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Elliott Expected to Extend Road Dominance

NASCAR Rolls into New York on Sunday at The Glen

NASCAR is back after its brief midsummer pause, returning to the Finger Lakes Region of upstate New York, as we all get set to Go Bowling at The Glen.

It’s one of the prettiest venues in the country and one of the most exciting road race courses on the circuit. And, of course, when we’re talking road courses, we must also do a lot of talking about Chase Elliott.

Kyle Larson, driver of the HendrickCars.com Chevrolet, drives during the NASCAR Cup Series Quaker State 400
Sean Gardner/Getty Images/AFP

Also, check on these Nascar betting lines.

Favorites to Win Go Bowling at The Glen

  • Chase Elliott (+175)
  • Kyle Larson (+400)
  • Martin Truex, Jr. (+700)
  • Kyle Busch (+750)
  • Denny Hamlin (+1200)
  • Christopher Bell (+1400)
  • Joey Logano (+1600)
  • William Byron (+1600)
  • Kurt Busch (+2000)
  • Alex Bowman (+2500)
  • Ryan Blaney (+2800)

Elliott won this race in 2018 and 2019, and he is the obvious favorite to make it three straight wins at The Glen. The race was not run in 2020.

Even at +175, an online bet on Elliott seems like the best bang for your buck. Along with owning The Glen, in his last 10 races on road courses, he won seven of them. He also finished second in two of those races. Even at the Daytona road course earlier this year, when he finished an uncharacteristic 21st, he still led the race for 44 laps.

If you’re not sold on a winning bet that pays less than two-to-one, Kyle Larson is the second favorite to win. Larson is the current NASCAR Cup Series leader and leads the season with four wins and 11 top-five finishes.

Larson isn’t great on road courses. But, in June, he finished first in Sonoma, and in May he finished second at Circuit of the Americas. Both of Larson’s last two starts at Watkins Glen resulted in top-10 finishes.

Don’t sleep on the +700 you’re getting from Martin Truex, Jr. He’s currently second in the Cup Series standings, he was a winner at The Glen in 2017, and in both the races that Elliott won here, it was Truex finishing second.

Talking about having to compete with Hendrick Motorsports, Truex said, “I think these days we are all so close. Atlanta is such a handling track. If you hit it just right, you are going to be really, really strong. It’s so hard. It’s like every other week, and there are different guys that run well.

“It’s crazy this season how it’s been. These cars have been really sensitive. It’s hard to hit it right, and that’s what it takes. Whoever does it most consistently is going to be the one to beat. Hendrick cars, don’t count them out – that’s for sure.”

The last of the big four favorites is Kyle Busch, who is also very good on road courses. He’s twice been a winner at Watkins Glen and finished in the top five at both Road America and Sonoma earlier this summer.

Head-to-Head Betting

  • Chase Elliott (-155)
  • Kyle Larson (+125)

In the head-to-head matchup with the two favorites, the number on Elliott drops even further. And if you really do want to take Larson over Elliott, you might as well make it a straight-win bet that pays nearly three times more than the head-to-head payout.

  • Ryan Blaney (+105)
  • Christopher Bell (-135)

Ryan Blaney has not been good on road courses this year. He did finish 10th at Sonoma, but he finished 15th in Daytona, 17th at COTA, and 20th at Road America. Christopher Bell has far less experience and has never raced at Watkins Glen. But he’s better in road course races, finishing in second place at Road America in July.

William Byron hasn’t cracked the top 30 in his last two road course races but did finish in 11th at COTA back in May. He also had a top-10 finish at Watkins Glen in 2018. Alex Bowman finished in the top-10 at Sonoma and COTA, with a best-ever finish at The Glen of 14th place.

  • Martin Truex, Jr. (-130)
  • Kyle Busch (Ev)

Both Truex and Busch can win this race outright, but in the head-to-head, Truex is the favorite. It’s worth noting that at Road America last month, he finished ninth — six spots behind Busch. But at Sonoma, Truex finished in third, two places ahead of Busch.

Check out our expert picks and latest odds on Truck Series: Clean Harbors 175

Pick: Kyle Larson +400

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