The 2023 NASCAR Cup Series heads to Phoenix Raceway for the final leg of the early west coast swing in a season that’s produced three different winners so far.
The Next Gen car has followed a similar pattern to last season as far as having several different drivers in contention for wins, and a common theme at Phoenix was drivers from the Ford teams dominated.
I’ve picked five drivers that I feel offer value from a betting perspective, all five of which drive for Ford teams, and we’ve got the full odds for the 36-car field from Caesars Sportsbook.
FAST FIVE PICKS
Chalk play: Ryan Blaney (+650 to win)
Blaney dominated at Phoenix last season as far as laps led, but he didn’t have a win to show for it. Blaney is the overall favorite this week to win, but he’s run so well here at Phoenix throughout his career to where I’m still willing to include him even though +650 isn’t amazing value since he appears to be on the cusp of victory.
Trending up: Kevin Harvick (+1000 to win)
Harvick’s been strong at several tracks throughout his storied career, but none more so than Phoenix Raceway, as his nine wins here are more than double any other driver in the field. Harvick will be hungry to add No. 10 to the list in what’s his last season of full-time Cup Series racing, and he showed improved speed last week.
Best value: Chase Briscoe (+2000 to win)
Briscoe won the spring race here last season, and it was no fluke, as he led the second-most laps behind Ryan Blaney and was also competitive here in the fall race. Briscoe’s 2023 season is off to a rocky start, but this is the perfect opportunity for him to turn the ship around, as he proved capable of winning here last year.
Mid-pack play: Aric Almirola (+4000 to win)
Almirola has had a forgettable start to 2023 much like his Stewart-Haas Racing teammate Briscoe, but he’s a seasoned veteran who tends to come to life when the Cup Series heads to a short track. Almirola was able to win at New Hampshire two years ago after struggling for much of the season, so a similar surprise could be in the cards considering how well Ford teams have run at Phoenix.
Longshot play: Austin Cindric (+6000 to win)
Cindric hasn’t made much noise in the Cup Series outside of his success at superspeedways, but he ran respectively at Phoenix last season and has the equipment needed to make a huge leap. Cindric’s Penske teammates Blaney and Joey Logano have dominated here recently, so there’s no reason to think that Cindric won’t run better with a year of experience under his belt.
UNITED RENTALS WORK UNITED 500 FULL FIELD ODDS
Odds from Caesars Sportsbook.
+650 to win
Ryan Blaney (+250 top three finish, +125 top five, -190 top 10)
+850 to win
Joey Logano (+225 top three, +120 top five, -200 top 10)
Kyle Larson (+250 top three, +125 top five, -190 top 10)
+900 to win
Kyle Busch (+250 top three, +140 top five, -180 top 10)
Denny Hamlin (+250 top three, +140 top five, -180 top 10)
Christopher Bell (+340 top three, +170 top five, -140 top 10)
+1000 to win
Kevin Harvick (+300 top three, +150 top five, -200 top 10)
William Byron (+300 top three, +150 top five, -160 top 10)
Martin Truex Jr. (+300 top three, +150 top five, -160 top 10)
+1100 to win
Ross Chastain (+300 top three, +150 top five, -160 top 10)
+1800 to win
Alex Bowman (+500 top three, +225 top five, -105 top 10)
+2000 to win
Chase Briscoe (+500 top three, +225 top five, +100 top 10)
+2200 to win
Tyler Reddick (+550 top three, +250 top five, +100 top 10)
+3000 to win
Bubba Wallace (+800 top three, +400 top five, +140 top 10)
+3500 to win
Brad Keselowski (+900 top three, +450 top five, +150 top 10)
Daniel Suarez (+900 top three, +450 top five, +150 top 10)
+4000 to win
Aric Almirola (+1000 top three, +500 top five, +160 top 10)
+4500 to win
Ryan Preece (+1100 top three, +550 top five, +175 top 10)
+5000 to win
Josh Berry (+1200 top three, +600 top five, +180 top 10)
Erik Jones (+1200 top three, +600 top five, +180 top 10)
+6000 to win
Austin Dillon (+1400 top three, +650 top five, +200 top 10)
Austin Cindric (+1400 top three, +650 top five, +200 top 10)
Ty Gibbs (+1400 top three, +650 top five, +200 top 10)
+10000 to win
A.J. Allmendinger (+2500 top three,+900 top five, +300 top 10)
Noah Gragson (+2500 top three, +900 top five, +300 top 10
Chris Buescher (+2500 top three, +900 top five, +300 top 10)
+12500 to win
Justin Haley (+2800 top three, +1000 top five, +400 top 10)
+20000 to win
Corey LaJoie (+4000 top three, +1400 top five, +550 top 10)
+25000 to win
Harrison Burton (+5000 top three, +1700 top five, +700 top 10)
Michael McDowell (+5000 top three, +1700 top five, +700 top 10)
Zane Smith (+5000 top three, +1700 top five, +700 top 10)
+30000 to win
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (+6000 top three, +1800 top five, +800 top 10)
+100000 to win
Ty Dillon (+30000 top three, +4000 top five, +3000 top 10)
Todd Gilliland (+30000 top three, +4000 top five, +3000 top 10)
+500000 to win
Cody Ware (+75000 top three, +10000 top five, +7500 top 10)
B.J. McLeod (+75000 top three, +10000 top five, +7500 top 10)
