NASCAR successfully returned to the racetrack with two races at Darlington Raceway over the past seven days and will now host one of its "crown-jewel events," the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Sunday.
The Coke 600 does see surprise winners, like Casey Mears in 2007, David Reutimann in 2009 and Austin Dillon in 2017, due to fuel mileage and rain strategy, so this is a race in which longshots can steal victories.
With this in mind, let's look at one deep sleeper to not only bet to win, but to also target for a top-10 finish.
*Odds as of Sunday at 7:30 a.m. ET
NASCAR at Charlotte Odds, Betting Pick
Prior to the season, Ross Chastain announced that he'd be running two races in Spire Motorsports' No. 77 NASCAR Cup Series car. The first event was the Daytona 500 and the second race will be Sunday's Coca-Cola 600.
And the key factor is that Chastain's cars in these races will be prepared by Chip Ganassi Racing (CGR), one of NASCAR's top teams. CGR regularly fields cars for Kurt Busch and Matt Kenseth, so its equipment is very competitive.
CGR also uses engines from Hendrick Motorsports, the powerhouse team with drivers Jimmie Johnson, Chase Elliott, Alex Bowman and William Byron, so we know Chastain will have plenty of smoke under the hood as well.
The equipment alone is worth a longshot bet to win, and Chastain's talent and experience make this an especially enticing top-10 finish prop, but be sure to shop the market for the best odds.
For example, PointsBet is offering Chastain to win at +35000, compared to +25000 at DraftKings.
On the other hand, DraftKings' +500 odds for a top-10 finish are the best available.
NASCAR Coca-Cola 600 Betting Picks
- Ross Chastain to Win (+35000) [Bet now at PointsBet. NJ and IN only.]
- Ross Chastain to Finish in the Top 10 (+500) [Bet now at DraftKings. CO, NJ, PA, IN and WV only.]
