The NASCAR Cup Series will travel back to Talladega Motor Speedway this week for the YellaWood 500. This will be the sixth race on a Superspeedway in 2022. So far this year the Cup Series had Austin Cindric win the Daytona 500 at 25-1 odds, William Byron won at Atlanta at 15-1 odds, Ross Chastain won at Talladega at 25-1 odds, Chase Elliott won at Atlanta at 10-1 odds and Austin Dillon won at 30-1 odds. The average odds for the winners on the Superspeedways are 20-1. I like all of the drivers at 20-1 odds this week (Martin Truex Jr, Kevin Harvick, Brad Keselowski and Alex Bowman).
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 William Byron, you will win $12.
Here are my best bets for the race at Talladega…
RYAN BLANEY (12-1): Blaney has not been to Victory Lane this year but that could change Sunday. Blaney won at Talladega in 2019 and 2020 and he won at Daytona in 2021. That is three straight years with a win on a Superspeedway track. I usually do not like betting the favorites at the Superspeedways, but Blaney’s chances of winning are too good to pass up.
CHASE ELLIOTT (12-1): Elliott won on a Superspeedway track this year when he went to Victory Lane at his home track in Atlanta. Talladega is not far from Dawsonville, Georgia so maybe Elliott can win at his second home track. Elliott won at Talladega in 2019 and he finished 7th in the race last April. Elliott always qualifies up front and he is good at keeping the lead. If this is a calm race (up is down and down is up in 2022, so what should be a wreck fest could be a calm race), Elliott will have a good chance to win.
BUBBA WALLACE (18-1): Speaking of home tracks… Talladega is the home track for Wallace. He won this race last year. Was it a fluke or can Wallace do it again? His 2nd place finish in the Daytona 500 shows that Wallace has the skills to win on the Superspeedways. I will shop around to see if I can find 20-1 odds on Wallace, but I will bet him at 18-1 odds if that is the best I can get.
MARTIN TRUEX JR. (20-1): Truex has competed in 70 races at Talladega and Daytona and has never been to Victory Lane. So why would I bet him to win Sunday? Truex has been the most consistent driver on the Superspeedways this year. His 9th place average finishing position on the Superspeedways is the best in the Cup Series. He has also scored the most Stage Points. 2022 has been a crazy season so even Truex can win on a Superspeedway. His 20-1 odds are right at the average odds for the winners this year on the Superspeedways.
BRAD KESELOWSKI (20-1): I rather bet on Keselowski to win Sunday than to bet against him. His seven wins on the Superspeedways is the most in the Cup Series. Six of those wins came at Talladega. Keselowski was the best driver in the Daytona 500 and the No. 6 team is improving after they won the pole and finished 8th last week. Keselowski also is at the average odds of the Superspeedway winners in 2022 at 20-1 odds. I would not be surprised if Keselowski is the 20th driver to reach Victory Lane in 2022.
LONG SHOT SPECIAL ARIC ALMIROLA (30-1): In 2018 I went to Media Days before the Daytona 500 and I asked Almirola, “What makes you so good on the Superspeedways?” Almirola said, “I love this type of racing. Most drivers hate it, but I love the thrill of maneuvering through the pack and finding my way to the front at the end of the race. I feel like you have to like this type of racing to be good at it and I love it.” Almirola has wins at both Daytona and Talladega. I will bet he can win at 30-1 odds Sunday.
Good luck this week!
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