Great Clips 300 Race Picks
NASCAR Nationwide Series Betting Preview
Date and Time: Saturday, August 30th, 2014 7:46PM Eastern
Where: Atlanta Motor Speedway
TV: ESPN2
By:NASCARWagers.com, NASCAR Handicapping Service
A stacked Nationwide Series field will take center stage later tonight in the Great Clips 300 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. In total, 8 different drivers will be doing “double duty” as they call it by running this evening’s Nationwide Series event and then tomorrow night’s Sprint Cup Series Oral-B USA 500. Among the big names that will suit up tonight from the Sprint Cup Series include Kyle Busch, Kevin Harvick, Joey Logano, Matt Kenseth, and Kyle Larson. While those drivers will make up the cast of heavy favorites for the Great Clips 300, there have been a few drivers from the Nationwide Series “regulars” camp that have impressed throughout practices that could potentially contend tonight as well. Take a look as we dive into our preview of tonight’s Nationwide Series race at Atlanta and provide our Great Clips 300 race picks!
The first thing bettors and fans should know about tonight’s Great Clips 300 at Atlanta is Atlanta Motor Speedway itself. Atlanta Motor Speedway is not your typical 1.5 mile speedway that onlookers have seen this year. While the track has a very similar shape, banking, and evens speeds to the likes of Texas and Charlotte, the racing surface gives the track some dynamic characteristics. Atlanta was last repaved back in 1997 and currently has the oldest surface among all of the 1.5 mile tracks. The surface is abrasive and slick. Speed in the tires fall off extremely quick and the cars are difficult to handle. However, Atlanta is considered a “driver’s racetrack” because it puts more of the skill back behind the wheel rather than the setup of the car. Atlanta is one of the few places where drivers can actually save their tires, take care of their equipment, and mount a charge at the end of long green flag runs which typically produces extremely exciting racing.
Experience is often a product with Atlanta’s type of racing that deals with taking care of your equipment and constantly searching for grip on the track. Before Ricky Stenhouse’s victory in 2012, you would have to go all the way back to 1995 to find the last time a Nationwide Series regular had scored a victory at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Needless to say, Sprint Cup Series drivers have dominated Nationwide Series competition at Atlanta. While that trend is likely to continue, it is not guaranteed. A few of the young talents that have been impressive throughout the weekend have been Ty Dillon and rookie phenom Chase Elliot. Dillon won just a few weeks back at Indianapolis and has really come on strong during the 2nd half of the season. Dillon is making his first Sprint Cup Series start this weekend and has been solid in practices finishing 2nd and 3rd in both sessions. Meanwhile Chase Elliot who has scored 3 wins already this season (two on 1.5 mile tracks) finished 4th in final practice and had the 4th best 10 lap consecutive average.
Outside of Dillon and Elliot both having a chance to capture a victory in the Great Clips 300, tonight’s winner will likely come from the All-Star type cast of Sprint Cup Series drivers participating in tonight’s event. Despite not having any wins at Atlanta in the Nationwide Series, Kyle Busch has posted 5 runner-up finishes in 10 career starts including 4 runner-up finishes in his last 5 starts at Atlanta. Sprint Cup Series rookie Kyle Larson placed 5th in the race one year ago and has shown speed thus far again this weekend with the 2nd fastest 10 lap average in final practice. Joey Logano was 3rd fastest in final practice. In 3 Nationwide Series starts at Atlanta, Logano has posted 3 different 6th place finishes and gets an A + for consistency.
Kevin Harvick has more experience than anyone at Atlanta in Nationwide Series competition. Harvick has 12 career starts and has posted two wins in his last 5 starts. In his last 7 starts, Harvick has finished no worse than 4th. Last but not least, Matt Kenseth also has a rather impressive Atlanta resume. Kenseth has posted 7 straight top 10 finishes and has two victories in his last 7 starts in Nationwide Series competition at Atlanta. Kenseth led the way in final practice and also posted the best 10 lap consecutive average. If you take into consideration the track’s abrasiveness as discussed earlier, Kenseth is suited for tracks like Atlanta because he is a driver that really takes care of his car which could be really helpful later tonight.
Great Clips 300 Race Picks:
Kevin Harvick +675 (1.25 units): opening pick, 5th best 10 lap average in final practice, finished top 4 in last 7 straight starts at Atlanta
Matt Kenseth +475 (1.5 units): two wins in last 5 Nationwide Series starts at Atlanta, 2nd in practice 1, fastest in final practice and fastest 10 lap average.
H2H Matchups
Chris Buescher +115 over Trevor Bayne (3 units)
Joey Logano -130 over Kyle Busch (3 units)
