Zane Smith of Front Row Motorsports-Ford qualified 15th for the season-opening NextEra Energy 250 at the Daytona International Speedway. But was in first place when the final caution flag ended the race on lap 79 due to rain.
The win at Daytona was Smith’s eighth-career NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series win and put him atop the Truck Series NASCAR standings to start the season. Smith’s win demonstrates the unpredictable nature of motorsports. Also, his victory has us digging deep to find the true favorites for the second Truck Series event on the NASCAR schedule.
We’ll give you the inside lane for the Truck Series race this weekend in our NASCAR Victoria’s Voice Foundation 200 preview.
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series: Victoria’s Voice Foundation 200 Odds
Before we make our predictions for our NASCAR Victoria’s Voice Foundation 200 Preview, we need to review the Victoria’s Voice Foundation 200 odds.
Here are our favorites from the current NASCAR odds:
| Driver (Team) | Odds |
|---|---|
| Kyle Busch (Kyle Busch Motorsports Chevrolet) | +150 |
| Zane Smith (Front Row Motorsports Ford) | +500 |
| Ross Chastain (Niece Motorsports Chevorlet) | +700 |
| John H. Nemechek (TRICON Garage Toyota) | +800 |
| Corey Heim (TRICON Garage Toyota) | +1100 |
| Ty Majeski (ThorSport Racing Ford) | +1100 |
| Christian Eckes (McAnally Hilgemann Racing Chevrolet) | +2000 |
| Grant Enfinger (GMS Racing Chevrolet) | +2000 |
All other drivers confirmed to participate are listed at +2000 odds or higher and will not factor into our NASCAR Victoria’s Voice Foundation 200 preview.
Truck Series: Victoria’s Voice Foundation 200 Preview
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series: Victoria’s Voice Foundation 200 – 134 laps (201 mi) over three stages (Stages 1&2: 30 laps, Final stage: 74 laps).
Location of the Game: Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Las Vegas, Nevada.
Date and Time: Friday, March 3rd, 2023, 9:00 PM ET.
How to Watch: FS1
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series: Victoria’s Voice Foundation 200 Past Results
There have only been five editions of the NASCAR Truck Series Victoria’s Voice Foundation 200 from the Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Grant Enfinger is among the betting favorites in our NASCAR Truck Series Victoria’s Voice Foundation 200 preview and won the inaugural race in 2018. The 2018 edition of the race remains the only NASCAR Truck Series Victoria’s Voice Foundation 200 that Ford has won.
In fact, a Toyota ride has won the last four Truck Series Victoria’s Voice Foundation 200s. Austin Hill wins back-to-back editions in 2019 and 2020. Another betting favorite, Christian Eckes, won the race in 2021. Meanwhile, Chandler Smith won the 2022 edition before moving to a full-time ride in the Xfinity Series in 2023.
Victoria’s Voice Foundation 200 Betting Analysis
One thing that stands out in the odds for this NASCAR Truck Series Victoria’s Voice Foundation 200 preview is that the majority of the betting favorites are either Cup Series or Xfinity Series regulars.
Three Cup Series or Xfinity Series regulars are making their Truck Series debuts this weekend. Two of those drivers won races last weekend at Fontana.
Pala Casino 400 winner and NASCAR legend Kyle Busch is the betting favorite, making his 2023 Truck Series debut in Las Vegas. Meanwhile, on Saturday, John H. Nemechek, who will be driving for TRICON Garage-Toyota in the Truck series, won the Xfinity Series Production Alliance Group 300.
Busch and Nemechek are two of the betting favorites but are two of the more recognizable names in the odds, which skews their odds toward a little less value but becoming the betting favorites.
Driver Strategy for Friday Night’s Race: Balancing Risk and Weekend Goals
While Busch and Nemechek could win this race, they have bigger races throughout the weekend. We don’t expect them to go flat out and risk everything for a win on Friday night while potentially compromising the rest of their weekends.
Niece Motorsports-Chevorlet’s Ross Chastain has looked in the Cup Series finishing ninth at Daytona and capturing third at Fontana. At the same time, Chastain wasn’t as successful in the Xfinity Series race at Fontana.
While Chastain could win this race. We’re looking toward the Truck Series regulars who had good races at Daytona for our picks.
Will Toyota’s streak of dominance in the Truck Series at Las Vegas end in 2023?
Zane Smith is the reigning NASCAR Truck Series Champion and won at Daytona in a Ford. Smith should be the betting favorite among Truck Series regulars in the betting odds.
While Smith might be the one to end Toyota’s streak, Toyota has two drivers who can keep the streak alive in Nemechek and Corey Heim, who finished eighth at Daytona. While both are racing for TRICON Garage-Toyota, Nemechek and Heim are Toyota’s only two realistic options to keep the winning streak alive.
Christian Eckes of McAnally-Hilgemann Racing-Chevrolet could be the driver to get Chevrolet its first win at Las Vegas after winning stage 1 and finishing third at Daytona.
Craftsman Truck Series: Victoria’s Voice Foundation 200 Betting Picks
We’ve reviewed the odds and the favorites but need to make the picks for our NASCAR Truck Series Victoria’s Voice Foundation 200 preview.
We have three drivers who we will be selecting from based on what we see on Friday in practice and qualifying:
- Zane Smith (Front Row Motorsports-Ford) +500
- Corey Heim (TRICON Garage-Toyota) +1100
- Christian Eckes (McAnally-Hilgemann Racing-Chevrolet)+2000 – who is our Truck Series regular and longshot to win.
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