from the rear of the field once the green flag waves. However to see Herring put the #20 car on the pole definitely shows that the #20 car has some speed which is scary considering how impressive Jones has been this year in all of NASCAR’s touring series.
Jones is currently listed as a near 2-1 favorite which may be a risky bet if you consider his run of bad luck recently especially in the Truck Series. Behind Jones, it is really a pretty wide open race and level playing field going into Sunday. A few of the guys to watch include Ryan Blaney, Chase Elliot, Regan Smith, and perhaps even Brian Scott. Elliot finished 4th in his first Iowa start last year in the Xfinity Series and he was 2nd best in 10 lap averages in the final session. Brian Scott has been running really well in recent weeks. The #2 car topped the charts on both fast lap speed and 10 lap averages. Meanwhile guys like Regan Smith and Ryan Blaney both had strong runs in this race one year ago.
Truth be told there are even more guys that may make their presence known on Sunday. Daniel Suarez had a pair of really strong practices on Saturday and has been progressing nicely in recent weeks. 18 year old Brandon Jones will be making his first Xfinity Series start at Iowa this week. Jones has shown speed in the Truck Series races this year but has not been able to finish races. Jones was 2nd in final practice so it will be interesting to see how his first start unfolds against a ton of similar young talent around him. With so many potential drivers set to try and make their presence known on Saturday, we should be in for a great race. Tomorrow’s race should be a good handicapping race but as we all know anything can happen once the green flag waves. Still, take a look at our 3M 250 race picks!
3M 250 Race Picks
Erik Jones +250 (3 units): track layout plays into Jones strength with similarities to Richmond and Phoenix, won his most recent Truck Series start at Iowa last July and has strong track resume, #20 car has been extremely strong recently winning two of last four races, starting at rear of field
Chase Elliot +800 (1 unit): has run well on similar layouts including 4th place finish in this race last year, 2nd best 10 lap average in final practice, starting 6th
Brian Scott +1400 (.5 unit): very strong in practice on single lap speed and 10 lap averages, Richmond track history suggest he can contend, starting 3rd
H2H Match-ups
Chris Buescher -150 over Brendan Gaughan (1 unit)
