CarCash MudSummer Classic Race Picks
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Betting Preview
Date and Time: Wednesday July 23rd, 2014 9:00PM Eastern
Where: Eldora Speedway
TV: FS1
By:NASCARWagers.com, NASCAR Handicapping Service
In the world of dirt racing, few race tracks can compare in stature to Eldora Speedway. This 60 year old track located near Rossburg, Ohio is home to the World of Outlaw Sprint Car Series, World of Outlaw Late Model Series, all 3 major USAC series, the World 100, the Dirt Late Model Dream, and now is also the home to NASCAR’s Camping World Truck Series. For the 2nd year in a row, the Camping World Truck Series makes their return to dirt with the running of the CarCash MudSummer Classic at Tony Stewart’s famed Eldora Speedway. Take a look as we breakdown this evening’s Saturday night style format and give our CarCash MudSummer Classic race picks for tonight’s much anticipated spectacle on dirt.
Last year, NASCAR made its return to dirt for the first time in 40 years as they took a step back into the roots of their sport. The 2013 CarCash MudSummer Classic was among the most watched races in Camping World Truck Series history. Not only did last year’s race present some great racing but it displayed a mixed bag of talent which helped peak interests from Truck Series regulars, to a few Nationwide Series drivers, and a few other dirt specialists from across the country. Austin Dillon took advantage of a few late restarts and was able to hold off a hard charging Kyle Larson to score the landmark victory. Tonight both Dillon and Larson, who are now Sprint Cup drivers, return for a 2nd appearance in the CarCash MudSummer Classic.
Kyle Larson is the overwhelming favorite to win tonight’s event at 2-1 odds while Dillon is not far behind at near 3 ½ to 1 odds. Both drivers are heavy favorites due to last year’s impressive performances and the fact that they are the only Sprint Cup drivers along with Michael Annette listed in tonight’s field. The remaining field is compiled of mostly Camping World Truck Series regulars with a few drivers making their first starts in 2014. Among those first time entrants in 2014, include guys like Ken Schrader, JR Heffner, Jody Knowles, Cody Erickson, and most recently Jared Landers. All of those drivers have dirt backgrounds and the 60 year old Schrader is among the greatest dirt track racers of all time. I would list Schrader and Jared Landers the best out of the dirt track specialists group mentioned above that could possibly contend in tonight’s event. Schrader won the pole in last year’s event before fading in the main event and Landers qualified 2nd while also struggling in the main resulting in a 12th place finish. While both drivers are not names you may be familiar with when it comes to Truck Series competition, both deserve some respect heading into tonight’s event as potential contenders.
Everyone should be mostly familiar with the rest of the tonight’s field which leads to the ultimate question, who is going to win? Well at this point, Kyle Larson deserves to be the favorite. Larson won multiple USAC races as a youngster at Eldora and he proved last year that he can drive the wheels off of anything on dirt. Larson’s talent was on full display in this race a year ago and it is hard to ignore his talent entering tonight’s race. However, the odds for both Larson and Austin Dillon are very low. Tonight’s format mirrors what you may see at your local dirt track. Qualifying times will set the order for heat races, and then the finishes of the heat races will determine the lineup for the main event. Therefore drivers are a slide job away from getting a bad finish in a heat race and having to spend the rest of the night trying to make up that track position. Under those circumstances that regularly accompany dirt racing, it is hard to bet on any favorite at just 2-1 odds even if Larson is deserving.
As a result, we have to look for the best value in tonight’s field when making our picks. One of the guys that has stood out from opening is Erik Jones at +975. Jones has raced on dirt since the age of 13 and he has proved several times in recent weeks just how talented he is. The young driver captured a win a few weeks ago at Iowa, made a strong run in his first Nationwide Series start last week at Chicagoland, and is ultimately one of the most raw driving talents in tonight’s field. Other drivers that have some value without much explanation include guys like Timothy Peters (6th last year), Joey Coulter (4th last year), Tyler Reddick (strong dirt track background). If you are fans of Matt Crafton and Darrell Wallace Jr, both of those drivers were fairly solid in last year’s race as well. Take a look below as we narrow the list and give you the rundown of who we think has the best chances to pull out a victory in tonight’s MudSummer Classic.
CarCash MudSummer Classic Race Picks:
Erik Jones +975 (1 unit): proven dirt background, won at most recent short track at Iowa. Update: Fastest in 1st practice
Tyler Reddick +2750 (1 unit): proven dirt track talent, value play. Update: 4th in 1st practice
Late Add: Joey Coulter +1600 (.5 Unit)
