2021 North Carolina Education Lottery 200 -NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Picks, Odds, and Prediction 5/28/21
The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series makes way to the Charlotte Motor Speedway for the North Carolina Education Lottery 200 on Friday night. Charlotte Motor Speedway’s oval configuration is 1.5-miles in length with 24 degrees of banking in the turns and makes for fast racing. Friday’s race will consist of 134 laps to make up the 200-mile advertised distance. Expect for restarts to be crazy towards the end of the race making the Truck Series race very exciting.
Here are a few drivers to consider for the North Carolina Education 200.
John Hunter Nemechek +275- John Hunter currently leads the point standings in the 2021 Truck Series, with 7 top 10 finishes on the season including 5 top 5 finishes and 2 victories. The only blemish for John Hunter on the season was at the dirt in Bristol in March. John Hunter has finished at least top 5 at the 3 Truck Series races held on 1.5-mile ovals in 2021. No doubt in the best equipment heading into Friday’s race at Charlotte, great reason Nemechek is a big outright favorite.
Sheldon Creed +400- Sheldon comes into Friday’s Truck Series race sitting 3rd in the Truck Series point standings currently. On the 2021 season, Creed has 5 top 10 finishes including 4 top 5 finishes and a win. Sheldon did have a nice 5th place effort at the Atlanta Motor Speedway back in March but finished 18th at Las Vegas and 32nd at Kansas 3 Truck races ago. Sheldon finished 5th in the 2020 Truck Series race at Charlotte and currently has great momentum with the win at Darlington 2 races ago and a 5th last week at COTA. Consider Creed here on Friday night at Charlotte.
Austin Hill +550- Hill rides into Friday’s North Carolina Education Lottery 200 4th in the 2021 Truck Series standings. Austin has 6 top 10 finishes including 3 top 5 finishes to date in the NASCAR Truck Series in 2021, after starting off slow at Daytona back in February. Hill has a 2nd place finish, followed up by two 3rd place finishes on the 1.5-mile ovals in the Truck Series here in 2021. Hill has 2 top 10 finishes at Charlotte Motor Speedway in the last 2 Truck Series races and will have a great opportunity for a victory on Friday night.
Ben Rhodes +900- Rhodes is 2nd currently in the Truck Series points standing with 8 top 10 finishes including 4 top 5 finishes and 2 victories. Rhodes has two 10th place finishes that came at Las Vegas and Kansas respectively on the season. Over the last 4 Truck Series races at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Rhodes has 4 top 10 finishes including 2 top 5 finishes. Rhodes is coming into Friday’s race as a value play and is worth a look.
Matt Crafton +1200– Crafton sits 6th in the 2021 Truck Series points standings with 4 top 10 finishes including 2 top 5 finishes here in 2021. Crafton finished 5th at Las Vegas, 8th at Atlanta and a disappointing 24th at Kansas 3 races ago in the Truck Series. In 18 career Truck Series starts at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Crafton has 13 top 10 finishes including 7 top 5 finishes and 2 wins. Crafton should bring top 5 speed to Charlotte on Friday night, look for Matt to be in the hunt for a win on Friday night.