Just two races remain in the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season, and after a big shakeup in the playoff standings following last weekend's race at Homestead-Miami Speedway, heavy-hitters Denny Hamlin and Martin Truex Jr are now on the outside looking in.
Thankfully for Hamlin and Truex, Martinsville Speedway, the site of Sunday's XFINITY 500 race, is a great track for both of the Joe Gibbs Racing drivers to maneuver their way above the cutline ahead of next week's championship race at Phoenix.
How the playoff picture shakes out will be a key storyline throughout Sunday's race (2 p.m. ET, NBC) in Virginia, but there's one driver further down the NASCAR odds board whom I simply can't pass up at his current price.
NASCAR Pick for Martinsville
*NASCAR odds as of Saturday
Chase Elliott may not be eligible to win the title this season, but he's very much live to win Sunday's race at Martinsville – and at 20-1 NASCAR odds (bet365), no less.
Since the start of the 2020 season, Elliott has one win at Martinsville, the third-best average finish and has led an astonishing 23.2% of all laps run, per DriverAverages.com.
If we look at just the past three races, which is significant because those were run in the Next Gen car, Elliott pops with the third-best driving rating, the fourth-best average running position, and the most fast laps run.
Elliott's history at Martinsville, including his recent history, projects the Hendrick Motorsports driver as a race favorite, yet he's available right now at the very affordable price of 20-1.
I'm in.
The bet:Chase Elliott (+2000) to Win via bet365
