Kyle Busch finally ended an extended winless streak with last Sunday’s victory at Pocono. Kevin Harvick finished second in that race followed by Martin Truex Jr. in third. I went with Jimmie Johnson at +1100 betting odds as my top-valued pick, but his day ended early in a wreck.
The following is a look at a few of the top favorites to win this Sunday’s road race at Watkins Glen along with my top value pick based on betting odds provided by at 5Dimes
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Kyle Busch is riding high after posting his firs point-race victory of the season and he is in excellent position to win again this week as a +450 favorite. The No. 18 Toyota has been highly competitive all season long with eight runs inside the top five. The team is currently holding down the fourth spot in the Cup Series standings with a total of 723 points. One of those Top 5 runs came on the road course at Sonoma and, when it comes to Watkins Glen, Busch has already won this race twice and his average finishing position on this road course is 10.1.
The second-favorite to win on Sunday is Martin Truex Jr. at +500 and it is easy to see why. He has been the Cup Series’ hottest driver for most of the year and coming into this race he has finished in the top three in three of his last four events. The No. 78 Toyota continues to hold down the top spot in the standings with three victories and 823 total points. Truex has never won a race on this road course and his best finish was third in 2013.
There is a group of four drivers at +800 betting odds to win this race, but the best value could be with Kevin Harvick. The former Cup Series Champion is starting to show the form that led to that title run in 2014. He has the No. 4 Ford in third-place in the standings with 726 points after placing ninth or better in five of his last six point-race events starting with a victory on the road course at Sonoma. Last year’s run on this road course was forgettable with a wreck ending his day early, but Harvick has one career victory here along with a third-place finish in 2015.