The NASCAR Xfinity Series returns to the track this weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway. The recently reconfigured 1.5-mile track now races more like a superspeedway than a traditional intermediate, and NASCAR has responded by bringing superspeedway packages here for driver safety. The RAPTOR 250 will get underway on Saturday, March 18 at 5:00 p.m. ET. Justin Haley stands out as a sharp NASCAR Xfinity Series bet at Atlanta.
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Best NASCAR Xfinity Series Bets & Prediction | RAPTOR 250 | Atlanta
Can Justin Haley Return to Victory Lane?
Before Austin Hill started dominating at superspeedways in the Xfinity Series, Justin Haley was the driver to beat in the draft. Haley has made 13 Xfinity Series starts at superspeedways for Kaulig Racing and owns four wins, six top-5s and 10 top-10s. He finished 10th in the spring Daytona race after leading only one lap. However, he lost teammate Daniel Hemric early in the race due to an accident, which hurt the team’s efforts in the draft.
The books have cut Hill’s price all the way down to 9-2. That’s fair — Hill has won three of the last seven Xfinity Series events at superspeedways. He even finished second in last year’s Atlanta race. However, events outside of a given driver’s control render anyone at odds that short a square bet at a superspeedway. Buying Haley at the 8-1 available on DraftKings Sportsbook is a sharper play — albeit only slightly.
The books haven’t left much value on the board among big-name drivers for this weekend’s race. Justin Allgaier (9-1), John Hunter Nemechek (9-1) and Josh Berry (10-1) all have incredibly short odds. Sammy Smith (12-1), Sam Mayer (12-1) and Ryan Truex (12-1) don’t offer much value at their price points. Some buy-low value exists on Cole Custer (12-1), Chandler Smith (12-1) and Sheldon Creed (15-1) but those numbers are mostly fair.
I’m comfortable with putting a tenth of a unit on Haley to return to form at a superspeedway, especially since he’ll have to deal with a penalty and no crew chief in the Cup Series this weekend. Haley has the talent to win this race, and, in a market devoid of value among the higher-end options, is easily the most appealing play.
Best NASCAR Xfinity Series Bet: Justin Haley 8-1 for 0.1 Unit at DraftKings
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Will An Underdog Keep His Car Clean?
The outright markets aren’t that appealing for me this weekend. Instead, I want to focus on the top-5 markets for some longshot drivers. Although drivers from the top five teams, JR Motorsports, Richard Childress Racing, Kaulig Racing, Joe Gibbs Racing and Stewart-Haas Racing usually controlled the front spots, they didn’t consistently own the top five last year. Drivers from other teams scored seven top-5 results across six superspeedway events. Jordan Anderson Racing even scored a top-5 finish with Parker Retzlaff in this year’s Daytona spring race.
Three drivers jump out as value bets to score top-5 results. First, Parker Kligerman scored a sixth-place finish in the fall Talladega race in the No. 48 Chevrolet he now pilots full-time. He didn’t make too many friends in the spring Daytona race with his aggressive drafting style, but he did start on the front row and show plenty of speed early in the event. Kligerman is usually a more conservative racer and may take a more cautious approach at Atlanta than he did at Daytona. That could help him score a top-5 finish, especially if he works with his de-facto teammates, the RCR and Kaulig Racing drivers.
Second, the books always price Ryan Sieg like he rarely scores top-5 finishes at superspeedways, but he does so at an impressive clip. Sieg has scored seven top-10s in 33 superspeedway races (21.2%). He has also scored 13 top-10s in those starts (39.3%), including one at last year’s spring Atlanta event. Although his team doesn’t have the most funding, Sieg’s RSS Racing Fords routinely stick near the front in superspeedway events. Sieg scored an eighth-place finish in the spring Daytona event — one spot behind his temporary teammate, Joe Graf Jr. Yet despite Sieg’s solid record at superspeedways, he is available at +700 (12.5%) at DraftKings to score another top-5 finish.
Kaz Grala concludes our longshot card, and, appropriately, he slots in with the longest odds. Grala was 8-1 just to score a top-5 back at Daytona, but he got into trouble early and finished 32nd. His odds have since lengthened to 12-1 (9.1%), which is a great deal for a driver with two top-5s at superspeedways in just five career attempts. He even won a superspeedway race in the Truck Series! Let’s lock him at DraftKings Sportsbook before qualifying. Readers yet to register at DraftKings can score $200 in bonus bets after placing a $5 wager!
Best NASCAR Xfinity Series Bets: Parker Kligerman Top 5 4-1 for 0.15 Unit at DraftKings
Ryan Sieg Top 5 7-1 for 0.15 Unit at DraftKings
Kaz Grala Top 5 12-1 for 0.1 Unit at DraftKings
