The NASCAR Cup Series will travel back to Texas Motor Speedway to take the green flag on the Round of 12 of their 2022 playoffs. If the first round of the playoffs tells us anything; it is that the favorites are not a lock to win any of these races. No driver competing for the championship has won a race in the 2022 playoffs. This is the wildest year ever. 19 drivers have been to Victory Lane. Chris Buescher won last week at 100-1 odds. He is not the first driver with 60-1 or greater odds to win a race this year. We may have the same Sunday.
DRAFTKINGS ODDS FOR TEXAS
* 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 Denny Hamlin, you will win $5.
Here are my best bets for the race at Texas…
CHRISTOPHER BELL (7-1): A case could be made that Bell should be the favorite to win Sunday. He has been the most consistent driver this year. Bell finished all of the playoff races in the top-five this year and he finished all of the 1.5-mile track races in the top-10 (not including Atlanta because that track is now a Superspeedway). The No. 20 car should be fast again this weekend and have a good chance to win at Texas.
RYAN BLANEY (10-1): So people would argue that Blaney is not a good pick because he has not won in his last 40 races, but it is just the opposite. The trend in 2022 is for drivers who have not been to Victory Lane to cross the finish line first. The Cup Series has had 19 winners this year and Blaney will have a great chance to be No. 20. He won the All-Star Race at Texas in May. It would not surprise me if he won again this week.
MARTIN TRUEX JR. (10-1): I am betting Truex for the same reason I am betting Ryan Blaney…. He has not been to Victory Lane this year. What the No 19 team has done is post fast laps on the 1.5-mile tracks. Truex led 24 laps and finished 5th two weeks ago at Kansas. He also led 24 laps and finished 5th in the All-Star Race at Texas in May. I will bet Truex gets to Victory Lane and makes it 20 winners in 2022.
BUBBA WALLACE (20-1): The only reason Wallace has 20-1 odds to win this week at Texas is because his car says “Wallace” on the windshield. Bubba just won on a 1.5-mile track at Kansas two weeks ago. If a bigger named driver was in Victory Lane at Kansas, he would have better odds than 20-1. The Toyota’s have had a lot of speed on the 1.5-mile tracks this year. 20-1 odds on Wallace are too good to pass up at Texas.
ALEX BOWMAN (25-1): I know the stats for Bowman at Texas are not great but past results at a track have not mattered much this year. What does matter is what the driver has done in the Gen-7 car this year. Bowman led 107 and finished 4th two weeks ago at Kansas. That speed should translate into speed at Texas too. Bowman finished 6th at Texas in the All-Star Race. I will bet he can win Sunday.
LONG SHOT SPECIAL CHRIS BUESCHER (100-1): I know I am likely a week late on betting Buescher to win and the chances of the No. 17 car winning back-to-back races are slim, but anything can happen in 2022. Buescher is a Texas native and he typically runs well at his home track. I am not going to bet a lot of money on Buescher to win, but I will place a $5 bet on him and hope the momentum from last week carries over to a track he knows well.
Good luck this week!
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