2013 Sam’s Town 300 Odds, Free Picks and Predictions – Favorites and Sleepers: After the first two Nationwide races of the year have featured star-studded fields, the playing field is a little more equal for this weekend’s Sam’s Town 300 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway Yes, there still are a handful of Cup drivers pulling double duty this weekend, but they don’t even come close to outnumbering the top series regulars like they have the past two weekends. As a result, Saturday’s race could be the first time the series regulars get to Victory Lane in 2013.
Of course, last year’s race winner won’t even be in the field Saturday because Ricky Stenhouse Jr. got promoted to the Cup Series after winning back-to-back Nationwide titles in 2011 and 2012. Second-place finisher Mark Martin isn’t scheduled to start either, and without Stenhouse and Martin, this weekend’s race will be missing two drivers that combined to lead 99 of the 200 laps at Las Vegas in 2012 and basically dominated the action.
2013 Sam’s Town 300 Odds, Free Picks and Predictions
The Favorites
Since the track was added to the Nationwide Series schedule in 1999, Dale Earnhardt Jr. has made just two starts at the track. That being said, he has been stout in both, finishing sixth and fifth. In a field that is missing many of the former race winners, Junior’s experience and strong equipment will give him a leg up on the competition.
Although he has never won at Las Vegas, Brad Keselowski has been close in two of the last three seasons. He finished fourth at the track in 2010 and followed it up with a third-place run in 2011. Six of the last 10 Nationwide Series wins for Keselowski have come at 1.5-mile tracks, and he could add to that total this weekend.
The Dark Horses
Joe Gibbs racing teammates Brian Vickers and Elliott Sadler are both expected to be contenders for the series title in 2013, and both could make their first major statement this weekend at Las Vegas. Sadler has finished in the top 15 in all four of his starts at the track, including a career-best third-place run last season. Vickers on the other hand will be making his first start at Vegas since 2010, but he finished in the top five in his two most recent starts at the track. Either driver is capable of getting to Victory Lane Saturday.
He was already putting up great numbers at Las Vegas, and Trevor Bayne is in an even better situation in 2013. In his three starts at the track, he has finished sixth, fifth and fourth. Now, he gets to drive for the same Roush Fenway Racing team that won at Vegas last season with Ricky Stenhouse Jr. as the driver. Bayne appeared to be headed for a win at the track at some point anyway, and landing with Stenhouse’s former team should only speed up the process.
His numbers at Las Vegas in the Nationwide Series aren’t exactly pretty, but Regan Smith has never made a start at the track with his current JR Motorsports team. Keep in mind that Smith made his debut with the team at Homestead last fall and promptly went to Victory Lane. Homestead shares a similar 1.5-mile layout with Las Vegas, and if his car is half as good this weekend as it was at Homestead last fall, Smith should definitely be a contender for the win.
Sleeper Specials
Brothers Austin Dillon and Ty Dillon are on the fast track to stardom, and the youngsters could make some serious noise this weekend at Vegas. Austin finished seventh in his track debut last season, and more importantly, he has scored more points in the last 10 races at 1.5-mile tracks than any driver in the series. Ty on the other hand will be making his track debut this weekend, but in three previous Nationwide starts, he has compiled a 6.0 average finish. Both will be behind the wheel of excellent equipment, and both are capable of upsetting the bigger names.
Driver to Avoid
It is hard to imagine that the all-time leader in Nationwide victories struggles at any track, but Kyle Busch has had his share of issues at his home-state track. He has just a single top-10 finish in nine career starts at Vegas, compiling a dismal 21.8 average finish. Busch has actually been even worse recently, finishing outside the top 15 in his last five starts at the track and finishing 30th or worse four times during the stretch.
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Odds to win the 2013 Sam’s Town 300
Kyle Busch 5/2
Brad Keselowski 7/2
Dale Earnhardt Jr. 11/2
Elliott Sadler 8/1
Austin Dillon 10/1
Brian Vickers 10/1
Sam Hornish Jr. 15/1
Trevor Bayne 15/1
Ty Dillon 18/1
Justin Allgaier 28/1
Reed Sorenson 30/1
Regan Smith 40/1
Field (Any Other Driver) 13/2
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