The NASCAR Cup Series returned to the Chicago Street Course for the second consecutive year, and last season Shane Van Gisbergen shocked the world by winning in his first NASCAR race.
Van Gisbergen has since moved to NASCAR in the Xfinity Series and shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone this year, as he’s the pre-race favorite (+500) on DraftKings.
Kyle Larson, Christopher Bell, Tyler Reddick and Chase Elliott all have odds lower than 10/1.
Each driver has multiple wins on road courses, with Larson’s most recent win coming at Sonoma.
Last week’s betting card was marred by a confusing ending, so look for a bounce back this week in Chicago. Here are the best bets for Grant Park 165:
Tyler Reddick to win (+700, FanDuel)
Reddick has quietly flown under the radar as one of the most consistent drivers in the league, as he has recorded 12 top-10 finishes in the Cup Series, including five in the past six races.
Road course racing is undoubtedly his forte. Since the start of 2023, Reddick has led the overall speed rankings in eight races, and in 2024 he has top-five speed in both road course races.
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Reddick crashed in last year’s race at Chicago, but the speed numbers show his car was the fourth-fastest.
He’s on the verge of winning his second in 2024. There’s a good chance that victory will come on Sunday in Chicago.
Shane van Gisbergen to finish in the top five (+100, bet365)
SVG is back in the field for his fourth Cup Series start this season, and surprisingly he finished 20th at COTA and wasn’t in contention for the win, but this road course should be much better for him.
I mentioned last season that SVG won this race on his first appearance, and his speed was no fluke, boasting top-five speed in last year’s race at the Indy road course.
SVG has won the last two Xfinity races on road courses, and would have won the last three had he not made contact with Austin Hill at COTA.
I was hoping for more value for SVG, but I would prefer a top 5 finish with a positive prize.
Chris Buescher/AJ Allmendinger Top 10 Finish (+210, Caesars)
This was one of the races I was most excited about coming out of the last Sonoma road course race and it did not disappoint, as Buescher started 26th and finished 3rd, while Allmendinger finished 6th.
Buescher has an automatic win in road course races and has finished 11th or better in 13 consecutive road course races, including a 10th place finish at Chicago last year.
Though Allmendinger isn’t racing full-time in the Cup Series, he remains a threat on road courses. He comes into Sunday’s race having finished sixth or better on road courses four consecutive times.
Both drivers have a chance at a top-five finish, and a top-10 finish should be no problem.
Michael McDowell beat William Byron (-115, bet365)
For a long time, McDowell wasn’t noticed for his road course prowess, but those days are over and everyone is giving McDowell the respect he deserves.
McDowell has finished seventh or better four times in the past seven road course races, winning at the Indy road course last year and finishing second at Sonoma this year.
Byron won at COTA this season, but something seems to be off with the team lately, finishing better than 15th just once in the past five races, including a 30th-place finish at Sonoma.
McDowell had the third fastest car at Chicago and Byron was 21st, I don’t think it will be that big a difference this year, but McDowell seems to have the advantage.
