Hooters 250 at Homestead-Miami (Xfinity Series) Predictions & Odds

• Dale Earnhardt Jr. adds spice to jam-packed racing weekend with return to action in the No. 8 JR Motorsports Chevrolet.
• Favorites for Saturday’s race aren’t hard to identify—look no further than last year’s Championship 4 event.
• With no former winners in the field, Chase Briscoe has another excellent opportunity to add to his victory total.

The Hooters 250 is the first of back-to-back NASCAR Xfinity Series races on Saturday and Sunday, as NASCAR makes up dates lost during the recent 10-week break necessitated by the coronavirus pandemic. It’s also the “day game” of a Saturday doubleheader with the Baptist Health 200 Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series race.

Traditionally, Homestead has been the championship venue for all three of NASCAR’s top touring series, but with the season finales scheduled for Phoenix Raceway this year, the South Florida track takes an unaccustomed place earlier in the schedule. Tyler Reddick won the last two Xfinity races at the 1.5-mile intermediate speedway on the way to consecutive series championships with two different teams.

The race is scheduled to be contested at 250.5 miles (163 laps), with stage breaks coming at 40 and 80 laps. Homestead’s asphalt is well-worn, typically exacerbating tire wear. Successful drivers in the past few races there have shown a penchant for running the top lane near the outside wall.

NASCAR Xfinity Series at Homestead-Miami Odds

The odds for the Hooters 250 are provided by DraftKings Sportsbook.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. Reserves Rare Xfinity Appearance for Homestead

Since retiring from NASCAR Cup Series racing after the 2017 season, Dale Earnhardt Jr. has raced twice in the Xfinity Series—in 2018 at Richmond, where he finished fourth, and last year at Darlington, where he ran fifth. On Saturday, Earnhardt brings the No. 8 Chevrolet he owns to Homestead-Miami Speedway, as he varies his rare starts between tracks.

Historically, Homestead hasn’t been kind to Earnhardt. In 17 Cup starts there, he has netted but one top five, a third in 2013. Earnhardt’s best Xfinity result at the South Florida track came in 1999, when he ran second, .879 seconds behind winner Joe Nemechek.

But Earnhardt is a rim-rider, preferring to race as close as possible to the outside wall, and Homestead favors that approach. As he races on Saturday, NASCAR’s 15-time most popular driver will be awaiting the results of voting for the NASCAR Hall of Fame, which will be announced Tuesday. Earnhardt is one of 10 nominees on the modern-era ballot.

Looking for a Favorite? Take Your Pick from These Four Drivers

Tyler Reddick won the last two races—and Xfinity championships—at Homestead-Miami, one for JR Motorsports, the other for Richard Childress Racing. But Reddick has moved up to the Cup Series. So has last year’s runner-up, Cole Custer.

So it would make sense to look at the top Homestead finishers who are racing in the Xfinity Series this year. Chase Briscoe (+225) and Noah Gragson (+850), the only two double winners in the series this year, ran third and fourth, respectively, in last year’s season finale. Austin Cindric (+650) was seventh, and Brandon Jones (+1100) was eighth, the last driver on the lead lap.

Although JR Motorsports has had some strong runs at Homestead, we would steer clear of veteran JRM driver Justin Allgaier (+550), who has never posted a top-five result (and just two top 10s) in 10 starts at the 1.5-mile track.

Chase Briscoe Seeks Third Victory of the Season at Homestead

With two victories and a runner-up result this season, Briscoe (+225) is the class of the Xfinity field heading for Homestead-Miami. He’s also the highest returning finisher from last year’s championship race at the 1.5-mile intermediate speedway, having claimed the final spot on the podium.

The Ford development driver has shown excellent speed this year, winning at Las Vegas before the hiatus in the schedule and holding off Kyle Busch in a breathtaking battle at Darlington Raceway after the reopening. Briscoe appeared the likely winner last Saturday at Atlanta Motor Speedway before a pit road speeding penalty ruined his chances.

Like Atlanta, Homestead features slick, aging pavement, and multiple lanes are available to drivers searching for speed. Typically, the driver who can maintain momentum at the top of the track is likely to prevail, as Tyler Reddick and Cole Custer have shown in the last three races there. It’s another track that should prove ideal for Briscoe’s driving style.

Our Pick

Chase Briscoe (+225)—Frustrated recently in his attempts to win for the third time this year, Briscoe gets it done in the first of back-to-back Xfinity races at Homestead-Miami.