A rare late-March snow storm in Martinsville delayed the running of NASCAR’s last Cup Series event, but veteran driver Clint Bowyer made the most of the delay to take his first checkered flag in quite some time. Kyle Busch turned in another runner-up performance, and Ryan Blaney finished third. Kyle Larson was my +2000 top-valued pick for that race, but he faded to 16th after starting seventh.
The following is a look at a trio of the top favorites to win this Sunday’s race in Texas along with my top-valued pick at longer odds as provided by 5Dimes.
Bet your O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 NASCAR pick at BetOnline Sportsbook and get a 50% deposit bonus up to $2500 FREE! In-Game wagering and more check them out!
O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 Favorites
Kevin Harvick +350
Harvick slipped to fifth place his last time out after fading all the way to 35th place at Fontana. This followed a trio of victories at Atlanta, Las Vegas, and Phoenix as part of an early Cup Series performance that has the No. 4 racing team in seventh place in the current standings with 212 points. The three early wins guarantee Harvick a spot in the playoff, and his lofty odds suggest that he his primed to add another victory to the resume this week. Last season at Texas, he started from the pole in this race before finishing fourth. Later in the year, he won the second race at Texas for his first career Cup Series victory at this track.
Kyle Busch +500
Busch is still waiting for his first trip to the Winner’s Circle this season after winning five point-race events in 2017. He leads the most consistent race team in the early part of this season with four-straight finishes of third or better in the last four events. The No. 18 Toyota led the race at Martinsville for 24 laps as part of his 233 total laps led through the first six Cup Series events. It is only a matter of time before Busch crosses the finish line first and it could easily be this week after winning this race in 2013 and 2016.
Martin Truex Jr. +500
The reigning Cup Series Champion earned his first checkered flag this season with a victory at Fontana a couple of weeks back. He added his fifth Top 5 run in six events with a fourth-place finish at Martinsville. It is this type of consistency that led to eight Cup Series victories in 2017, including four in the 10-race playoff to seal his first career racing title. Truex is still looking for his first Cup Series victory at this Sunday’s track to drain a bit of value in his odds, but he came close last year with a second-place finish in the second race at Texas.
