NASCAR Cup Series Shriners Children’s 500 Betting Preview

Article ByKyle Garlett

March 8, 2024

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Posted in: US Sports Betting News, US Gambling News

In the world of golf, the early season has been dominated by no-names. The PGA Tour needs its stars to step up and start winning. That is definitely the case in the world of stock car racing. The NASCAR Cup Series has had three races, three close races, and two of three winners are the two favorites to win the Cup Series trophy.

Nevada online sportsbooks, the site of last week’s race, has last week’s winner, Kyle Larson, as a +550 favorite. Right behind him is Daytona 500 winner William Byron, paying +600.

This week, the Cup Series makes the short trip from Las Vegas to Phoenix for the Shriners Children’s 500, the place where the final race of the playoffs will be run and a champion will be crowned. Last November, that man was Ryan Blaney.

Favorites to Win Shriners Children’s 500

Kyle Larson (+550)

Ryan Blaney (+650)

William Byron (+700)

Ross Chastain (+900)

Denny Hamlin (+900)

Christopher Bell (+900)

Martin Truex Jr. (+900)

Kyle Busch (+1000)

Joey Logano (+1200)

Tyler Reddick (+1400)

Chase Elliott (+1400)

Arizona online sportsbooks have Kyle Larson as the favorite in Phoenix. If he wins, it would give him back-to-back checkered flags. We’ve seen the 2021 Cup Series champion string together multiple wins in a row before. During that incredible season in 2021, he won four consecutive races, then later in the year, he won three straight.

Larson has finished in the top 10 in nine of his last 10 races at Phoenix Raceway, and in this race last year, he led for a total of 204 laps.

Ryan Blaney has never won here, but it is probably his favorite track on the circuit. That is because his second-place finish here in November was enough to secure the Cup Series championship. He also finished as the runner-up in this race last March, and again in November of 2022. Altogether, he has five consecutive top 5 finishes in Phoenix.

William Byron is just a tad behind Blaney on the odds board. But unlike Blaney, he has won here. Twelve months ago, starting from the third position, Byron pulled off the victory after leading for 64 laps. Eight months later in November, he finished fourth, leading that race for 95 laps. And in the Phoenix race before that, Byron was sixth.

There are a number of other Phoenix winners among the favorites, like Ross Chastain, who took the victory last November. Martin Truex Jr. won here in 2021, Joey Logano was the winner in 2020, and Kyle Busch was in 2019.

Best Bets for Nonfavorites

Chase Briscoe is down the board at +2500, and that is a surprisingly high number. Two years ago, he was the winner in this race, and last year, he was seventh. Sandwiched in-between was a fourth-place finish in the November race in Phoenix.

Kevin Harvick won this race a total of six times. No one has more than two wins. And since you can’t bet on Harvick anymore, bet on the driver who has taken over his car. That is Josh Berry, who last year filled in for Harvick at this race and finished 10th. This car and this team understand Phoenix Raceway, and Berry is paying a very tempting +7000.

Daniel Suarez is also +7000 despite being one of just three winners in 2024. He doesn’t have a great record in Phoenix, with just one top 10 finish since 2018. But he did win in Atlanta, and last week in Las Vegas, he led for 15 laps and finished the race in 11th-place.