NASCAR
Sportsbook Lists Chandler Smith As NASCAR Xfinity Series Title Favorite; Sam Mayer Seeks Lost Playoff Points
Jeff Hawkins is an award-winning sportswriter with more than four decades in the industry, in both print and digital media. He joined the Sportscasting team in 2021 following a decade of freelancing. He spent his early career as a reporter for various newspapers in Illinois, New York, Florida, North Carolina, and Michigan, with a particular emphasis as a beat reporter for the Chicago Blackhawks. Jeff earned his bachelor's degree in journalism from Oakland University. Over the course of his career he earned several sports writing awards, including two national awards from the Associated Press Sports Editors for column writing and news reporting. One of the five prized columns included a commentary on NASCAR's increasing corporate influences, particularly in northern racetracks — commentary which you might find Jeff building on as part of the Motorsports writing team at Sportscasting now.
Get to know Jeff Hawkins betterPublished5 hours ago on October 09, 2024
Chandler Smith opened last Saturday’s overtime restart at Talladega Superspeedway in third place. A leading candidate to claim the NASCAR Xfinity Series championship next month, Smith endured a “numb” foot over the final 14 laps, settling for P5.
It likely wasn’t what he expected for the No. 81 Toyota team after securing the Stage 1 win and leading the field for much of the afternoon. Smith also compiled 48 race points en route to his fifth straight top-five finish.
Sammy Smith captured the United Rentals 250 with a last-lap pass and clinched a Round of 8 berth.
Entering next Saturday’s Drive For The Cure 250 presented by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina at Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course, Chandler Smith ranks second in the playoff standings, 64 points above the cutoff line. The next playoff round begins Oct. 19 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
With six top-fives in his past seven starts, Smith earned the top sports betting odds to capture the circuit title. With +180 odds, Smith was listed as the favorite by BetOnline Sportsbook. Cole Custer (+260) and Justin Allgaier (+500) also drew top odds.
Smith competed in the Truck Series Championship 4 race in 2022.
Chandler Smith is not having a good time inside his car. Foot has went numb pic.twitter.com/om5McNqpFG
— Skewcar (@Skewcar) October 5, 2024
JR Motorsports Appealing Sam Mayer’s DQ
Sam Mayer needs the points.
Attempting to recover from the lost weekend, JR Motorsports announced it would appeal Mayer’s disqualification from the United Rentals 250 at Talladega.
Mayer’s No. 1 Chevrolet failed post-race inspection for not passing the ride height standard. Mayer fell from a No. 8 driver ranking to No. 11, 13 points below the cutoff line.
Mayer likely enters Saturday’s Round of 12 finale at Charlotte in a must-win situation to advance to the two-event Round of 8.
— JR Motorsports (@JRMotorsports) October 7, 2024
NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship Odds
Here is an early look at the NASCAR Xfinity Series championship odds entering Saturday’s Drive for the Cure 250 Presented by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina at Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course, according to BetOnline Sportsbook:
| Driver | NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship Odds |
|---|---|
| Chandler Smith | +180 |
| Cole Custer | +260 |
| Justin Allgaier | +500 |
| Austin Hill | +600 |
| Sheldon Creed | +900 |
| Riley Herbst | +950 |
| Jesse Love | +1000 |
| Sam Mayer | +2000 |
| AJ Allmendinger | +2200 |
| Sammy Smith | +3300 |
| Shane van Gisbergen | +3300 |
| Parker Kligerman | +4000 |
*-Odds current at time of publication
