The NASCAR Cup Series returns to North Wilkesboro Speedway Sunday for the 2023 All-Star Open and All-Star Race. Green flag is scheduled to drop shortly after 5:30 p.m. ET (FS1) for the Open, and 8 p.m. ET (FS1) for the All-Star Race. Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s lines around the 2023 All-Star Open and All-Star Race odds, and make our expert NASCAR picks and predictions.
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All-Star Open and All-Star Race: What you need to know
- The All-Star Open features 16 drivers, with Joe Gibbs Racing driver Ty Gibbs leading the field from Row 1 with Josh Berry of Hendrick Motorsports
- Rick Ware Racing brings back veteran Ryan Newman for the Open, and he’ll go off 14th in the No. 51 Chevrolet
- Hendrick Motorsports driver Kyle Larson posted a best speed of 109.144 mph in Friday’s practice to lead all drivers. Larson also won the Truck Series race on Saturday afternoon
- 23XI Racing’s Bubba Wallace ran 5th in Saturday’s Truck Series race. It was a huge improvement over his 22nd-place showing in Friday’s practice in a Cup car
- TrackHouse Racing’s Ross Chastain posted a 9th-place run in the Trucks race Saturday, also an improvement over his 16th-place showing in Friday’s Cup practice
- Hendrick’s William Byron, last week’s winner in Darlington, was 7th in practice Friday, and he turned in an 11th-place run in the Trucks race
- RFK Racing’s Brad Keselowski was 2nd in Friday’s practice session, posting a 108.408 mph best speed
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All-Star Open and All-Star Race – Expert picks
Odds provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated 12:47 a.m. ET.
CHANDLER SMITH (+4000) is worth a roll of the dice in the All-Star Open. In Friday’s practice behind the wheel of the No. 13 Chevrolet for Kaulig Racing, he handled himself with aplomb.
Smith posted an overall lap average of 21.758 seconds, including a 5-lap average of 21.218 seconds. That 5-lap average was better than Cup regulars Joey Logano (21.305), Ross Chastain (21.382), and nearly on par with Kyle Larson (21.202), just to name a few.
Smith is worth a roll of the dice in the Open for a chance to multiply up by 30.
In the All-Star Race at 8 p.m. ET, KYLE LARSON (+800) is the obvious play. As mentioned, he turned in a 5-lap track average of 21.202 seconds in Friday’s practice, and he has the confidence of winning Saturday’s truck race. North Wilkesboro seems to agree with the Hendrick Motorsports driver, and he has used his knowledge of the track from eSports to his advantage in real-life racing.
All-Star Race – Long shot
While ROSS CHASTAIN (+1800) certainly wears the black hat in the NASCAR Cup Series, as he always seems to be in the middle of some kind of driver controversy, he is also very productive. Bettors have found him to be a dependable meal ticket.
While Chastain was a disappointing 29th last week at Darlington after going off 5th, he has a pair of top-5 runs in the 2 races prior to South Carolina. He also has been in the Top 5 in 4 of his last 8 races overall, and 5 times this season. He hasn’t scored checkers just yet, but he has shown he is a threat on tri-ovals, intermediates and road tracks, showing tremendous versatility.
At this price point, he is a nice value at North Wilkesboro, and he showed well in the Trucks race, getting a lay of the land.
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