It's been a tough few days in the NASCAR world since the passing of one of the sport's all-time legends, Kyle Busch. But as NASCAR CEO Steve O'Donnell said in a press conference on Saturday, "Kyle Busch would probably be pretty pissed if we didn't race."
And if we're going to race, we're going to bet on it. After all, Busch was sponsored by BetMGM, so he'd want us to bet too.
So in honor of Rowdy Busch, here are my best bets for the 2026 Coca-Cola 600.
Coca-Cola 600 Best Bets
Daniel Suarez
Suarez has been strong at the 1.5-mile tracks this year, and also has a strong history at this track, Charlotte Motor Speedway.
In 2022, Suarez led over 35 laps before being taken out in a late crash. Suarez also ranked sixth in my practice FLAGS metric, which is a truer metric of practice speed than lap averages or single-lap times.
He also ranked inside the top 10 in peak speed, long-run speed, and tire degradation, and in the top half in consistency in practice, leading to a top-five ranking in my overall composite metric.
My model gives him a 20% chance to finish inside the top 10, which is a couple of percentage points clear of the 16.7% implied at +500 odds at DraftKings.
