The Cup Series will travel to Indianapolis Motor Speedway this week for another road course race. This will be the fourth road course race for the Cup Series. The teams competed at COTA, Sonoma and the Chicago Street Course. Do you know what those tracks have in common with the Brickyard? Absolutely nothing. They are road courses, but the race this week is different. Shane van Gisbergen won the last road course race at 40-1 odds. I will bet many of the favorites this week, but there are a few long shots that should have a chance to win Sunday too.
DRAFTKINGS ODDS FOR INDIANAPOLIS
* The odds are from DraftKings Sportsbook. The odds could change between the time of this article and the time you place your bet.
** The first number is the amount of money based on the second number (the amount of the wager). So, if you bet $1 on Martin Truex Jr. at 4-1 odds, you will win $4.
TYLER REDDICK (5-1): I was shocked to see that Reddick was not the favorite to win Sunday. I know Martin Truex Jr. has been red hot this summer, but so has Reddick on the road courses. He won this race last year, won at Road America, won at COTA and he was going to win on the Chicago Street Course until NASCAR decided to shorten the race. I am not going to win any money if Reddick wins Sunday, but at least I will get my money back. Reddick is my insurance policy play this week, just in case one of the long shots does not win the race.
SHANE VAN GISBERGAN (10-1): This bet was tough. I thought about betting Chase Elliott since he is in a must win situation, but it is hard to ignore the talent SVG has on the road courses. I doubt he will be as good as he was at the Chicago Street Course. The Cup Series regulars did not have any experience at that track, so the playing field was more level. This week SVG does not have any experience in the draft. The time he loses on the back-stretch should be made up in the corners. I still like his chances to win this week at 10-1 odds.
CHRISTOPHER BELL (11-1): Maybe it is just me, but it seems like everyone forgets about Bell on the road courses and then he finds his way to Victory Lane. Bell won at the Charlotte Roval and he won at Watkins Glen. The Indy Road Course is a combination of the Charlotte Roval and Watkins Glen. Bell finished 8th at Sonoma and 4th at the Chicago Street Course. He should run up front with a chance to win Sunday.
AJ ALLMENDINGER (16-1): We get 16-1 odds on Allmendinger in the No. 16 car. That sounds good to me. Allmendinger won this race in 2021. He will be competing in the Xfinity Series race Saturday, so the extra seat time should help him get his rhythm down in the corners. Allmendinger is right on the edge of making the playoffs. His team will likely use an aggressive strategy to help ALlmendinger get to Victory Lane Sunday.
MICHAEL MCDOWELL (28-1): When McDowell won the Daytona 500, people thought… “Yeah, that makes sense. McDowell is good on the Superspeedways.” If McDowell wins Sunday, people will think the same thing because McDowell is good on the road courses. McDowell is another driver on the edge of making the playoffs. No team in the Cup Series gambles as much as the No. 34 team. His crew chief will use all of the tricks to get McDowell to the front at the end of this race.
AUSTIN CINDRIC (28-1): Indianapolis Motor Speedway is owned by Roger Penske. I am sure “The Captain” is going to put a little extra effort into his cars this week so he can kiss the bricks that he owns. Cindric has not been good this year, but he has been good on the road courses. He finished 6th at COTA and 6th on the Chicago Street Course. Cindric finished 2nd in this race last year. I just need him to improve by one spot Sunday. It also helps that Cidric is in a must win situation if he wants to race for a championship in 2023.
CHASE BRISCOE (60-1): This is a home race for Briscoe and a home race for Tony Stewart. These two Hoosiers are good at the Brickyard. Briscoe won a Xfinity Series race on the road course at Indianapolis in 2020. He nearly won the Cup Series race in 2021, but NASCAR parked his car because he took a short cut when Denny Hamlin pushed him off the track. Briscoe is in a must win situation if he wants to make the playoffs this year. 60-1 odds just seem too good to pass up this week.
Good luck Sunday!
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