NASCAR Betting – GEICO 500 Odds

This week’s venture on the revamped NASCAR Cup Series schedule has everyone in Alabama for the GEICO 500, taking place Sunday at legendary Talladega Superspeedway. After a couple of recent short track races, drivers will contend with the behemoth 2.66 mile quad oval that is Talladega, the longest race track on the Cup Series circuit.  Claim your generous welcome bonus at Bookmaker.eu (Maximum $1000).

We still have yet to see a back-to-winner this season, though Denny Hamlin became the first three-time champ with last week’s rain-shortened triumph in the Dixie Vodka 400. With opening odds of +1050 he may be worth a risk. Joey Logano and Brad Keselowski are positioned as the top two favorites on the board and both are looking to match Hamlin’s season win total. Logano hasn’t won since before the shutdown but he has a great record on superspeedways. Visit BookMaker.eu for a complete updated odds list and to place your wager.

NASCAR Cup Series GEICO 500
Date and Time: Sunday, June 21, 2020, 3 p.m. ET
Location: Talladega Superspeedway, Talladega, AL
Opening NASCAR Odds: Joey Logano +850
GEICO 500 TV Coverage: FOX

Teams and drivers had a week to prepare for the first superspeedway event since racing’s return back in May. The longest track on the Cup Series will test drivers for 188 laps on the 2.66-mile tri-oval. Hamlin emerged victorious at the season-opening Daytona 500, the first race of the season on a track at 2.5-miles or longer. Since racing’s return all eight events took place on intermediate or short tracks.

The top of the odds board is littered with familiar names. Logano, Keselowski, Chase Elliott and Hamlin, who have combined for eight wins in 12 races this season, are listed 1 through 4 in that order. Kyle Busch, one of the more familiar names in racing and last year’s Cup Series champion has yet to win. He did visit the winner’s circle last week taking the running of the Truck Series race at Miami. With Sunday’s race being the halfway point in the season you’d expect Kyle to take the checkered flag at some point.

Once again a random draw was used to determine the starting lineup. Martin Truex Jr. was the winner starting on the pole for the first time this season. One would think starting position for a superspeedway race wouldn’t matter, but it has at Talladega. The last six champs and 10 of the previous 11 started among the top 11. Logano gets the ninth-spot with Hamlin next to Truex on the front row.

GEICO 500 Odds at BookMaker.eu

Joey Logano +850
Brad Keselowski +950
Chase Elliott +1000
Denny Hamlin +1050
Ryan Blaney +1150
Kyle Busch +1150
Kevin Harvick +1250
Clint Bowyer +1600
Aric Almirola +1600
Martin Truex Jr +1600

GEICO 500 Preview

The length and banking in the turns make Talladega unpredictable. We are going to see higher speeds, though engine restrictions will be in place to drop a car’s horsepower. These changes will be in effect for the first time having been introduced after Ryan Newman’s severe wreck at the Dayton 500. It remains to be seen how this changes things and if all teams have correctly adopted them.

Ford drivers have had a leg up on their counterparts recently at Talladega with eight of the last nine Cup Series winners driving that particular car. However, Chase Elliott broke the string last year winning the GEICO 500 for the first time driving a Chevrolet. With Keselowski, Logano and Kevin Harvick all in a Ford, returning to the winner’s circle is a strong possibility for the auto maker.

Logano’s recent success on superspeedways has him positioned atop the odds board. He’s finished among the top five in six of his last 10 starts on the 2.5-mile or longer tracks. Taking a look back at his last five Talladega starts we see a 4, 1, 5, 4 and 11 finish.

On the other end of the spectrum is Keselowski. He’s won twice this season and placed among the top-10 in each of the last seven races. However, his body of work on superspeedways recently is less than stellar. You can’t overlook the active leader in career wins at Talladega with five, but he’s finished outside the top-10 in his last nine superspeedway starts.

He may have the pole but Truex doesn’t have a win on a superspeedway going 0 for 30 at Talladega with just two top-5 finishes.

While it’s technically closer to summer, Elliott has thrived during the spring at Talladega. He won the GEICO 500 last year in April for one of his three top-5s in his last four starts. Can Jimmie Johnson end his drought and tack on another win for Hendrick Motor Sports? Johnson has two of HMS’ Talladega-high 13 wins, but he’s gone 107 races without tasting victory.

GEICO 500 at BookMaker

Talladega always seems to have something up its sleeve. The superspeedway will test the best and given Logano’s recent history, I like him to lead the pack. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Johnson give it a go and tossing down on a top-5 looks like a good bet.

GEICO 500 Odds Pick: Joey Logano

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- Phil Simon, Gambling911.com