NASCAR Picks: Go Bowling at the Glen Odds & Tips
A quick glance at the odds tells you one thing about this week’s NASCAR Cup Series Go Bowling at the Glen race. With Shane van Gisbergen boasting the shortest NASCAR odds it’s a sure sign we’re back to a road course and that’s exactly the case at Watkins Glen. SVG has been dominant on street/road courses this season winning in Mexico, Chicago and Sonoma and he’s the favorite with the shortest odds we’ve seen in some time. That doesn’t mean van Gisbergen is going to win, which is why they actually run the race, and other drivers are comfortable in this setting. Chris Buescher overtook van Gisbergen on the final lap to win last year’s race. The race will be contested at Watkins Glen International in New York on Sunday, August 10 with the green flag dropping at 2 p.m. ET. The race will be televised on USA Network.
NASCAR Go Bowling at the Glen Preview
Seeing van Gisbergen slotted as the betting favorite isn’t surprising considering his dominance on road courses. However, the second favorite is a relative unknown in the Cup Series with just three starts on his resume. Connor Zilisch opened with the second shortest odds ahead of established veteran drivers like William Byron, Kyle Larson and Christopher Bell. In his brief racing career the 19-year-old Zilisch has performed well at Watkins Glen claiming the pole and leading the most laps for a victory in his Xfinity Series debut last year. The two favorites boast shorter than 4/1 odds on the early line with more established oval racers much further down the odds board. In Iowa last week William Byron led for 141 laps to claim his second victory of the year, edging out Chase Briscoe and Brad Keselowski. With a win at The Glen van Gisbergen can match Denny Hamlin for the most victories this season. He’s currently tied with Larson and Bell having three triumphs on their resume.
Go Bowling at the Glen Betting Odds
Shane Van Gisbergen+150
Connor Zilisch+350
Christopher Bell+1050
William Byron+1100
Kyle Larson+1100
Michael McDowell+1500
Chase Elliott+1651
Kyle Busch+1851
Tyler Reddick+2201
Ross Chastain+2201
AJ Allmendinger+2201
Chase Briscoe+2201
Chris Buescher+2151
TY Gibbs+2441
Carson Hocevar+3571
Alex Bowman+3571
All other drivers +4000 or higher
NASCAR Go Bowling at the Glen Top Contenders
Shane Van Gisbergen+150
Just waiting to get back on another road course van Gisbergen was biding his time the last three weeks. It’s amazing how things are so much different for SVG away from the ovals. He was a distant 31st last week in Iowa and didn’t finish higher than 19 in his last three races. But the man transforms to a beast on a course like Watkins Glen and he’s got some unfinished business after giving up the lead on the last leap in last year’s race. “It makes me angry to think I threw that one away,” SVG said about last year’s debacle.
Kyle Larson+1100
Larson proved he can win at Watkins Glen doing it back to back in 2021 and 2022, and he has a host of top 10 finishes on the track so don’t count him out. And given his history the price is appealing. Larson also has to feel disrespected by the opening odds being well behind a rookie with only three Cup Series races on his resume. Not to take anything away from Zilisch, but Larson has nearly as many wins at The Glen than the young man has NCS starts. That will be a motivating factor in Larson’s performance this week.
Chase Elliott+1651
Sitting at No. 2 in the Cup Series points race, Elliott has enjoyed success on road courses. He finished third in Mexico City and Sonoma within the last few months and also has a pair of victories at Watkins Glen. Before Larson went back to back it was Elliott dominating the track with consecutive wins in 2018 and 2019.
Chris Buescher+2151
We backed William Byron last week not based on recent form rather metrics that suggested a positive outcome. Welp, Byron captured the checkered flag in Iowa. We’re doing the same this week with Buescher, who has yet to win this season and has finished outside the top 10 in five of his last six starts. But, he ran a strong race last year taking the lead on the final lap and recorded a pair of top 10s in his previous two starts at The Glen.
NASCAR Go Bowling at the Glen Predictions
It’s hard not to back van Gisbergen with his dominance on street/road courses, but there’s little value in his price. And while I’m sure Zilisch is a fine driver his lack of experience makes me doubt his ability to finish first. That leaves the next tier of favorites and one driver that stands out is Larson. Backing the outright winner isn’t the only NASCAR betting option. Check out this betting guide for a detailed description of NASCAR wagers.
