stp-500-logo

Monster Energy Series STP 500 Free Pick – Betting Lines

By Clayton Duke
Date: 25/03/2018 2:00 pm
Location: Martinsville Speedway
TV: ESPN

Coming off a three-race West Coast swing, NASCAR’s Monster Energy Cup Series returns to the East Coast this week for the running of this year’s STP 500 on the short track at Martinsville Speedway in Virginia. Race time on Sunday is for 2 p.m., and FOX Sports 1 will host the national broadcast.

NASCAR Betting: Wager on who will win plus driver vs. driver match-up bets! All available at Bovada

STP 500 Race Favorites

Martin Truex Jr. led the Cup Series in victories last year on his way to the 2017 racing title, and he posted his first win this season in last Sunday’s race at Fontana. Kyle Larson finished second in that race, and Kyle Busch finished in the money for the third week in a row by taking third. I went with Chase Elliott at +1100 odds as my top-value pick, but he faded to 16th after starting ninth.

The following is a look at a trio of the top favorites to win this Sunday’s race at Martinsville along with my top-valued pick at longer odds as provided by 5Dimes.

Kyle Busch +350

The main thing that adds value to Busch’s odds to win this week is the fact that he is due. Before last Sunday’s third-place run at Auto Club, the No. 18 Toyota posted back-to-back second-place finishes at Phoenix and Las Vegas on that West Coast swing. He led 128 laps at Phoenix before adding another 62 laps at the front of the pack in Sunday’s near miss. Adding even more value to his odds, Busch has been on a tear at Martinsville in recent years. Going back to the second race at this track in 2015, he has finished in the Top 5 in all five runs with two trips to Victory Lane.

Brad Keselowski +400

Keselowski has been one of the more consistent Cup Series drivers through the first five events with three runs of sixth or better. He guided the No. 2 Ford to a second-place finish at Atlanta, and he was fourth in the final running order in last week’s race. This early effort has this racing team in sixth place in the current Cup Series standings with 183 total points. He also adds some substantial value to his odds as the defending champion in this Sunday’s race. Going back to 2015, Keselowski has finished fifth or higher in five of his last six trips around the short oval at Martinsville.

Denny Hamlin +550

Hailing from Chesterfield, Hamlin would love nothing more than to win his first Cup Series race of the season in his home state. Hamlin is another driver that has been in the mix in almost every race this season with four finishes of sixth or better. He started the new season by taking third in the Daytona 500 and was in the Top 5 at fourth place in both Atlanta and Phoenix. This run has been good enough to move the No. 11 Toyota into eighth place in the standings with 176 points. However, the veteran driver knows that the only way to guarantee a spot in the 10-race playoff at the end of the season is with victories during the regular season schedule. Hamlin has had his issues in this race the past two seasons after making his way to the Winner’s Circle at Martinsville in the first race of 2015.

STP 500 Race Prediction 03/25/2018

This race will be Larson’s ninth trip around the oval at Martinsville in his Cup Series career and with an average finishing position of 23.6 in his first eight events. This makes it easy to see why his odds to win are so long. I am banking on current form in a top-valued pick that could be considered a flyer on a longshot. So far this season, the No. 42 Chevrolet continues to move in the right direction with a third-place finish in Las Vegas to go along with last Sunday’s runner-up finish at Fontana.

Free Pick: Kyle Larson +2000
Bovada

SOLID 50% BONUS - UP TO $250 FREE!

NASCAR Free Picks

NASCAR 2019 Cup Series Championship Futures

NASCAR 2019 Cup Series Championship Futures

When a season starts in mid-February and does not end until mid-November, it becomes one of the few sports that can be thought of as a year-round betting opportunity. NASCAR's Cup Series may not generate the most significant handle at online sportsbooks such as...

NASCAR 2018 Monster Energy Cup Futures Preview – Picks

NASCAR 2018 Monster Energy Cup Futures Preview – Picks

The start of another season of NASCAR’s Cup Series racing is right around the corner with Speed Week at Daytona in full gear. Martin Truex Jr. had a run for the ages to win last season’s racing title, but a number of other drivers have their sights set on a...

NASCAR 2018 Monster Energy Cup Futures Preview – Picks

NASCAR 2017 Monster Energy Cup Futures Preview & Picks

The first seven point-race events on NASCAR’s 2017 Monster Energy Cup schedule are in the books heading into an off week for the series. Before the action picks back up at Bristol on Sunday, April 23, it is time to take a closer look at 5Dimes updated futures odds to...

NASCAR 2018 Monster Energy Cup Futures Preview – Picks

Expert Sports Handicappers

If you can't guarantee winners, you had better guarantee quality information and top-notch insight. That's what the Team SBS handicappers deliver each day - comprehensive breakdowns, not just of the plays and the motivational factors affecting both sides, but of line...

NASCAR 2018 Monster Energy Cup Futures Preview – Picks

How to Bet on NASCAR Races

There are a number of different forms of auto racing, but when it comes to US race fans nothing is more popular than NASCAR’s Sprint Cup series, especially when it comes to betting on the sport. Most of the top sportsbooks featured on SportsBettingStats.com will post...

BEST SPORTSBOOK BONUSES

Stop wasting money! Start receiving at 30% Rebate at Betanysports

YES! There are still online sportsbooks where your credit card will work! You get a 50% bonus as well! –> Bovada

Deposit $100 to $1000 and get a MASSIVE 50% Sign-on bonus! MyBookie