NASCAR Picks & Predictions NASCAR Truck Series

NASCAR Truck Series: XPEL 225 Betting Picks and Prediction

March 23, 2023

273 3 minutes read

The 2023 NASCAR schedule makes its first stop at a non-speedway or oval configuration race track this season, taking over America’s Formula 1 home, the Technical Circuit of the Americas (CoTA).

Regardless of what series a driver is competing in or where in the NASCAR standings they are, CoTA will provide each driver with potentially the biggest technical test of their driving skill this season, and it’s the NASCAR Truck Series that gets the first crack at conquering CoTA.

We’ll review the recent performances and past results in Austin while taking a deeper dive into CoTA in our XPEL 225 preview.

NASCAR Truck Series XPEL 225 Odds

Before continuing with our XPEL 225 preview, we need to review the NASCAR odds for this weekend.

Here are our favored drivers to win at CoTA from the XPEL 225 odds:

Driver (Team)	Odds to Win
Kyle Busch (Kyle Busch Motorsports-Chevrolet)	+150
Alex Bowman (Spire Motorsports-Chevrolet)	+550
Zane Smith (Front Row Motorsports-Ford)	+575
Ross Chastain (Niece Motorsports-Chevrolet)	+1100
Ben Rhodes (ThorSpor Racing-Ford)	+2000
Christian Eckes (McAnally-Hilgemann Racing-Chevrolet)	+2500
Grant Enfinger (GMS Racing-Chevrolet)	+5000

Everything You Need to Know About XPEL 225

NASCAR Truck Series XPEL 225 | 41 laps (140.46 mi)

Stage 1-12 Laps | Stage 2-14 laps | Final Stage-15 laps.

Location of the Game: Circuit of the Americas, Austin, TX.

Date and Time: Saturday, March 25th, 10:30 a.m. ET.

How to Watch: FS1 | NASCAR Live

Recent Results

There have only been two NASCAR race weekends at CoTA, and a Front Row Motorsports-Ford driver has captured the win in both races.

Todd Gilliand, who is not in the 2023 field, won the inaugural NASCAR Truck Series race at CoTA.

However, 2022 winner Zane Smith is returning to CoTA for Front Row Motorsports-Ford and will be looking to win back-to-back races at CoTA.

Circuit of the Americas Info

Twenty turns and 3.426 miles make up one lap around CoTA. Slip streams and overtakes are available on CoTA’s three straights.

However, drivers will be challenged at turn 1, an uphill run to a hairpin, before sweeping through fast and flowing Silverstone-Esq turns 2-6, while it’s the slow and technical turns 13-16, which open up into the four apexes of the very fast turns 17-18 that has us very interested, especially for future non-oval Truck Series races.

Ready, Set, Go! The XPEL 225 Betting Preview and Picks

The important part of our XPEL 225 preview: analyzing the drivers and making our XPEL 225 picks.

Christian Eckes

Christian Eckes currently leads the Truck Series Drivers’ Championship standings after winning stage one and winning his first race of the season in Atlanta last weekend.

Zane Smith

After claiming pole position last week in Atlanta, Zane Smith finished a disappointing 20th after winning at Daytona and coming in second at Las Vegas. Smith is the Reigning Truck Series Champion, a favorite to repeat, and a threat to win every week.

Ben Rhodes

We’ve liked Ben Rhodes’ performances since his 11th-place finish at Daytona, finishing in the top five in the next two races.

Kyle Busch

Cup Series regular Kyle Busch is lining up for his team in the Truck Series at CoTA. Saturday will mark Busch’s second appearance in the Truck Series this season, having won at Las Vegas.

Alex Bowman & Ross Chastain

Cup Series Regulars are always atop the Truck Series odds when they participate, and Alex Bowman and Ross Chastain are atop the betting odds for the Truck Series at CoTA this weekend. Chastain is making his second appearance, finishing 24th in Las Vegas, while Bowman is making his 2023 Truck Series debut.

However, we don’t favor Chastain or Bowman as we see their runs in the Truck Series race more about banking laps for the Cup Series race on Sunday.

Who Will Win the XPEL 225?

Busch is your only option if you want to pick a Cup Series regular to win the Truck Series at CoTA. However, our pick is to take Zane Smith to earn another win this season.