Denny Hamlin wrapped the Sprint Cup series regular season schedule with a victory at Richmond last Saturday night with Kyle Larson and Martin Truex Jr. rounding out the Top 3. I went with Matt Kenseth at +1000 odds as my top-valued pick in that race, but a wreck dropped him all the way to 38th.
The following is a look at a few of the top favorites to win this Sunday’s race along with my top value pick based on betting odds provided by TopBet.
It is no big surprise that Kevin Harvick is the top favorite to win on Sunday at +500 betting odds given the fact that he led the series in Top 5 finishes through the first 26 point-race events with 13 driving the No. 4 Chevrolet. It is this type of racing consistency that leads to victories this time of year. You need to be at your absolute best when the Chase does roll around since one bad run can end your title chances. Along with his current form that includes a Top 5 run in his last four events, Harvick has finished fifth or better in three of his last five Sprint Cup races at this track.
Kyle Busch is one of two drivers listed as +700 second-favorites to get their Chase off to a strong start with a win. He was one of two drivers this season to post four victories in the regular season and he will start this 10-race playoff at the top of the Sprint Cup leader board with 2012 points. The No. 18 Toyota has been struggling a bit lately with just one Top 10 run in its last four races, but Busch has been consistent at Chicagoland the past few years with four-straight runs of ninth or better including a second-place finish in 2013.
The other driver listed at +700 betting odds is Martin Truex Jr. He could be peaking at just the right time behind the wheel of the No. 78 Toyota with a victory at Darlington two weeks ago followed by last Saturday night’s third-place run. He also won at Charlotte this season as part of just four finishes inside the top five that has this team starting the Chase from the No. 6 spot in the standings. Working against these lofty odds is a less than stellar track record at Chicagoland with an average finishing position of 16.3 in 10 previous Sprint Cup events. His best career finish here is ninth in both 2008 and 2012.
