NASCAR at Talladega Betting Report: Sportsbooks Rooting Against Denny Hamlin in Sunday’s GEICO 500

NASCAR's version of a major tournament takes place this weekend at the GEICO 500 at Talladega Superspeedway with sportsbooks rooting against betting favorite Denny Hamlin.

Hamlin, +650 at BetMGM, is looking for his third career win at this track. And bettors like his chances of winning his second straight race at the superspeedway.

According to data released by BetMGM, Hamlin is the most popular driver in terms of bets taken and money wagered on to win the race. More than 9% of all bets to win the race are on Hamlin, with 67% of the total dollars wagered — also known as handle — on him as well.

Hamlin has finished in the top five in each of his last six races, including a runner-up finish at last week's Toyota Owners 400. That's enough to convince one bettor to wager $15,000 on Hamlin to win $97,500, which is the biggest bet of the race at BetMGM.

The sportsbook has also taken a $5,000 bet on Hamlin to finish in the top three, which has odds of +200.

"Hamlin taking the checkered flag on Sunday would be the worst outcome for the sportsbook," BetMGM sports trader Darren Darby said.

Outside of Hamlin, Joey Logano is getting the attention of bettors. Logano is second on the odds board at +900 and ranks second in bet percentage and third in handle. Logano won this race in 2018.

The 2019 winner Chase Elliott is second in total handle with 3.5% of dollars bet on him to win. Matt DiBenedetto is 17th on the board at +3000, but is second in bets taken.

Last year's winner Ryan Blaney is the third favorite on the board at +1000.