The NASCAR Xfinity Series will shift gears and head to Lexington, Ohio and the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course for the Mid-Ohio Challenge this weekend. All three of NASCAR’s national series will be in action but they will be holding events in neighboring states. With the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series heading back to Michigan for the Pure Michigan 400, it will mean that no MENCS regulars will compete in this week’s Xfinity Series race. That will open the door wide open for a list of 41 cars that will be competing in the fifth annual Mid-Ohio Challenge.
Details
Event: Mid-Ohio Challenge
Category: NASCAR Xfinity Series
Date: Saturday August 12th – 3:30 PM ET
Location: Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Lexington, Ohio
That field of 41 will include the defending Mid-Ohio Challenge champion Justin Marks, who will make his first start of the year in the No. 42 Chevrolet owned by Chip Ganassi Racing. Marks will be looking to rediscover the magic he showed in this race in 2016 with a chance to secure another victory.
Past Five Winners
2016: Justin Marks
2015: Regan Smith
2014: Chris Buescher
2013: A.J. Allmendinger
What To Know About The Track
The Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course is a road course located just outside of Lexington in Ohio. The track includes 15 turns and is a distance of 2.4 miles long. While the banks and turns make it difficult to pick up speeds, the back portion of the track allows drivers to travel up to 180 MPH. Drivers that have excelled on road courses should have an advantage this week. Experience at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course should also be a factor when evaluating the field.
The Field
Taking a look at the standings heading into this week, Elliott Sadler is the leader heading into this week. On the season, he has collected 732 points. He doesn’t have a win on the season but he does have 15 Top 10’s and eight Top 5’s. William Byron is in second place with 680 points and Justin Allgaier is in third with 608. These are the only drivers who have at least 600 points so far. The top five is rounded out with Brennan Pool, who has 541 points, and Daniel Hemric, who has 520/
The field will look much different this week after the MENCS regulars absolutely dominated last week’s Zippo 200 at The Glen. Kyle Busch won that race while Joey Logano, Brad Keselowski and Paul Menard helping to fill out the top-five. That certainly won’t happen this week with none of those drivers even in the state. Justin Allgaier is the one notable entry in this week’s field that is coming off a strong finish last week. Allgaier placed fourth in the Zippo 200 at The Glen and he registered a top-five finish at the Mid-Ohio Challenge in 2016.
A Good Matchup To Bet: Sam Hornish Jr. over Ross Chastain
Hornish Jr. will drive Team Penske’s No. 22 Ford this week and he looks like a good bet in the head-to-head sports betting matchup with Ross Chastain. Hornish struggled in each of his two Xfinity Series starts this season but he was the runner-up in this race when Marks won it a year ago so there is reason to believe he is primed for his best result in just three starts this season. Meanwhile, Chastain has made 20 starts in the Xfinity Series this season but he still has just two top-10 finishes.
Top-Five Pick: Regan Smith
Smith won this race in 2015 and he will be looking to double down on his success in Ohio with another strong performance this week. Smith will drive the No. 18 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing in his first start of the year so he should be focused and motivated to deliver a win in his debut. Smith might not record another victory here this week but he should be a good bet to finish in the top-five in the Mid-Ohio Challenge this weekend.
Odds To Win 2017 Mid-Ohio Challenge
Sam Hornish Jr +200
Justin Marks +400
JD Davison +600
Justin Allgaier +600
Elliott Sadler +800
William Byron +800
Cole Custer +1200
Brendan Gaughan +1500
Ben Kennedy +2500
Regan Smith +2500
Daniel Hemric +2500
Scott Laggase Jr +3000
Ryan Reed +3000
Brennan Poole +4000
Matt Tifft +4000
Field +1200
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