The NASCAR Cup Series comes to World Wide Technology Raceway in Madison, Ill., Sunday for the 2022 Enjoy Illinois 300 presented by TicketSmarter. The green flag is set to drop a little after 3:30 p.m. ET (FS1). Below we analyze the 2022 Enjoy Illinois 300 odds and lines, with NASCAR picks and predictions.
Sunday’s race is scheduled for 240 laps and 300 miles at World Wide Technology Raceway. This is the debut NASCAR Cup Series event at the track just across the Mississippi River from St. Louis.
While we have no prior track history to draw from, this is a short track race, so we’ll be using drivers who are particularly strong on tracks like Bristol, Richmond, etc. … The drivers did practice Friday, getting their collective feet wet at the new track.
WWT is a flat track, so we’ll also look at drivers who are fairly decent at flats like Phoenix, as well as New Hampshire. All 4 turns are completely different, too, so it will make for a unique event.
2022 Enjoy Illinois 300: What you need to know
- Joe Gibbs Racing’s Denny Hamlin is a driver who has excelled at both New Hampshire and Phoenix, tracks we believe will be fairly similar to WWT. In fact, Hamlin has 5 combined victories in 62 starts at the two flat tracks.
- Kevin Harvick is another driver who has dominated on flats, including 9 career victories at Phoenix Raceway. He should find the confines of World Wide Technology Raceway to his liking.
- Hendrick Motorsports’ Alex Bowman is a driver to avoid this week. He has struggled over the years at both New Hampshire and Phoenix, posting a 23.2 Average-Finish Position (AFP) in 10 starts at NHMS, and 23.1 AFP in 14 career Phoenix runs.
- Penske Racing drivers Joey Logano and Ryan Blaney were 1-2 in practice Friday, with Logano topping the charts at 136.753 mph.
- Kurt Busch was the top Toyota, checking in 4th at 136.096 mph, while Erik Jones was the best Chevy at 136.001 mph.
- RKF Racing’s Chris Buescher will sit out after testing positive for COVID-19. Zane Smith will step in to drive the No. 17 Ford during Buescher’s absence. Smith finished 26th in practice Friday at 134.332 mph.
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Enjoy Illinois 300 – Expert picks
Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 6:38 a.m. ET.
BLANEY, teammate Logano and Stewart-Haas Racing’s Chase Briscoe, who is starting on the pole, are the favorites, each listed at 9-to-1.
However, I really like BLANEY (+900) here. He certainly looked comfortable on the track in practice.
JOEY LOGANO (+900) is also a strong value based on the practice results.
Both are STRONG PLAYS Sunday.
Enjoy Illinois 300 picks – Long shot
KEVIN HARVICK (+3000) has been a stud on flat tracks over his career. While he was rather mediocre in practice, checking in 15th with a 135.176 mph speed, he is worth a roll of the dice.
Enjoy Illinois 300 prop picks
RYAN BLANEY TOP-5 FINISH (-110)
Blaney obviously doesn’t pay nearly as well for a top-5 finish as he does to win the race outright, but this is still a pretty decent price at near even-money.
JOEY LOGANO TOP-5 FINISH (+125)
Logano topped the practice charts Friday, and he is a strong play at plus-money to finish inside the top 5. In fact, Fords dominated the practice session Friday, posting the 3 best times, all over 136.104 mph.
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