Memorial Day weekend is a somber occasion. We remember the lives given to protect our freedoms to be able to enjoy a long weekend of great racing. It’s even more somber this year after the shocking news of the sudden passing of NASCAR superstar Kyle Busch. As NASCAR CEO Steve O’Donnell said, Kyle would want the racing to continue, and we’ll do that with heavy hearts this weekend. Let’s take a look at this week’s NASCAR picks, odds, and best bets for the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Kyle Busch’s love and passion for racing never wavered. He had planned to be racing in both the Truck and Cup Series this weekend, and had just asked Steve O’Donnell about an “over 40” rule to let him run more Truck Series races next season. Richard Childress Racing has decided to rest the number 8, which Kyle has been racing over the past three seasons. Austin Hill will pilot the car this week as the #33, and the car will remain that number going forward.
Katherine Legge will become the first woman, the first non-American born, and the oldest person to attempt “the double” on Sunday. She’ll run her #11 HMD Motorsports W/AJ Foyt Racing car in the 500, then head to Charlotte to race the Coca-Cola 600 NASCAR race in the Live Fast Racing #78 car. This race is also unique as it is the only one of the year with four stages, paying out points at all three stage breaks.
Odds to Win Coca-Cola 600
Denny Hamlin +500
Tyler Reddick +600
Kyle Larson +650
William Byron +850
Christopher Bell +900
Chase Briscoe +1100
Chase Elliott +1100
Ryan Blaney +1100
Carson Hocevar +1500
Chris Buescher +1900
Ty Gibbs +2000
Brad Keselowski +2500
Ross Chastain +2500
Bubba Wallace +2700
Joey Logano +3000
Alex Bowman +3500
Connor Zilisch +5000
Austin Cindric +6000
Ryan Preece +6000
Corey Heim +8000
Daniel Suarez +8000
Austin Dillon +8000
Erik Jones +10000
Michael McDowell +17500
Shane Van Gisbergen +17500
Ricky Stenhouse Jr +17500
Josh Berry +17500
AJ Allmendinger +17500
Zane Smith +20000
John Hunter Nemechek +20000
Noah Gragson +35000
Riley Herbst +40000
Ty Dillon +50000
Katherine Legge +50000
Cody Ware +50000
Todd Gilliland +50000
Cole Custer +50000
Timmy Hill +50000
NASCAR Picks, Odds, and Best Bets: Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway
Kyle Busch: Winner
This will be my version of the “missing man” lineup. Kyle is already a winner to every racing fan. In betting, Kyle has won us many bets over the years. I gave him out on the NASCAR Gambling Podcast Coca-Cola 600 show earlier this week as a top 10 play, and was ready to bet on him to win the truck race. On the track, he’s one of the best we’ve ever seen. Off the track, he was a top-notch father, husband, and family man. My hope is that NASCAR will do the right thing and immediately induct him into the Hall of Fame. Kyle, we love you and miss you.
Chase Elliott Top 5 (+220)
Chase Elliott is one of the most consistent drivers in the field. You can always count on him to be around at the end, and he’s had a little extra fire lately, already picking up two wins on the year. One of which was just two races ago at Texas, the most similar track to Charlotte we’ve been to. It wasn’t one of his right place at the right time, sneak out a win wins. It was a fast car all day, led 87 laps solid day out of Elliott.
In this extra-long race, you want drivers you can trust to go the distance. Elliott has finished in the top seven the last two seasons in this race and has top seven finishes in five of his last seven Coke 600 races.
Brad Keselowski Over Bubba Wallace (-105)
Talk about guys you can trust in a 600-mile race. Along with the likes of Kyle Busch, Brad Keselowski is a steady veteran, and that extra 100 miles at the end is where he’ll shine the brightest. Brad has run well at the 1.5-mile races this year, finishing 13th at Texas, 10th at Las Vegas, and sixth at Kansas. Bubba Wallace, however, has beaten Keselowski at all three comparison tracks with finishes of ninth, sixth, and fifth, respectively.
So why take Keselowski? It all comes down to the extra 200 miles. Those were all 400-mile races, just 267 laps. Sunday’s event is a 600-mile, 400-lap race. Over the last two seasons, Keselowski has finished fifth and second place as gotten this RFK team heading the right direction. Wallace had finishes of 11th and 35th in the same two races. He got the better of Keselowski in the first two NextGen era races here, but only by two spots in 2022. Give me the grizzled veteran in this one.
Chase Briscoe to Win (+1100)
It’s a Chase Briscoe-type week, and he’s my favorite outright this weekend. Briscoe has improved more and more the longer he is in this #19 car. He and crew chief James Small are in lock step on the changes they need to make. Briscoe has had the speed all season long and is on the edge of a breakout. He finished fourth in 2022 for SHR here, and came back for an impressive third-place run in his first start with JGR last season. Briscoe also has close ties to Kyle Busch, now racing for the team Busch spent the majority of his career with. The two also had similar fertility and miscarriage issues before both were able to start their families. It would be fitting to see Briscoe honor Busch in victory lane on Sunday.
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