Lucas Oil 200 Race Picks
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Betting Preview
Friday May 29th, 5:48PM (EST) at Dover International Speedway
by NASCARWagers.com, NASCAR Handicapping Service
The Camping World Truck Series will get the racing weekend started today with the running of the Lucas Oil 200 at Dover International Speedway. Green flag is scheduled to wave at approximately 5:48PM (EST) with 200 laps scheduled on the Monster Mile. Ryan Blaney won the pole for today’s race with a lap of 158.465mph in what will be his first Truck Series start of the season. However, Blaney will have to hold off the likes of Erik Jones, Cole Custer, Matt Crafton, and others if he is going to find victory lane this afternoon. Take a look at our Lucas Oil 200 race picks and preview!
Oddly, there is not one driver in today’s field that has a previous Truck Series win at Dover International Speedway. In fact drivers like Erik Jones and Cole Custer do not have a single start at Dover in Truck Series competition. Therefore today’s race may be a bit harder to predict than most Truck Series races as there are several drivers with very little Dover experience. If you consider the fact that Dover is a very difficult track for drivers, then it will be interesting to see how things unfold on the Monster Mile this afternoon.
Thus far Erik Jones appears to be one of the Trucks to beat after posting the fastest lap and fastest 10 lap average in Thursday’s practices. The question is can Jones finally close the deal? Jones has dominated each of the last two Truck Series races but has been unable to close the deal. He ran out of gas at Kansas and lost on the final restart to Kasey Kahne at Charlotte. Therefore while Jones is a big favorite today after appearing to have yet another really fast #4 Truck, is he worth the gamble this afternoon?
Well to answer that question, we have to ask who can challenge Jones for the victory? Cole Custer is making his first start at Dover but he has proven to be a winner in his first start at tracks before. However, I do not believe Dover fits Custer’s driving style as he has been best suited for small flat tracks. Dover on the other hand races much like a 1.5 mile track with its steep banking. Matt Crafton and Ryan Blaney should be challengers on the other hand. I believe Blaney maybe the best threat in the field today after finishes of 2nd and 3rd in his only two prior starts at Dover. Crafton has had a few good runs in recent years at Dover and finished 2nd in 2013. Both of those guys can get the job done and should compete this afternoon.
Outside of Jones, Blaney, and Crafton, I am not sure I would bet on anyone else for the win. However, I do expect guys like Tyler Reddick and Daniel Suarez to run well. Reddick was solid in practice and he had a good run his last year as a rookie. Suarez will be making his first start at Dover in Truck Series competition but the #51 Truck looked really good in practice. Suarez has put together some really strong runs this year in the Truck Series and today’s Lucas Oil 200 should be another solid showing from the young driver. Possibly consider both Suarez and Reddick against others in H2H action this afternoon.
Lucas Oil 200 Race Picks
Ryan Blaney +350 (3 units): finishes of 2nd and 3rd in prior two starts at Dover, starting on pole, appears to have best truck in field with Jones
Winning Parlay
Erik Jones (-115) wins Lucas Oil 200
John H Nemechek +130 over Cole Custer
Risking (2 units) to win: +660
H2H Match-ups and Props
Ryan Blaney -130 over Matt Crafton (2 units)
