NASCAR’s Sprint Cup series will run its second road course race of the season this week when it heads to Watkins Glen in Upstate New York. Sunday’s Cheez-It 355 at the Glen is scheduled to get underway at 2:30 p.m. (ET) and it will be broadcast nationally on USA Network.
Chris Buescher picked up his first career Sprint Cup victory as a +2500 ‘field bet’ in a rain-shortened event at Pocono last week. Brad Keselowski finished second in that race and Regan Smith ended-up third. I went with Joey Logano at +1000 betting odds to win, but he finished well down the list in 37th-place.
The following is a look at a few of the top favorites to win this Sunday’s race along with my top value pick based on betting odds provided by TopBet Sportsbook, a solid sportsbook not only for NASCAR, but all major sports.
Kyle Busch is in excellent shape to defend his 2015 Sprint Cup title in this year’s Chase with four previous victories this season, but he is always looking for more and that could be a good thing as a +700 favorite to win this week’s race. The No. 18 Toyota recently made its way to the Winner’s Circle two weeks ago at Indianapolis before slipping to ninth this past week at Pocono. What makes Busch’s odds so attractive this week is his recent track record in this event. He has two career victories to his credit including a win here in 2013 and he has not placed higher than eighth in seven of his last eight races on this road course.
Another top favorite to win this week is Kevin Harvick at +800. I have been fading him as a favorite in recent weeks given the overall inconsistency of the No. 4 Chevrolet racing team this season, but as we get closer and closer to the start of the Chase he is always worth a second look, especially in a unique race like this. Harvick has been moving in the right direction the past three weeks with fourth-place runs at both New Hampshire and Pocono wrapped around a sixth-place finish at Indianapolis to hold onto first place in the current Sprint Cup standings with 709 total points. He placed third in this event last season and his lone victory in this race was back in 2006.
The third driver on this week’s list at +900 betting odds is Kurt Busch. He is as good a choice as any of the top favorites given his past success racing on road courses. Driving the No. 41 Chevrolet he did take the checkered flag earlier this season at Pocono and he ended up 10th this past week in the second race at that track. His last Top 5 finish was back in early July with a fourth-place finish at Kentucky. The real value in his betting odds is a solid racing record at Watkins Glen over the past few years. He finished fifth in last year’s event and over his last six runs around this course Busch has placed in the Top 5 three separate times.
