For motorsports bettors, today is an epic day.
The Indy 500 leads us off with 500 miles of IndyCar's most prominent race at the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway, with NASCAR's longest race, the Coca-Cola 600, bringing us home under the lights at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, NASCAR has essentially eliminated practice and qualifying in an attempt to keep the race weekend's activities as short and economical as possible.
However, this weekend is our second straight with practice and qualifying, providing us meaningful data to analyze in order to pinpoint the most valuable NASCAR bets.
And since I'm sure you've already fully consumed my Indy 500 betting picks, let's dive right into my betting card for today's Coca-Cola 600.
NASCAR Coca-Cola 600 Odds, Picks
*Odds as of Sunday at 7:10 a.m. ET
Kyle Busch (+800)
While Kyle didn't qualify all that well — the No. 18 Toyota will start 20th — he showed plenty of speed in race trim in practice.
Busch was very strong over longer runs, posting the fastest 20-lap average.
To be fair, just five drivers made runs of at least 20 laps in practice, but they were Busch, Denny Hamlin, Kevin Harvick, Chase Elliott and Kyle Larson.
Normally I wouldn't be concerned with lap times compared to four other drivers, but when they're the caliber of Hamlin, Harvick, Elliott and Larson, it certainly means something.
And it's not just his performance in practice that has me backing Busch in the Coke 600.
In the two most similar racetracks to Charlotte Motor Speedway, Las Vegas Motor Speedway and Kansas Speedway, Kyle has finishes of third and first, respectively.
William Byron (+1300)
While Busch was the fastest car on 20-lap runs, Byron showed the quickest pace over 15 laps in practice and the No. 24 Chevy secured a much better starting spot, rolling off fourth.
And just like Kyle, Byron has had plenty of success at Kansas and Las Vegas this season, posting fifth best average finish and the fifth best driver rating, with Larson being the only driver to run more fast laps than Willy B. over those two races.
If you follow me on Twitter, you know that I snagged Byron at +1400 between practice and qualifying, but I still very much like him at the current price of +1300, especially considering the top-four starting position.
Tyler Reddick (+4000)
Just like Byron I bet Reddick early, and the number I got (+4000) is still available at BetMGM.
And yes, I still very much like this price.
Reddick posted the third-best 10-lap average and the fourth-best 15-lap average in practice, suggesting that Tyler has a fast car in race trim for today's race.
Reddick didn't put up a blazing lap in qualifying, but a 15th-place starting spot is perfectly fine for a driver with his upside at 40-1 odds.
