DUDE Wipes 250 Predictions: JR Motorsports Looks for First 2024 Victory

• Chandler Smith is on a major roll after defending his victory at Richmond.

• After strong Xfinity finish, Corey Heim returns to action in a double-duty role.

• Justin Allgaier hopes to break a long streak of different winners at Martinsville.

DUDE Wipes 250 Betting Odds

Odds taken from DraftKings Sportsbook. Click odds in the table below and claim $150 in bonus bets when wagering at least $5 at DraftKings.

Our Picks for the DUDE Wipes 250

• Justin Allgaier to win the race at +650 at DraftKings

• AJ Allmendinger to finish in the top three at +800 at DraftKings

• Corey Heim to finish in the top three at +600 at DraftKings

DUDE Wipes 250 Predictions

Chandler Smith Has an Abundance of Momentum Heading to Martinsville

No doubt Chandler Smith is enjoying his transition to Joe Gibbs Racing equipment this year.

Smith won his second race of the season last Saturday at Richmond Raceway, leading 76 laps and posting his sixth straight top-eight finish to open the 2024 season.

The win also was Smith’s second this season on a track measuring one mile or less, and it constituted a successful defense of a race he won last year in a Kaulig Racing Chevrolet.

“We’ve had a great season so far, and we’re looking to keep it going this weekend in Martinsville,” Smith said. “JGR brings strong cars every race at this short track, so I feel really good about our chances of winning back-to-back.”

So do the oddsmakers, who have installed Smith as second choice (+450 via DraftKings Sportsbook) to teammate Aric Almirola (+285), who will make his first Martinsville start in an Xfinity Series car after racing 30 times there without a win in the NASCAR Cup Series.

We’re not sold on either driver, however, noting that Smith has a best finish of 10th in his only two starts at the track. 

Recent Truck Series Winner Corey Heim to Make His Eighth Xfinity Start

After watching Chevrolet drivers win the first four races of the 2024 NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series season, Corey Heim broke the streak two weeks ago at Circuit of the Americas in his TRICON Garage Toyota.

The Truck Series enjoyed a week off while the NASCAR Cup and Xfinity Series raced at Richmond, but Heim wasn’t idle. He qualified sixth and finished fourth at the 0.750-mile Virginia short track in an Xfinity Series Toyota for Sam Hunt Racing.

On Friday and Saturday, he’ll compete in back-to-back Truck Series and Xfinity Series races, respectively. Though Heim’s eighth career Xfinity start will be his first at Martinsville, he’s the defending winner of the 2023 Truck race there.

That’s the primary reason we like him to finish in the top three at +600 via DraftKings Sportsbook. We also recommend AJ Allmendinger (+800 DraftKings) for a top-three finish at a track that historically has been one of his best at the Cup level.

It’s High Time for JR Motorsports to Make an Appearance

It’s not as if JR Motorsports hasn’t had a few highlights this season. After all, Justin Allgaier was running away with the Xfinity race at Phoenix before he cut a tire with a handful of laps left.

JRM simply hasn’t had the finishes this season, but it’s also wise to remember that the cars fielded by Dale Earnhardt Jr. and sister Kelley Earnhardt Miller were slow starters last year, too.

Allgaier is the most recent Xfinity winner at Martinsville, having taken last year’s Playoff race at the vaunted short track. In fact, he and teammate Brandon Jones are the only former Martinsville winners in the field for Saturday’s race.

We think it’s time for Allgaier (+650 via DraftKings) to score a breakout victory in the DUDE Wipes 250, but we do offer this word of caution: The past 13 Xfinity races at Martinsville have produced 13 different winners, so Allgaier will have to break that streak.

How to Watch the DUDE Wipes 250

• Race: DUDE Wipes 250 NASCAR Xfinity Series race

• Location: Martinsville Speedway

• Time: Saturday, April 6, 7:30 p.m. ET

• How to Watch: FS1