NASCAR Betting – Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 Odds

Following the quick trip around Bristol, the NASCAR Cup Series is off to Atlanta Motor Speedway for this week’s Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500. For the first time since NASCAR resumed racing there was a break in between races. The first five events took place within a span of 15 days. That wasn’t the case leading up to Sunday. Back in March teams were headed to Georgia for what was originally the fifth race on the 2020 schedule. Everything was put on hold due to the COVID-19 shutdown.  Betting is available at Bookmaker, which is offering a generous welcome bonus with a maximum of $1000.

Back then Kevin Harvick was the favorite. Nothing has changed as far as that goes. Harvick opened as the betting favorite at BookMaker.eu with Martin Truex Jr. and Kyle Busch close behind. Defending champion Brad Keselowski has two wins in the last three races after taking the checkered flag at Bristol. Visit BookMaker.eu for a complete updated odds list and to place your wager.

NASCAR Cup Series Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500
Date and Time: Sunday, June 7, 2020, 3 p.m. ET
Location: Atlanta Motor Speedway, Hampton, GA
Opening NASCAR Odds: Kevin Harvick +500
Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 TV Coverage: FOX

Following last week’s sprint it’s back to the long haul at the 1.54-mile quad oval at Atlanta Motor Speedway. The race covers 325 laps and 500.5 miles. It’s a quick change from the half mile sprint at Bristol and teams need to adjust. One driver who has adjusted is Keselowski. He won in Georgia last year and in 2017 while hitting victory lane last week. Keselowski’s strategy of waiting in the wings until the leaders squeeze themselves out of the front spot has paid off. Call it luck or timing, whatever it is worked.

Like most of the races since NASCAR’s reboot there is no qualifying with lineups determined by a random draw. Certain teams do have an advantage, however. Positions 1 through 12 are selected from a list of charter teams in those positions based on owner points. Spots 13-24 are determined the same way as are the next 12 positions. Alsco Uniforms 500 winner Chase Elliott will start from the pole on Sunday. That hadn’t been the optimum starting spot until last week. Keselowski became the first pole sitter to win this season with seventh being the previous high.

Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 Odds at BookMaker.eu

Kevin Harvick +500
Martin Truex Jr +650
Kyle Busch +675
Chase Elliott +676
Alex Bowman +701
Brad Keselowski +751

Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 Preview

His worst finishes of the season came in the last two races, but it’s hard to argue with the oddsmakers pegging Harvick as the favorite. Finishing 11th last week at Bristol was the farthest off the lead he’d been all season. He has a decent history at Atlanta. He won here two years ago leading for 181 laps and he was runner-up in 2015 holding the lead for 116 laps. He’s placed among the top-10 in his other three races here since 2015, including a fourth-place showing last year. During those five runs he’s led for a total of 765 laps.

Finishing 10th and 11th in his last two starts could be a sign to fade Harvick. His career numbers point to another solid finish, but he’s worth a stab at a top five rather than the outright victory. That’s because there is no driver hotter than Keselowski. Just like in any other sport drivers get in a groove and there’s no denying Keselowski entered the zone.

Sure he caught a few breaks along the way, but the good ones create their own luck. With just two laps remaining last week, leaders Joey Logano and Chase Elliott collided leaving the No. 2 Team Penske Ford an open lane. Keselowski took advantage, holding off Clint Bowyer by less than half a second to claim his second victory in three races. Keselowski also won the Coca-Cola 600 in overtime following an ill-advised pit by leader Elliott. Being lucky and good is a lethal combination on the oval.

And don’t forget about Keselowski’s recent history at Atlanta. He won here for the first time in 2017 and again last year. In between he finished as runner-up. Of all the drivers with short odds Keselowski looks like the obvious choice.

If history means anything Jimmie Johnson should be on the list of potential victors. He carries plenty of value with his current odds and you can’t discount him on one of his favorite tracks. Johnson has the most wins at Atlanta among active career Cup Series drivers with five, the last of those coming in back-to-back years in 2015 and 2016. He hasn’t won since the 2017 season, a span of 104 races. He was the second driver to cross the finish line at the Coke 600 only to be DQd after a post race inspection. He took third at Bristol and looks to be getting closer.

Bet Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 at BookMaker

With such long odds it would be worth it to drop a few bucks on Johnson, who’s running out of time to get a victory before retiring at the end of the season. The usual suspects are at the top of the odds board but I’m fading Harvick and Keselowski, which leaves the door open for Kyle Busch to claim his first this season.

Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 Odds Pick: Kyle Busch

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- Phil Simon, Gambling911.com