The next elimination round in this season’s 10-race playoff for NASCAR’s Monster Energy Series racing title kicks things off with a return to the Monster Mile at Dover International Speedway for the running of the Gander Outdoors 400 this Sunday afternoon. The main event at Dover is slated to get underway at 2 p.m. on NBC Sports Network.
Last Sunday’s results on the ‘roval’ course at Charlotte shook things up in the title race with Ryan Blaney taking the checkered flag followed by Jamie McMurray in second place and Clint Bowyer in third. I had Denny Hamlin as my top-valued favorite to win at +1600 betting odds, but he only managed to place 12th.
The following is a look at a trio of the top favorites to win Sunday’s race at Dover along with my top-valued pick to win at longer odds as provided by 5Dimes Sportsbook – Click Here !
Gander Outdoors 400 Favorites
Kyle Busch +300
Busch did not fare so well on the combination road and oval course at Charlotte last Sunday with a wreck that ended his day early. He had already won the first race at this venue on the regular oval as part of his seven total victories this season in a Cup Series event. Even with the poor finish, the No. 18 Toyota racing team comes into this second elimination round in first place in the Cup Series standings with 3055 total points. Engine problems dropped Busch to 35th place in the first race at Dover this season, but he also comes into this event as the defending champion from the 2017 season.
Kevin Harvick +300
With a ninth-place finish in last Sunday’s race, Harvick was able to hold onto the second spot in the updated standings with a total of 3050 points. The No. 4 Ford has also made its way to Victory Lane seven times this season with the last win coming at Michigan on Aug. 12. His best finish in the first three races of the playoff was second at Richmond following a wreck in Las Vegas. Harvick will be going for the season sweep at the Monster Mile after winning the first race here in early May. His last victory in the second race at Dover was in the 2015 Cup Series season.
Martin Truex Jr. +400
The No. 78 Toyota has been quietly positioning itself for a successful title defense with Truex finishing third at Las Vegas and Richmond before fading to 14th in last Sunday’s race. He held on to the third spot in the standings with 3038 total points. In last year’s run to the racing title, Truex managed to win four of the 10 races. This adds some sense of urgency in getting his first win in this year’s playoff run. Dover could be a good place to get it done with four finishes of fourth or better in his last four trips around this track. He won this event in 2016, and he finished fourth in the first race here this season.
Get more details: Driver vs Driver NASCAR Match Up
