NASCAR at COTA Odds, Predictions: 2 Early Bets for Sunday’s Echopark Texas Grand Prix

NASCAR at COTA Odds, Predictions: 2 Early Bets for Sunday’s Echopark Texas Grand Prix article feature image
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Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images. Pictured: NASCAR Cup Series drivers Ryan Newman (No. 6), A.J. Allmendinger (No. 16) and Tyler Reddick (No. 8) race

Sunday's NASCAR Echopark Texas Grand Prix (2:30 p.m. ET, FS1) at Circuit of the Americas (COTA) marks a handful of firsts:

  • The first time NASCAR has ever raced at COTA.
  • The first time NASCAR will host practice and qualifying since the Bristol Dirt Race in March — and only the second time since the sport shut down during the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • The first time I've had a handful of early bets in months.

The field for Sunday's NASCAR Cup Series race at COTA is loaded with talented ringers. Furthermore, with Chase Elliott (+250) as such a heavy favorite, there are some very nice opportunities to lock in drivers further down the odds board at generous prices.

Overall, my strategy is still to dig into practice to fill out my NASCAR at COTA betting card. However, the drivers below, including a 90-1 longshot, are well worth taking right now ahead of the weekend's on-track activity.

Note: I will be on vacation for a week starting Friday, so it's very unlikely that I'll be writing more articles for NASCAR at COTA (and even if I did, I doubt they'd make much sense).

So be sure to follow me on Twitter (@PJWalsh24), where I'll post any additional bets I place for the weekend's NASCAR action, including the Cup, XFINITY and Truck Series events.

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NASCAR at COTA Betting Predictions

*Odds as of Friday at 9 a.m. ET

A.J. Allmendinger (+2800)

Simply put: Almendinger is one of the best road-course racers in NASCAR.

However, considering he's not a full-time Cup Series driver, the quality (or lack thereof) of his equipment would typically prevent me from making an early bet like this. In fact, I faded him across the board at the Daytona Roval back in February and ended up being 100% wrong.

Dinger had plenty of speed in that race and, more importantly, Kaulig Racing's part-time No. 16 Cup car has been faster than I expected this season, scoring two top-seven finishes in three races.

Additionally, the weekend schedule at COTA benefits Allmendinger even more.

Instead of being stuck at the back of the field due to the starting lineup formula NASCAR uses at most races, there will be qualifying to set the field. As a result, drivers like Allmendinger have the ability to secure a top starting spot at a race where track position will be key.

Also important is that Allmendinger will be competing in the XFINITY Series race on Saturday as well, giving him even more laps (more practice, qualifying and a full race) before Sunday's Cup race.

The market consensus price right now is 22-1. However, there are plenty of books, like DraftKings Sportsbook and BetMGM, still hanging 28-1.

Chase Briscoe (+9000)

Last week at Dover I bet Briscoe +550 for a top-10 finish, and Chase promptly finished 65 laps down in 35th place. #NailedIt

So why not go right back to the Briscoe well, right?

All jokes aside, I love Briscoe at 90-1 for Sunday's race. Chase is a skilled road-course racer, highlighted by XFINITY Series wins at the Charlotte Roval and on the road course at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Moreover, Briscoe was often out in front, leading chunks of laps at the road races that he didn't end up winning.

By snagging the No. 14 Stewart-Haas Ford right now at 90-1, we're getting very fast equipment that will be piloted by a very capable road-course racer.

PointsBet is currently offering Chase at +9000 while the majority of books across the market are now at +8000. If you can't grab the 90-1, I still like +8000 if that's the best you can find.

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