By Jerry Jordan, Editor
Bettin’ the NASCAR action at Kansas Speedway this week is no easy task, especially when it comes to the favorite based on odds alone, but the oddsmakers at WynnBET Sportsbook have done everyone a favor and pushed Kevin Harvick into a scenario where his payback is too good to pass up.
First, let’s start with my favorite pick this week – based solely on performance and odds – and that is Kyle Busch. He has two wins at Kansas and is tied at nine for the second-most Top 5s along with Martin Truex Jr. and Denny Hamlin. Of course, Busch hasn’t always been good at Kansas but something changed a few years ago and now he is a force. Perhaps we all should have known something was up yesterday when Buch got out of the car after a lap saying it was terrible and drove like a freight train. He was, after all, one of the fastest cars in practice and went on to lock up a sixth-place starting spot in today’s AdventHealth 400.
With odds at seven to 1 or +700, based solely on the numbers, he is the pick to win today.
Now, here is where the real fun begins this week because Harvick has won more races at Kansas Speedway than any other active driver on the circuit. No, he hasn’t been to Victory Lane this year and the Stewart-Haas Racing Fords have been missing something from a performance standpoint. However, being a three-time winner and having 12 Top 5s under his belt should command better odds than 40 to 1 or +4000 from the WynnBET Sportsbook.
What do I care, though? I have already loaded up on Harvick and I it doesn’t matter to me if he is starting 23rd. What he doesn’t make with passing on the track, his pit crew can do it on pit road. If you want to make a play on Harvick, I think this is the week to do it with such long odds. And, if you look around to some of the other NASCAR partner sportsbooks like BetMGM, FUBO and Barstool it is possible you could land even longer odds.
With Harvick at +4000 odds, it is almost impossible to pick a true longshot but I am going to do my best to come up with someone that actually has a chance to win and will put a big smile on your face if you’re lucky enough to go to the payout window. This driver is everyone’s amigo and if Daniel Suarez parks the No. 99 CommScope Chevrolet in Victory Lane today, a $5 bet will pad your wallet with $375 plus your original wager. At 75 to 1 or +7500, Suarez will start the race from Row 10 in 19th.
Suarez hasn’t had the best of luck at Kansas Speedway but this could be the day he turns it around and the odds versus payout make him an attractive bet.
Looking back at last week, all three of my picks we in contention to win with just a few laps to go at Darlington Raceway but all hell broke loose and through no fault of their own, they were all out of the race. It’s not been a good year for picking winners, so far, but surely it’s got to get better. With the way NASCAR’s odds are set by the sportsbooks, it won’t take much to get everyone back to even and possibly to the plus side should one of the longshots bring home the checkers.
Remember, my suggestions are based on what I see at the track and from past performances by drivers. It’s called gambling for a reason and there is no guarantee the drivers I pick will end up in victory lane. If you can’t afford to bet, then don’t. And if you aren’t 21 years of age, you cannot legally gamble, so don’t even think about it. Should you have a problem with sports betting or other forms of gaming, you can get help at 1-800-GAMBLER.
| AdventHealth 400 | Early Odds | Race Day Odds |
| Kansas Speedway | ||
| Kyle Larson | +675 | +650 |
| Chase Elliott | +750 | +1200 |
| Denny Hamlin | +750 | +1100 |
| Kyle Busch | +750 | +700 |
| Martin Truex Jr | +1000 | +1100 |
| Ross Chastain | +1000 | +1000 |
| William Byron | +1000 | +1100 |
| Joey Logano | +1200 | +1800 |
| Ryan Blaney | +1400 | +1100 |
| Alex Bowman | +1600 | +1300 |
| Tyler Reddick | +1600 | +800 |
| Kevin Harvick | +1800 | +4000 |
| Christopher Bell | +2100 | +850 |
| Chase Briscoe | +3000 | +3500 |
| Erik Jones | +3500 | +3500 |
| Kurt Busch | +4000 | +2000 |
| Aric Almirola | +6000 | +4500 |
| Austin Cindric | +6000 | +3300 |
| Brad Keselowski | +6000 | +9000 |
| Austin Dillon | +7500 | +5000 |
| Daniel Suarez | +7500 | +7500 |
| Ricky Stenhouse Jr | +8000 | +9000 |
| Chris Buescher | +12500 | +20000 |
| Bubba Wallace Jr | +15000 | +15000 |
| Cole Custer | +15000 | +20000 |
| Justin Haley | +15000 | +35000 |
| Noah Gragson | +20000 | +40000 |
| Michael McDowell | +50000 | +75000 |
| Harrison Burton | +75000 | +75000 |
| Todd Gililand | +75000 | +75000 |
| Ty Dillon | +75000 | +75000 |
| BJ McCleod | +100000 | +100000 |
| Cody Ware | +100000 | +100000 |
| Corey Lajoie | +100000 | +50000 |
| JJ Yeley | +100000 | +100000 |
| Josh Bilicki | +100000 | +100000 |
