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What a difference a week makes! Last Sunday NASCAR fans, at least the fans of Joe Gibbs Racing were celebrating a 1-2 finish by Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch at Pocono. Now, a week later, both of those drivers were disqualified and the finishes scrubbed from the record books. That made Chase Elliott the winner of last week’s race!
Guess what? Chase Elliott is now coming into Sunday’s Verizon 200 at the Brickyard as the lone favorite at +400. There’s a good chance that the tradition of sounding the siren at the Dawsonville, Georgia Pool Room according to oddsmakers. That’s the tradition for the small town which is the home to the Elliott family.
The cars driven by Hamlin and Busch failed post-race inspection when officials found some changes done to the front piece of the cars. According to reports, some sort of material was found between the “skin” and the front material. In case you did not know, race cars in NASCAR are no longer painted. Graphic printed skins are applied. Whatever was done, NASCAR noted that it changed the aerodynamics of the car… which is a huge no-no.
But what about Hamlin and Busch? Are they coming into the weekend as favorites after such an embarrassing week? Even Coach Gibbs and his organization decided not to seek an appeal. The answer is no. The closest driver to Elliott is Kyle Larson at +650 and the two are teammates at Hendrick Motorsports.
Remember when you look over the odds this week, that this race is taking place on the Indianapolis road course. Here are the favorites to win the Verizon 200 at the Brickyard:
Chase Elliott +400
Kyle Larson +650
Ross Chastain +750
Tyler Reddick +1000
Daniel Suarez +1200
Austin Cindric +1200
I have to point out that oddsmakers may not be fading on Hamlin and Busch because of the results of the Pocono race last week. What’s probably happening is that oddsmakers are taking into account the fact that this race is on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Grand Prix road course and not the famed square-cornered oval.
Here’s an interesting stat about the favorites listed above. Every driver listed above has won a race this season. And, all three manufacturers are represented with the above list of drivers.
2022 Verizon 200 Preview
Time: Sunday, July 31– 2:30 PM Eastern
Track: Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course / Speedway, Indiana
Type: 2.439-mile road course
Race Distance: 82 laps / 200 miles
Defending Track Winner: A.J. Allmendinger
TV/Radio: NBC/Peacock/MRN
2022 Verizon 200 Picks
Chase Elliott +400
Chase Elliott did not lead a lap last weekend at Pocono in the NASCAR Cup Series race. But, because two Joe Gibbs Racing had their first and second place finishes wiped from the books he pockets the win. Put that in perspective, Elliott was in 3 rd place behind the leaders. If anything had happened between Hamlin and Busch, then Elliott would have been the benefactor. Elliott is running great this season and he’s the best on road courses among active NASCAR Cup Series drivers.
Ross Chastain +750
Ross Chastain has continues to impress this year. Yes, he and Denny Hamlin traded paint late in the race at Pocono which ended Chastain’s day before the checkered flag was waved. Yet Chastain has been solid all season long for Trackhouse Racing. He’s 2nd in points in the Cup Series standings, he’s won twice this season, and one of those wins came on a road course. Chastain has also racked up 14 races where he finished inside the top ten this season.
AJ Allmendinger +1800
AJ Allmendinger won this race last season! The “Dinger” is a known force on road courses proven by his wins across multiple series on this type of track. That includes a win on a road course in an open-wheel car. Allmendinger entered last season’s contest on this track in the 8th starting position. He stayed around that mark almost the entire race while quietly making his way towards the front. In the end, Allmendinger only led two laps of the race he won. And, that win came while being a part-time Cup Series driver.
Others to Consider: I like Daniel Suarez (+1200) as he has already won on a road course this season. It was the first Cup Series win of his career. Suarez is once again in good equipment with a team that loves his style of driving. Kurt Busch (+4500) could be a sleeper pick this weekend. Busch has proven to be a driver that can win on any type of track. He’s a past Cup Series Champion and has shown that he can get great results out of any equipment he pilots.
2022 Verizon 200 Betting Lines
Chase Elliott +400
Kyle Larson +650
Ross Chastain +750
Tyler Reddick +1000
Daniel Suarez +1200
Austin Cindric +1200
Martin Truex Jr +1400
Chase Briscoe +1600
Ryan Blaney +1600
Kyle Busch +1600
AJ Allmendinger +1800
Christopher Bell +2000
Denny Hamlin +2000
William Byron +2200
Chris Buescher +2500
Kevin Harvick +2800
Michael McDowell +2800
Alex Bowman +3000
Joey Logano +3300
Kurt Busch +4500
Brad Keselowski +8000
Erik Jones +9000
Cole Custer +10000
Justin Haley +10000
Austin Dillon +12500
Aric Almirola +12500
Ricky Stenhouse Jr +30000
Darrell Wallace Jr. +35000
Daniil Kvyat +50000
Ty Dillon +50000
Loris Hezemans +50000
Josh Williams +50000
Todd Gilliland +70000
Josh Bilicki +70000
Harrison Burton +70000
Joey Hand +70000
Corey Lajoie +100000
Cody Ware +100000
