The NASCAR Xfinity series will resume this Saturday with the Fitzgerald Glider Kits 300 from the Bristol Motor Speedway. It will be the seventh race of the season and it will come at the heels of a two-week break that followed the race at Texas two weeks ago. There have been six different winners at six different races so far this year so it won’t be a surprise if that trend continues this week with another first-time winner. However, Erik Jones won this race a year ago and after another dominant performance last week it will be impossible to overlook his potential at this year’s Fitzgerald Glider Kits 300.
Event Details
Event: Fitzgerald Glider Kits 300
Category: NASCAR Xfinity
Date: Saturday April 22, 2017
Location: Bristol Motor Speedway, Bristol, Connecticut
Jones led 112 laps along the way to a win at the My Bariatric Solutions 300 last week. Jones needed every second of time that he saved on those laps as he barely edged out Ryan Blaney by a half-second to take his first victory of the Xfinity Series season. Kevin Harvick finished third – 21 seconds back of the top two finishers. Meanwhile, Austin Dillon finished fourth and Cole Custer finished fifth at Texas last week.
Past Five Winners
2016: Erik Jones
2015: Joey Logano
2014: Kyle Busch
2013: Kyle Busch
2012: Elliott Sadler
What To Know About The Track
This year’s race will take place over 200 laps at the Bristol Motor Speedway. The half-mile oval will push the drivers to the limit with little room for error. The high-banked short track can limit the ability to pass without coming in to contact with other drivers and that should help ramp up tensions. This race is much shorter than the Sprint Cup race so there is a lot more urgency from the start.
The Field
Jones will be in the spotlight as he looks to build off his first win of the season. However, he will have some tough competition. The fact that each race of the season has had a different winner is testament to the parity of this year’s Xfinity Series class and this week’s race should be another tough test. Last week’s race featured 11 lead changes with seven different leaders and six cautions. Don’t be surprised if we see similar statistics this week as the Xfinity Series season ramps up.
A Good Matchup To Bet: Erik Jones over Joey Logano
Jones struggled out of the gate with a 34th place finish in the Xfinity Series race at Daytona but he has bounced back with three straight top-five finishes including a win at Texas last week. Now he will look to make it back-to-back wins with an excellent opportunity to do so at a track that he won at a year ago. Jones has all of the tools to deliver again this week. With Logano more concerned about the Sprint Cup Series race, there is good value betting on Jones to finish ahead of him in the Fitzgerald Glider Kits 300 this weekend.
Top-Five Pick: Kyle Larson
Larson has been absolutely dominant on both the Sprint Cup Series and the Xfinity Series and there is no reason to expect that to change this weekend. Larson placed third at Atlanta, second at Las Vegas and first at California in his last Xfinity Series start. Now he returns to Bristol after another runner-up finish in last week’s Sprint Cup start at Texas. Look for Larson to keep his hot streak going with a fourth straight top-five finish in the Xfinity Series this weekend.
NASCAR Xfinity Next 5 Races
Toyotacare 250 at Richmond International Raceway – Saturday, April 29
Sparks Energy 300 at Talladega Superspeedway – Saturday, May 6
Hisense 4K TV 300 at Charlotte Motor Speedway – Saturday, May 27
Dover Spring Race at Dover International Speedway – Saturday, June 3
Pocono 250 at Pocono Raceway – Saturday, June 10
Odds To Win Monster Energy NASCAR Championship
Kevin Harvick +600
Jimmie Johnson +600
Kyle Busch +700
Joey Logano +700
Martin Truex Jr +800
Brad Keselowski +700
Chase Elliott +800
Matt Kenseth +1600
Dale Earnhardt Jr +2500
Denny Hamlin +1400
Daniel Suarez +5000
Clint Bowyer +2500
Kyle Larson +800
Erik Jones +5000
Kurt Busch +2500
Kasey Kahne +5000
Austin Dillon +7500
Ryan Blaney +4000
Ryan Newman +4000
Field +3000
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!
