The NASCAR Cup Series continues today with the 2021 Jockey Made in America 250 Presented by Kwik Trip at Road America. Read on below to see my prediction for who will win the race, as well as my top 10, dark horse, and driver to fade predictions.
Winner: AJ Allmendinger- Whether he is racing in Cup or Xfinity, AJ Allmendinger is always a man to beat on road courses, finishing in the top 5 in 9 of his last 12 Xfinity road course starts, including 3 wins, and has finished in the top 10 in both Cup road course starts this season and has a stretch of 3 straight top 10 road course finishes dating back to last season. Allmendinger also has loads of success at Road America, with 1 win and 3 top 5 finishes in 4 career starts, including leading 60 laps here in his career and winning both stages in yesterday’s Xfinity race. Allmendinger isn’t racing for points and only had 1 goal today: winning. That’s why I predict a victory today for AJ Allmendinger.
Top 10: Joey Logano- Logano has quietly put together a solid sun of late, finishing in the top 10 in 6 of his last 7 starts, including 3 top 5’s during that stretch. Logano has also been on a heater of late at road courses, finishing in the top 10 in his last 6 starts at this style track, including 4 consecutive top 4 finishes. Logano might not be the dominant dry over today, but he shows up when the money is on the line, which is why I predict that Joey Logano will extend the top 10 streaks today.
Dark Horse: Michael McDowell- McDowell may be known as a Superspeedway ringer, but his road course prowess isn’t bad either, finishing in the top 20 in 11 of his last 16 road course starts, including 3 top 10 results in the last 5 races. McDowell also has a bit of experience racing at Road America in the Xfinity Series, where he earned a win and a runner up finish in 5 starts, in addition to leading 58 laps. A top 15 is a lock for McDowell today, but don’t be surprised if he makes a move for the top 10 late in the running.
Driver to Fade: Ricky Stenhouse Jr.- Stenhouse has had a rough go on road courses in his career, with just 2 top 15 finishes in 22 career starts, as well as 6 finishes outside the top 30. Stenhouse may be having his most consistent year to date, but he will struggle today. I predict Stenhouse to finish outside the top 15.