NextEra Energy 250 Predictions, Odds, Picks (Truck Series)

• Ben Rhodes starts Truck Series title defense with magical memories from Daytona.
• John Hunter Nemechek seeks redemption for the championship that got away.
• Former Cup driver Matt DiBenedetto joins the Truck Series as a formidable presence

NextEra Energy 250 Odds

Odds for truck series taken from DraftKings Sportsbook.

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The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series is set to open its season Friday night at Daytona International Speedway with one of the division’s longest races.

The NextEra Energy 250 features 100 laps around the 2.5-mile high-banked track, with stage breaks after 20 and 40 laps. Reigning series champion Ben Rhodes is the defending race winner.

Ben Rhodes Would Love to Rediscover Daytona Magic on Friday

ThorSport Racing’s Ben Rhodes won the 2021 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season opener on the Daytona International Speedway oval last year.

A week later, he followed that victory with an improbable win on the Daytona Road Course and locked himself into the Truck Series’ postseason Playoff.

Those were the only two races Rhodes won last year, but he advanced to the Championship 4 event at Phoenix Raceway and won his first series title with a third-place finish in the season finale.

Despite last year’s success at Daytona, the driver of the No. 99 Toyota returns to the track tied for the oddsmakers’ sixth choice at +1400 via DraftKings Sportsbook. Even though Rhodes was 14th fastest in Thursday’s opening practice, we think he’s a steal at that price.

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John Hunter Nemechek Is Chasing the Championship That Got Away

For the vast majority of the 2021 season, John Hunter Nemechek was the driver to beat in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.

Nemechek won a series-best five races and secured the regular-season championship. He advanced to the Championship 4 event at Phoenix, but a fender bender early in the race cost him a realistic shot at the series title.

Driving Kyle Busch Motorsports equipment—arguably the best in the Truck garage—Nemechek is the favorite to win Friday night’s NextEra Energy 250 (+800 via DraftKings Sportsbook).

Given the vicissitudes of superspeedway racing, we seldom back the favorite, and this Friday is no exception. The potential payoff doesn’t justify backing Nemechek.

Former Cup Driver Matt DiBenedetto Ready to Make Truck Series Debut

Matt DiBenedetto has to be a sentimental favorite. At the end of the 2021 season, the 30-year-old from Grass Valley, Calif., had to surrender his NASCAR Cup Series ride with the Wood Brothers to a driver nine years his junior—Harrison Burton.

DiBenedetto also is adept at superspeedway racing and traditionally has run well at Daytona, though his 13 starts there include four DNFs for crashes.

DiBenedetto landed with Rackley W.A.R. in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. And though he’s a fearless racer with undeniable talent, we question whether his current equipment can carry him to victory.

DiBenedetto was the 26th fastest in Thursday’s practice. Tied for the third choice at DraftKings Sportsbook at +1200, we think he’s vastly overvalued.

Our choice instead would be Grant Enfinger (+1000), who picked up the first of his six career victories on a superspeedway—Talladega.

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