Toyota Owners 400 Preview and Best Bet
NASCAR Cup Series: Toyota Owners 400
Sunday, April 18, 2021 at 3 p.m. ET (FOX) at Richmond Raceway in Richmond, Virginia
Race Info
NASCAR’s Cup Series continues on Sunday with the Toyota Owners 400, which will take place at Richmond Raceway.
In total, this event will require its participants to complete 400 laps.
There are three stages for this race.
Stage 1 consists in 80 laps. Stage 2 finishes after 235 laps. Stage 3 consists in the remaining number of laps.
Just like in previous weeks, an entry list has already been posted. So barring any unforeseen setbacks, we know who will participate in the race.
Also, the official starting lineup gets released Wednesday morning. But, because NASCAR is using a formula to determine the starting lineup, we already had an idea of which drivers would be positioned to start the race among the top 10.
Track Info
Richmond Raceway is known as America’s Premier Short Track.
In completing 400 laps, drivers will have accumulated 300 miles at Richmond because each lap consists in only 0.75 miles.
Richmond’s race track is D-shaped and made of an asphalt surface.
The shape is important because it helps drivers reach higher speeds.
Moreover, the presence of multiple grooves facilitates easier passing.
Since it should be easier to pass in Richmond, we don’t need to place much emphasis on starting position.
Given its racing surface and number of grooves, Richmond Raceway is relatively high-wear.
So you’ll want to invest in a driver that has a strong crew.
As for the banking, Richmond Raceway is banked at 14 degrees on the turns, the frontstretch is banked at eight degrees, and the backstretch is banked at two degrees.
Overall, the banking is rather moderate at this track.
Drivers To Avoid
One driver to avoid is Chase Elliott.
Elliott has been pretty hit-or-miss both at Richmond and in general.
He hasn’t strung together multiple positive racing performances in a row since his start to the season back in February.
So not despite but because he performed well in his last race. he should be avoided.
A driver that you have to avoid investing in is Ryan Blaney.
NASCAR oddsmakers are according Blaney way too much respect at +1600 to win.
Blaney is unreliable on Sunday because of his consistently awful performances at Richmond.
In nine NASCAR Cup Series races at this track, Blaney has yet to finish better than 17th.
Another driver to avoid is Brad Keselowski.
Keselowski might look tempting given his positive history at this track.
But a lot of drivers have positive histories in Richmond.
So to distinguish the ones we should invest in from the others that we shouldn’t, we also need to consider current form.
I don’t like Keselowski because he has been awful overall, failing in his last three races to finish top-10.
The same thing can be said of Kevin Harvick, who you should likewise stay away from.
Harvick hasn’t finished better than ninth in any of his last three races.
Drivers I Like
One guy I like is Denny Hamlin. Hamlin is reliable this weekend because he has been a model of consistency both overall and at this track.
Overall, Hamlin has finished top-four in five consecutive races. At Richmond, Hamlin has finished top-six in eight of his last 10 tries.
Priced at +600, Hamlin is a good investment given the reasonable expectation you can have that he will at least be in the thick of things with a real chance to win.
I also like Martin Truex Jr., who is receiving the most respect from NASCAR oddsmakers for good reason.
He has four consecutive top-four finishes in Richmond. He’s also coming off a win. But it’s not improbable for him to win consecutive races. He last pulled off this feat in 2019.
Given the attractive odds offered for NASCAR’s different drivers to win, it makes sense to split up your usual betting unit in order to invest in multiple drivers.
Best Bet: Hamlin To Win at +600 at Bovada & Truex Jr. To Win at +400 at Bovada
NASCAR Cup Series: Toyota Owners 400
Sunday, April 18, 2021 at 3 p.m. ET (FOX) at Richmond Raceway in Richmond, Virginia
Race Info
NASCAR’s Cup Series continues on Sunday with the Toyota Owners 400, which will take place at Richmond Raceway.
In total, this event will require its participants to complete 400 laps.
There are three stages for this race.
Stage 1 consists in 80 laps. Stage 2 finishes after 235 laps. Stage 3 consists in the remaining number of laps.
Just like in previous weeks, an entry list has already been posted. So barring any unforeseen setbacks, we know who will participate in the race.
Also, the official starting lineup gets released Wednesday morning. But, because NASCAR is using a formula to determine the starting lineup, we already had an idea of which drivers would be positioned to start the race among the top 10.
Track Info
Richmond Raceway is known as America’s Premier Short Track.
In completing 400 laps, drivers will have accumulated 300 miles at Richmond because each lap consists in only 0.75 miles.
Richmond’s race track is D-shaped and made of an asphalt surface.
The shape is important because it helps drivers reach higher speeds.
Moreover, the presence of multiple grooves facilitates easier passing.
Since it should be easier to pass in Richmond, we don’t need to place much emphasis on starting position.
Given its racing surface and number of grooves, Richmond Raceway is relatively high-wear.
So you’ll want to invest in a driver that has a strong crew.
As for the banking, Richmond Raceway is banked at 14 degrees on the turns, the frontstretch is banked at eight degrees, and the backstretch is banked at two degrees.
Overall, the banking is rather moderate at this track.
Drivers To Avoid
One driver to avoid is Chase Elliott.
Elliott has been pretty hit-or-miss both at Richmond and in general.
He hasn’t strung together multiple positive racing performances in a row since his start to the season back in February.
So not despite but because he performed well in his last race. he should be avoided.
A driver that you have to avoid investing in is Ryan Blaney.
NASCAR oddsmakers are according Blaney way too much respect at +1600 to win.
Blaney is unreliable on Sunday because of his consistently awful performances at Richmond.
In nine NASCAR Cup Series races at this track, Blaney has yet to finish better than 17th.
Another driver to avoid is Brad Keselowski.
Keselowski might look tempting given his positive history at this track.
But a lot of drivers have positive histories in Richmond.
So to distinguish the ones we should invest in from the others that we shouldn’t, we also need to consider current form.
I don’t like Keselowski because he has been awful overall, failing in his last three races to finish top-10.
The same thing can be said of Kevin Harvick, who you should likewise stay away from.
Harvick hasn’t finished better than ninth in any of his last three races.
Drivers I Like
One guy I like is Denny Hamlin. Hamlin is reliable this weekend because he has been a model of consistency both overall and at this track.
Overall, Hamlin has finished top-four in five consecutive races. At Richmond, Hamlin has finished top-six in eight of his last 10 tries.
Priced at +600, Hamlin is a good investment given the reasonable expectation you can have that he will at least be in the thick of things with a real chance to win.
I also like Martin Truex Jr., who is receiving the most respect from NASCAR oddsmakers for good reason.
He has four consecutive top-four finishes in Richmond. He’s also coming off a win. But it’s not improbable for him to win consecutive races. He last pulled off this feat in 2019.
Given the attractive odds offered for NASCAR’s different drivers to win, it makes sense to split up your usual betting unit in order to invest in multiple drivers.
Best Bet: Hamlin To Win at +600 at Bovada & Truex Jr. To Win at +400 at Bovada
