NASCAR heads to the Pocono mountains this weekend for their own getaway in The Great American Getaway 400. The “Tricky Triangle” is quite unlike anything else on the Cup Series schedule. It’s a 2.5-mile “tri-oval” track that’s shaped like a rounded triangle. It’s extremely unique in that it only has three corners, making for very long and fast straightaways. Let’s take a look at this week’s NASCAR picks, odds, and best bets for The Great American Getaway 400 at Pocono Raceway.
Denny Hamlin will look to keep his hot streak going after back-to-back wins at Nashville Superspeedway and Michigan International Speedway. Pocono is one of, if not his best track on the schedule. Joe Gibbs Racing confirmed on Tuesday afternoon that Christoper Bell, the driver of the #20 car, suffered a broken wrist after a violent hit to the wall last week at Michigan. Bell, however, has been cleared for action and will race this week at Pocono. Richard Childress also confirmed Austin Hill will remain in the #33 car for the rest of 2026.
Odds to Win The Great American Getaway 400
Denny Hamlin +275
Tyler Reddick +700
Kyle Larson +850
Christopher Bell +850
William Byron +1000
Ryan Blaney +1100
Chase Elliott +1200
Chase Briscoe +1300
Ty Gibbs +1600
Chris Buscher +1600
Bubba Wallace +1800
Carson Hocevar +1800
Joey Logano +3300
Brad Keselowski +4000
Daniel Suarez +4500
Erik Jones +5500
Ross Chastain +6000
Alex Bowman +7500
Shane Van Gisbergen +10000
Austin Cindric +10000
Ryan Preece +10000
Zane Smith +12500
Connor Zilisch +12500
Michael McDowell +17500
Josh Berry +20000
AJ Allmendinger +30000
Todd Gilliland +30000
John Hunter Nemechek +30000
Riley Herbst +30000
Noah Gragson +30000
Ricky Stenhouse Jr +30000
Austin Dillon +30000
Austin Hill +30000
Ty Dillon +50000
Cole Custer +50000
Cody Ware +100000
Casey Mears +100000
Daniel Dye +100000
NASCAR Picks, Odds, and Best Bets: The Great American Getaway 400 at Pocono Raceway
Denny Hamlin Top 3 Finish (-105)
Talk about the bet of the week. Denny Hamlin is four for four, finishing in the top three at Pocono. It comes with an asterisk; he won the race in 2022 and was subsequently disqualified. But he can come back in 2023 and win, and follow it up with runner-up finishes in 2024 and 2025. Of course, he’s coming off back-to-back wins at Nashville and Michigan, and he’s had one of it not the best car on every intermediate track this season.
My friends at Wintherace.info agree with the Hamlin play. He’s easily the top. Driver in their model, and in their 200k simulations of the Pocono race, Hamlin finishes in the top three 57.6% of the time. That leaves his fair market value at -136. Hurry over to Fanatics or DraftKings and take advantage of this great number! I’m also biting the bullet and betting Hamlin at +275 as an outright this week.
Erik Jones Top 10 (+220)
Erik Jones and his Legacy Motor Club ride have had some serious speed the last few weeks. The Michigan native was almost upset at finishing second last week; he felt like he had a car capable of winning. He finished 11th at Nashville, 13th at Charlotte, and had a strong showing in the All-Star Race at Dover with a third-place run. Finishes of 12th at Texas, and 10th at Darlington and Phoenix prove this car and driver have what it takes. Jones hasn’t finished worse than 14th in the four NextGen races here at Pocono. Twice scoring top 10 finishes. In a watered-down top 10 market this week, Jones easily stands out.
Chase Elliott to Win (+1200)
As mentioned before, I think you have to bet on Hamlin this week as an outright bet. But, I always advise taking more than one winner, and Chase Elliott at 12/1 is the perfect complement to Hamlin in this race. When it comes to Hendrick Motorsports cars and Chevrolets in general, Chase has led the week. Week after week, he consistently shows the speed to compete. Last week was no different; Elliott had one of the fastest cars in the field until that late wreck with Christopher Bell. Elliott won at Texas and ran second at Las Vegas as well. He’s constantly putting himself in position. Hamlin is the one to beat, but anything can happen. Over at Win The Race, Elliott checks in as the third-best driver in their simulations. He won here in 2022 and finished in the top five last year.
Fueled by WIN THE RACE‘s Professional NASCAR Strategy Platform
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