NASCARWAGERS.com
Home / NASCAR Betting / 2025 Pacific Office Automation 147 Race Picks

2025 Pacific Office Automation 147 Race Picks

2025 Pacific Office Automation 147 Race Picks

Date/Time: Saturday August 30th, 2025. 7:30PM (EST)
Where: Portland International Raceway
TV: CW

The Xfinity Series will step into the spotlight late Saturday afternoon for road course action at Portland International Raceway with the running of the Pacific Office Automation 147. The Xfinity Series only recently started competing at Portland in 2022 and all 3 former winners (A.J Allmendinger, Cole Custer, and Shane Van Gisbergen) are currently on a Cup Series roster. The good news for the Xfinity Series’ competitors is that there will not be any current Cup Series drivers competing on Saturday due to the fact the Truck and Cup Series’ teams are in Darlington. Therefore, this race will be decided mostly among the full-time Xfinity Series regulars that are also closing in on the conclusion of the Xfinity Series regular season.

As things currently stand, Connor Zilisch owns a massive playoff lead thanks to his 7 victories on the season. Last week, Zilisch was credited for the victory in the WaWa 250 at Daytona International Speedway. Zilisch started the race but was relieved in the driver seat by Parker Kligerman due to the fact Zilisch suffered a broken collar bone the week prior. Kligerman was able to get the victory which officially credited Zilisch with his 7th win on the season. For this week’s race, Zilisch is expected to be in the seat throughout the entire race and perhaps as expected given his elite skills on the road courses.

In fact, Zilisch has won 3 of the 5 races this season on the road courses. Cup Series drivers Daniel Suarez and Shane Van Gisbergen have been the only drivers to beat Zilisch in road course competition this season. However, there will not be any Cup Series drivers competing this weekend at Portland and that appears to be another huge advantage for Zilisch and the #88 team who should have a great opportunity to score yet another victory. Despite those circumstances and the high likelihood Zilisch captures another victory, we will also review some potential drivers that could be live dark horses on Saturday especially if the #88 finds trouble. We will also discuss if those same drivers or others have pathways to produce profits in H2H or prop bet situations.

Portland – Xfinity Notes

  • Portland International Raceway (PIR) is a 12-turn course that is 1.97 miles in length. The course features a front-stretch chicane shortly after the start/finish line, wide S-shaped corners through turns 4-8 which is similar to Sonoma, then a high-speed backstretch that leads to heavy braking zone leading into a slight-left hand turn 9, following right-hand turns 11 and 12 which lead back to the long frontstretch.
  • AJ Allmendinger (2022), Cole Custer (2023), and Shane Van Gisbergen (2024) are the only former series winners at Portland. *None of those drivers are competing on Saturday.
  • Justin Allgaier has finished 5th, 2nd, and 2nd in 3 starts at Portland.
  • Austin Hill has finished in the Top 5 in 2 of 3 starts at Portland.
  • Sammy Smith finished 3rd in his first Portland start with JR Motorsports in 2024.
  • Alex Labbe has finished 11th or better in two career starts at Portland.
  • Sheldon Creed’s best finish at Portland is 7th in 3 career starts.
  • Brandon Jones’ best finish at Portland is 11th in 3 career starts.
  • Jeb Burton has failed to crack the Top 20 in 3 career starts at Portland.
  • Chevrolet drivers have won 2 of 3 races at Portland.
  • There have been at least 5 cautions or less in 2 of 3 races at Portland.
  • The last two race winners have started from the 2nd starting position.

Xfinity Series Road Course Loop Data

I compiled loop data metrics below which features all 5 prior road courses races this season in the Xfinity Series. As you will see below, Connor Zilisch holds a massive lead in the average driver rating category which is an overall performance measurement. Zilisch is one of the top road course drivers in the sport, perhaps only behind SVG. Therefore, these metrics should not be surprising. Behind Zilisch, Austin Hill is the only driver to also produce a triple digit average rating. Meanwhile, Sammy Smith, Sam Mayer, and Sheldon Creed continue to produce solid 2nd-tier performance results. Other notable observations include relatively solid results from William Sawalich (83.4) who has produced his best performances on the road courses this season. Meanwhile, Brandon Jones, Jeb Burton, and Matt DiBenedetto are drivers that I would note have performed well below expectations on the road courses this season. For the full breakdown, please see the table below:

DriverAvg. RatingAvg. StartAvg. Mid RaceAvg. FinishAvg. Pos.Pass Diff.Fastest LapLaps LedTotal Laps
Connor Zilisch137.08.04.42.05.4-16898160341
Austin Hill104.19.411.65.48.4-3179341
Sammy Smith96.78.69.68.09.4-15136341
Sam Mayer94.44.815.610.611.6-17955341
Sheldon Creed91.410.26.014.212.6-15159309
Carson Kvapil86.38.612.214.213.0-1151312341
William Sawalich85.910.218.416.216.0-29521289
Taylor Gray83.713.014.813.614.0-18184329
Jesse Love83.49.813.016.415.8-200210273
Nick Sanchez82.913.213.417.613.2-14610333
Justin Allgaier82.88.214.819.616.0-3663326
Brandon Jones77.112.013.219.614.2-22574341
Christian Eckes72.527.820.813.219.8-13420338
Austin Green72.420.417.612.020.6-5920341
Harrison Burton71.620.816.817.617.2-12605331
Josh Williams70.524.516.515.318.3-11010259
Alex Labbe69.720.526.019.520.3-5900216
Dean Thompson64.728.622.215.020.0-11800341
Jeb Burton62.923.618.419.219.0-5800341
Daniel Dye60.023.421.619.621.4-18300340
Brennan Poole59.930.022.420.421.82200316
Blaine Perkins59.721.825.619.422.41700339
Josh Bilicki56.126.223.624.425.21700308
Matt DiBenedetto50.621.025.627.024.4-8500311
Ryan Sieg49.832.622.829.825.03200284
Ryan Ellis47.730.224.625.825.8-20200328
Anthony Alfredo47.623.231.226.625.6-1900298
Jeremy Clements45.126.630.828.028.44600318
Parker Retzlaff43.728.826.827.326.8-3601257
Kyle Sieg42.834.228.026.027.41800332
Brad Perez34.933.733.029.029.3000193

Betting Targets

Connor Zilisch is undoubtedly the driver to beat going into the weekend which has seemingly been a theme throughout the 2nd half of the season. Deservingly, Zilisch is listed as a heavy betting favorite which raises the question how do we manage ROI and retain Zilisch on our betting card? Personally, I like parlaying Zilisch with Toyota drivers for Sunday’s Southern 500. With that being said, the question becomes who could steal a victory if Zilisch finds trouble or has a bad day? The drivers that I believe fit that narrative include the likes of Justin Allgaier and Sammy Smith. Allgaier has been really good at Portland throughout his career with his last two starts resulting in runner-up finishes.

Meanwhile, Smith continues to be one of the most underrated road course talents in the series. Both Sammy Smith and Sam Mayer have performed better with almost every start this season on the road courses and are trending in the right direction going into this weekend. As a result, I like both drivers as betting targets in all formats. Based on other metrics, Austin Hill may be another candidate that deserves dark horse consideration. However, Hill has not run well in recent weeks and has pissed every driver off in the process. Therefore, I’m not exactly sure his fenders will be clean enough to win any bets. Deeper into the field, guys like William Sawalich and Alex Labbe are on my radar for fantasy and prop bet purposes. Both drivers are solid road course talents and have top 10 upside.

2025 Draftkings Pacific Office Automation 147 Optimal Lineup

***TBD after Qualifying***

2025 Pacific Office Automation 147 Race Picks

*More plays may be added closer to race time. Check back until “FINAL” status is displayed*

Justin Allgaier +750 (1 unit)
Sammy Smith +1800 (.75 unit)

Prop Bets

Sammy Smith -105 over Will Brown (2 units)
Austin Hill -110 over Sheldon Creed (2 units)
William Sawalich +155 wins Group C (Hand, Eckes, Perkins)(2 units) *Caesars*
Sammy Smith +340 wins Group A (Hill, Creed, Brown)(1 unit) *Caesars*

Two Team Parlay

Connor Zilisch -150 wins Pacific Office Automation 147
Toyota +160 wins Cook Out Southern 500
Risking 1.5 units to win: +500