The third of four consecutive days of NASCAR racing at Kentucky Speedway takes place tonight (6 p.m. ET, FS1) with the Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series' Buckle Up Your Truck 225.
Four of the six Truck Series races run this season have come at 1.5-mile tracks, which is the same length as Kentucky Speedway, so we do have some data to lean on to determine which drivers to back.
After looking at performances at similar tracks this season, I'm betting on two drivers to win tonight's Buckle Up Your Truck 225.
Be sure to follow me on Twitter (@PJWalsh24) for an additional bets I make for tonight's race.
NASCAR Truck Series at Kentucky Odds, Betting Picks
Odds as of Saturday at 12:45 p.m. ET
Christian Eckes (+600)
In the name of transparency, I've always been bullish on Eckes' talent, so it doesn't take much to convince me to back him like I did at Pocono two weeks ago, a race in which Christian was leading with just 11 laps to go before cutting down a tire and slamming the wall.
Eckes was also extremely fast at Las Vegas earlier this season, a smooth 1.5-mile circuit like Kentucky, where he ran the second-most fast laps and finished second to Kyle Busch (who is not running today's race) in both Stages 1 and 2.
While battling for second place on lap 74, Eckes again cut down a tire ending his chance of a good finish.
But I've said it before and I'll say it again: We can't predict finishing positions or luck, but we can predict speed, and Eckes has plenty of it.
Todd Gilliland (+1800)
Gilliland has been sneaky fast on the 1.5-mile tracks this year, with finishes of seventh at Las Vegas, fourth at Atlanta and sixth at Homestead.
In fact, Gilliland's 37th-place result at Charlotte is extremely misleading as the No. 38 Ford was a top-five contender before getting taken out in an accident while running in fourth place with just 32 laps to go.
The Front Row Motorsports driver should have similar speed today, making him a nice value at 18-1.
