Wawa 250 Predictions & Picks: Will Hill Dazzle at Daytona?

After an eventful stretch that featured three road course races in four weeks, the NASCAR Xfinity Series will visit the Sunshine State this week for some Friday night fun in the Wawa 250 at Daytona International Speedway (7:30 pm ET, USA).

It has been an especially eventful stretch for Sam Mayer, who added to his late show in the Road America 180 last month by stirring up some late drama to win last Saturday’s Shriner’s Children’s 200 at the Glen at Watkins Glen.

With a late push on Ty Gibbs, he set himself up for his second win in four races and ruined a good day for both Gibbs and Austin Hill, who was collected in the incident and went from second to 14th.

The lone non-road race in the past four weeks was won by John Hunter Nemechek, who enters the Wawa 250 second in points behind Xfinity Series championship leader Austin Hill.

Nemechek has one more win than Hill this season, but Hill is nine points up on Nemechek with three races remaining in the regular season.

Will that gap widen or tighten on Friday? In the latest Wawa 250 betting odds at Bovada, Hill is the favorite to win, with two-time Wawa 250 winner Justin Haley also a leading contender for what will be his final Xfinity Series start with Kaulig Racing.

Odds to Win the 2023 Wawa 250

• Austin Hill +450
• Justin Haley +900
• Justin Allgaier +1000
• Josh Berry +1200
• Cole Custer +1400
• Daniel Hemric +1400
• John Hunter Nemechek +1400
• Sam Mayer +1400
• Sheldon Creed +1400
• Chandler Smith +1600
• Brandon Jones +2000
• Sammy Smith +2500
• Jeb Burton +3300
• Riley Herbst +3300
• Jordan Anderson +4000
• Parker Kligerman +4000
• Parker Retzlaff +4000
• Brett Moffitt +5000

Wawa 250 Predictions and Picks

Last year’s Wawa 250 was won by Jeremy Clements, who hadn’t finished in the top five in over two years.

A similarly unexpected winner could emerge in this year’s race, especially given the potential for numerous incidents and cautions. But it is more likely that the winner will be one of the drivers that has already clinched a spot in the playoffs or a Cup Series regular.

Gibbs was scheduled to take part in the Wawa 250, but he will instead focus on Saturday’s Coke Zero Sugar 400 with a playoff spot still in play. Trevor Bayne will replace him in the #19 car, making his first NASCAR start since finishing sixth at Homestead last October.

Gibbs was listed at +900 to win the race, so this news affects what the potential outcome could have been.

But a Cup Series regular could still take the checkered flag at Daytona.

Haley’s 2020 and 2021 wins in the Wawa 250 account for two of his four Xfinity Series wins in 103 starts with Kaulig Racing, and this race will mark his final Xfinity Series start with the team.

While Haley, whose lone Cup Series win came in the 2019 Coke Zero Sugar 400, has had a lot of success at Daytona, results this year favor one of the Xfinity Series regulars.

Current NASCAR Xfinity Series Points Standings (Through 23 Races)

Drivers in bold have won at least one race this season.

• 1. Austin Hill – 886 points
• 2. John Hunter Nemechek – 877
• 3. Justin Allgaier – 852
• 4. Cole Custer – 775
• 5. Sam Mayer – 735
• 6. Josh Berry – 713
• 7. Chandler Smith – 651
• 8. Daniel Hemric – 635
• 9. Sheldon Creed – 629
• 10. Riley Herbst – 610
• 11. Parker Kligerman – 607
• 12. Sammy Smith – 586
• 13. Brandon Jones – 549
• 14. Jeb Burton – 546
• 15. Brett Moffitt – 501
• 16. Kaz Grala – 444

The Wawa 250 will be the fifth superspeedway race of the Xfinity Series season–the first Daytona race, Fontana, Talladega, and Pocono were the first four–and Xfinity Series regulars have swept them all thus far.

Hill won the season-opening Beef: It’s What’s for Dinner 300 at Daytona in February and the Explore the Pocono Mountains 225 at Pocono last month and finished sixth in the Production Alliance Group 300 in Fontana.

The other two superspeedway races were won by Nemechek, who won in Fontana, and Jeb Burton, who took the win in the Ag-Pro 300 at Talladega in April.

The Talladega race wasn’t a particularly great race for most of the title contenders, with race-ending accidents for both Nemechek and Justin Allgaier and Hill finishing 18th.

It’s certainly possible that the Wawa 250 could play out similarly, but that doesn’t mean shying away from going with Hill, who is the man to beat.

Picking the race favorite might seem like taking the easiest or safest route, but Hill has been such a consistent driver in the Xfinity Series all season, superspeedways and beyond.

Hill’s Mayer-aided finish at Watkins Glen was his worst result since the race at Talladega. In his last 14 races, he has a win, 10 top-five finishes, and 11 top-ten finishes.

Last 14 Races for Austin Hill

• Dover: 4th
• Darlington: 4th
• Charlotte: 4th
• Portland: 5th
• Sonoma: 8th
• Nashville: 4th
• Chicago: 5th
• Atlanta: 12th
• New Hampshire: 3rd
• Pocono: 1st
• Road America: 3rd
• Michigan: 11th
• Indianapolis: 4th
• Watkins Glen: 14th

There are more picks to come once finishing position odds are available, but Hill is locked in as the Wawa 250 winner pick, and you have to like his chances of backing up his status as the favorite no matter where he starts in the field Friday.

Along with four wins this season, which is second to Nemechek’s five, Hill leads the series with 13 top fives and has 17 top tens, which is tied with Nemechek for the most in the series.

Where to Bet on NASCAR

Many of the top sports betting sites offer a variety of NASCAR betting odds. Throughout the season, you can bet on races like the Daytona 500, Coca-Cola 600, and others.

Along with being able to bet on the winner of each Cup Series, Xfinity Series, and/or Truck Series race, sportsbooks like Bovada and BetUS offer finishing position odds (top 3, top 5, and/or top 10).

Also, odds on who will finish at the top of the championship standings are available at many reputable sportsbooks.

In addition to Bovada, where the Wawa 250 odds in this article are from, here are some of the sites that we recommend if you are interested in NASCAR betting:

• BetOnline
• BetUS
• Bookmaker
• Sportsbetting.ag