The NASCAR Cup Series heads to Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s road course for the Verizon 200 at the Brickyard Sunday. The green flag is set to drop at approximately 1:05 p.m. ET. Below we analyze the 2021 Verizon 200 odds and lines, with NASCAR picks and predictions.
Joe Gibbs Racing’s Martin Truex Jr. topped all drivers in Saturday’s practice session with a best speed of 98.021 mph.
2021 Verizon 200: What you need to know
- Hendrick Motorsports driver William Byron was second in Saturday’s practice session with a best speed of 97.487 mph, making him the fastest Chevrolet in the field.
- Hendrick’s Kyle Larson won the most recent road course race, last weekend at Watkins Glen, for his sixth victory of the season, and his second checkered flag on a road course.
- JGR’s Kyle Busch and Stewart-Haas Racing’s Kevin Harvick made it very public Saturday after practice that they would have preferred the race at Indianapolis be on the standard oval track rather than the road course setup.
- Team Penske’s Austin Cindric and Stewart-Haas Racing’s Chase Briscoe were each strong in practice Saturday, with Cindric finished fifth and Briscoe checking in seventh. Qualifying is Sunday morning.
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Who is going to win the 2021 Verizon 200?
Odds courtesy of Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated at 12:11 p.m. ET.
ELLIOTT (+220) is the chalk for Sunday’s race, and he has been the gold standard when it comes to road-course racing. He has an Average-Finish Position (AFP) of 5.4 in five road-course starts this season, winning at both the Circuit of the Americas (COTA) and Road America.
WILLIAM BYRON (+900) has a little bit longer odds than his teammate Elliott, but the driver of the No. 24 machine was strong in practice Saturday. Byron posted a best speed of 97.487 mph, tops among all Chevrolets, and second among all drivers.
KYLE LARSON (+320) was strong in practice Saturday, posting a speed of 97.445 mph, just a tick behind Byron and MTJ.
Long-shot bets for the 2021 Verizon 200
If you’re looking to invest in a big-time long-shot, SHR’s CHASE BRISCOE (+1500) has been turning some heads. He was a very solid seventh in practice Saturday with a best speed of 97.009 mph, and he is a serious contender in this race.
It’s rare to see KEVIN HARVICK (+3000) in this section. His season hasn’t exactly gone according to plan, and, as mentioned above, he voiced his displeasure with the road-course setup rather than the typical oval at “The Brickyard”. However, he is a tremendous value in this price range.
Road-course ringer A.J. ALLMENDINGER (+2000) is also worth a small-unit play, although his odds aren’t nearly as long as the other two above.
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