The NASCAR Cup Series playoffs continue the Round of 8 this weekend, as Texas Motor Speedway will host the Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 500 on Sunday afternoon. There are only two races left to determine who the Championship 4 will be when the season ends at Phoenix Raceway. Joey Logano is locked in thanks to his win at Kansas Speedway. The last time NASCAR came to Texas Motor Speedway, in July, Austin Dillon picked up the Cup Series win.
Let’s take a look at the odds for each driver to win, along with NASCAR betting thoughts on some of our top picks.
NASCAR Cup Series: 2020 Round of 8 Playoff Preview
Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 500 (October 25)
| Driver Odds | |
| Kevin Harvick | 5/2 |
| Denny Hamlin | 4/1 |
| Martin Truex Jr, Chase Elliott, Brad Keselowski, Ryan Blaney | 7/1 |
| Joey Logano | 14/1 |
| Alex Bowman | 20/1 |
| Kurt Busch | 30/1 |
| Aric Almirola, William Byron, Erik Jones | 40/1 |
| Matt DiBenedetto, Austin Dillon | 60/1 |
| Tyler Reddick, Clint Bowyer, Jimmie Johnson, Christopher Bell, Cole Custer | 100/1 |
| Ricky Stenhouse Jr | 300/1 |
| Matt Kenseth, Ryan Newman | 500/1 |
| Chris Buescher | 1000/1 |
| Darrell Wallace Jr | 2000/1 |
| John Hunter Nemechek, Michael McDowell, Ty Dillon, Ryan Preece | 5000/1 |
| Daniel Suarez, Corey LaJoie, Brennan Poole, Quin Houff, J.J. Yeley, Timmy Hill, Josh Bilicki, Joey Gase, Reed Sorenson, Garrett Smithley, Chad Finchum | 10000/1 |
Kevin Harvick picked up 11 fast lap points and 10 points for leading laps in the July race at Texas Motor Speedway. He also had the third most laps run in the race inside the top five places.
Ryan Blaney does well at speed tracks like Texas Motor Speedway. The only reason he didn’t win here in July was his pit cycle right before a caution, and he got stuck in traffic near the end of the race. He had a fast car, but he wasn’t able to weave in and out enough to get back to the front of the pack.
Denny Hamlin used pit strategy to his advantage at the July race here. He dropped 10 positions between the green flag and the caution. At the end of Stage 1, he was in 15th place, but he chose not to pit before Stage 2, and he moved up to the top five, where he would finish.
Martin Truex Jr worked his way up to third place at the July race. However, a fueling issue caused him some problems that he could not overcome. While he was working his way back to the front, a giant wreck near the start of Stage 3 reeled him in.
Kyle Busch only picked up six fast lap points at the July race despite running 129 laps in the top five, the most of any driver.
Matt DiBenedetto picked up four fast lap points despite the fact that he had no laps where he was in the top five.
Joey Logano was a victim of the track in July. He got lucky at the caution, moving into third with four fresh tires, but he could not pass the two drivers in front of him.
Brad Keselowski also was a victim of the fact that Texas Motor Speedway has become a “pit road race” — a race track with just one groove, making it difficult to pass. He used pit road strategy to move into the top five despite the fact that his car was not particularly fast that day.
Jimmie Johnson actually managed to work his way through the crowd in July at Texas Motor Speedway, moving from 20th up to eighth. However, he took a penalty during the caution and had to give up the position he had gained. He wrecked late in Stage 1, keeping him out of the top ten.
Alex Bowman has a car that can crack the top ten but not bring him into the lead for laps. If you can lead laps in Texas, you’ll pick up fast laps. However, he is a clever driver in terms of strategy, so don’t be surprised to see him take advantage of those rare passing opportunities.
Kurt Busch has to win in order to make the Championship 4 after his disappointing results last week. Fortune favors the bold — do you believe that he has what it takes to win this week too?
NASCAR Betting Odds
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