The NASCAR Cup Series gives us two chances to bet on the eventual second-place finisher with a doubleheader at Pocono Raceway this weekend.
The action starts with Saturday's Pocono Organics 325 (3:30 p.m. ET, FOX), which will be followed by the Pocono 350 (4 p.m. ET, FS1) on Sunday.
Pocono is an extremely unique 2.5-mile tri-oval with no real comps to analyze, so I'll look at past results from this track, as well as general speed at the intermediate race tracks this season.
It's also important to note that track position will be even more crucial on Saturday than it already is because the Pocono Organics 325 will be just 130 total laps, down from the traditional 160 laps the Cup Series has run at Pocono since 2012.
Ten of the last 12 Pocono winners came from a top-10 starting spot, so I'm adding more weight to starting position than normal when determining bets for Saturday's race.
Be sure to follow me on Twitter (@PJWalsh24) for any additional bets I make for Pocono.
NASCAR at Pocono Odds, Betting Picks
Odds as of Saturday at 7:30 a.m. ET
Chase Elliott to Win at Pocono (+800)
To be honest, I had Kevin Harvick and Chase Elliott as my favorites coming into Pocono and opted to take Elliott due to the better price.
Chase has simply been the best car race in and race out this season — he ranks first in average green flag speed in 2020 — and with no practice to lean on at such a unique track, I decided to fall back on Elliott's season-long speed at the solid 8-1 price.
Now, that doesn't mean I still won't end up betting on Harvick, but at this point, Elliott is the biggest favorite I've taken so far.
Ryan Blaney (+1200) to Win at Pocono
At 12-1 or better, Blaney is my favorite bet for Saturday's race at Pocono. While Elliott has been the fastest car overall this season, Blaney has been right on Chase's heels over the past seven races, and the Team Penske driver will start on the front row in the Pocono Organics 325.
In addition, Blaney's first career win came at Pocono in 2017, so he knows how to pilot a fast car around this track.
And finally, after winning at Talladega on Monday, the No. 12 team will have the best stall on pit road, giving Blaney another advantage in Saturday's race.
Tyler Reddick (+7500) to Win at Pocono
I just can't help myself when it comes to Reddick. He finished second at Pocono in the 2019 XFINITY Series race and has already proven that he can run in the top five in the Cup Series.
With that said, I'm not betting him as big as I did at Homestead, but at 75-1 Reddick is worth a flier at Pocono.
