2014 Gardner Denver 200 Odds, Free Picks and Predictions: Vegas Favorites and Drivers to Bet: For just the fifth time ever, the Nationwide Series will visit Road America this weekend for the first of what will be three road courses events during the 2014 season. Not only is the track one of the newer stops on the schedule, but because the Cup drivers will be busy racing in Sonoma, there really aren’t any big names pulling double duty at this stand-alone Nationwide event. As a result, the series regulars know that Saturday’s race is a golden opportunity to get to victory lane, which is only going to add to the bumping and banging that is already common at a road course event. With the Cup regulars sitting this one out, here is a closer look at the drivers that could end up in victory lane at Road America Saturday.
The Favorites
In two starts with Joe Gibbs Racing in 2014, Sam Hornish Jr. has a win and a second-place finish, and he should be right back in the mix this weekend at Road America in his third start with JGR. After all, Hornish has been on fire at road courses recently. In the past two seasons, he leads all drivers with a 3.3 average finish in road course events, and he has finished in the top five in all six starts. Somehow, Hornish has yet to win a road course race, but that could easily change this weekend.
He has been rock solid at road courses in recent years, and Elliott Sadler’s 8.5 average finish at road course events over the past two seasons is the second best of any driver in the field this weekend. He has finished in the top 15 in all six starts during the stretch, and he has four straight top-10s. In fact, Sadler has finished sixth or better in three of his last four road course starts and is a safe bet to be among the top contenders this weekend at Road America.
The Dark Horses
Although he only has one previous Nationwide start under his belt, Alex Tagliani has a chance to make some noise this weekend. For one, he has a background rooted in road racing, and his lone start in the series came at a road course. Meanwhile, he happened to win the pole for that one event. Perhaps more importantly, he will be driving the Team Penske No. 22 car that won all three road course events last season. There is little doubt that Tagliani will have some of the best equipment to work with this weekend when he heads to Road America.
While he may not be a road racing expert, Brian Scott is much more accomplished than a lot of the other drivers in the field this weekend. In fact, he has scored the third-most points of any driver in the field at road courses the past two years. In six starts during the stretch, Scott had logged four top-12 finishes, including a seventh-place finish at Road America in 2012. At the very least, his consistency and experience should give him a shot this weekend.
He will be the first to admit that road racing isn’t his best skill, but Regan Smith did manage a pair of top-15 finishes in three road course starts last year, including a fourth-place run at Watkins Glen. Meanwhile, the consistency he has shown all year is bound to pay dividends this weekend in a field that won’t feature any big name Cup drivers. Smith enters Saturday’s race as the point-leader, and he has finished in the top 10 in all 13 races this year. He should at least be near the front with a chance to make some noise this weekend.
Sleeper Special
He has been a road racer throughout his career, but Kenny Habul has had minimal success in Nationwide Series road course events in the past. However, his previous starts in the series have come for a smaller organization, and this weekend, he will have a chance to drive the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 20 car. The organization is arguably the best in the Nationwide Series, and putting Habul’s skills behind the wheel of a premier car could result in something special.
Big Name to Avoid
He is having an up-and-down season as it is, and things probably won’t get better for Trevor Bayne this weekend at Road America. After all, he has a 23.7 average finish in three career starts at the road course, and he has finished 30th and 31st in his last two starts. Bayne has actually been decent at road courses in general, but it isn’t exactly comforting that Road America has consistently been his worst road course of the three.
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