In the second night race of the season, NASCAR’s Cup Series makes its first trip of the year to Kansas Speedway. Saturday night’s Digital-Ally 400 is slated to get underway on FOX Sports 1 at 6:30 p.m. (ET).
Digital-Ally 400 Top Value Bets
Martin Truex Jr. had to wait an extra day to earn his second checkered flag of the season with Monday’s victory at Dover. He became the fourth driver on the board to post multiple wins in a Cup Series event. Alex Bowman also benefitted from the delay by taking second, and Kyle Larson rounded out the Top 3. My top favorite was Kevin Harvick at +500 odds, but he had to settle for fourth place.
Moving on to Saturday night’s race at Kansas, 5Dimes online sportsbooks have released its odds to win. The following three drivers offer the best betting value in the numbers.
Digital-Ally 400 Top Favorite – Kevin Harvick +750
I know I went with Harvick last week and came up short, but at +750 odds to win, the value is too high to pass on going with the No. 4 Ford again this Saturday night. Despite the current drought in trips to Victory Lane, he is easily the best Cup Series driver without a win this year. This team is third in the current Cup Series standings with 397 points after placing in the top 10 in eight of the first 11 events. Five of those runs were inside the top five.
Adding instant value to this pick is the fact that Harvick won this event last season. He also won the second race at Kansas in the 2016 season. His average finishing position at this track is 9.7.
Digital-Ally 400 Top Contender – Kyle Larson +1000
Larson came close to winning last week’s race, and there is some good value in his odds to move up two spots to win on Saturday night. The No. 42 Chevrolet has had some issues with consistency over the first 11 point races this season, but this is another driver that has already proven that he can win races in just his sixth-full time season in the Cup Series. Shutout in 2018, the motivation to win has never been higher. Slipping to No. 16 in the standings, Larson also knows that he needs a win to aid his playoff chances.
Other than Monday’s third-place finish, Larson does get lower grades for current form, but this pick is more about his recent performance at Kansas. Including last season’s fourth-place finish in this event, he has finished sixth or better in three of his previous four Cup Series races at this track.
Digital-Ally 400 Top Longshot – Denny Hamlin +2250
Hamlin faded to 21st at Dover while also suffering some mild carbon dioxide poisoning. He was treated after the race and cleared to run on Saturday night. Other than a recent crash at Talladega, he has been able to guide the No. 11 Toyota to a solid finish in the previous nine-point races. This includes the season-opening victory in the Daytona 500 followed by another win at Texas Motor Speedway. Hamlin has his team in fourth place in the current standings with 383 total points. Of his eight finishes inside the top 10, sixth of those runs were fifth or better.
This week’s picks are all about the ability to race well at Kansas as opposed to recent runs this season. Hamlin’s lone career victory at this track in a Cup Series event was in 2012, but he came close last year with a fifth-place finish in this event. This followed another fifth-place run in the playoff race at Kansas in 2017.
