The Round of 8 of the NASCAR Xfinity Series playoffs begins tomorrow at Las Vegas Motor Speedway as Connor Zilisch, Justin Allgaier, and the other six championship hopefuls duke it out in the Focused Health 302 (7:30 p.m. ET, The CW).
Joining the regular season champion (who notched his 10th win of the season in last Saturday’s Blue Cross NC 250 at the Charlotte roval) and the defending series champion in the Round of 8 are Brandon Jones (the winner of the Round of 12 race at Kansas Speedway), Sam Mayer, Jesse Love, Carson Kvapil, Sheldon Creed, and Sammy Smith.
Smith reached the Round of 8 at the expense of Taylor Gray, going from 12th prior to the race and on the outside looking in with just laps to go to making the cut thanks to a couple of fortuitous cautions and fresh tires, which enabled him to finish third and edge Gray, who finished third, by a single point.
Out of the running along with Gray are Nick Sanchez, Harrison Burton, and Austin Hill, who will not be a part of the Round of 8 for the first time in four seasons.
NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoff Standings (Entering the Focused Health 302)
- 1. Connor Zilisch – 3071
- 2. Justin Allgaier – 3038
- 3. Brandon Jones – 3018
- 4. Sam Mayer – 3016
- 5. Jesse Love – 3014
- 6. Sammy Smith – 3009
- 7. Carson Kvapil – 3005
- 8. Sheldon Creed – 3003
Zilisch and Allgaier enter the Round of 8 in favorable positions, but anything can happen in the Round of 8, which will feature the Focused Health 302 and races at Talladega and Martinsville.
Allgaier, who has reached the Championship 4 seven times in nine seasons, won the March race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, the first of his three wins this season. But his JR Motorsports teammate Zilisch, who has won eight of the last 11 races, who sits atop Focused Health 302 odds at BetOnline and other top online sportsbooks.
Focused Health 302 Odds
- Connor Zilisch +185
- Justin Allgaier +250
- Aric Almirola +500
- Brandon Jones +900
- Sam Mayer +1000
- Austin Hill +1400
- Jesse Love +1400
- Sammy Smith +1400
- Sheldon Creed +1800
- Taylor Gray +1800
- Carson Kvapil +2800
- Ryan Sieg +3300
- Nick Sanchez +5000
- Daniel Hemric +5000
- William Sawalich +6000
- Corey Day +6000
- Christian Eckes +8000
- Trevor Bayne +8000
Focused Health 302 Predictions and Picks
Justin Allgaier to Finish in the Top Three (-135 at Lucky Rebel)
Allgaier and his #7 have been a familiar sight near the front at Las Vegas Motor Speedway over the last decade.
Since returning to the second tier with JR Motorsports in 2016, Allgaier has a dozen top-five finishes and 15 top-ten finishes in 17 races there and finally got a long-awaited win there in March.
That victory is one of six top-three finishes he has with JRM at LVMS. Four of those top-three finishes have come in the season’s second race there, which was added to the schedule in 2018.
Sam Mayer to Finish in the Top Five (+165 at Bovada)
I weighed up whether to go with Mayer or Brandon Jones for my second Focused Health 302 pick, as Jones has a good record at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
But I opted to roll with Mayer, who has been more present in the top five than Jones. Jones has more wins (two) than Mayer (one), but Mayer has 13 top-five finishes to Jones’ six. That is more top fives than Allgaier (12) and trails only Zilisch (18, including a record-breaking 17 in a row).
Mayer finished outside of the top 15 in the last two Round of 12 races after coming in third in the opener at Bristol, but he has finished outside of the top five in three or more consecutive races only twice this season. Look for him to be near the front tomorrow after surprisingly finishing 19th at the Charlotte roval, where he had been the two-time defending champion.
Other NASCAR Betting Content
Did you enjoy these Focused Health 302 picks? Throughout the season, you can find predictions, picks, and expert NASCAR betting insight for many Cup Series, Xfinity Series, and Truck Series races, as well as updates on the latest championship odds.
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