The Cup Series will compete at the Charlotte Roval Sunday. Two drivers have won 7 of the last 8 road course races (Chase Elliott and Martin Truex Jr.) so it may be tough to find a long shot this week. It would be 8 wins in a row for these two drivers if Jimmie Johnson did not spin out Truex in the inaugural Charlotte Roval race. Hurricane Delta is forecasted to be in the Charlotte area Sunday so we may get to see who can drive with the rain tires. Maybe a wet track will allow a long shot to get to Victory Lane.
Las Vegas Odds for Charlotte Roval
Chase Elliott (5-2): Betting the favorites is not a good way to make money. You are going to need to put a lot of money on Chase Elliott this week if you want a significant return, but it may be well worth the bet. Elliott has won the last three road course races. Two of them have not even been close. Elliott starts on the front row Sunday so he is going to be tough to beat. Betting Elliott on a road course is the closest you are going to get to a sure thing in the Cup Series.
Martin Truex Jr. (7-1): You will get much better odds with Martin Truex Jr. this week then with the No. 9 car. Truex should have won the first race at the Charlotte Roval but he was spun out in the last turn by Jimmie Johnson. Truex came back last year and finished 3rd. Truex should be the driver competing with Elliott for the win Sunday.
Clint Bowyer (14-1): Clint Bowyer will have one thing on his mind Sunday… Winning the Bank of America Roval 400. Bowyer sits 38 points below the cutoff for the Round of 8. He is in a “must win” situation and he just may get it. Bowyer finished 3rd in the first race at the Charlotte Roval and 4th last year. If Stewart-Haas Racing has a car that they know is good on the road courses, Bowyer will likely be driving it Sunday.
Jimmie Johnson (22-1): Can Jimmie Johnson get to Victory Lane one more time before he retires from fulltime racing? If he is going to win, it will likely be at the Charlotte Roval. Johnson always finishes up front at Charlotte Motors Speedway. It doesn’t matter if it is the Coca-Cola 600 or the Roval, he finds his way to the front. Johnson nearly won this race in 2018. He came back last year and finished 9th. He is worth a few bucks at 22-1 odds this week.
Michael McDowell (40-1): There is one driver in the garage who is praying for rain Sunday. His name is Michael McDowell. He told SiriusXm NASCAR Radio his week, “I love road course racing. It is what I grew up doing and I should have a significant advantage if we have to switch to the rain tires. I have a lot of experience racing in the rain.” McDowell finished 12th in this race last year and 10th at the Daytona Roval in August. A wet track could be just what he needs to find his way to Victory Lane Sunday.
Matt DiBenedetto (50-1): It was heartbreaking to see Matt DiBenedetto come so close to winning, but to get beat out by Denny Hamlin last week. He could get his revenge this week. DiBenedetto is a good road course racer. He had a 7th place average finishing position in the three road course races last year. Although DiBenedetto is upset about last week’s results, he has some momentum heading into this race. DiBenedetto has the 5th best average finishing position in the Round of 12. I will throw a dart with him at 50-1 odds.
Good luck this week!
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