Chevy Silverado 250: This Talladega Superspeedway Race Is a Study in Unpredictably

• This total crapshoot at Talladega is the hardest race of the year to predict.
• Chandler Smith has the highest driver rating in this year’s field. Does it matter?
• Parker Kligerman is a bona fide stealth bomber in a race anyone can win.

Chevy Silverado 250 Betting Odds

Odds taken from DraftKings Sportsbook. Get a $1,000 deposit bonus when you sign up.

Our Picks for the Chevy Silverado 250

Parker Kligerman to win the race at +1500

Chandler Smith to finish in the top three at +300

Grant Enfinger to beat Stewart Friesen head-to-head at -120

This Talladega Superspeedway Race Is a Study in Unpredictably

There’s a reason why Chevy Silverado 250 favorite John Hunter Nemechek is posted at +800 instead of a more typical +400.

The very nature of superspeedway racing widens the realm of potential winners enormously. Cars race in tightly-bunched packs, side-by-side, bumper to bumper and inches apart.

Given the close-quarters nature of the competition, large multicar wrecks are commonplace, particularly near the ends of events with the trophy on the line. It’s not uncommon for favorites to be eliminated in “The Big One.”

Accordingly, the handicapper’s job is exponentially more difficult in a superspeedway race, but we’ll do our best in the sections that follow.

Chandler Smith Has the Highest Driver Rating in This Year’s Field

Despite all the disclaimers above, certain drivers seem to have a knack for avoiding trouble on the superspeedways and keeping their cars intact through the end of the race.

Chandler Smith has two NASCAR Camping World Truck Series starts at Talladega Superspeedway. In 2020, he finished third in his first race at the mammoth 2.66-mile track. Last year he was 19th. Smith was running at the finish of both races.

In addition, among the full-time Truck Series competitors entered in Saturday’s race, Smith, the points leader in the Playoff standings, has the highest average driver rating at 94.8.

Though we’re not picking Smith to win the race, we like him to finish in the top three at +300. We also like 2016 Talladega winner Grant Enfinger to beat Stewart Friesen heads-up at -120 in a battle of Playoff drivers.

Non-Playoff Driver Parker Kligerman Could Pull Off a Stunner

Part-time Truck Series driver Parker Kligerman is an all-or-nothing kind of guy when it comes to racing at Talladega Superspeedway.

His six starts there have produced two victories and a fourth-place finish. On the other hand, his other three Talladega races have ended prematurely with crashes.

But Kligerman is an accomplished racer. In 10 starts in the series this year, he has scored a victory at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, as well as five other top 10s.

Kligerman doesn’t have to worry about protecting his position in the Playoffs—as a part-timer, he’s not competing for the title. Hence, we expect a stress-free Kligerman to score his third victory at Talladega on Saturday.

And we like the odds, too—+1500 via DraftKings Sportsbook.

How to Watch the Chevy Silverado 250