In the only trip this season to Chicagoland Speedway, NASCAR’s Cup Series is busy preparing for Sunday’s Camping World 400 as the 17th point race on the schedule. NBC Sports Network picks up the Cup Series broadcast starting at 2 p.m. this Sunday afternoon.
Camping World 400 – Top Value Bets
I went with Martin Truex Jr. as my top-valued favorite on the road course at Sonoma last Sunday, and he paid off in a big way at +475 odds. Kyle Busch was second in that race as the top favorite to win, and Ryan Blaney turned in a solid effort by taking third.
Returning the racing oval this Sunday, the following three drivers offer the best value in their posted betting odds at 5Dimes online sportsbook to win this year’s Camping World 400.
Bet your Monster Energy Series Camping World 400 Nascar Pick at a sportsbook where your credit card will work for depositing and where if you deposit $100 you get an additional $100 FREE! –> Intertops.
Camping World 400 – Top Favorite – Kevin Harvick +495
It is tough to go against Kyle Busch (+330) as the favorite and defending champion at Chicago, but it is time for Harvick to posting some first-place finishes after coming so close to winning a few times this year. The No. 4 Ford team has raced well enough to hold down third place in the current Cup Series standings with 573 total wins in the absence of any trips to Victory Lane. To say that Harvick is due would be a vast understatement. The motivation is also running high with finishes outside the top five in his last five point races.
This team came close to winning at Chicago last season with a third-place finish after rounding out the top three the year before. Going back to Harvick’s start in Cup Series racing in 2001, his only two victories at this track were in that initial season and the following season’s race.
Camping World 400 – Top Contender – Kyle Larson +1000
Larson won four races in a breakout season in 2017, but he has been shutout ever since. He did place in the top five in 12 events last season, but through the first 16 points races this season, he only cracked that barrier once with a third-place finish at Dover. Despite his lack of success so far, he could be in an excellent position to make a run for Sunday’s checkered flag behind the wheel of the No. 42 Chevrolet. Sitting in 15th place in the current standings with 408 total points, the pressure is beginning to build to qualify for this season’s 16-driver playoff field. You know that Larson will be taking a ‘better late than never’ approach to Sunday’s race.
The main reason I am going with Larson as this week’s top-valued contender was his near-miss at Chicago in 2018 with a second-place run just behind Kyle Busch. This will be his sixth-career Cup Series race at this track, and his average finishing position in those first six runs is an impressive 7.0.
Camping World 400 – Top Longshot – Erik Jones +2100
Jones continues to be an exciting option at long odds to win. Racing in just his third full-time season at NASCAR’s highest level, he has kept the No. 20 Toyota competitive all season long. He placed third in the Daytona 500 to start the season on a high note and, more recently, he was third at both Kansas and at Pocono. Jones is still on the outside looking in for the 10-race playoff in 18th place with a total of 386 points, but moving in the right direction. His lone career victory in a Cup Series race was in the second race at Daytona in 2018.
Sunday will be Jones’ third trip around Chicagoland in a Cup Series event. After finishing 33rd in 2017, he remained in the thick of things last year to place sixth.
