Best Bets for the 2021 Go Bowling 250 – NASCAR Xfinity Series (September 11, 2021)

I thought we had it last weekend with Denny Hamlin. He was in the lead with under 10 laps to go before a pit road penalty ended his chances to win.

Nonetheless, it’s a new week and it’s time to find out the next winner.

Richmond Raceway will host the NASCAR Xfinity Series this weekend. The 0.75-mile short track will host the Xfinity Series for the first time this season.

The race will take place Saturday, September 11 at 2:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN. Let’s discuss my favorite 2021 Go Bowling 250 picks.

Justin Allgaier was one of my top picks last week. He led 19 laps early in the race before finishing sixth. The finish marked his ninth top 10 finish in the last 11 races.

The consistency is great, but it’s time for Allgaier to return to victory lane. He should have an excellent chance to do that this weekend.

Allgaier has always performed well at Richmond. He led 157 of 254 laps in 2017 before losing the lead late in the race. He led 86 laps in the first Richmond race of 2019.

Last season, Allgaier finally put it all together.

In the first race, Allgaier dueled with Justin Haley in the second half of the race. Allgaier eventually took control, leading the final 29 laps in the victory.

The following day, Allgaier backed up his win with a dominant performance. He cruised in the final portion, leading the final 79 laps.

It’ll be interesting to see if the competition has caught up to Allgaier. If not, everyone else could be in for a long day.

Unlike last season, Allgaier will start at the front in the fifth position.

Everyone looks at Austin Cindric as the championship favorite. However, the 2020 Xfinity Series champion hasn’t been performing as well as we’d expect.

Back-to-back finishes outside the top 35 dropped Cindric to second in the standings. He did respond last week with a third-place finish.

Cindric hasn’t won on an oval since Dover back in mid-May. Can this be the weekend he scores his sixth victory of the season?

In his first start at Richmond in 2018, Cindric finished fifth. He backed that up with a pair of runner-up finishes in 2019. In the first Richmond race last season, Cindric led 64 laps. He fell back a little bit and wound up fourth.

The good thing for Cindric is all the drivers he used to run behind at Richmond are no longer in the Xfinity Series. It was usually Christopher Bell, but Cole Custer and Kyle Busch were also up front.

Now, I’d say the only driver better at Richmond in this weekend’s race is Justin Allgaier.

Cindric is a mere one point behind A.J. Allmendinger in the regular-season standings.

A win likely gives him the points lead with the playoffs approaching.

He starts from the pole on Saturday.

One of these days, Daniel Hemric will win a race.

I know we talk about this every two or three races, but Hemric has yet to win a Xfinity Series race in his career. He has finished second or third six times this season. He has also led over 40 laps four times this season.

The win has to come soon, right?

It’s time for Hemric to build some momentum for the playoffs. Check out his rough stretch over the last five races.

The good thing is, Richmond is one of his best tracks.

Hemric has four career starts at Richmond in the Xfinity Series. He led at least 11 laps in all four races, coming home with three finishes of fourth or better. Those finishes came while Hemric was driving for Richard Childress Racing. This season, he’ll have a chance at Richmond with Joe Gibbs Racing.

Christopher Bell won three of the four races at Richmond in 2018 and 2019 while driving for Joe Gibbs Racing. They definitely have more speed than Hemric’s former team.

He’ll have a little way to go, starting 12th on Saturday. We know Hemric can get to the front but can he finish there?

It’s not a big long shot, but Justin Haley is my dark horse this weekend.

Haley finally broke through two races ago, winning in a three-wide photo finish at Daytona.

The win was great for Haley but he needs to show race-winning speed on non-restrictor plate tracks. It’s a good thing we saw him do that last season at Richmond.

He didn’t do much in his first two Richmond starts, but Haley looked great in both races last season.

In the first race, Haley arguably had the best car. He led 51 laps and finished second to Justin Allgaier. Haley went on to finish sixth in the ensuing Richmond race.

Everyone knows Haley is a quality driver but he doesn’t compete for wins very often. That’s why it was so impressive to see him lead that many laps last season.

His former Kaulig Racing teammate, Ross Chastain, led nearly a combined 100 laps across the two Richmond races last season. He also scored a pair of top-five finishes. It just goes to show that the team has the speed to compete for wins at Richmond.

We’ll see if Haley can keep up his momentum with a victory at Richmond. He starts fourth.

Richmond is a high-wear track, meaning drivers will pit every chance they get for four fresh tires. Because of that, it’s hard to use strategy to work your way to the front.

Cindric needs a boost and his team always seems to show up when they need a good finish. I think he breaks through for his sixth victory of the season.

Ready to bet on the 2021 Go Bowling 250? Use this NASCAR betting guide to prepare you for the weekend.