NASCAR iRacing at Texas: Using Betting Odds to Make O’Reilly Auto Parts 125 DraftKings Pool Picks

While DFS operators have yet to offer traditional contests on NASCAR's iRacing Pro Invitational Series, DraftKings Sportsbook has posted a betting pool that is free to play and awards a $10,000 prize to the winner.

I'm very new to iRacing, but figured I'd take a chance on Sunday's eNASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts 125 at Texas (1 p.m. ET on FOX, FS1 and/or the FOX Sports app) contest.

And because I don't know much about eNASCAR iRacing, I decided to lean heavily on betting odds to make my DraftKings picks.

NASCAR iRacing at Texas Odds, DraftKings Picks

Who will have the highest finish this week?

• Denny Hamlin
• Dale Earnhardt Jr.
• Timmy Hill
• Chase Briscoe
• Garrett Smithley

Denny Hamlin and Dale Earnhardt Jr. finished first and second in last week's race at Homestead-Miami Speedway, yet Timmy Hill has the best odds of the group.

The pick: Hill

How many drivers will lead at least one lap in the race?

• Five or fewer
• Six
• Seven
• Eight or more

The current over/under for number of leaders is 5.5 with even juice on both sides. As a result, I'm taking the under here because it gives me 1-5 instead of having to pick exactly six, seven or eight or more.

The pick: Five or fewer

Will the winner of this race be a driver who won a Cup Series race in 2019?

• Yes
• No

According to odds, the four most likely drivers to win this race did not visit Victory Lane in a Cup Series race last season. This is an easy no.

The pick: No

Will Kyle Busch finish in the top 10?

• Yes
• No

Since I know very little about iRacing overall, and Busch's odds to win fall outside of the top 10 drivers, I'll say no.

The pick: No

What will be the manufacturer of the race winner?

• Chevrolet
• Ford
• Toyota

The two race favorites (Ty Majeski and William Byron) drive Chevrolets, and Chevy represents four of the top six drivers in terms of odds.

The pick: Chevy

Will there be a driver who leads at least 25 laps in the race?

• Yes
• No

This is truly a shot in the dark, but I'm taking yes. In last week's race, William Byron led 28 laps and Garrett Smithley was out front for 24, so two drivers were right at this mark.

Granted, the iRacing event at Homestead was 150 laps compared to the 125 that will be run at Texas on Sunday, so there are fewer overall laps to lead.

However, because tires are much more important at Homestead than (I think) they will be at Texas, it's reasonable to assume that passing will be hard and the driver out front will stay there for a while.

The pick: Yes

Who will have the highest finish this week?

• William Byron
• Parker Kligerman
• Bubba Wallace
• Alex Bowman
• Landon Cassill

This is another easy pick. Byron is currently the co-favorite to win the race, way ahead of the rest of the grouping.

The pick: Byron

Will the winner of this race be a driver with at least one Cup Series championship?

• Yes
• No

This is the easiest question of the entire contest. None of the top 10 drivers, in terms of betting odds, are former Cup champions.

The pick: No

Will the winning car number be odd-numbered or even-numbered?

• Odd
• Even

This is another coin-flip question, and I'm taking odd.

The pick: Odd-numbered

Who will have the highest finish this week?

• Jimmie Johnson
• Bobby Labonte
• Erik Jones
• Ty Dillon
• Kurt Busch

Erik Jones has, by far, the best odds of this grouping, so I'm not overthinking it.

The pick: Jones

Who will have the highest finish this week?

• Matt DiBenedetto
• Tyler Reddick
• Ryan Preece
• Christopher Bell
• Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

Again, I'm taking the driver with the best odds of the group.

The pick: Bell