NASCAR Picks: NASCAR Cup Series Grant Park 220 at the Chicago Street Race Best Bets, Odds to Consider on DraftKings Sportsbook

NASCAR returns to Chicago for the first time since 2019. This time however, it’s for a street race. This will be the first street circuit race in the history of the NASCAR Cup Series, There are so many unknowns heading into this weekend that it might be the perfect time to take a long shot. As always, trust the data but also trust your eyes. Here are the best bets for the NASCAR Cup Series Grant Park 220 at the Chicago Street Race.

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It’s not clear that NASCAR will return to Chicago for another street race. This could end up being a one-off spectacle. With that being a strong possibility, how likely is it that the teams and drivers are going to dedicate valuable resources towards winning this race? Even if a team did decide to heavily invest in this race, would it even matter? These teams are businesses. Why sacrifice valuable resources for what could be a wreckfest or a race where passing is impossible? If that’s the case, then that creates and intriguing NASCAR betting angle. The small to medium sized teams may seize this opportunity. If the big teams are phoning it in, the long shots might have an actual shot.

Race Winner — Grant Park 220 at the Chicago Street Race

Austin Cindric +3000

With the four favorites sitting at +700, there isn’t really a favorite. The Sportsbook does not know how to handicap the Chicago Street Course. The drivers are skeptical that this will work. NASCAR had to make track changes before even turning a lap. Everyone is on an even playing field in terms of experience. That’s not true for skill. Cindric might be the best road course driver in the Cup Series. He has yet to win a Cup Series road race because he is facing stiff competition with years of experience and reams of notebooks full of setup notes. The notebooks are empty this weekend. Experience is nonexistent. Cindric was a world class road course racer in the Xfinity Series with a handful of wins. He’s been a top-tier road racer in his first two seasons in the Cup Series.

Michael McDowell +2000

He has picked up right where he left off last season. McDowell had always been an above-average road course driver, but with the introduction of the Next Gen car, he elevated to a top-5 driver. At COTA earlier this season, he finished 12th, and then followed that road course with a top-10 finish at Sonoma several weeks ago. A win might seem out of reach, and that might be true at the standard road courses, but Chicago could be the underdog’s race.

Check back later this week for additional NASCAR matchup bets and prop bets as they become available on DraftKings Sportsbook.

Race Winner — Grant Park 220 at the Chicago Street Race

Kyle Busch +1400

Tyler Reddick won two road course races driving the No. 8 Chevy for RCR last season. Kyle Busch has been the runner-up in each of the first two road course races of 2023. The driver has changed but one variable remains the same — the crew chief. Randall Burnett began his career as a Cup Series crew chief with A.J. Allmendinger. Did the road course expert help Burnett figure out how to set up a stock car for road courses? The No. 8 RCR Chevy has won at several different types of race tracks this season. Why not check off the road course box with a great road racer like Kyle Busch?

Chris Buescher +2000

It’s not a secret anymore. Buescher is a good road racer. Even with his 2014 Xfinity Series road course win at Mid-Ohio, most racing fans did not respect his road racing skills. That was a justifiable stance given the level of competition in that race. However, over the last couple seasons, it’s become undeniable that Buescher knows how to get around a track. He has nine top-10 finishes in road course events. He was the runner-up in last season’s race at Sonoma. The fear was that with the elimination of stages, drivers like Buescher would not be able to manipulate the rules to their advantage and would struggle to advance through the field. That has not been the case. Buescher finished eighth at COTA and fourth at Sonoma.

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All betting odds provided by DraftKings Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.

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