NASCAR returns to the legendary Indianapolis Motor Speedway for what might be the final time on the road course. The rumors have been swirling about NASCAR returning to the traditional oval and bringing back the Brickyard 400 in 2024. For at least one more time, though, the stars of the Cup Series will take on the 2.439-mile 14-turn Grand Prix Road Course.
Shane Van Gisbergen, the Chicago street course race winner, will return this weekend in the Trackhouse Racing Project 91 car. Fellow Australian V8 Supercars racer Brodie Kostecki who currently leads the points standings (SVG ranks 3rd), is also entered into this racing, driving the #33 for Richard Childress Racing. Kamui Kobayashi, a Japanese racing star and former Formula One driver, will compete in the #67 23XI entry co-owned by Michael Jordan.
It’s unknown exactly what is going on with Noah Gragson and the 42 Legacy Motor Club team, some reports have said the team is parting ways with Gragson, and some say the team is waiting for him to be reinstated. Nonetheless, for this week at the Indianapolis Road Course and next week at Watkins Glen, Mike Rockenfeller, who spent time with car owner Jimmie Johnson on the garage 56 team, will pilot the car.
Chris Buescher has shown that Roush Fenway Racing’s decision to bring in Brad Keselowski and rebrand to Roush Fenway Keselowski was a good one! Buescher makes it a victory lane in back-to-back weeks, winning at Richmond and then winning Monday in the rain-delayed FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Raceway. Keselowski brought his RFK Ford home in fourth, showing the team’s continued strength in both cars.
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NASCAR Cup Series Verizon 200 at the Brickyard Betting Odds and Best Bets
Verizon 200 at the Brickyard Odds via Superbook Sportsbook
Martin Truex Jr +400
Tyler Reddick +600
Chase Elliott +800
Kyle Larson +1000
Christopher Bell +1200
Kyle Busch +1200
Shane Van Gisbergen +1200
AJ Allmendinger +1800
Chris Buescher +2000
Daniel Suarez +2000
Denny Hamlin +2000
Michael McDowell +2000
William Byron +2000
Austin Cindric +2500
Brodie Kostecki +2500
Ross Chastain +2500
Joey Logano +3000
Ty Gibbs +4000
Ryan Blaney +5000
Alex Bowman +6000
Brad Keselowski +6000
Chase Briscoe +6000
Kevin Harvick +6000
Justin Haley +10000
Kamui Kobayashi +10000
Austin Dillion +20000
Erik Jones +20000
Jenson Button +20000
Todd Gilliand +20000
Aric Almirola +50000
Bubba Wallace +50000
Corey Lajoie +50000
Harrison Burton +50000
Ricky Stenhouse +50000
Ryan Preece +50000
Andy Lally +50000
Josh Bilicki +200000
Ty Dillion +200000
Verizon 200 at the Brickyard Best Bets
Kyle Busch Top 5 Finish (+160 Caesars Sportsbook)
Kyle Busch has three straight finishes of second or third place on road courses in the NASCAR Cup Series. Busch has been extremely strong on tracks where Tyler Reddick ran well the year before in that same #8 car. Luckily for Busch, Reddick led 38 laps in 2022 on his way to the victory. Crew Chief Randall Burnett seems to have something unlocked for setting up these Next Gen cars on road courses, and we all know Rowdy can drive a good car to this finish.
Chris Buescher Top 10 Finish (+100 Bet365)
Buescher has won the last two races on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule yet remains even money this week just for a top-10 finish. Yes, that was a short track and a 2-mile oval, but guess what? Since February 2020, only Chase Elliott has a better average finish on road courses (6.5) than Buescher (10.6).
In those 17 starts, Buescher has four top-five finishes and nine times has finished inside of the top 10. Furthermore, in those 17 starts on road courses, he hasn’t finished worse than 21st, making him one of the most consistent and reliable drivers on road courses.
AJ Allmendinger Over Shane Van Gisbergen (-110 Caesars Sportsbook)
What SVG did at the Chicago Street Course was beyond impressive and shouldn’t be understated. Winning your first NASCAR race, no Xfinity or Trucks first. Being used to driving on the right side and having to shift with the opposite hand. All impressive, all deserving of high praise. This isn’t the street of Chicago, though. I talked about this on the NASCAR GAMBLING PODCAST this week, so tune in if you want to hear my entire rant.
The NASCAR drivers weren’t used to a street course. It was narrow, it was different, and they were on SVG’s turf, which he is used to racing. Now it’s back onto NASCAR driver turf, and the result is going to be different. I expect him to be fast in practice, qualify well, and be all the talk leading into the weekend, but I’m not buying the hype. While he’ll have a solid day and probably finish 10-15th, AJ Allmendinger should get the best of him.
Allmendinger is the all-time leading winner on road courses in NASCAR Xfinity Series history with 12 wins. He won this race in its inaugural running in 2021, and last year won the Xfinity race. He’ll be racing in this year’s Xfinity race and is the heavy favorite for that (+135 to win). In five of the last six road course races, Allmendinger has finished ninth or better, which is exactly the consistency I’m looking for against SVG.
Kyle Larson to Win (+1100 DraftKings Sportsbook)
The 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champion is being completely disrespected on the odds board this weekend, and it’s a welcome sight for me. Larson is one of the hardest drivers to bet on because he is almost always one of the heavy favorites, but after a few quieter weeks without really vying for the win, the books have slipped up and let his odds slip down. Now is the time to jump on Larson at 11/1.
Larson finished third here in 2021 after leading 28 laps. Last year Larson had a horrific-looking accident with Austin Dillion in which, luckily, both drivers were okay. Since joining Hendrick Motorsports in 2021, Larson has seven top-five finishes on road courses, including four wins. Look for the driver of the Hendrick #5 Chevrolet to get back to victory lane this weekend.
Kyle Busch to Win (+1200 Superbook Sportsbook)
If Larson doesn’t make it to victory lane, Kyle Busch is another driver who could easily find himself there. As mentioned above, Busch has finished in the top three in three road course races in a row. The driver of the Richard Childress #8 Chevrolet has been enjoying success in his first season, with the team winning on an intermediate (Auto Club), a superspeedway (Talladega), and a shorter track (Gateway). What better time to add a road course to the mix than this weekend in Indianapolis?
