The Cup Series will travel back to Las Vegas Motor Speedway for the first race in the Round of the 12. It will likely be tough to find a long-shot in Victory Lane Sunday night. The list of drivers who have won in Sin City includes the top drivers in the sport. It is even tougher to have a surprise driver win the race in the playoffs. I will bet the favorite, but also take a shot with a few drivers with double-digit odds Sunday night.
DraftKings Odds for Las Vegas
* 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 Kyle Larson you will win $4.00.
Here are my “Best Bets” for the South Point Casino 400…
Kyle Larson (3-1): You have to bet a lot to win a lot with Kyle Larson Sunday night. I am going to wager on the No. 5 car and then take a few chances with some drivers who have double-digit odds to win. Everything is shaping up for the race at Las Vegas to become the “Kyle Larson Invitational.” He dominated the last race at Las Vegas and went to Victory Lane. Now he starts from the pole and has the No. 1 pit stall. I will shop around to see if I can get better odds. If not, I will take the 3-1 odds with Larson.
William Byron (12-1): William Byron has been at his best on the 1.5-mile tracks this year. He won the race at Homestead and Byron has the 3rd-best average finishing position on the intermediate tracks in 2021. He also led the 3rd-most laps at the 1.5-mile tracks. Byron starts 3rd, so he will have the track position to get to the front and win the race Sunday night.
Ryan Blaney (14-1): Las Vegas Motor Speedway is the best track for Team Penske. I want a few of their drivers in my betting portfolio this week. Ryan Blaney is always good on the 1.5-mile tracks. He won the race at Atlanta and he finished 5th in the last race at Las Vegas. Blaney starts on the front row so he has the track position to dominate a portion of this race. He should have a car fast enough to give Kyle Larson a run for the win Sunday night.
Brad Keselowski (15-1): Brad Keslelowski is my favorite driver to wager on this week. Placing some money on Kyle Larson and Keselowski is the best way to go Sunday night. Keselowski has finished 2nd, 13th, 7th, 3rd, 2nd, 1st, 6th, 5th, 1st, 7th, 1st and 3rd at Las Vegas over the last decade. No driver in the field is even close to Keselowski in average finishing position at this track. He finished 2nd in March. Keselowski will have a good chance to improve by one spot Sunday night.
Long-Shot Special: My Long-Shot Special this week is Alex Bowman (18-1). Is 18-1 a long shot? Probably not, but I doubt we are going to have a surprise winner in Victory Lane Sunday night. It just doesn’t happen at Las Vegas and it certainly doesn’t happen in the playoffs. Bowman has been very good on the tracks that wear out tire quickly. He has wins at Fontana and Chicagoland Speedway on his resume. Las Vegas Motor Speedway is starting to age and tires are playing a bigger role in the race. Bowman should be able to manage his tire wear and it could give him a good chance to go to Victory Lane Sunday night.
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