Speedweek’s Saturday is Beefy With on Track Action
Speedweek, NASCAR’s week-long love-in of American motorsports, features consecutive days of NASCAR series’ taking over the legendary Daytona International Speedway.
The Cup Series takes the focus on Wednesday, the Duels at Daytona on Thursday, and the Daytona 500 on Sunday, while the Truck Series takes over Friday. However, the Xfinity Series serves as the beef in the middle of the Speedweek sandwich and takes Saturday for itself.
The appropriately named Beef. It’s What’s for Dinner 300 (a.k.a. Daytona 300 or Beef 300) is 300 miles around the glorious tri-oval configuration over three sessions. Sessions 1 and 2 are 30-lap sprints, while stage three is a 60-lap fight to the checkered flag.
We’ll get you and your online sports betting picks primed and ready for the Xfinity Series serving of prime beef on Saturday before the main course of Speedweek is served up on Sunday.
Let’s check the latest NASCAR news, stats, injury reports, and NASCAR lines for NASCAR Xfinity Series: Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner 300. We’ve got plenty of NASCAR picks for you to consider.
Can Austin Hill Go Back-to-Back?
Richard Childress Racing’s Austin Hill started his Xfinity Series rookie season by winning his full-time debut at the Xfinity Beef 300 in 2022. Hill turned that win into a successful rookie campaign, winning the Alsco Uniforms 250 and finishing sixth in the Xfinity Series Championship.
With 2022 Cup Series Champion Ty Gibbs and runner-up Noah Gragson moving on to full-time rides in the NASCAR Cup Series, Hill is among the drivers prepared and likely to step into that void at the top of the Xfinity Series and challenge for the championship.
That journey to the top of the Xfinity Series gets a little easier to travel with a repeat performance from 2022 at the 2023 Beef 300.
Hill’s Challengers?
While most of the field has odds over +1200, there are four major challengers for Hill at the top of the Beef 300 odds: Justin Haley, Cole Custer, John Hunter Nemechek (+1000), and Chandler Smith (+1000).
Haley is racing part-time in the Xfinity Series for Kaulig Racing and is listed at +700, although you need to consider his Speedweek workload as a full-time driver in the Cup Series before making a pick on Haley.
Cole Custer (+1000) is driving full-time in the Xfinity Series for Stewart-Haas and will be looking to build on last season’s Xfinity Series success, winning the Production Alliance Group 300 and finishing third at 2022 Pit Boss 250 in two of his five 2022 Xfinity starts.
NASCAR Xfinity Series: Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner Past Results
Numerous familiar names from the Cup Series have won the Xfinity Series’ Beef. It’s What’s for Dinner 300 in the past, dating back to when the race was called the Daytona 300.
Legendary drivers like Darrell Waltrip, Tony Steward, Dale Earnhardt, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. are multiple-time winners. At the same time,e current Cup series regulars Chase Elliott (2016) and Tyler Reddick (2018) have both won this race in the past.
Austin Cindric, who won the 2022 Daytona 500, won the Xfinity Series Beef 300 in 2021, while Noah Gragson finished second in the Xfinity Series Championship in 2022 and is in his rookie Cup Series season, won the race in 2021.
Winning the Xfinity Beef 300 is an excellent win to start the season for a driver and a better chance at competing full-time at the Cup Series level, with a sharper focus from people betting online.
Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner 300 Race Information
- Race: NASCAR Xfinity Series: Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner 300 – 120 laps (Three Stages, 300mi)
- Location: Daytona International Speedway, Daytona Beach, Florida
- Day/Time: Saturday, February 18th, 2023, 5:00 PM ET
- NASCAR Xfinity Series: Beef. It’s what’s for dinner 300 Live Stream: NBCSports.com
Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner 300 Betting Odds
| ODDS TO WIN XFINITY SERIES BEEF ITS WHATS FOR DINNER 300 | MONEYLINE |
| Justin Haley | +700 |
| Austin Hill | +700 |
| Cole Custer | +1000 |
| John Hunter Nemechek | +1000 |
| Chandler Smith | +1000 |
| Justin Allgaier | +1200 |
| Brandon Jones | +1200 |
| Josh Berry | +1200 |
| Sheldon Creed | +1400 |
| Daniel Hemric | +1400 |
| Sam Mayer | +1400 |
| Riley Herbst | +2500 |
The odds in this chart are based on the time of publication. They are subject to change.
Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner 300 Picks and Prediction
NASCAR odds for this weekend have 2022 Xfinity Beef 300 winner Austin Hill (+700) from Richard Childress Racing-Chevorlet as the favorite, alongside Kaulig Racing-Chevrolet’s Justin Haley (+700). These are the two clear betting favorites and are likely to be in the running for the Xfinity Series Championship in 2023.
From the second tier of odds, we like John Hunter Nemechek at +1000. Nemechek was ineligible for Xfinity Series points and did not race in the 2022 Beef 300. However, when Nemechek did race in the Xfinity Series early last season, he had three excellent results in his first five races.
Nemechek might be an underdog, but if Hill or Haley don’t win, Nemechek could be the driver to break through alongside Cole Custer.
