Pennzoil 150 Predictions: It’s All About Finishing a Race in One Piece

• Parker Kligerman gives it another go at his favorite milieu—a road course.
• Ty Gibbs is sharpening his chops for a run to the NASCAR Cup Playoffs.
• Defending winner AJ Allmendinger has a much better chance in the Xfinity car.

Pennzoil 150 at the Brickyard Betting Odds

Odds taken from DraftKings Sportsbook.

Pennzoil 150 at the Brickyard Picks

• AJ Allmendinger to win the race at +140       
• Parker Kligerman to finish in the top three at +500
• Cole Custer to beat Ty Gibbs head-to-head at +125

Pennzoil 150 Predictions

Parker Kligerman Is Undervalued—Again—on a NASCAR Road Course

We’re wondering when oddsmakers will wake up to the fact that Parker Kligerman is a stud on road courses.

If you’ll recall, we picked the driver of the No. 48 Big Machine Racing Chevrolet to win at Road America two weeks ago. In fact, Kligerman held the lead briefly on a wild final lap before finishing second, .368 seconds behind race winner Sam Mayer.

We’re back at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course this week, and though we don’t think Kligerman will win the event, we like him to finish in the top three at +500 via DraftKings Sportsbook.

Part of our reasoning includes Kligerman’s recent performances on road courses and ovals. In his last eight races on a variety of venues, Kligerman has finished 11th or better seven times—with six of those results being top 10s.

Ty Gibbs Is Sharpening His Chops for Run at NASCAR Cup Playoffs

With the field for the NASCAR Cup Playoffs to be set after the next three races, Ty Gibbs needs all the seat time he can get.

That’s why the reigning Xfinity champion—who jumped to Cup this year—is running the Xfinity Series race on Saturday.

Though Gibbs’ No. 19 Toyota Supra invariably is one of the strongest cars in the field, we’re not sold on Gibbs’ ability to win the race at short odds (+450 at DraftKings).

Hence, we’re steering clear of the Cup rookie this week. In fact, we also think another underrated road course racer, Cole Custer, will beat Gibbs head-to-head at +125 (DraftKings).

Defending Winner AJ Allmendinger Is the Driver to Beat at Indy

Like Ty Gibbs, AJ Allmendinger is doing double duty this week. Unlike Gibbs, The Dinger isn’t doing it primarily as practice for a potential NASCAR Cup berth.

Allmendinger is racing in the NASCAR Xfinity Series on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course because he knows he can win—just as he did in this race last year.

Any time Allmendinger runs a road course race in the Xfinity Series, he’s going to be favored to win—a nod to his superior skill set at tracks that turn right as well as left.

Though we typically don’t like to back drivers who pay next to nothing (+140 at DraftKings), we have to go with Allmendinger at Indy, where he also has a Cup Series victory.

How to Watch the Pennzoil 150

• Race: Pennzoil 150 NASCAR Xfinity Series race
• Location: Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course
• Time: Saturday, August 12, 5:30 p.m. ET
• How to Watch: USA