Five-time Cup Series winner Kevin Harvick finished dead last in Sunday night’s Coca-Cola 600 to pave the way for Kyle Busch to win his fourth race this year in a season of racing dominated early by these two drivers. Martin Truex Jr. finished second as one of the top favorites (+550), and Denny Hamlin took third as my top-valued pick at +1200 odds.
The following is a look at a trio of the top favorites to win Sunday’s race at Pocono along with my top-valued pick at longer odds as provided by 5Dimes
Pocono 400 Race Favorites
Kevin Harvick +275
The Oddsmakers at 5Dimes were obviously not fazed by last Sunday night’s wreck that took Harvick out of the race early. He is still the most dominant driver this season in the Cup Series with those five previous wins, and 820 laps led. You can also throw in a victory in the All-Star Race at Charlotte for good measure. He has the No. 4 Ford in third place in the current Cup Series standings based on total points (485). Some of the value in this week’s odds is lost due to the fact that Harvick has never won a Cup Series event at Pocono. However, he has placed second in four of his last seven trips around this oval.
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Kyle Busch +350
You could easily make the argument that the gap between Harvick and Busch this season is paper thin as far as dominating the Cup Series, especially with last Sunday night’s trip to the Winner Circle with the No. 18 Toyota. If you are hesitant to bet on one of these drivers, then you probably cannot go wrong with a bet on the other. Busch remained at the top of the standings with his winning effort at Charlotte with 573 total points. Through 13 points races, he has placed inside the top five in eight of those events and his total laps led now stands at 875. Pocono has not been one of Busch’s favorite tracks over the course of his Cup Series career with an average finishing position of 17.5, but he finally broke through with a victory in the second race here last season.
Martin Truex Jr. +600
Even though his only victory of the season was at Fontana earlier in the season, the defending Cup Series Champion continues to race exceptionally well in defense of that title. With last Sunday’s runner-up finish at Charlotte, Truex has the No. 78 Toyota in fifth place in the current standings with 430 total points. He has placed inside the top five in eight of the first 13 races with 277 total laps led. He won this week’s race in 2015 followed by a sixth-place run in last year’s event. Truex went on to finish third at Pocono later in the 2017 season.
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