From Street Circuit to Short Track
Tyler Riddick of 23XI Racing-Toyota was incredible at Circuit of the Americas (COTA) last weekend and was clearly at home in Austin.
Reddick was on the pace and atop the timing board all weekend long. It might have taken multiple attempts to finish the EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix due to the chaos on restarts into turn 1, but in the end, Reddick’s pace was undeniable. He cruised to a victory, scoring his third top-five finish in a row, making him a likely sport betting favorite this weekend and on the remaining street circuits on the schedule.
The NASCAR Cup Series leaves CoTA – the technical, twisty street circuit heart of Formula 1 in America – in the rear-view mirror, heading to Virginia and a living piece of NASCAR History: America’s premier short track, Richmond Raceway.
Byron: Wave of Momentum
Hendrick Motorsports-Chevrolet’s William Byron has been at the front of the pack and has been very impressive this season, especially recently.
Byron won all three stages at Las Vegas for his first win of the season and followed that up by winning stage 1 and the race the next weekend in Phoenix. This past weekend at CoTA, Byron showed that regardless of the circuit or race surface, he’s in the mix and can challenge for the win.
Byron took the pole position for the EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix and won stage 1. However, Byron got caught out by the late-race caution flags and restarts, dropping back from Reddick, against whom he had been battling all weekend, and finishing fifth.
Byron’s recent wave of momentum and excellent finishes have been countered by three finishes below 25th on the grid, including 32nd two weeks ago in Atlanta. It makes him a difficult choice in NASCAR betting as he could easily win the race, finish in the top five, or finish close to last on any given weekend.
Can Ford Bounce Back?
While Toyota took its first Cup Series Race win of the season – excluding the preseason Clash at the Coliseum – at CoTA, Chevrolet has won four of the first six races.
Only one Ford qualified in the top 10 at CoTA. Team Penske-Ford’s Austin Cindric qualified an impressive third and had the highest final position of all the Ford rides, finishing fifth at CoTA. However, despite three Fords finishing in the top 10 at CoTA, Ford will be looking for short-track success to bounce back.
Toyota Owners 400 Recent Results
Richmond Raceway has long been considered America’s premier short-track racing facility and has the history to back up that claim. Previous winners of races always rank higher in the NASCAR odds, and the Toyota Owners 400 is no exception.
Hendrick Motorsports-Chevrolet’s Kyle Busch has won at Richmond six times in his career, including four straight race wins (2009-2012, twice in 2018).
Busch’s Hendrick Motorsports teammate and pole position winner for the Daytona 500, Alex Bowman, won in NASCAR’s return to Richmond in 2021.
Team Penske-Ford’s Joey Logano has won the Cup Series at Richmond twice (2014, 2017).
While unlikely to be an online sports betting pick this weekend, Stewart-Haas Racing-Ford’s Kevin Harvick won at Richmond in 2014.
Joe Gibbs Racing-Toyota’s Martin Truex Jr., the 2023 Clash at the Coliseum winner, has a race victory at Richmond in 2019.
Joe Gibbs Racing-Toyota’s Denny Hamlin won last year’s race.
Toyota Owners 400 Race Information
- Race: NASCAR Cup Series Toyota Owners 400: 400 Laps (300 mi) – Stage 1: 80 Laps, Stage 2: 155 laps, Stage 3: 165 laps
- Location: Richmond Raceway, Richmond, Virginia
- Day/Time: Sunday, April 2, 3:30 p.m. ET
- Toyota Owners 400 live Stream: NBCSports.com
Toyota Owners 400 Betting Odds
| Toyota Owners 400 | Moneyline |
| William Byron | +600 |
| Kevin Harvick | -600 |
| Kyle Larson | +600 |
| Christopher Bell | +800 |
| Martin Truex Jr. | +800 |
| Denny Hamlin | +800 |
| Kyle Busch | +1000 |
| Ryan Blaney | +1400 |
| Joey Logano | +1400 |
| Tyler Reddick | +1600 |
| Ross Chastain | +1800 |
| Alex Bowman | +2000 |
The odds in this chart are based on the time of publication. They are subject to change.
Toyota Owners 400 Picks and Prediction
Early NASCAR odds list three drivers as favorites for Sunday’s race. We will still give you our take on who could shine on the short track and land on victory lane.
Busch is a weekly favorite on NASCAR lines every weekend and will tie the legendary Richard Petty for the most wins at Richmond with a win on Sunday.
Joey Logano is due to bounce back, but our preliminary pick is to take Kyle Larson to get his first win of the season.
