Top NASCAR Value Bets- Folds of Honor Quik Trip 500
Breaking down the field for this Sunday’s race in Atlanta, the following three drivers offer the best value in 5Dimes’ NASCAR Cup Series futures.
Top Favorite- Kevin Harvick +250
As one of the top two favorites with Kyle Busch to win this year’s Cup Series racing title, Harvick cannot be all that happy with a 26th-place finish last Sunday at Daytona. That sort of comes with the territory in that race where driving skill is based more than avoiding wrecks than finishing first. The No. 4 Ford will be in much more comfortable surroundings this Sunday with Harvick coming in as the defending champion of this race.
Last year’s win at Atlanta was the first victory in a string of three straight trips to the Winner’s Circle that carried over to NASCAR’s annual West Coast swing in Las Vegas and Phoenix. Harvick went on to win a series-high eight races in 2018.
Top Contender- Kyle Larson +1200
Larson, driving the No. 42 Chevrolet was able to stay free and clear from most of the wreckage at Daytona to finish a respectable seventh in last Sunday’s race. His 2018 racing campaign was highlighted by 12 runs inside the top five, but he failed to take the checkered flag in any of the 36 Cup Series events. This was on the heels of a breakout season where he won four races on his way to an eighth-place finish in the final point standings. Larson did qualify for the 16-driver playoff in 2018 and finished ninth in total points.
Heading into Atlanta, he has posted some mixed results in his previous five trips around this oval in a Cup Series event. His best finish was in 2017 when he finished second followed by a ninth-place run in last year’s race. He is the kind of driver that offers value at typically longer odds almost every race for his ability to stay on the lead lap.
Top Longshot- Ricky Stenhouse Jr. +2200
Sticking with some of NASCAR’s young guns, I really like the value in Stenhouse for this Sunday’s race. While he is not one of the Cup Series’ most recognizable drivers, he has made his presence felt at times during his first six seasons racing full time at this level. Driving the No. 17 Ford, he was able to keep his car running for all 207 laps to finish 13th in the Daytona 500. However, the bar has been set much higher for Atlanta this Sunday.
This has not been one of his favorite tracks over the course of his first six Cup Series run at Atlanta but was able to stay competitive in his last three runs here. Stenhouse has long odds to win for a reason, but sometimes you get a feeling about a driver ready to have a really good day.
