This week, the NASCAR Cup Series heads to a track that’s been around for a while, but is new to the Cup Series in World Wide Technology Raceway.
Formerly known as Gateway, this short oval near St. Louis produced some interesting results last season, as a variety of drivers led laps from experienced veterans to Cup Series newcomers, making it challenging from a betting standpoint.
We were able to find five drivers that we like though in this week’s ‘Fast Five’ picks, which includes a mix of veterans and rising young drivers along with the complete odds list for the 36-car field.
FAST FIVE PICKS
Chalk play
Martin Truex Jr. (+800 to win)
Truex has been on a roll lately and ran well in this race last season, so we like him as a favorite this week since he showed that he and his team had what it took to get back to victory lane a few weeks ago at Dover. Truex has shown enough speed to where he should win several more races this season and makes for a strong bet to win considering this week’s race in St. Louis should be somewhat similar to Dover.
Best value
Ryan Blaney (+1000 to win)
Much like Truex, Blaney hadn’t recorded a race win in over a year despite consistently running up front, but he broke his winless streak last week and should have more victories coming his way. Blaney has been the top Ford driver as of late, so we’ll take a shot on him carrying over that momentum from last week and winning twice in a row.
Trending up
Tyler Reddick (+1500 to win)
Reddick’s yet to return to victory lane after he prevailed at Circuit of the Americas early in the season, but he’s quietly put together a strong year and has recorded three top 10 finishes in his past four races. We like Reddick to run well again and possibly record a win, as former 23XI driver Kurt Busch was a mainstay up front in last year’s race.
Mid-pack play
Corey LaJoie (+3000 to win)
LaJoie gets a golden opportunity to showcase his talent this week while filling in for the suspended Chase Elliott. It’s not every day you get the chance to showcase your driving skills in elite Hendrick Motorsports equipment, so expect LaJoie to make the most of this opportunity and possibly contend for the win in what’s been a career-best season for the young driver.
Longshot play
Chris Buescher (+4500 to win)
Buescher’s been quiet recently after a blazing fast start to the season, but he’s still recording quality finishes and is well within the playoff cut line. He’s yet to record a race win though and hasn’t led many laps, but he could be worth keeping an eye on this week depending on how the strategy plays out since this week’s uncommon 300-mile distance could open the door for an underdog.
2023 ENJOY ILLINOIS 300 FULL FIELD ODDS
Odds from Caesars Sportsbook
+450 to win
Kyle Larson
+600 to win
William Byron
+800 to win
Martin Truex Jr.
+1000 to win
Kevin Harvick
Denny Hamlin
Ryan Blaney
Kyle Busch
Joey Logano
+1100 to win
Christopher Bell
+1300 to win
Ross Chastain
+1500 to win
Tyler Reddick
+3000 to win
Chase Briscoe
Alex Bowman
Corey LaJoie
Bubba Wallace
Brad Keselowski
+3500 to win
Ty Gibbs
+4000 to win
Daniel Suarez
+4500 to win
Chris Buescher
+5000 to win
Ryan Preece
Aric Almirola
+7500 to win
Austin Dillon
+8000 to win
Austin Cindric
+20000 to win
Erik Jones
Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
+30000 to win
Justin Haley
A.J. Allmendinger
+50000 to win
Michael McDowell
Noah Gragson
Todd Gilliland
Carson Hocevar
Harrison Burton
+500000 to win
Ty Dillon
Gray Gaulding
J.J. Yeley
B.J. McLeod
