NASCAR Odds, Picks & Predictions for Gateway: 2 Early Bets to Win Sunday’s Enjoy Illinois 300
Photo by Buda Mendes/Getty Images. Pictured: NASCAR Cup Series driver Chase Elliott
After an incredible Coca-Cola 600 full of action, passing and attrition, the NASCAR Cup Series heads to World Wide Technology Raceway (3:30 p.m. ET, FS1).
The 1.25-mile, egg-shaped track is certainly unique, but probably best put in the short-flat category with banking of only 11 and nine degrees in its corners.
That gives us three comparable tracks to look at when finding the best bets for this weekend's race.
Those tracks, Phoenix, Richmond and Martinsville, provide a nice variety that, when blended together, should give us an idea of how drivers are performing at these tracks.
In doing so, I've found two bets that really jump out to me, so let's get to this week's best early bets for World Wide Technology Raceway.
NASCAR at Gateway Picks
*Odds as of Tuesday morning
Chase Elliott to Win (+1000)
Let's look at the drivers with the best average green flag speed ranks at Phoenix, Richmond and Martinsville:
- Chase Elliott (2.3)
- Kevin Harvick (5.0)
- Ryan Blaney (5.3)
Immediately Chase Elliott pops out as the fastest of the bunch. Not only does he have the fastest average rank, but it's nearly three full places ahead of Harvick and exactly three spots ahead of Blaney.
If we want to drill down a bit further and pull in some other tracks, Elliott won at the one-mile track at Dover, and finished fifth at the 1.336 mile egg-shaped (but highly-banked) Darlington Raceway.
These odds at DraftKings are simply too long for a driver that's been this strong at the five most similar tracks.
The Bet: Chase Elliott +1000 to Win | Bet to: +900
Ryan Blaney to Win (+1200)
If we continue along with more analysis of the three short, flat track races we also find this gem.
Here are the best average driver ratings at Phoenix, Richmond and Martinsville:
- William Byron
- Ryan Blaney
- Chase Elliott
While I don't mind Byron at 10-1 outright, there's even more value on Ryan Blaney at 12-1 at Caesars Sportsbook, considering that Blaney also showed up on the fastest average green flag speed ranking chart.
Blaney had arguably the best car at Phoenix, he led over one-quarter of the race at Richmond, and had the fourth-best average running position at Martinsville.
When a driver is consistently running up front, the wins will come. That's exactly what Blaney has been doing at the short, flat tracks.
The Bet: Ryan Blaney +1200 to Win | Bet to: +1000
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