The Cup Series will head back to Talladega this week for another Superspeedway race. So far this year we had William Byron win the Daytona 500 at 16-1 odds, Daniel Suarez won at Atlanta at 30-1 odds, Tyler Reddick won at Talladega at 22-1 odds, Harrison Burton won the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona at 70-1 odds and Joey Logano won at Atlanta at 10-1 odds. The five winners had average odds of 30-1. Will we see another long-shot in Victory Lane Sunday? I would not bet against it.
DRAFTKINGS ODDS TALLADEGA
* The odds are from DraftKings Sportsbook. The odds could change between the time of this article and the time you place your bet.
BETTING STRATEGY FOR TALLADEGA
This is truly one of the toughest races to predict the winner. There are 30 drivers in the field who have a decent chance to win the YellaWood 500.
There have been five races at Talladega in the Gen-7 car. The list of winners include Ross Chastain (22-1) April of 2022, Chase Elliott (8-1) October of 2022, Kyle Busch (18-1) April of 2023, Ryan Blaney (6-1) October of 2023 and Tyler Reddick (22-1) in April of this year. We need to diversify our bets this week to give us the best chance to win. Instead of betting three or four drivers, I am spreading my bankroll between seven drivers. The winners at Talladega have had odds between 6-1 to 22-1. There is a good chance that the winner will come from the list of drivers between 10-1 to 20-1 Sunday, but there are a few drivers I really like with a bit longer odds.
BETTING CARD FOR TALLADEGA
KYLE BUSCH (+1000): Busch is not in the playoffs, but he still has a lot to race for. Bucsh needs to win one of the last six races to extend his streak of consecutive seasons with a win to 21. He nearly did it last week at Kansas and he nearly won many of the Superspeedway races this year. He finished 3rd by an inch at Atlanta and he finished 2nd at Daytona in August. Busch won at Talladega last year. I will bet he can do it again Sunday.
WILLIAM BYRAON (+1300): Byron nearly won the race last week at Kansas. He should have a great chance to win the race Sunday at Talladega. Byron won the Daytona 500 this year. He also finished 7th at Talladega in April and 9th at Atlanta last month. Byron has finished 7th, 2nd and 7th in his last three races at Talladega and he has never finished outside the top-15 in a Gen-7 car at this track. Byron is quickly becoming one of the best Superspeedway drivers in the Cup Series. He is a good bet at 13-1 odds this weekend.
CHASE ELLIOTT (+1300): The race Sunday is almost another home race for Elliott. Talladega is only three hours from Dawsonville, Georgia, so there will be a lot of No. 9 fans in the stands. Elliott has been pretty good at giving his fans something to cheer about at Talladega. He won this race in 2022 and his average finishing position in the Gen-7 car at Talladega is 8th. He has also has the second-best average running position in the Gen-7 car at Talladega. At least we know Elliott will be up front with a chance to win Sunday.
ROSS CHASTAIN (+2000): I am not a big fan of Chastain, but it was nice to see him win last week at Kansas. Could he do the unthinkable and win back-to-back races in the playoffs? I would not bet against him. Chastain won in the Gen-7 car at Talladega in 2022. He finished 13th in the race last April. I doubt the No. 1 team will go after many Stage Points Sunday, so they should start the final Stage up front with a chance to win the YellaWood 500.
AUSTIN CINDRIC (+2000): Cindric has been a beast on the Superspeedways this year. He has the best average running position, the second-best driver rating, and he has scored the most points in the five races on the Superspeedways. Cindric qualified 2nd, won Stage 1, finished 2nd in Stage 2, led 16 laps, but was involved in a last lap crash and finished 23rd at Talladega in April. Cindric is my favorite bet in the field for his price.
CHRISTOPHER BELL (+2800): Tyler Reddick came out of nowhere to take his Toyota to Victory Lane at Talladega in April. I will bet that Bell can do the same in his Toyota Sunday. Bell is not the first name that comes to mind when people think of Superspeedway racing. That is why his odds are 28-1, but he is pretty good. Bell finished 3rd in both races at Daytona this year. He also finished 4th at Atlanta last month. I will take a chance with Bell Sunday.
ALEX BOWMAN (+2800): Is Bowman the favorite to win the championship. He is if you cover up the name above the door and simply look at the stats in the playoffs. Bowman has led laps, scored Stage Points and finished three of the four playoff races in the top-10. He has scored the most points in the playoffs and I doubt the No. 48 team will slow down this weekend. Bowman finished 2nd in the Daytona 500, 5th at Talladega in April and 5th last month at Atlanta. His odds are way too good to pass up this weekend.
Good luck Sunday!
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