NASCAR YellaWood 500 Predictions & Betting Tips

With this week’s YellaWood 500 being on average one of the most competitive in NASCAR Cup Series history it isn’t a shock to see a quartet of drivers listed as the favorites on the early NASCAR betting odds. And that doesn’t include four of the past five winners of this race. This is the second race of the season at Talladega Superspeedway following the Jack Link’s 500 in April. The green flag drops at 2 p.m. ET on Sunday, October 19 from the course in Lincoln, AL and will be televised on NBC.

NASCAR YellaWood 500 Preview

To get an idea of how tight this race has been there were 66 lead changes last year with winner Ricky Stenhouse Jr. one of 24 drivers to have the lead at one point. That’s been a common theme and why the odds board is so tight at the top. The past six winners are in the field and that doesn’t include Joey Logano, who was the last to go back-to-back in this race in 2015 and 2016. Drivers were at Talladega in April with Austin Cindric winning for the first time on this track.

YellaWood 500 Betting Odds

William Byron +1005
Ryan Blaney +1005
Joey Logano +1005
Austin Cindric +1005
Chase Elliott +1105
Kyle Larson +1205
Denny Hamlin +1810
Brad Keselowski +1570
Christopher Bell +1810
Tyler Reddick +2010
Ricky Stenhouse Jr +2010
Kyle Busch +2010
Ross Chastain +2210
Daniel Suarez +2210
Chris Buescher +2210
Chase Briscoe +2210
Bubba Wallace +2210
Josh Berry +2515
Alex Bowman +2515
All other drivers listed higher than +3000

NASCAR YellaWood 500 Top Contenders

Ryan Blaney +1005

Currently outside the top 4 in the playoff race and needs strong finishes to close the gap.
Blaney has three wins and two runner-up finishes in his last 9 completed races at Talladega.
Two of his three wins this season have come in his last eight starts with three additional top 5s.

Joey Logano +1005

Like Blaney, Logano is outside the top 4 but close enough to get in with strong showings the next two races.
He has just one, his fewest in the last eight years, but his three victories at Talladega are the second most among active drivers.
He was the last driver to go back-to-back in this race taking the checkered flag in 2015 and 2016.

Brad Keselowski +1570

Keselowski’s six wins at Talladega are the most among active drivers.
He’s won the Jack Link’s 500 a record-tying four times and has two checkered flags in this race.
In his last 7 completed starts at Talladega he has a win and three runners-up.
He’s finished among the top 10 three times with a runner-up in Bristol in his last four completed starts.

Denny Hamlin +1810

Hamlin leads the NCS with six wins after taking the checkered flag last week in Las Vegas.
Has two wins among 17 top 10s at Talladega.
An experienced driver on drafting tracks with six career victories and 28 top 5s on such courses.

NASCAR YellaWood Predictions

This has been a hotly contested race over the years with lead changes exceeding 40 on several occasions. I guess that’s why the odds are as tight as they are. Experience matters on this track and backing drivers with starts and results is a good way to go. Expect to see Blaney and Logano go all out in an attempt to climb into the top 4, but also keep an eye on guys like Keselowski and Michael McDowell, who ran a great race last year but crashed out in the final stage.