The NASCAR Cup Series is in Charlotte for the second time this year. However, this race is on the "ROVAL" track, which uses the infield road course in conjunction with part of the oval track. This unique circuit has produced some exciting moments and plenty of beating and banging. Add in the strategy element of the road course, and this is an unpredictable event.
There's even one final twist — rain is likely at points during the race. Unlike oval events, NASCAR will race in the rain at road courses. That makes it even more likely that crashes, strategy and rain-racing skill come into play to shake things up.
The potential for rain makes betting the favorites quite perilous. Instead, I'm looking at elite drivers who have also performed well at road courses in their career. There is plenty of value in this group of drivers, but here are three I particularly like.
NASCAR at Charlotte Odds, Betting Picks
Kyle Busch (+1600) to Win at Charlotte
Kyle Busch is an elite road racer with four wins and 11 top five finishes in 33 career starts on road courses. He has struggled overall in 2020, coming in to this race winless on the year. However, he has come close to wins several times, so the speed is there.
Busch is also 21 points outside of the playoff picture. Because this is a playoff cutoff race, he'll almost surely need to win to advance. That means this team is going to take whatever strategy options they have to give Busch the best shot at winning. Second place or a top five doesn't do enough for him.
It's rare to find one of the Series' all-time best drivers, and a great road course racer, at this price. Busch is listed at +1400 on DraftKings and FanDuel, but you can get him at +1600 over at PointsBet. You shouldn't need to bet Busch shorter than 14-1 if you shop around.
Brad Keselowski (+2200) to Win at Charlotte
Keselowski has had two very strong races in his two starts on the ROVAL. For the debut race, he led 29 laps and was on the front row for a late restart when he crashed along with a large chunk of the field.
In his second start, Keselowski pulled off a top-five finish that included a top-five average running position and driver rating.
Keselowski has also been strong at the Series' other longtime high speed road course, Watkins Glen. Keselowski has four top-three finishes in 10 starts at The Glen.
Keselowski is going as low as 15-1 at some books, so this 22-1 line at FanDuel is certainly a comparative value.
[Bet Brad Keselowski now at FanDuel and get a $1,000 risk-free bet.]
Clint Bowyer (+2200) to Win at Charlotte
Like Busch, Bowyer is looking for a win to advance in the playoffs, so the strategic upside is once again in play. Bowyer is a driver who can take advantage of that.
He has 12 top-five finishes in 31 career road course races, including a win at Sonoma. Bowyer has finished third and fourth in his two Charlotte ROVAL races, and he backed those up with a sixth-place finish at the Daytona road course earlier this year after running inside the top five most of the race.
Once again, FanDuel has the value on Bowyer, with other books pricing him as low as 14-1.
[Bet Clint Bowyer now at FanDuel and get a $1,000 risk-free bet.]
