The NASCAR Cup Series is heading to Talladega, which is always one of the most unpredictable races on the schedule as evidenced by the number of first-time winners.
There are certain drivers that tend to thrive at this 2.67-mile superspeedway, but trying to figure out who will cross the start-finish line first is always tricky considering the number of lead changes that are set to take place throughout the day.
We’ve got five drivers that we feel are worth betting on to win the race from a chalk favorite to a long shot, and we’ve got the full field odds listed out in case there’s another driver that you prefer.
FAST FIVE PICKS
Chalk play
Joey Logano (+1000 to win)
Logano has won at Talladega multiple times in his career and is among the best Cup Series drivers at superspeedways due to his aggressive driving style that usually sees him run up front and stay there. Sometimes his aggressiveness comes back to haunt him, but Logano’s as good of a bet as anyone to get the win considering he’s got some of the best equipment in the garage to back up his skill set.
Trending up
Brad Keselowski (+1400 to win)
There’s no active Cup Series driver who’s had more success at Talladega than Keselowski, but most of that success came during his time with Team Penske. Keselowski’s still shown to be a force to be reckoned with though on superspeedways with his new RFK Racing team, and he’s a strong bet to be a contender on Sunday considering how many laps he led at the Daytona 500.
Best value
Kyle Busch (+1500 to win)
Busch hasn’t had a strong history at Talladega despite being one of the more seasoned Cup Series veterans, but he could be in for a resurgence driving for a new team. Busch had the most success he’s had in years at the Daytona 500, so his new Richard Childress Racing equipment should allow him to have more success this weekend and makes him a value play for bettors.
Mid-pack play
Austin Cindric (+2400 to win)
Cindric hasn’t won a race since last year’s Daytona 500 breakthrough, but he’s consistently run up front at superspeedways and has elite equipment driving for the same team as superspeedway aces Logano and Ryan Blaney. Cindric’s the only one of three with odds longer than +1000, so we’ll take our chances on him replicating his recent success here.
Longshot play
Todd Gilliland (+6000 to win)
Not too many young Cup Series drivers have posted competitive results this season, but Gilliland has shown the ability to run with the big boys at a variety of tracks. Superspeedways tend to be a great equalizer as far as smaller teams having a chance to win, which makes Gilliland a sneaky value play considering he recorded a top 10 here at Talladega last year and has been trending up.
2023 GEICO 500 FULL FIELD ODDS
Odds from Caesars Sportsbook
+1000 to win
Joey Logano (+300 top three finish, +140 top five, -160 top 10)
Ryan Blaney (+300 top three, +140 top five, -160 top 10)
+1100 to win
Denny Hamlin (+300 top three, +160 top five, -160 top 10)
+1200 to win
William Byron (+350 top three, +200 top five, -145 top 10)
Chase Elliott (+350 top three, +200 top five, -145 top 10)
+1400 to win
Brad Keselowski (+400 top three, +200 top five, -135 top 10)
Bubba Wallace (+600 top three, +300 top five, -110 top 10)
+1500 to win
Ross Chastain (+450 top three, +220 top five, -140 top 10)
Kyle Busch (+450 top three, +220 top five, -145 top 10)
Kyle Larson (+450 top three, +220 top five, -140 top 10)
+1600 to win
Christopher Bell (+450 top three, +250 top five, -140 top 10)
+2200 to win
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (+650 top three, +300 top five, -115 top 10)
Chris Buescher (+700 top three, +320 top five, +100 top 10)
+2400 to win
Austin Cindric (+700 top three, +320 top five, +100 top 10)
+2500 to win
Alex Bowman (+800 top three, +320 top five, -105 top 10)
Tyler Reddick (+800 top three, +350 top five, +100 top 10)
Kevin Harvick (+800 top three, +350 top five, +100 top 10)
Aric Almirola (+900 top three, +400 top five, +110 top 10)
+2800 to win
Martin Truex Jr. (+700 top three, +300 top five, -105 top 10)
Austin Dillon (+700 top three, +320 top five, +100 top 10)
+3000 to win
Erik Jones (+850 top three, +350 top five, +110 top 10)
Chase Briscoe (+900 top three, +400 top five, +110 top 10)
Austin Hill (+900 top three, +400 top five, +110 top 10)
Daniel Suarez (+900 top three, +400 top five, +110 top 10)
+4000 to win
A.J. Allmendinger (+1200 top three, +575 top five, +110 top 10)
Corey LaJoie (+1400 top three, +700 top five, +200 top 10)
+4500 to win
Ryan Preece (+1200 top three, +450 top five, +140 top 10)
Justin Haley (+1400 top three, +650 top five, +160 top 10)
+6000 to win
Todd Gilliland (+1800 top three, +800 top five, +220 top 10)
Ty Gibbs (+1800 top three, +800 top five, +220 top 10)
+7500 to win
Zane Smith (+2000 top three, +950 top five, +180 top 10)
Harrison Burton (+2000 top three, +950 top five, +180 top 10)
Noah Gragson (+2000 top three, +950 top five, +180 top 10)
+12500 to win
Riley Herbst (+3000 top three, +800 top five, +350 top 10)
+25000 to win
Ty Dillon (+6000 top three, +2500 top five, +750 top 10)
+100000 to win
J.J. Yeley (+15000 top three, +3000 top five, +1800 top 10)
B.J. McLeod (+15000 top three, +3000 top five, +1800 top 10)
