Busch Favored to Win Sunday’s Race at Darlington As NASCAR Returns

After more than two months off the track, NASCAR is back this week. The NASCAR Cup Series will hold four races over the next 11 days to make up for lost time, running races at Darlington on Sunday, May 17, and Wednesday, May 20, and Charlotte on Sunday, May 24, and Wednesday, May 27. That will give fans plenty of opportunities to bet on NASCAR races over the next two weeks, and even casual fans might find themselves drawn to the action with few other sports on the tube.

If you’re new to NASCAR betting, we’re going to run you through of the betting options available. After that, we’ll take a closer look at this week’s race and see who is a good bet.

How to Bet NASCAR

Outright Winner Betting

There are multiple ways to bet on NASCAR. The most straightforward way to bet on a NASCAR race is by betting on the winner. The odds listed above are each driver’s odds of taking the checkered flag in Darlington this Sunday, and the best drivers in the business are the favorites to win the race.

Kyle Busch is the favorite to win this race as the winner of last year’s NASCAR Cup Series Championship. He has won two of the last five season titles, and he has finished in the top four for five straight years. Denny Hamlin isn’t far behind at 7-1, and he has fared well at Darlington over the last decade. In that stretch, he has two victories and six top five finishes.

Group Betting

You will also find group wagering when it comes to NASCAR betting. What is group wagering? It’s where drivers of the same caliber are placed into groups of four or five drivers, and you pick the winner of that group. The driver with the best finish in that foursome or fivesome will be the winner of that group.

For example, there is currently a group consisting of Hamlin, Busch, Kevin Harvick, and Joey Logano. These are four of the best drivers in NASCAR so the odds are relatively even in this quartet. If Logano finishes in sixth, Hamlin finishes in second, Busch finishes in third, and Harvick finishes in fifth, Hamlin would be the winner of this group because of his superior finish in relation to the other drivers in the group.

Top 3/Top 5/Top 10 Finish Props

There is also an option to bet on a driver to finish in the top three, top five or top 10. This concept was taken from the Win-Place-Show bet in horse racing, where you just need a driver to finish on the podium in order to win a bet. Odds for a top three finish – or the other ranges – are lower than betting the outright winner of the race, but they also give you more wiggle room if your driver loses the lead late.

Head to Head Finishes

If you like a driver to beat another driver heads up, there is also head to head finish betting available. As with group betting, oddsmakers generally pair drivers of the same caliber with one another, so the odds are relatively even. These types of bets are particularly great if you think a particular driver is overvalued or undervalued by oddsmakers, as you can bet that driver against a handful of other competitors and potentially win three or four bets even if they are not the winner.

Picks and Prediction For Sunday’s Race

Busch is a popular pick every week as one of the most liked drivers on the circuit today, so don’t be surprised if his odds drop as the weak progresses. He has finished in the top three in two of the last three races at this track, but Busch has not crossed the line first since 2008.

Harvick is worth a shot at +750 though. He won at Darlington in 2014, and he has placed in the top five in six of the last seven years. This is a track that rewards veteran drivers because of its nuances, and Harvick is one of the most experienced drivers in the field.

Brad Keselowski is sure to be a favorite sleeper pick at 10-1, but I’d stay away at this price. Keselowski only has one top five finish in the 2020 season, and he doesn’t seem too thrilled with the crammed schedule. He did win here in 2018 and finished fifth last year, but he hasn’t claimed a checkered flag in over a year. Going against him in the head-to-head matchups seems like a good idea.

Odds to Win NASCAR Cup Series at Darlington

Kyle Busch +600
Denny Hamlin +700
Kevin Harvick +750
Martin Truex Jr. +750
Chase Elliott +800
Brad Keselowski +1000
Joey Logano +1000
Alex Bowman +1200
Erik Jones +1600
Kurt Busch +1800
Jimmie Johnson +2500
William Byron +2800
Ryan Blaney +3000
Matt Kenseth +3300
All Other Drivers +5000 or More