NASCAR will head to Nashville, Tennessee this week for the first time since 2011. There are a lot of unknowns going into this race so there is an opportunity for us to take advantage of a driver’s odds before the cars practice Saturday. I still think the cream rises to the top, even at a new track. It is going to be tough to beat the Hendrick Motorsports cars when they just finished No.1, No. 2, No. 3 and N. 4 at Nashville’s sister track (Dover International Speedway). I will bet some of the Hendrick Motorsports cars, but there are other drivers with value in the field.
DraftKings Odds for Ally 400
* 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 $3.
Here are my “Best Bets” for the race at Nashville…
Kyle Larson (3-1): When I first clicked on the DraftKings Sportsbook page for the NASCAR race at Nashville, I knew Kyle Larson would be the favorite. I thought he would be 2-1 odds. 3-1 is not great if you want to make a lot of money, but I still think it is a deal. Larson has finished 1st, 1st, 1st, 2nd, 2nd and 2nd in his last 6 races. Few drivers have ever had a hot streak like that in the Cup Series. I will take the 3-1 odds before they go down after practice.
Kyle Busch (9-1): Kyle Busch loves to have his name listed in the record books. He was the first Xfinity Series driver to win at COTA and now he wants to be the first Cup Series driver to win at Nashville. Busch has more experience at Nashville than any driver in the field. He has 10 races in the Xfinity Series and 2 races in the Truck Series at Nashville on his resume. He also has 3 Gibson Guitar Trophies in his collection, so he is no stranger to Victory Lane at this track. If you can still get 9-1 odds on Busch, you need to take it.
William Byron (10-1): I am going to keep betting on the Hendrick Motorsports cars. They just seem to have more speed than the rest of the field right now. Kyle Larson keeps winning the races, but all 4 cars look like they could end up in Victory Lane. William Byron finished 4th at Dover and Darlington. He just needs a little bit more speed in order to find Victory Lane Sunday.
Alex Bowman (15-1): My rule over the summer will be… Whenever I can get double-digit odds on a Hendrick Motorsports car, I will take it. Alex Bowman won two of the last three races using the 750 HP aero package (Dover and Richmond). I would not be surprised if he was back in Victory Lane Sunday. 15-1 is just too good to pass up.
Long-Shot Special: My Long-Shot Special this week is Kurt Busch (50-1). He has been a “hit or miss” driver this year, but Busch could be a hit Sunday. He participated in a tire test at Nashville so he has more seat time than most of the competition. Chip Ganassi is sharing notes with Hendrick Motorsports so Busch should have some good information from Dover to work with (since Hendrick Motorsports finished No.1 , No. 2, No. 3 and No. 4 at the Monster Mile). Busch will not stay at 50-1 odds after practice so I will put $5 on him to win early in the week.
Good luck this week!
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