NASCAR bettors who gambled on Martin Truex Jr. last week made some money as Truex won the Cup Series race at Phoenix Raceway at 12-1 odds. It marked the fifth straight NASCAR race in which one of the top favorites did not win.
Will the trend continue Sunday at Atlanta Motor Speedway?
The sixth NASCAR Cup Series race this season will be the third on a 1.5-mile track. William Byron and Kyle Larson won the first two NASCAR races on intermediate tracks, with Byron winning at Homestead and Larson at Las Vegas.
Or will another trend continue? Truex was the fifth different NASCAR winner this season, and some big names have yet to reach victory lane, including Kevin Harvick and Denny Hamlin, who combined for 16 wins last year, and series champion Chase Elliott. Joey Logano, Brad Keselowski and Kyle Busch are also looking for their first wins of the season.
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NASCAR odds at Atlanta
(Odds are from BetMGM, per NASCAR.com)
Kevin Harvick 11-2
Martin Truex Jr. 13-2
Kyle Larson 13-2
Brad Keselowski 7-1
Denny Hamlin 15-2
Chase Elliott 8-1
Joey Logano 9-1
Kyle Busch 10-1
Ryan Blaney 16-1
William Byron 20-1
Kurt Busch 22-1
Christopher Bell 22-1
The NASCAR Cup favorites at Atlanta
Kevin Harvick and Brad Keselowski are the favorites after having split the last four NASCAR races at Atlanta. Harvick dominated last year’s race after NASCAR returned from its break during the pandemic. Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch have also won at the 1.5-mile track.
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Oddsmakers like Kyle Larson, meanwhile, because he won the last NASCAR Cup race at a 1.5-mile speedway at Las Vegas. Martin Truex Jr., meanwhile, is hot, coming off his win at Phoenix with three straight top 10 finishes.
Best bets in NASCAR Cup race at Atlanta
William Byron at 20-1 is a good gamble. He already has a win this year on a 1.5-mile track, taking the checkered flag at Homestead. He finished eighth last week at Phoenix.
Kurt Busch would also be a great gamble at 22-1. He has three career wins at Atlanta and knows the old, worn-out surface as well as anyone.
Christopher Bell is also worth a look at 22-1. He notched up a win this year on the Daytona Road Course and finished ninth last week at Phoenix.
Long shots to win at Atlanta
Alex Bowman, at 35-1, is worth considering for one simple reason: He drives for Hendrick Motorsports. Hendrick teammates Kyle Larson and William Byron have already won this season, while defending champion Chase Elliott is sixth in points with two top 5 finishes. Bowman’s two career victories have both come on big, fast tracks, including the 1.5-mile Chicagoland Speedway.
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Long-Shot odds at Phoenix
Alex Bowman 35-1
Aric Almirola 50-1
Austin Dillon 66-1
Tyler Reddick 80-1
Matt DiBenedetto 100-1
Bubba Wallace 100-1
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 100-1
Cole Custer 100-1
Erik Jones 125-1
Ryan Newman 125-1
Atlanta Starting Lineup
1 Denny Hamlin – No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
2 Martin Truex Jr. – No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
3 Joey Logano – No. 22 Team Penske Ford
4 Brad Keselowski – No. 2 Team Penske Ford
5 Chase Elliott – No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
6 Kyle Larson – No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
7 Kevin Harvick – No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
8 Christopher Bell – No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
9 William Byron – No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
10 Ryan Blaney – No. 12 Team Penske Ford
11 Kurt Busch – No. 1 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet
12 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. – No. 47 JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet
13 Austin Dillon – No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
14 Alex Bowman – No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
15 Bubba Wallace – No. 23 23XI Racing Toyota
16 Aric Almirola – No. 10 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
17 Chris Buescher – No. 17 Roush Fenway Racing Ford
18 Michael McDowell – No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford
19 Kyle Busch – No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
20 Matt DiBenedetto – No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford
21 Ross Chastain – No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet
22 Erik Jones – No. 43 Richard Petty Motorsports Chevrolet
23 Ryan Preece – No. 37 JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet
24 Chase Briscoe – No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
25 Daniel Suarez – No. 99 Trackhouse Racing Team Chevrolet
26 Justin Haley – No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
27 Cole Custer – No. 41 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet
28 Ryan Newman – No. 6 Roush Fenway Racing Ford
29 Tyler Reddick – No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
30 Corey LaJoie – No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
31 BJ McLeod – No. 78 Live Fast Motorsports Ford
32 Anthony Alfredo – No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford
33 Cody Ware – No. 51 Petty Ware Racing Chevrolet
34 James Davison – No. 15 Rick Ware Racing Chevrolet
35 Quin Houff – No. 00 StarCom Racing Chevrolet
36 Joey Gase – No. 53 Rick Ware Racing Chevrolet
37 Josh Bilicki – No. 52 Rick Ware Racing Ford
38 Timmy Hill – No. 66 MBM Motorsports Ford
39 Austin Cindric – No. 33 Team Penske Ford