Home | News | 2023 Crayon 301 Sleeper Picks

2023 Crayon 301 Sleeper Picks

By Jeff Stinger

NASCAR prepares for a weekend at New Hampshire for the Crayon 301. The race was named the Ambetter 301 last year and the Casino 301 for the four years before that. Drivers are set to race on Sunday, July 16, with the green flag dropping at 2:30 PM ET.

Defending champ Christopher Bell tops the favorites list for this race. Frontrunners Martin Truex Jr. and Denny Hamlin follow him. However, there’s a handful of sleeper picks that could potentially make waves and cause havoc up front. With that, let’s cover the top 2023 Crayon 301 sleeper picks for NASCAR fans and bettors.

A Closer Look at the top 2023 Crayon 301 Sleeper Picks

READ MORE: 2023 Crayon 301 NASCAR Odds & Prediction

Ryan Preece

  • 2023 Crayon 301 Race Odds: +6,900

Preece moved up from being a reserve driver for Stewart-Haas Racing to serving full-time for the team. He drives the No. 41 Ford for the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series campaign. A year ago, he appeared in all three national series. Preece scored his first win of the season in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series at Nashville Superspeedway. In 2021, he was behind the wheel of the No. 37 Chevrolet for JTG Daugherty Racing. The Connecticut native earned a pair of top 10s and an average finish of 24.3 in 2020.

So far, Preece holds the 25th spot in the driver rankings. He holds a pole and led 141 laps in 19 races, with an average start of 23.158 and an average finish of 21.684. The 32-year-old frequently runs in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour and bagged 25 victories over his career in the sport.

Todd Gilliland

A common sighting on any sleeper list is 23-year-old race car driver Todd Gilliland. The man from North Carolina returns to the No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford in the Cup Series for 2023. He accelerated his career to the cup level in 2022, bagging his first top-five finish at the Indianapolis road course. He earned his second career Truck Series in 2021 and his fourth full season in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. Before landing a spot in the Front Row Motorsports lineup, he spent time driving for Kyle Busch Motorsports, where he recorded his first series win at Martinsville in 2019 and added a third in June 2022 at Knoxville Raceway.

The youngster holds the 26s spot in this season’s driver rankings. He amassed 320 points in 19 appearances, including three top-ten finishes. Although he suffered a couple of DNFs along the way, Gilliland shows potential as a quality sleeper pick. He holds an average start of 24.789 and an average finish of 20.632.

B.J. McLeod

  • 2023 Crayon 301 Race Odds: +10,000

Live Fast Motorsports co-owner BJ McLeod drives the No. 78 Chevrolet in 2023. This is the team’s first year under the Chevy moniker and introduces exciting times for the Florida-born race driver and the rest of the crew. He was previously behind the wheel of the No. 6 Chevrolet for JD Motorsports full-time in the 2020 Xfinity Series. He also owns a team in the aforementioned league, BJ McLeod Motorsports. The now-39-year-old competed for the Rookie of the Year honors in 2016 in the Xfinity Series and closed his run 20th in points.

This year, McLeod proposes attractive figures for bettors looking at the top sleepers list. This weekend’s race could see more improvement coming from McLeod. As of now, he ranks 34th in the driver standings with 105 points in 12 races. The Live Fast Motorsports driver holds an average start of 33.417 and an average finish of 28.25.

Where to Bet on NASCAR with Crypto

The NASCAR season is in full gear! Enjoy motorsport action and exclusive rewards and promotions as soon as you sign-up at Nitrobetting.

This is just one of the many sports betting guides that you can read here at Nitrobetting news. Stay tuned for more NASCAR previews and articles, and don’t forget to check out the latest sports betting odds at our crypto sportsbook.

*All odds stated are subject to change without prior notice.