2024 NASCAR Xfinity Series Chicago Preview
Photo: NASCAR.com
Hopefully this second trip to the streets of Chicago will go well for the NASCAR Xfinity Series. Coverage for ‘The Loop 110’ begins at 3:30PM EST on NBC.
Last year’s race was called short due to rain and NASCAR not wanting to disrupt the city of Chicago with the resumption of the race on a Monday. Cole Custer led all 25 laps en route to his second win on the season.
Best Bets for Xfinity
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Best Bets for Xfinity |
Shane van Gisbergen +175
It shouldn’t come as a surprise to many that Shane van Gisbergen enters this weekend as the favorite. There have been three Xfinity Series races that have left AND right hand turns, SVG has won two of those. If he never got penalized for track limits at COTA, he could’ve has Top 5 finishes in every road course race this season. He also won last year’s Cup race here as well.
Kyle Larson +350
The last time Kyle Larson raced in the Xfinity Series, he drove his #17 Hendrick Motorpsorts Chevy to victory lane at COTA. Since racing for Hendrick in the Xfinity Series in 2022, Larson has finished inside the Top 3 in every road course race, earning wins at Watkins Glen in ‘22 and COTA earlier in the Spring. If there’s anyone that’s going to give SVG a run for his money, it’s Kyle Larson.
Ty Gibbs +500
Since winning the Xfinity Series title in 2022, Ty Gibbs has only recorded one win in 12 starts, that being the Indianapolis road course. This Saturday will mark Gibbs’ fifth Xfinity start this season, as he’s still searching for a Top 5 result. His best Xfinity finish this season came at Charlotte, he finished 9th, the same spot he finished in the Cup race at Chicago last year.
AJ Allmendinger +700
They call him the ‘Ringer Dinger’ for a reason. In 11 of his 17 Xfinity Series wins, AJ Allmendinger won those on road courses. This season, Allmendinger’s best finish of the season came at Portland, where he finished 4th. He has two Top 10 finishes on three road course races this season. He only ran the Cup race on the streets of Chicago last year, but this Saturday should be a good run for AJ nonetheless.
Austin Hill +2500
There’s some really good value for Austin Hill this weekend. Entering this weekend, his 11th place run at Portland is his worse finish on a road course this season. He had a chance to win COTA and Sonoma, had it not been for contact from Shane van Gisbergen. He finished 5th in the rain shortened race last year.
Austin Green +5000
Austin Green has done nothing but impress since his debut at COTA. He’s the son of NASCAR official David Green and nephew of 2000 Xfinity Series champion Jeff Green, so racing runs deep in the Green family. He finished 7th at COTA, 15th at Portland, and 4th at Sonoma. Austin comes from racing in the Trans-Am TA2 Pro Am Series over the past couple of seasons. His transition to NASCAR has been smooth, as he looks to impress the field once again this weekend.