NEWSLETTER
Let’s Go! It’s throwback week in Darlington and if the Trucks and Xfinity Series drivers already put on a show. Now it’s the big boys turn to try and conquer the Track Too Tough To Tame. Let’s take a look at my Goodyear Best Bets.
Goodyear 400 Picks & Best Bet
Well well well. Right in line with throwback weekend, it’s a throwback driver sitting on the pole for today’s race. Martin Truex Jr. blasted past the field to take us to green while Bubba Wallace surprised even this fan by placing himself on the front row. Both in great position to win today as two of the last three Darlington winners came from the front row with three of the last four starting 4th or better.
The other drivers making up the top 10 starters include race favorite Kyle Larson who is firing off 7th. Last week’s winner Denny Hamlin beginning just beside him in 8th. And the most surprising of the bunch, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. who put his no.47 Country Crock Butter Chevy in the 3rd spot.
Starting position has been crucial at the Lady in Black and so it’s imperative to keep that in mind when hitting the betting market. I’ve shopped as many of the numbers I could and found my favorite post qualifying plays for todays race. Here are my Goodyear 400 Best Bets.
Check out my Pre-Qualifying Picks HERE
Kyle Larson +500 (FanDuel) Bet 1u to win 5u
I already hit another HMS driver in the outright market earlier this week (check it out HERE) but Larson is the class of that team and the field. He miraculously navigated his way from the rear of the field with just 40 laps remaining to win the Xfinity race yesterday. And although he doesn’t have Cup Series win here, he does own three straight finishes of 2nd, and has led 30 or more laps in five of his last seven trips.
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Bubba Wallace Top 10 -115 (Caesars) Bet 3u to win 2.61u
Bubba was incredible during the practice session and has found something the last couple of weeks. He had the 3rd best overall speed. Was 2nd or 3rd in 5, 10, 15, 20, and 25-lap averages. And he saw under a second of falloff from his 5-lap to 25-lap average. It’s easy to avoid Wallace based on his lone top 10 finish here but he looks like a different driver lately.
Bubba ran near or inside the top 5 pretty much the whole day in Kansas last week. He’s placed 12th or better in four straight traditional (excluding Talladega) ovals. And cracked the top 10 in two of them. He definitely has speed this weekend. And is in the garage with a couple of the best drivers at Darlington.
Goodyear 400 Best Bet
Denny Hamlin Top 5 +150 (Caesars) Bet 2u to win 3u
What?! Denny is coming off his first victory of 2023 and here at Darlington which has treated him very well throughout his career. He’s led 365 laps, good for 3rd most and notched six top 5s since 2017 which trails only Kevin Harvick over that stretch. Hamlin didn’t look outer worldy in practice but still put his “Federal Express” 11 inside the top 10 to start.
Hamlin said he was about to go on a streak four races ago before the Martinsville race and boy was he right. He finished 4th that day and has since added two more T5 finishes including his win last weekend in Kansas. It’s JGR teammate Martin Truex Jr. on the pole but don’t sleep on Denny potentially making this a 3-car race with he and Kyle Larson late.
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Featured Image credit: Logan Riely/Getty Images
