Kroger 200 Race Picks
NASCAR Camping World Series Betting Preview
Date and Time: Saturday October 25th, 2014. 1:46PM EST
Where: Martinsville Speedway
TV: Fox Sports 1
by NASCARWagers.com, NASCAR Handicapping
The Camping World Truck Series accompanied the Sprint Cup Series to Martinsville Speedway this week and will suit up for 200 laps of racing in the Kroger 200 this Saturday. With just 4 races remaining, the Camping World Truck Series point’s championship is coming down to the wire. Last week at Talladega, Matt Crafton lost ground on his points lead and Johnny Sauter dropped from 2nd to 4th in the standings. Crafton currently owns a 16 point lead in the point’s race but both Ryan Blaney and Darrell Wallace Jr are in striking distance if any troubles arise. We look to keep an eye on the point’s battle this week as we prepare for this Saturday’s Kroger 200 at Martinsville. Take a look at our Kroger 200 race picks:
The Truck Series makes their 2nd stop at Martinsville Speedway this season. Martinsville and Texas Motor Speedway are the only two tracks that the Truck Series makes multiple stops at this season which gives us some extra data to review for handicapping reasons. Earlier this year, Matt Crafton earned his first victory of the season by leading 47 laps to finish ahead of Darrell Wallace Jr. “Bubba” Wallace is actually listed as the overall favorite this week. Bubba has been great at Martinsville in his 3 career starts finishing each time inside the top 5. In fact, Wallace has a victory, a runner-up finish, and a 5th place showing in his 3 starts which is the best average finish among active drivers. Obviously we really like Wallace’s chances again Saturday and he was one of our forums picks at openers at +475. Wallace is currently listed at +350 so be sure to check our forums each week to ensure you are getting the best odds on early picks.
Outside of Wallace, Crafton will likely be a popular pick among bettors this week as well. Crafton won earlier this year and has been running well most of the season. However Crafton’s win back in March was his first at Martinsville in 25 career starts and it come at a time when the #88 Truck was running far better than other Truck Series regulars. Instead this week we feel like the playing field is a bit more level, behind Wallace at least. Crafton, Ryan Blaney, Erik Jones, Timothy Peters, and Cole Custer are a few of the names that could likely contend this Saturday. Jones and the 16 year old Custer both have driving styles that fit Martinsville well. Both drivers are short track specialists that thrive on flatter surfaces. Custer proved he could win at New Hampshire just a few weeks ago and could be a solid dark horse again this week at fairly nice double digit odds.
Erik Jones has been more versatile this season in the Truck Series with wins at Iowa and Las Vegas. However, Jones is still best on the short tracks which makes him a real threat for this Saturday’s Kroger 200 as well. A few additional guys to keep an eye on through tomorrow’s practice sessions include Ryan Blaney and Timothy Peters. Blaney seems to be a threat anywhere he goes but has not exactly contended for victories in recent weeks. Meanwhile Peters has always been really good on the short tracks. Peters cashed for us with his first win of the season last week at Talladega and he was in contention throughout the entire race back in March at Martinsville as well. The concern for Peters is that the #17 truck has not performed as well as expected at some of Peters’ best track this year. Still, both Blaney and Peters will be worth keeping an eye on through both practice sessions tomorrow as we prepare for Saturday’s 200 lap race at Martinsville. Take a look at our opening picks below and check back closer to race time for potential added plays.
GEICO 500 Race Picks
Darrell Wallace Jr +475 (2 units): clearly best Truck Series driver at Martinsville with 3 straight top 5 finishes
Erik Jones (1 unit): Iowa winner, strong at similar track styles
H2H
Timothy Peters -125 over Johnny Sauter (2 units)
