Last week, the opener of the Round of 8 of the NASCAR Xfinity Series playoffs came and went without anyone clinching a spot in the Championship 4. Will someone clinch one in today’s United Rentals 250 at Talladega (4:00 p.m. ET, The CW), or will maximum drama be in the cards for next week’s race at Martinsville?
Regular season champion and points leader Connor Zilisch led the most laps in last Saturday’s Focused Health 302 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, but he wound up finishing second behind race winner Aric Almirola, a non-playoff driver.
While no playoff drivers locked up a spot in the Championship 4, Zilisch and Justin Allgaier both took big leaps to securing qualification by finishing second and third, respectively.
NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoff Standings (Entering the United Rentals 250)
- 1. Connor Zilisch – 3124
- 2. Justin Allgaier – 3086
- 3. Jesse Love – 3062
- 4. Sam Mayer – 3050
- 5. Brandon Jones – 3042
- 6. Sheldon Creed – 3029
- 7. Carson Kvapil – 3028
- 8. Sammy Smith – 3026
Now comes one of the most unpredictable races on the Xfinity Series schedule. Nearly anyone can win it, which means that all eight remaining contenders are in play.
Also, Talladega also brings the potential of a disastrous result for one or more drivers. Allgaier may have a healthy cushion over Jones for now, but if he were to exit the race early, Love, Mayer, Jones could all significantly close the gap in that scenario, and even Creed, Kvapil, or Smith could as well with a good enough result.
It has been common to see Zilisch atop race odds over the last few months, as he has won nine of the last 15 races and now finished in the top five in 18 straight races.
But in what is now a rare sight, someone other than Zilisch sits atop United Rentals 250 odds. It’s also not one of his fellow playoff drivers, either. Instead, it is Austin Hill, who won the spring Xfinity Series race at Talladega.
United Rentals 250 Odds
- Austin Hill +325
- Jesse Love +525
- Connor Zilisch +650
- Justin Allgaier +1000
- Sammy Smith +1200
- Aric Almirola +1400
- Sam Mayer +1600
- Sheldon Creed +1800
- Nick Sanchez +1800
- Carson Kvapil +2000
- Jeb Burton +2000
- Ryan Sieg +2000
- Taylor Gray +2800
- William Sawalich +2800
- Christian Eckes +2800
- Brandon Jones +2800
- Harrison Burton +2800
- Parker Retzlaff +5000
- Anthony Alfredo +5000
- Brendan Queen +5000
United Rentals 250 Predictions and Picks
Jesse Love to Finish in the Top Five (+100 at Lucky Rebel)
Love has shown quite a high level of aptitude for taming Talladega in his young career. He won the top-level ARCA race there when he won the series championship in 2023 and scored his first Xfinity Series there last year.
In his other two Xfinity Series starts at Talladega, Love finished sixth in last year’s United Rentals 250 and third in the spring race this year, in which he started on pole and led the most laps.
We’ll see how aggressively Love pursues the win today, given he is in a decent position to reach the Championship 4. Provided nothing wild happens with Allgaier, two of the four spots are all but accounted for.
So, that leaves six drivers vying for two spots. You would have to lean on the side of Love not wanting to leave anything to Martinsville but not at the expense of blowing up his chances by making a questionable decision at Talladega.
With his success at Talladega to date, you would have to trust Love to navigate through potential chaos, which makes this pick an optimistic and confident one.
Sheldon Creed to Finish in the Top Five (+300 at Bovada)
In his last four Talladega starts, Creed has finished second, sixth, fourth, and ninth, so he goes into the United Rentals 250 with some positive history.
Creed may well need to win to get a spot in the Championship, and he will at least require a strong finish, along with stage points from the first and second stages, to enter next week’s National Debt Relief 250.
What a time it would be to finally break through and get his first Xfinity Series win. Will he do that? He may not, but he should at least pick up another high finish there.
Ryan Sieg to Finish in the Top Five (+325 at Lucky Rebel)
In the last several seasons, Sieg has had some notable results at Talladega. In his last nine races there, he has five top-five finishes, including runner-up finishes in the United Rentals 250 in 2020 and 2024.
Sieg is an intriguing pick if you are looking to back a non-playoff driver for the win. He isn’t in the playoffs and therefore doesn’t have to operate with the same amount of caution at or near the front as some of playoff drivers.
Also, Sieg is +550 (at Lucky Rebel) to finish in the top three, which is worth an extra sprinkle as well with his history there.
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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