Denny Hamlin appears ready for a run for a Cup Series title after following up his recent third-place run at Bristol with a victory in last Sunday night’s race at Darlington. The Busch brothers rounded out the top three in that race with Kyle taking second and Kurt finishing third. My top-valued pick at +1650 betting odds was Chase Elliott, but the best he could manage was an 11th-place finish.
The following is a look at a few of the top favorites to win this Saturday night’s race at Richmond along with my top value pick based on betting odds provided by 5DIMES.
Federated Auto Parts 400 Favorites
There is a trio of favorites listed at +425 betting odds to win this race led by Kyle Busch. He has been one of the hottest drivers in the Cup Series going back to a victory at Pocono on July 30. The No. 18 Toyota also won at Bristol two weeks ago before the second-place run last Sunday night. This team continues to hold the second spot in the Cup Series standings with 893 total points. The main value in Busch’s odds to win this race lie is an impressive 7.3 average finishing position at Richmond. He faded to 16th in the first race here this season, but going back over his previous five trips around this track, he has finished third or better three times.
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The leader in the current standings with an even 1000 points through the first 25 races is Martin Truex Jr. and he is also listed at +425 odds to win this week. As part of his 10 runs inside the top five this season, he has guided the No. 78 Toyota to a series-high four checkered flags with the latest one coming on the road course at Watkins Glen. Truex is still looking for his first career victory at this track in a Cup Series event and his average finishing position here is a distant 20.0. He finished 10th in the first race at Richmond back in late April and he did take third in this race last season.
The third driver at +425 betting odds is last week’s winner Denny Hamlin. Racing in his 12th season at NASCAR’s highest level, the veteran driver of the No. 11 Toyota is still in search of his first racing title, but his current form is adding quite a bit of value to his futures odds to get it done this year. Going back to his 4th-place run at Kentucky on July 8, Hamlin has posted six Top 5 finishes in his last eight races including an additional victory at New Hampshire. As far as Richmond, he took third in the first race this season after winning this event in 2016. His average finishing position at this track is 9.8.
