2023 Nascar: Geico 500 Odds for Talladega

Dega Baby! That’s right folks. Nascar is headed to the monstrous Talladega Superspeedway for what is almost always one of the most unpredictable weekends in the sport. We’re scheduled to go green at 3:00 PM EST for the 188 laps of craziness. Let’s take a look at the opening Geico 500 Odds from DraftKings Sportsbook below.

Superspeedway racing is unlike any other racing in the sport. Saying these races are unpredictable is an understatement highlighted by recent results. Over the last 10 races at Talladega, the most top 10s in the series is six (Hamlin, Jones, Elliott). There are only five drivers to have top 10s in half of those 10 races. And the best average finish here belongs to Denny Hamlin at 12.4 over this stretch.

Last season’s races had 16 and 17 different drivers to lead a lap with nobody leading more than 38. The top 3 finishers in them all began the race outside the top 10. Both race winners started from the middle of the field (Chastain 19th, Elliott 16th); making them the 3rd and 4th straight victors to have started 10th or worse.

That streak extends further as seven of the last eight winners at Talladega started 9th or worse. And last season was the first time since 2019 that a Chevrolet (x2) took the checkered flag here and only the second/third time since 2015.

Gieco 500 Odds

When trying to handicap this race you can safely ignore and throw out everything we’ve seen since Daytona. There are certain drivers who have just have that superspeedway trait however. Including Daytona 500 winner Ricky Stenhouse Jr. who opens at +1800. Bubba Wallace (+1800), who claimed his first Cup Series win here at Dega a couple years ago. And race favorite Ryan Blaney (+1100) who has two career wins and finished runner-up to fellow two-time winner Chase Elliott (+1200) during the fall last year. Check out all the opening Geico 500 odds below.    

*Odds current at time of publication

Featured Image credit: Chris Graythen/Getty Images