Picks for the Pennzoil 150 at the Brickyard – Xfinity Series (2022)

It looked like my NASCAR picks would have yet another win, but Ty Gibbs couldn’t find a way around Noah Gragson in the closing laps. Still, it’s hard to be disappointed after our recent stretch.

Hopefully, we can start a new streak with Xfinity Series racing at the Indianapolis Road Course. A.J. Allmendinger claimed the first two road course races of 2022 before Gibbs won at Road America.

My Pennzoil 150 predictions should be interesting with multiple Cup Series drivers in the field. Here are my top NASCAR betting picks.

Speaking of Cup Series drivers, Chase Briscoe makes his return to the Xfinity Series. He made two starts last season, but this will be his first road course start in the Xfinity Series since 2020.

Last season, Briscoe nearly won the Indianapolis Road Course race in the Cup Series before a late-race penalty ended his hopes. The Pennzoil 150 betting odds have him as the favorite.

He has been strong on road courses throughout his Xfinity Series career. Check out his numbers.

The inaugural NASCAR race on the Indianapolis Road Course was memorable for Briscoe. He led 30 laps but had to fight around A.J. Allmendinger in the closing laps to take the lead. Briscoe went on to score the victory.

There’s much motivation for Briscoe, as he grew up in Indiana. He’d love to score another victory at his home track. My NASCAR predictions believe he has a strong chance to score the victory.

Cole Custer has been strong in the No. 07 car in a pair of road course starts. Briscoe should replicate his success.

Ty Gibbs continues to perform like one of the top drivers in the Xfinity Series. He had a fast car at Pocono but finished second to Noah Gragson. That gives him a pair of top-two finishes in his last four races.

It’s extremely impressive how quickly Gibbs succeeded on road courses. He famously won his first career Xfinity Series start at Daytona Road Course after outdueling Austin Cindric.

I would argue that Gibbs has been the best driver across the last two Xfinity Series races on road courses.

Gibbs had the dominant car at Portland, but a crash under caution left him deep in the field. Kyle Larson dominated Road America, but Gibbs passed the defending Cup Series Champion on the final lap to capture his third career road course win.

Surprisingly, he wasn’t competitive in last year’s race at Indianapolis Road Course. He led four laps but finished 19th. My free Pennzoil 150 picks have much higher hopes.

Gibbs will pull double duty for the second straight week. Kurt Busch hasn’t cleared concussion protocol, opening the No. 45 Cup Series car for Gibbs.

Noah Gragson kicked off the season with four top-three finishes. We haven’t seen the same dominance over the last few months, but he returned to victory lane with an impressive performance at Pocono.

Gragson led a race-high 43 laps, but Ty Gibbs tracked him down in the final 15 laps. Gibbs had the faster car, but Gragson fought hard to hold him back. He was able to do so, capturing his third victory of 2022.

WHAT A BATTLE 👀 Retweet to congratulate Noah Gragson on his WIN at Pocono Raceway!@JRMotorsports | https://t.co/U4a0xtukwL https://t.co/NIxJV0YArt pic.twitter.com/tDPTcdB6Th

— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) July 23, 2022

It’s interesting to look at the Pennzoil 150 odds because five drivers have (+450) odds or lower. Gragson is one of two drivers between (+500) and (+2700). Gragson’s odds would be lower without the Cup Series drivers in the field.

Gragson’s winless in 18 road course starts in the Xfinity Series, but he has eight top-five finishes. He has been in contention at Indianapolis Road Course, scoring a pair of top-five finishes.

He has finished top 10 in the three road course races in 2022. It’ll be tough to compete for the win with the Cup Series drivers, but I love the value for Gragson. It’s not often he’ll enter a race with (+1500) odds. My NASCAR picks can’t pass on that.

Austin Hill is quietly having an impressive year in his first full-time Xfinity Series season. Hill has been great on the superspeedways, winning Daytona and Atlanta. He’s sixth in the standings with two wins, eight top-five finishes, and 12 top 10 finishes.

Hill enters this race with six straight top 10 finishes. My Pennzoil 150 predictions believe he’ll continue that streak and compete for the win.

I wouldn’t think of Hill as a road course racer, but the numbers prove he has been one of the best in 2022.

Hill hasn’t led a lap in a road course race in 2022, but he puts himself in position. My NASCAR betting picks have no issue taking Hill at (+2800). It’s amazing you can find someone at this price, considering his success on road courses.

Even without it, he has plenty of momentum ahead of the Indianapolis Road Course. He has one finish worse than ninth in the last three months. It’s hard to imagine him not competing for a top-five finish.

Road course races often yield unpredictable results. Will Hill continue that trend?

Brandon Jones came through in my prop bets, but Justin Allgaier and Myatt Snider didn’t have a great performance.

Let’s see how my NASCAR predictions view the top props for the Indianapolis Road Course.

We’ve been talking about the Cup Series drivers racing in this race. Ross Chastain and Alex Bowman are among the top drivers in the field. Chastain makes his second start of 2022, but Bowman returns for the first time since 2018.

Bowman has the upper hand of being in Hendrick Motorsports equipment, but everything else is in Chastain’s favor. He has been a much better driver in the Cup Series, especially on road courses.

Chastain had a disappointing finish at COTA, but that doesn’t tell the whole story.

Chastain was a front-runner throughout the race but fell back late. Hopefully, he can avoid an issue in this race. Bowman may have a better car, but I can’t imagine him finishing ahead of Chastain.

This is a first for me, as my expert Pennzoil 150 picks don’t have A.J. Allmendinger in the lineup. I had to find a place for Allmendinger, so I felt scoring a top-three finish wouldn’t be too much to ask for.

Everyone knows Allmendinger is the driver to beat on road courses. He has eight road course wins in 21 Xfinity Series starts. Two of those eight wins came in 2022. Will he add another at Indianapolis Road Course?

Allmendinger has been in contention in both Xfinity Series races at the Indianapolis Road Course. He has a pair of top-five finishes, leading 10 laps. He surprised everyone by winning the inaugural Cup Series race at the track.

Allmendinger has a ridiculous 17 top-five finishes on road courses. I expect him to add to that total with a top-three finish.

Justin Allgaier continued his hot streak with a seventh-place finish at Pocono. Allgaier has one finish worse than seventh in his last 10 starts. That stretch includes six top-five finishes. Will we see another this weekend?

We’ve seen mixed results from Allgaier on road courses. He finished top-five in both stages at COTA, but an issue led to a disappointing finish. Check out his last two road course results.

Road America is his lone finish outside the top seven in his last 10 starts. He wasn’t competitive, but we saw a strong performance at Portland. That gives me hope for a strong finish at the Indianapolis Road Course.

Overall, he has solid road course numbers. Allgaier has three wins and 12 top-five finishes in 42 career starts. He presents enough value to take a chance on him scoring a top-five finish.

I’m taking the driver of the No. 07 car for the second straight week. Cole Custer left me down last week, but I have much more faith in Chase Briscoe.

Briscoe is one of the top road course drivers in NASCAR, and has a win at the Indianapolis Road Course. He’ll have plenty of motivation to score another win at his home track. My Pennzoil 150 prediction has Briscoe in victory lane.

We have every series in action this weekend. Check out our NASCAR betting picks for more betting opportunities.