Last week’s Road America race in the Xfinity series was another fun one as Jeremy Clements held on for the win, edging out Michael Annett for his first win of the year. Next, the series returns to the ovals for the VFW Sport Clips Help A Hero 200 at Darlington Raceway, one of the toughest tracks in all of NASCAR. Indeed, it has definitely earned the nickname, “The Track Too Tough To Tame”. Elliott Sadler is the defending race winner, and he holds a 107-point lead over William Byron in the standings.
Details
Event: VFW Sport Clips Help A Hero
Category: Xfinity Series
Date: Saturday, September 2nd, 3:30 PM ET
Location: Darlington Raceway, Darlington, South Carolina
Matt Tifft, Justin Marks and Brendan Gaughan filled out the rest of the top five while James Davison led with 11 laps led, but finished 37th. As for the leaders, Byron finished sixth and Sadler came in 11th.
Past Five Winners
2016: Elliott Sadler
2015: Denny Hamlin
2014: Chase Elliott
2013: Kyle Busch
2012: Joey Logano
The Field
Elliott Sadler enters the week as the leader on the NASCAR Xfinity series. He has 838 points on the season on the strength of 17 Top 10 finishes as well as nine Top 5 results. He has five stage wins and five playoff points so far. William Byron Jr. comes in second place at 107 points off the pace. He’s done well with wins as he has three on the season while Sadler has none. Third place goes to Justin Allgaeir, who has 10 Top 10’s and a win on the circuit so far.
None of those three are racing this week, though. The favorite to win at the track is Denny Hamlin, who is actually fifth in the Monster Energy Cup standings. Second in line to win this week – according to the odds makers – is Joey Logano. He’s currently in 14th place in the NASCAR standings with 583 points. He has one win on the year on that circuit and is 368 points off the pace in the standings table.
What To Know About The Track
Darlington Raceway opened up in 1950 and is 1.366 miles long, and it has 25 degrees of banking in Turns 1 and 2, 23 degrees in Turns 3 and 4, three degrees down the front straightaway and two degrees down the back. It is shaped like an egg, however, as there is a pond on the west side of the property that wasn’t to be moved, so it’s tough for teams to figure out a proper set-up for both ends of the track. Darlington is also called “The Lady In Black” and drivers get their “Darlington Stripe” as they slap their cars against the wall coming out of the corners.
A Good Matchup To Bet: Erik Jones Over Joey Logano
Jones is rated at +100 over the favored Logano at -130, and that is based on reputation. Logano just hasn’t been himself all season, with one win at Las Vegas in the Xfinity Series and he also has one win in Cup. Jones has won twice in the Xfinity Series and even though Logano won this race in 2012, Jones finished sixth here last year. Sometimes, drivers just have a bad year and it looks like one of those years for Logano, while Jones is getting more confidence whenever he gets into a racecar in either series.
Top-Five Pick: Denny Hamlin
Hamlin should actually be a favorite to win this race as he has a win here in Cup from 2010, and he has also won four times here in the Xfinity series, which leads all drivers. He swept the 2010 races and he is rolling in Cup right now, where he will be a favorite when the green flag drops there. Hamlin has made three Xfinity starts this season, winning once at Michigan, and he could be in the mix to run away from the pack in this race at Darlington.
Odds To Win Sportsclips Haircuts Help A Hero 200
Denny Hamlin +250
Joey Logano +350
Erik Jones +450
Kevin Harvick +500
William Byron +800
Austin Dillon +1000
Elliott Sadler +1500
Justin Allgaier +1800
Matt Tifft +2500
Cole Custer +2500
Ty Dillon +2500
Daniel Hemric +4000
Tyler Reddick +4000
Brendan Gaughan +5000
Brennan Poole +5000
Field +1500
Click here to get all of the latest NASCAR betting lines at BetDSI including head-to-head matchups, props and odds to win each NASCAR and NASCAR Xfinity tournament!
