The NASCAR Xfinity Series got its 2023 season underway last week with the Beef. It’s What’s for Dinner. 300 at Daytona International Speedway, and Austin Hill walked away with the first series win of the year. It took video review of the last lap overtime once Sam Mayer ended up spinning on his roof, but the officials eventually declared Hill the winner as he took his second season opener in as many years. He led 38 laps and was just ahead of John Hunter Nemechek when the last caution was called. Next up is Saturday’s Production Alliance 300 and Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California. The race starts at 5:00 pm Eastern time, and the broadcast is on FS1, the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM. Let’s break down the race as you consider your Xfinity Series betting options.
NASCAR News: Xfinity Series Production Alliance 300 Preview
Cole Custer (7/2) returns as the defending champion. He was a full-timd river in the Cup Series last year, but he drove in a few Xfinity Series events, including the second race of the season at Auto Club. He started in second and then went on to lead 80 of 165 laps, giving him his second win in this event. As dominant as that was, his 2019 win in this event was even more impressive, as he beat a field that included Austin Cindric, Chase Briscoe, Tyler Reddick, Christopher Bell, and Kyle Busch. In that race, Custer was second in laps led with 29, and he narrowly beat Busch in the late seconds to get the win.
Tyler Reddick (6/1) will run in the No. 24 Toyota for Sam Hunt Racing, but his team has not won a race since its formation. Ross Chastain will take the No. 91 with DGM Racing, but in three races in 2022 in that car, he only cracked the top 15 once time. Austin Dillon will drive the No. 10 with Kaulig Racing, but in 13 starts in the Cup Series and Xfinity Series at Auto Club, he has led a grand total of one lap.
Justin Allgaier (5/1) has started 13 Xfinity Series races at Auto Club without a win, and he has only cracked the top five once. In those races he has led just 5 combined laps.
If you’re looking for some longer shots, Brandon Jones (12/1) has taken over Noah Gragson’s spot in the No. 9 car with JR Motorsports. Jones had spent his career to that point with Joe Gibbs Racing and, with that team, has had some nice results at Auto Club. He qualified third, led three laps and was the runner-up in the second stage before crashing. In 2020, he started from the pole and led a race-best 73 laps before issues late in the race pinned him way in the back. Jones could push Custer in this race. His history at Auto Club has not been that solid, but at other tracks that bring similar tire wear levels, he has a win, four top-five and ten top-10 finishes, coming at Homestead and Darlington. Gragson drove this same car to a pair of wins and a pair of second-place finishes at Homestead, Darlington and Auto Club during 2022.
And then there’s Sheldon Creed (33/1), running in the No. 2 car for Richard Childress Racing. He has eight wins in the Craftsman Truck Series, of which two came at the similar track at Darlington. In three starts at Darlington, he has led 43.7% of possible laps. Adjusting to the Xfinity Series vehicle has taken some time, but by the end of 2022, he was able to finish second at Darlington in September after qualifying third and leading 47 laps. Through the end of 2022, he cracked the top ten three more times and finished second at Martinsville. He’s definitely an intriguing value pick here.
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