Brickyard 400: Predictions & Best NASCAR Bets
Denny Hamlin made it two straight wins in Dover with his victory last week at the EchoPark 400. Hamlin is the betting favorite on the early NASCAR odds to win his second race in a row this season when the field of drivers heads to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the Brickyard 400. Hamlin broke a tie with Shane van Gisbergen, Christopher Bell and Kyle Larson for the most Cup Series wins this season with four. Overall Cup Series points leader Chase Elliott earned the pole and led for 238 laps in Dover but finished sixth. The NASCAR Cup Series Brickyard 400 is scheduled to be run on Sunday, July 27 at 2 p.m. ET at famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana. The race will be televised on TNT.
NASCAR Brickyard 400 Preview
After Hamlin successfully defended his title on the Monster Mile at Dover, Kyle Larson gets a chance to make it two in a row at the Brickyard 400. Last week Larson earned his first top 5 since winning the AdventHealth 400 in May. Last year’s Brickyard 400 was a return to the 2.5-mile oval after a three-year hiatus and the race required extra laps due to an overtime finish. Hamlin has never won on this track though he was the Stage 1 winner a year ago. He failed to finish the race. If Kyle Busch wants to end a two-year winless drought this is the place to do it. Busch went back-to-back in 2015 and 2016 and won the first two stages in his bid for a three-peat in 2017. However, an accident on the 110th lap knocked him out of the race. Though Hamlin, Larson and Ryan Blaney have the shortest opening odds, a total of nine drivers boast odds shorter than 15/1. Check out this betting guide for more informed NASCAR wagers.
Brickyard 400 Betting Odds
Denny Hamlin +469
Kyle Larson +585
Ryan Blaney +787
William Byron +841
Chase Elliott +892
Chase Briscoe +1120
Tyler Reddick +1171
Christopher Bell +1214
Chris Buescher +1426
Joey Logano +2037
Brad Keselowski +2240
Kyle Busch +2399
TY Gibbs +2499
Ross Chastain +2851
All other drivers +3000 or higher
NASCAR Brickyard 400 Top Contenders
Ryan Blaney +787
With a strong history on ovals and a bounce back last week, Blaney has to be considered for the outright.
It’s been a chaotic season with a number of good showings, including a win in Nashville last month, and a number of uncharacteristic finishes. Following a podium at the Great American Getaway 400 last month, he stumbled on road courses in Chicago and Sonoma. A return to the oval last week in Dover got him back on track finishing eighth after starting from the 31st position. Also, Blaney is coming off a third place finish at Indy last year.
Kyle Busch +2399
Busch falls outside the top 10 on the odds board and he hasn’t won a race in nearly two years. But you can’t discount a driver who successfully navigated Indy two years in a row. Busch is also an oval expert with 14 combined wins at Bristol and Richmond during his career. He may be on the downside of his career, but Busch has to be considered as long as he’s behind the wheel. In addition to his two victories and two runner-up finishes, Busch has eight other top 10s in 17 career starts at Indy.
Denny Hamlin +469
The only thing going against Hamlin this week is his lack of a victory at Indianapolis. That may work in his favor though considering the run he’s on. In the last six races that he finished Hamlin placed among the top 5 in five of them with a pair of wins. He was knocked out of the Quaker State 400 last month in the race he didn’t finish and placed 20th in Sonoma on a road course. He maneuvers ovals as well as any driver and winning at Indianapolis is another box to check.
Kyle Larson +585
With a fourth at Dover last week his best finish since winning the AdventHealth 400 in May, Larson appears to be back in form and heading to a venue where he’s finished inside the top 10 four times in five races he finished. On a comparable track at Pocono last month Larson came from the 24th spot to finish seventh. A return to the oval at Dover with a strong race and good speed is what was needed to get Larson in position for a repeat.
Tyler Reddick +1171
Reddick offers good value mainly because of his success, albeit a small sample size, at IMS. He led 40 laps last year, the most of any driver, and finished second to Larson. That came after an eighth place finish in 2020.
NASCAR Brickyard 400 Predictions
It wouldn’t be a surprise to see Hamlin and Larson battling again for the checkered flag. Hamlin would love to get a win on the historic Indy track and his form is impeccable. Reddick, Busch and Brad Keselowski have value because of their price and past success at IMS.
