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The NASCAR Cup Series heads to Darlington Raceway for the 2023 Cook Out Raceway 500 Sunday night. The green flag is set to drop shortly after 6 p.m. ET (USA Network). Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s lines around the 2023 Cook Out Southern 500 odds, and make our expert NASCAR picks and predictions.
2023 Cook Out Southern 500: What you need to know
- Hendrick Motorsports driver William Byron picked up the victory in mid-May at the Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway. He will start 23rd Sunday
- Joe Gibbs Racing driver Christopher Bell is on the pole after posting a best speed of 169.193 mph, edging out teammate Denny Hamlin at 169.042 mph
- Hamlin leads all drivers with 4 Darlington victories and a 7.7 Average-Finish Position (AFP) with 801 laps led and 0 DNFs
- Hendrick’s Kyle Larson has 11 career starts under his belt at Darlington. While he has never won at the track, he has a 10.2 AFP, which is 2nd among all active drivers
- JGR’s Martin Truex Jr. leads all active drivers with 914 laps led at Darlington in his 22 career starts while picking up 2 wins and 10 top-10 finishes. MTJ will have to work his way up from a starting spot of 31st
- Wood Brothers Racing’s Harrison Burton finished 6th at Darlington in May. He has a respectable 13.7 AFP in his 3 Cup starts at the track. Burton goes starts 32nd Sunday
- Kaulig Racing’s Justin Haley produced a top-10 finish in May, and he has ended up inside the top 20 on 3 of his 5 Cup starts at Darlington, while managing a respectable 16.6 AFP
- Stewart-Haas Racing driver Ryan Preece went for a highlight-reel crash and tumble last weekend at Daytona. He is healthy, and starts 34th Sunday
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2023 Cook Out Southern 500 – Expert pick(s)
Odds provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 5:02 a.m. ET.
DENNY HAMLIN (+500) is always a safe play at Darlington. He has 4 victories in his 22 Cup starts, while 12 of his runs (54.5%) have resulted in a finish inside the top 5. Hamlin was a surprising 12th in the race in May, so he is due to bounce back, too.
If you’re looking for a contender with slightly longer odds, Team Penske driver JOEY LOGANO (+1600) is worth a look. He only has 1 checkered flag in his 19 Cup starts, but he has a respectable 13.3 AFP with 293 laps led and just 1 DNF with 10 top-10 finishes.
In addition, it would be a storybook finish if KEVIN HARVICK (+1600) was able to win in his final Darlington Cup start. He has 3 career victories at the “Track Too Tough to Tame,” and he has ended up 5th or better in 14 of his 31 starts at the track while posting a 12.4 AFP. He was a runner-up to Byron back in May and could easily challenge for checkers in his swan song.
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2023 Cook Out Southern 500 – Long shot(s)
As far as long shots go, look no further than Legacy Motor Club driver ERIK JONES (+5000). He has managed a pair of victories in his 11 career Cup starts, while ending up inside the top 5 on 5 occasions. He has led 132 laps, while managing an impressive 12.0 AFP. He struggled with a 25th-place finish in May, and is looking for the rebound.
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For more sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW.
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