The NASCAR Cup Series will compete once again on a Superspeedway Sunday. The teams already raced at Daytona and now Atlanta Motor Speedway has been turned into a Superspeedway. We can use the data from those races to find the Best Bets for the GIECO 500, but Talladega Superspeedway is a beast. We tend to see more long-shots in Victory Lane at this track then we do at Daytona or what we will see at Atlanta.
DRAFTKINGS ODDS FOR TALLADEGA
* 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 Ryan Blaney, you will win $10.
Here are my best bets for the GEICO 500…
BRAD KESELOWSKI (16-1): The first thing I did when the odds came out for the GEICO 500 was to look at the odds for Keselowski. I was hoping he wasn’t one of the favorites because I really like the No. 6 car Sunday. Keselowski needs this win. He is 30th in the Point Standings because of a penalty for modifications the team made to the Gen-7 car. Now Keselowski needs to win a race to make the playoffs. He already said that Talladega and Daytona are his best tracks to win at this year. Keselowski had the best car at Daytona. He should have a good chance to win Sunday.
WILLIAM BYRON (18-1): Could Byron become the first driver with two wins in 2022? I would not bet against “Liberty Bill.” There are a lot of reasons to like Byron Sunday. He has been fast at every track this year. He just won at the Superspeedway in Atlanta and Byron finished second in the spring race at Talladega last year. He also has a win at Daytona on his resume. The No. 24 car is no stranger to Victory Lane at Talladega. I like Byron’s odds at 18-1 this week.
ARIC ALMIROLA (20-1): Would it surprise you if Almirola won the race Sunday? I know I wouldn’t be surprised. He has wins at Daytona and Talladega on his resume. Almirola probably should have more wins than he does at these tracks, but Almirola has a habit of being wrecked on the final lap. Almirola finished 5th in the Daytona 500 this year. He should have a good chance to win Sunday.
CHRIS BUESCHER (25-1): Buescher should be considered the best Superspeedway driver to never win at a Superspeedway track. He has a habit of finishing in the top-10 at the Superspeedways. Sooner or later, Buescher is going to find Victory Lane. I like him more this year than I did in the past. Buescher has Brad Keselowski to work with in the race. He never received much help from Ryan Newman (his former teammate) at the Superspeedways. I expect Buescher and Keselowski to both be up front. I just hope one of them wins the race Sunday.
RICKY STENHOUSE JR. (30-1): I bet Stenhouse in every race on the Superspeedways. His odds are always a lot longer than they should be. Stenhouse has one philosophy at the Superspeedways… “Win the race or wreck the field trying to win the race.” Often it doesn’t work out, but Stenhouse has wins at Daytona and Talladega on his resume, so sometimes it does work. I do not care how many cars Stenhouse wrecks Sunday; as long as he wins the race at 30-1 odds.
LOG SHOT SPECIAL: ERIK JONES (70-1): How cool would it be to see the No. 43 car back in Victory Lane? It could happen Sunday. Jones was really fast in the Daytona 500. He led three laps and had the 7th best Driver Rating in the race. Jones finished 2nd at Talladega in 2020, so he knows how to get to the front at this track. He won at Daytona in 2018, so he knows his way to Victory Lane on the Superspeedways. I will put $10 on Jones Sunday and hope there is still some magic in the No. 43 car.
Good luck this week!
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