WinStar World Casino & Resort 400 Race Picks
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Betting Preview
Date and Time: Friday June 6th, 2014. 9:19PM Eastern
Where: Texas Motor Speedway
TV: FS1
By: NASCAR Wagers, NASCAR Handicapping Service
As the Sprint Cup Series prepares for 400 miles in the Poconos this Sunday, the Camping World Truck Series will get the racing weekend started this Friday under the lights at Texas Motor Speedway in the WinStar World Casino & Resort 400. This Friday night’s event marks the first weekend the Truck Series has not shared the same weekend venue as the Sprint Cup Series. As a result, there are not any Sprint Cup Series drivers entered into Friday night’s race which will give Truck Series’ regulars a rare opportunity to compete solely against one another for a win at Texas Motor Speedway.
First thing that we must point out, the WinStar World Casino and Resort 400 is not a 400 mile race. Instead it is 400 kilometers which is a nice deception at first glance. However, Friday night’s race will actually equate to 250 miles totaling 167 circuits around Texas Motor Speedway. So now that we have cleared up that conundrum, let’s get to it.
Last year, a 20 year old Jeb Burton scored an upset victory by winning the 2013 WinStar World Casino & Resort 400. Burton raced inside the top 5 for most of the night before jumping out front during a late restart to lead the final 25 laps to score his first NASCAR victory. Since the the Sprint Cup Series drivers are out of the picture, the playing field has been leveled this weekend and perhaps we will have another surprise winner. For the young guns like Burton, Darrell Wallace Jr and Ryan Blaney, they all have the talent to contend. Wallace Jr finished 6th and 7th in both of last year’s Texas races and is due for a strong finish. Blaney’s aggressive driving has got him into some bad situations this year which has resulted in some bad finishes. However it’s hard to ignore the fact that the #29 Truck, owned by Brad Keselowski, has been fast everywhere this season. If Blaney can stay out of trouble, he is a kid that can get the job done as he proved back at Iowa in 2012 when he became the youngest winner in Camping World Truck Series history.
Outside of the youngsters, our Truck Series’ veterans will likely be the guys battling for a win this Friday. Johnny Sauter opened as the leading favorite at 4-1 odds. Sauter has been outstanding at Texas with two wins and 9 top 7 finishes through his 11 career starts. Statistically this is Sauter’s best track by a landslide. In his last 4 starts, he has put together two wins, a 7th, and 2nd place finishes. Those numbers are truly remarkable for a Truck Series regular and that is why Sauter is the leading favorite for this Friday’s contests.
A couple other veterans that could easily find their way to victory lane this Friday include Ron Hornaday and Matt Crafton. Even though Hornaday’s glory days are behind him, he has still posted 3 wins at Texas and he ran strong really strong here last year. Hornaday posted a solid 3rd place finish in his most recent trip to Texas and you can never count out the old wily veteran. Matt Crafton on the other hand has never visited victory lane at Texas despite the fact he has posted several runner-up finishes. For whatever reason, Crafton has never been able to close the door. Still, Crafton has been very solid with 5 straight top 10 finishes including 4 inside the top 6 over his past 5 starts at Texas. If you are looking for big longshot, Joey Coulter could be worth considering. The young 23 year old has been strong at Texas with 3 Top 5 finishes through his 6 career starts. Coulter will be celebrating his 24th birthday this weekend and a win at Texas would be the perfect way to kick off the weekend celebration.
WinStar World Casino & Resort 400 Early Race Picks
Matt Crafton +500 (2 units): Crafton may not have a Texas win on his resume but that is likely to change Friday. Crafton has been excellent on the 1.5 mile speedways this season finishing 2nd at both Kansas and Charlotte. In both races, Crafton finished 2nd to Kyle Busch. In recent weeks, Crafton and the #88 Truck have been working hard to beat Busch while openly expressing how eager they are to get to victory lane. Not only has Crafton been getting very close but he does not have to deal with the Sprint Cup guys this week and we believe the #88 finds his way to victory lane. *Update – Crafton 3rd in both practices on Thursday.
*Added Johnny Sauter +400 (1 unit): Fastest in first practice, two wins in last 4 starts, personal best track.
H2H Bets
Timothy Peters -125 over Darrell Wallace Jr (2 units)
Ryan Blaney -135 over Ron Hornady (4 units)
