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It’s a busy week in Motor Sports Top Picks! As all three of the NASCAR circuits are running down in Miami, Formula 1 has the Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai, and IndyCar is revving up for a Grand Prix of their own out in California.
Christopher Bell and Lando Norris are the big names in NASCAR and F1 right now, respectively – Bell won three NASCAR Cup Series races in a row before Josh Berry cooled off that streak in Las Vegas last weekend.
Norris won the Australian Grand Prix to open the Formula 1 season, and while series legend Lewis Hamilton left Mercedes for Ferrari in the off-season, both of Mercedes’ drivers finished ahead of Hamilton in Melbourne.
Is Hamilton’s problem less about the car and more about Father Time catching up with him?
Let’s look at your best sports betting options on the tracks this coming weekend.
Motor Sports Top Picks: Racing Events of the Weekend – What events are happening?
NASCAR Weekend: Homestead-Miami Speedway
Craftsman Truck Series: Baptist Health 200 (Friday, 8:00 pm ET)
Xfinity Series: Hard Rock Bet 300 (Saturday, 4:00 pm ET)
Cup Series: Straight Talk Wireless 400 (Sunday, 3:00 pm ET)
Homestead-Miami Speedway is a 1.5-mile oval intermediate speedway, featuring 18–20 degrees of banking in the turns and four degrees on the straights.
Last week in the Cup Series, Josh Berry won a close battle with Daniel Suarez at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, pulling away after the final restart with 19 laps to go. This was Berry’s first Cup Series win, although he had won twice before in the Xfinity Series at that track.
He took advantage of a lap 195 caution after a seven-car pileup, taking control of the race from Kyle Larson, who won Stage 2 and led 61 laps. Ryan Preece, William Byron (current points leader) and Ross Chastain rounded out the top five. The race had 32 lead changes among 13 drivers.
Justin Allgaier triumphed in The LiUNA! at Las Vegas in the Xfinity Series, securing his 26th career win. He outpaced Aric Almirola by 1.067 seconds, preventing Almirola from winning consecutively. Jesse Love, Austin Hill, and Sam Mayer completed the top five.
Corey Heim won the Ecosave 200 in the Craftsman Truck Series held in Las Vegas. Despite a speeding penalty on Lap 31, his crew helped him regain the lead on Lap 86. He overtook Layne Riggs on Lap 101 and led a race-high 42 laps, finishing 0.825 seconds ahead of Grant Enfinger. Tanner Gray placed third, followed by Ty Majeski and Riggs.
^Formula 1: Chinese Grand Prix
Shanghai International Circuit (Sunday, 3:00 am ET)
Moving from Melbourne to Shanghai has not gone smoothly at all because of freight issues. The shipments of Pirelli – the tire supplier – have been interrupted, and as a result, the FIA has shortened the 11 ½-hour curfew on Wednesday night to just six hours. The curfew will remain its normal length Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
The Shanghai International Circuit experienced a fire last year due to venting natural gas, but no similar concerns exist this year. The track features 16 turns and two long straights, with challenging sections at turns 1-4 and hairpins at 6 and 14. Michael Schumacher holds the lap record from 2004.
^All you need to know for the first #F1Sprint of the season #F1 #ChineseGP pic.twitter.com/VNVGoMWdGl
— Formula 1 (@F1) March 20, 2025
NTT IndyCar: The Thermal Club IndyCar Grand Prix
The Thermal Club, Thermal, CA (Sunday, 3:00 pm ET)
The 2025 IndyCar season introduces new tire compounds, pit stops and a hybrid engine. Àlex Palou won the St. Petersburg opener and the $1 Million Challenge at The Thermal Club, now part of the championship. The 3.067-mile circuit, with 19 challenging turns, faces desert dust.
^Motor Sports Top Picks: How can I bet on these events?
Both the Formula 1 race and the NASCAR series of events will offer numerous sports betting opportunities. There will be betting markets for all four races, including odds to win and finish in the top 3, top 5 and possibly the top 10. There will also be wagers on qualifying results and favorite driver matchups.
In auto racing, external factors frequently impact outcomes beyond a driver’s control. For instance, Max Verstappen experienced a brake fire last year unrelated to his driving skills. Similarly, in NASCAR, leading drivers can be sidelined by crashes, allowing mid-pack racers to seize victory amidst the chaos. While unpredictable elements can affect any sport, racing uniquely grapples with mechanical performance issues and accidents involving other competitors, leading to less certainty in research compared to other sports.
Limiting your bet size to 1 to 3 percent of your bankroll is crucial in wagering. Avoid emotional betting after a loss, such as backing Lewis Hamilton for the Australian Grand Prix just due to his past success with Mercedes. Remember, he ranks low in F1 odds for a reason, as current tests indicate Ferrari’s performance isn’t significantly better than McLaren or Red Bull. It’s essential to conduct thorough research and maintain a well-defined betting strategy before placing any bets.
^Motor Sports Top Picks provided by Xbet
What are the winning picks – now that I know how to bet?
NASCAR Cup Series: Straight Talk Wireless 400
- Kyle Larson +360
- Tyler Reddick +440
- Ryan Blaney +500
- William Byron +690
- Christopher Bell +810
- Denny Hamlin +1125
- Chase Elliott +1450
- Ross Chastain +1850
- Joey Logano +1950
- Kyle Busch +1850
The last four winners at the spring Homestead-Miami race are Tyler Reddick, Christopher Bell, Kyle Larson, and William Byron. In his last 11 starts here, Larson has five top-five finishes, which explains why he’s entered all three races this weekend.
Logano and Reddick both have four top-five finishes recently, with Logano’s in the last 16 races and Reddick’s in the last five. This standard 1 ½-mile oval offers various strong driver options, but chaos is unlikely, making it hard for lower-tier drivers to emerge.
^NASCAR Xfinity Series: Hard Rock Bet 300
- Kyle Larson -143
- Sheldon Creed +720
- Justin Allgaier +920
- Austin Hill +920
- Sam Mayer +1225
- Jesse Love +1525
- Connor Zilisch +1525
- Carson Kvapil +2200
- Brandon Jones +2900
- Ryan Sieg +2900
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series: Baptist Health 200
- Kyle Larson -124
- Corey Heim +510
- Ross Chastain +1050
- Chandler Smith +1150
- Grant Enfinger +1225
- Ty Majeski +1375
- Layne Riggs +1525
- Kaden Honeycutt +2600
- Brandon Jones +2900
- Daniel Hemric +2900
Formula 1: Chinese Grand Prix
- Lando Norris +100
- Max Verstappen +330
- Oscar Piastri +330
- Charles Leclerc +1600
- George Russell +1600
- Lewis Hamilton +2200
- Kimi Antonelli +4000
- Carlos Sainz +12000
- Pierre Hasly +12000
- Alex Albon +12000
McLaren and Lando Norris are on a winning streak after triumphing in last year’s Abu Dhabi finale and the Melbourne opener. Despite a strong performance from George Russell at Mercedes, McLaren’s speed dominates the field. Max Verstappen struggled to overtake Norris, even in the rain. Oscar Piastri, another McLaren driver, led most of the race but made a costly error at Turn 12, ending in the gravel. He could be a valuable pick to win again.
Mercedes appears to have surpassed Ferrari in speed this season, indicating Hamilton may have exited at an inopportune moment. Russell notably finished on the podium twice last year, winning two races, showcasing the team’s current performance.
Lewis Hamilton had his worst season opener, qualifying eighth and finishing 10th in the rainy chaos of Melbourne. Despite his six wins at Shanghai, Ferrari needs to improve their strategy, particularly their decision to remain on hard tires during the rain, which hindered both Hamilton and Charles Leclerc. Transitioning from Mercedes to Ferrari requires adapting to a new turbo-hybrid engine and maximizing tire performance. With only one practice session available this sprint weekend, Hamilton’s adaptability and experience will be crucial.
Leclerc performed well in qualifying but faltered in the race, which saw Lando Norris winning from pole. McLaren and Racing Bulls remained competitive. Notably, Lance Stroll secured sixth for his first point in 12 races, while rookie Kimi Antonelli impressively finished fourth from 16th.
^NTT IndyCar: The Thermal Club IndyCar Grand Prix
- Àlex Palou +199
- Scott McLaughlin +370
- Josef Newgarden +550
- Scott Dixon +750
- Pato O’Ward +750
- Colton Herta +800
- Will Power +1000
- Kyle Kirkwood +1600
- Marcus Ericsson +2000
- Felix Rosenqvisst +2200
Palou is the clear favorite, recently winning and being a three-time defending champ. McLaughlin, who qualified first, finished fourth. Newgarden, a two-time champ with 31 wins, secured third place. All are solid choices for upcoming races.
Kyle Kirkwood is a sleeper to watch; he finished fifth at St. Petersburg and has two race wins. Marcus Ericsson qualified seventh and ended fifth, though he hasn’t won since 2023. Will Power, a two-time champion, had a disappointing 26th at St. Petersburg and struggled at The Thermal Club last year.
^RACE WEEK WITH A VIEW pic.twitter.com/KMFIeQVDyk
— NTT INDYCAR SERIES (@IndyCar) March 19, 2025
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