Kimi Raikkonen, the 2007 Formula 1 world champion and 21-time grand prix winner, is set to make his NASCAR Cup Series debut in Sunday's race (3 p.m. ET, USA) at Watkins Glen.
Raikkonen does have NASCAR experience, but it came way back in 2011 when he ran XFINITY Series and Truck Series races at Charlotte, both for Kyle Busch Motorsports.
"The Iceman" will also be piloting very good equipment on Sunday, as the No. 91 car will be fielded by Trackhouse Racing, which has already won two road-course races this season — Ross Chastain at Circuit of the Americas and Daniel Suarez at Sonoma.
With this in mind, let's take a look at Raikkonen's latest odds for NASCAR at Watkins Glen, including how his line has moved throughout the week.
Kimi Raikkonen NASCAR Odds
As of raceday morning, here are Raikkonen's odds to win this afternoon's race at Watkins Glen at a handful of popular sportsbooks.
- DraftKings: 100-1
- FanDuel: 100-1
- BetMGM: 100-1
- PointsBet: 125-1
- Caesars: 125-1
Needless to say, if you are planning on betting Raikkonen now, or frankly making any bet on today's race, be sure to visit our NASCAR Live Odds Page to ensure you're locking in the best line possible.
Interestingly, Raikkonen's odds have gone on a wild ride to get to this point, so let's take look at where he opened and how bettors have shaped his price thus far.
Kimi Raikkonen NASCAR Odds Movement
It's safe to say that bettors were eager to get down on Raikkonen ahead of today's race at Watkins Glen.
The former F1 champ opened at 125-1 at Caesars and 100-1 at DraftKings on Monday, and bettors quickly pounded those down to 50-1 at both shops as of Tuesday morning.
After an uneventful — in a good way — practice session, Kimi posted the 27th-best lap in qualifying.
While very few expected Raikkonen to compete for the pole in his first-career Cup Series race, a top-30 starting position and keeping the car in one piece should be considered a success.
Still, oddsmakers didn't appear to be all that bullish on Raikkonen, reopening his odds at between 100-1 and 125-1 following practice and qualifying.
Remember, Kimi had been bet down to between 35-1 and 50-1 before cars hit the track on Saturday afternoon.
Kimi Raikkonen NASCAR Predictions
So, what exactly are Raikkonen's chances of pulling off the upset in his first-career Cup Series race.
To figure this out, I turned to Action Network NASCAR analyst Nick Giffen for his take on Kimi this afternoon.
According to Giffen's NASCAR betting model, Raikkonen has a 0.25% chance to win Sunday's race at Watkins — a percentage that translates to 400-1 odds.
