Tag: Austin Dillon

Breaking down the NASCAR crash that led owner Richard Childress to say he can kick Brad Keselowski’s ‘[expletive]’

Richard Childress was not happy with Brad Keselowski at NASCAR’s Michigan race.

Welcome to FTW’s NASCAR Feud of the Week, where we provide a detailed breakdown of the latest absurd, funny and sometimes legitimate controversies and issues within the racing world.

Our NASCAR Feud of the Week series took a little break during the season, but it’s back just in time for the end of the regular season and 10-race playoffs this fall.

In this edition, we’re looking back at Sunday’s FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway, where Brad Keselowski and Austin Dillon tangled on the track, leading to a (probably not real) threat from NASCAR team owner Richard Childress.

But we’re getting ahead of ourselves, so let’s break it down.

Sunday at Michigan’s two-mile track, Keselowski in the No. 2 Team Penske Ford and Dillon in the No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet were racing to the end of the second stage in the 200-lap race. Dillon passed Keselowski to finish sixth in the stage, while Keselowski on the No. 3’s bumper was seventh.

But as the pair crossed the start-finish line, Keseslowski made contact with Dillon’s car, sending the No. 3 card hard into the outside wall. It was a violent crash that ended when Dillon’s car spun and slid down to the inside of the track.

While Dillon took responsibility and told his team, “My bad, guys,” Keselowski seemed to as well and said over the No. 2 team’s radio: “Oh man, I didn’t want to do that! Damn it!” The No. 2 driver later added:

“Man, tell him I’m sorry. I had no intent to do that, man. I didn’t think he was coming back up [the track].”

But it was Childress, Dillon’s grandfather, who had the most fiery response. On the No. 3 team’s radio, the 75-year-old team owner said:

“Wrecked him on purpose. I’m an old man, but I can kick his ass.”

The crash and what led to it — along with teams’ radio audio — can be found at the 1:45 mark in FOX Sports’ compilation of radio highlights:

With one checkered flag so far this season, Keselowski — who finished ninth at Michigan — is already qualified for the 16-driver playoffs, which begin in September. Dillon, however, is not qualified, and with one race left in the regular season — the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway — he’s in a must-win situation now after not finishing at Michigan.

After being cleared by the medical team in the infield care center, Dillon said:

“I was just trying to get as many stage points as I could get right there and did a good job of side-drafting and came down to the apron. And I’ve seen just one quick replay, but it was after the start-finish line. I was starting to come up off the apron because it’s so rough down there, but I figured by that point, he would have given me a little room.

“I hate it. I’m thankful that the good Lord kept me safe today. That was a heck of a wreck, but I feel fine. I hate it for BREZTRI and my guys, most of all. The built a rocket ship. They really wanted this one, and I did too. Just working our tails off right there. I think we would have had a shot to do something there at the end with that race car. Best race car we’ve brought to the track at RCR this year, I feel like. It’s just a bummer, but we’ve got Daytona left and just hate it. I don’t know why it happened, really. I thought I had a little room to come up, and he just held me down there a little bit too long, I guess.”

After the race, Keselowski said of the wreck, via NASCAR.com:

“I am bummed. I wanted of course to get a win and I hate that I had that contact with the 3. … That really sucks for everybody. It really hurt our day and obviously ruined his. That was crappy. So it goes.”

The Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona is Saturday at 7 p.m. ET on NBC.

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How a vintage Coca-Cola machine finds its way out of the past to Victory Lane at NASCAR’s Coke 600

The winner of NASCAR’s Coca-Cola 600 gets a vintage Coke machine. Meet the artist who restores the novelty trophy.

You wouldn’t place an ice-cold, sweating, celebratory beverage down on a valuable painting or a classic car. So treat the restored vintage Coca-Cola vending machine sitting in Victory Lane at Charlotte Motor Speedway the same way.

Or at least, that’s the mindset Terry Kimble hopes NASCAR drivers have after they win the Coca-Cola 600, NASCAR’s longest event and one of it’s “crown jewel” races, and are given the antique machine as one of many prizes.

“They’ll have a can of beer sitting on top of the machine, and I’m thinking, ‘Get that can off the machine! That’s my machine. Get your can off that machine and don’t scratch it,’” Kimble said with a laugh.

As the restorer of the vintage Coca-Cola vending machines for NASCAR’s iconic race, the 70-year-old Grayson, Georgia resident is understandably protective of the finished product. For more than three decades, Kimble has been restoring and selling a variety of vintage memorabilia, such as pedal cars and carousel horses, and says he’s restored more than 500 vending machines, including ones from Pepsi, Dr. Pepper, 7UP and Orange Crush.

Of those 500, most have been Coca-Cola machines from the 1940s and ‘50s, he said. They’re his forte, and he’s been restoring machines presented to the Coke 600 winners since the tradition began in 2010, when Kurt Busch won the race and received the first one. (Kimble did restoration work for The Coca-Cola Company before teaming up with NASCAR and also restores Coke machines for the PGA Tour champion.)

Kurt Busch after winning the 2010 Coca-Cola 600. (HHP/Harold Hinson, courtesy of Charlotte Motor Speedway)

The vintage Coke machines aren’t quite revered like some of NASCAR’s other novelty trophies, such as Bristol Motor Speedway’s gladiator sword or Martinsville Speedway’s grandfather clock. But drivers love winning a piece of Americana with the Coca-Cola 600 checkered flag, and some proudly show the machines off, outside of their trophy collections, like they do with the grandfather clocks.

“The 600 trophy is kind of unique; it’s different, the trophy itself, and then to go along with it and pair it with [the vintage Coke machine is] awesome,” said Austin Dillon, who won the 2017 race. “It was just an added bonus to winning the race, something cool. But it’s an awesome trophy to go along with everything else that goes along with winning the Coke 600.”

Martin Truex Jr. has two Coke machines after winning the 600 in 2016 and 2019. One is in his basement bar, while the other is at the Truex Management Group office. After winning the 2011 and 2013 races, Kevin Harvick has his two machines on display in his house.

“I guess you can say we received a classic piece of history for winning a classic race in historical fashion,” Truex would later say about his 2016 victory, when he set the record for most laps led in the race (392 of 400 laps). “It might have felt like a dream-kind-of win, but it was the real thing.”

(Courtesy of Terry Kimble)

What’s old can be new again

Even though Kimble is restoring the vintage machines, he said he considers himself an artist, so when it’s complete, he believes he helped create a work of art.

“It’s a painting to me,” he said.

He said he’s always had a thing for nostalgia and Americana, and one day, he came across a vintage Coca-Cola machine. He thought it was stunning. It was unlike anything he had ever seen before, and he immediately became hooked.

So in 1989, Kimble said he retired from the Atlanta Police Department, and by 1990, he had opened his Georgia shop, Remember When Collectibles, and began selling and restoring memorabilia. Eventually, it was renamed to Remember When Restorations, as Kimble decided to focus on refurbishing Coke and other pop vending machines.

More than 30 years later, Kimble has sent restored machines all over the world to cities such as Moscow, Istanbul and London and even restored two for President Jimmy Carter, he said.

“I always compare a Coke machine or soda machine to a classic car, the vintage cars,” he said. “They’re made out of metal. They have a paint job. They have motors. They perform a function.”

President Jimmy Carter and Terry Kimble (Courtesy of Terry Kimble)

It takes about six weeks to completely restore a Coca-Cola machine, Kimble said, and he often works with a small team to get the job done. When it’s time to begin restoring one for the Coca-Cola 600, he goes to his warehouse stocked with vintage machines and carefully selects one that differs enough from the previous year’s trophy.

And the restoration process is intense and tedious, but delicate at times.

Kimble said he starts by completely disassembling the machine — including taking out and replacing all the insulation and the refrigeration system — and restores the internal parts and replaces any necessary pieces.

To remove paint, rust and anything else attached to the antique, the machine is sandblasted with garnet (because it’s better for the metal, he said), and a coat of automotive red paint is applied. If needed, some parts are re-chromed and polished. He also has an artist on staff who specifically repaints the embossed Coca-Cola letters on the outside of the machine, he said.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TgPeAQTb2Z0&feature=emb_title

The machine the winner of the 2021 Coca-Cola 600 will receive is from 1949. It’s white on top, and the remaining two-thirds of it is a vibrant red with “Drink Coca-Cola” written in embossed letters on the front, Kimble said. The drum inside it holds 39 bottles for a steep price of a dime each.

Once the machine is painted and reassembled, Kimble adds some embellishments to enhance the final product’s authenticity.

“I personally put decals on it, just like the originals,” he said. “I don’t deviate away from originality because it’s like a classic car. You don’t want to pinstripe a classic car or put decals on it that don’t belong just to make it look pretty. I’m very particular about authenticity because if you do things authentic, then they hold their value. They even go up in value every year.”

Early on in his restoration career, Kimble would buy vintage machines for $200 to $400 apiece, and they’re worth up to $2,000 now, he said. On eBay, old Coke machines are currently for sale for up to $9,800.

‘A pretty sweet trophy’

When Kimble completes the restoration process, the vintage Coke machines are totally functional, and some NASCAR drivers take advantage of that.

Brad Keselowski, who won the 2020 Coca-Cola 600, keeps his machine fully stocked with glass bottles and on display with his car collection at Keselowski Advanced Manufacturing in Statesville, North Carolina. Positioned across from his 2012 Cup Series championship-winning car, he often offers bottles to his visitors.

“That one’s super cool; I wish I had one,” Joey Logano said after noticing Keselowski, his teammate, posing with his Coke Machine. “I saw Brad take a picture of his or something this week on his social [media accounts] and I thought, ‘Man, I want that.’ I was a little jealous. …

“So that’s definitely, to me, a unique, little gift and something that you’ll most likely have the rest of your life and have a really cool story behind it of how you got it.”

Before Truex won the 2016 Coca-Cola 600, he had no idea the vintage Coke machine was for him and not just for post-race photos. Before Dillon won the 2017 race — the first checkered flag of his career — he didn’t either.

“Then afterwards, obviously, it was in Victory Lane, and I was pumped,” Dillon said. “All vintage Coke stuff’s pretty cool, and [I] feel like there’s huge collectors out there of Coke memorabilia, and I’ve got a pretty sweet trophy there with the throwback fridge.”

Austin Dillon after winning the 2017 Coca-Cola 600. (HHP/Harold Hinson, courtesy of Charlotte Motor Speedway)

Despite Kimble’s love for the restoration process, he said his favorite part is when the Coca-Cola 600 winner drives the car into Victory Lane, and his machine is on display for everyone in the grandstands and at home to see. He said he feels like he was “destined” to restore old machines, and in his 12th year doing this for NASCAR, he has no intention of retiring.

“They talk to me,” Kimble said about the Coke machines. “All the chrome and the automotive paint, some of them light up. They’re actually beautiful machines when they’re finished.”

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NASCAR Cup driver Austin Dillon tests positive for COVID-19

Austin Dillon has tested positive for COVID-19 and is out of the Daytona Road Course race.

Austin Dillon has become the second driver in the top NASCAR series to test positive for COVID-19.

Jimmie Johnson tested positive but it turned out to be false. Now, Dillon, who drives the No. 3 car for Richard Childress Racing, has tested positive and is out of the car for Sunday’s race over the Daytona Road Course.

Dillon is in self-quarantine and will not be competing in this weekend’s NASCAR Cup Series at Daytona International Speedway, according to a statement from the team.

The 30-year-old’s wife Whitney and son Ace remain healthy and symptom free, according to the team statement. Dillon can return to competition if he receives two negative Covid-19 tests taken 24 hours apart as well as a written clearance from his personal physician.

Dillon tweeted:

Super Start Batteries 400 at Kansas odds, picks and best bets

Previewing Thursday’s Super Start Batteries 400 Presented by O’Reilly Auto Parts at Kansas Speedway sports betting odds and lines, with NASCAR analysis, picks and tips.

The NASCAR Cup Series moves to the Kansas Speedway for the Super Start Batteries 400 Presented by O’Reilly Auto Parts. The green flag drops Thursday at 7:30 p.m. ET with the race televised on NBCSN. Below, we analyze the Super Start Batteries 400 odds and betting lines, with NASCAR picks and tips with odds from BetMGM sportsbook.

Super Start Batteries 400: What you need to know

Odds courtesy of BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Wednesday at 8:20 a.m. ET.

Thursday’s race at Kansas Speedway will be the 29th installment since its NASCAR Cup Series debut race back in 2001 – won by Jeff Gordon.

  • Denny Hamlin took checkers in the last Kansas Cup race (Oct. 20, 2019), while Brad Keselowski raced to a win in the spring run (May 11, 2019).
  • All three manufacturers have had success at Kansas Speedway in recent seasons, with Chevrolet, Ford and Toyota each posting a win across the past three races. In the past six races, though, Toyota has three checkered flags, while Chevrolet has raced to wins in 12 of the 28 Cup races at the track.
  • Richard Childress Racing’s Austin Dillon was an upset winner last Sunday at Texas. He has an impressive 13.8 Average-Finish Position (AFP) across his past eight Kansas starts. Fellow RCR driver Tyler Reddick ended up second in Texas, and was ninth in his Kansas Cup debut last season.
  • Hendrick Motorsports driver Chase Elliott was the last driver to steer a Chevy to Victory Lane at this track and has a sparkling 2.33 AFP across his past three Kansas starts.

Who is going to win the Super Start Batteries 400?

ELLIOTT (+650 for Thursday’s race) has one win in his past three Kansas Cup starts along with three consecutive top-5 showings. While there has been a couple of upset winners the past two weekends with Cole Custer at Kentucky and Dillon winning in Texas, look for one of the favorites to come through in this one.

Elliott started 13th in his winning run at Kansas in the Fall of 2018, and the average starting position of the past three winners is 13.3.

KEVIN HARVICK (+450), of course, is among the favorites Thursday night. He leads all drivers with a 9.79 AFP (min. two Cup starts) in 28 Cup races in Kansas, picking up three victories with eight top-5 showings and 15 top-10 runs. He also leads the way among all drivers with 855 laps led.

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MARTIN TRUEX JR. (+650) went off the rails at Texas, clipping teammate Kyle Busch in the middle of the run and was never able to recover, ending up 29th. Look for MTJ to return with a vengeance at Kansas, a track where he has won twice, posting eight top-5 finishes and led 759 laps in 23 Cup starts, good for a 13.87 AFP.

Kansas Speedway long-shot bets

JIMMIE JOHNSON (+3500) has three wins in 27 career Cup starts while posting a 10.33 AFP. Of course, all of that success came with crew chief Chad Knaus at the top of JJ’s pit box. Meanwhile, the seven-time Cup champion Johnson hasn’t won since June 2017. Will he never win a Cup race again? Don’t bet on it. He’s a GREAT SMALL-UNIT PLAY at this price.

Knaus, by the way, will be away from William Byron’s team for the birth of his second child. Keith Rodden will take over crew chief duties for the No. 24.

TYLER REDDICK (+3500) had his best career Cup finish last Sunday, rolling to a second-place finish. Is it Reddick’s turn this week? This will be only his second Kansas Cup race – as mentioned above, he finished ninth last year.

Lastly, don’t forget Kansas native CLINT BOWYER (+4000) at his home track. While he has never won in 23 career starts here, he has three top-5 showings, eight top-10 runs, 63 laps led and a 15.7 AFP. One of these days he is going to win in his native Sunflower State.

Want action on this race? Sign up and bet at BetMGM. For more sports betting picks and tips, visit SportsbookWire.com.

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Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services. Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

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GEICO 500 at Talladega odds, picks and best bets

Previewing Sunday’s Geico 500 at Talladega Superspeedway sports betting odds and lines, with NASCAR analysis, picks and tips.

The NASCAR Cup Series moves to the Talladega Superspeedway for the GEICO 500. The green flag drops Sunday at 3 p.m. ET with the race televised on FOX. Below, we analyze the GEICO 500 odds and betting lines, with NASCAR picks and tips with odds from BetMGM sportsbook.

GEICO 500: What you need to know

Odds courtesy of BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Friday, June 19 at 4:50 p.m. ET.

Sunday’s run at the Talladega Superspeedway is the first on a superspeedway track since the Daytona 500 opened the 2020 Sprint Cup Series season. That seems so long ago, as the stands were packed during pre-COVID 19 days. However, Talladega will actually host 5,000 fans in the frontstretch grandstands/towers, and there will be a limited amount of motorhome spots available outside of the track, too.

  • Hendrick Motorsports driver Chase Elliott (+800 for Sunday’s race) won the spring race at Talladega last season, while Penske Racing’s Ryan Blaney (+1100) took checkers in the fall race at the Alabama superspeedway.
  • Talladega’s tri-oval is 2.66 miles long, compared to Daytona International Speedway, which is 2.5 miles long. There are four turns, and those turns have a 33-degree bank with a slight bank or fifth turn in front of the main grandstand.
  • Each of the past five winners have started fourth or lower in the grid, and 15 of the previous 16 winners have started from the outside of Row 2 or lower.
  • Ford has dominated this track in recent years, posting eight victories in the past nine starts.

Who is going to win the GEICO 500?

BRAD KESELOWSKI (+850) leads all active drivers with five victories at Talladega, so the Penske driver has to be considered a must-bet option, especially considering Ford’s dominance in recent seasons.

Keselowski has seven top-5 finishes, 11 top-10 showings and 293 laps led in his 22 career starts with a 16.0 Average-Finish Position (AFP) and four DNFs.

JOEY LOGANO (+900), Keselowski’s teammate, picked up a victory in the spring 2018 Talladega race, and has raced to Victory Lane in three of the past nine Cup races at Talladega Superspeedway. In 22 career starts, Logano has finished inside the top 5 on eight occasions, leading 319 laps and posting a 16.2 AFP.

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CHASE ELLIOTT (+800) has been a quick study at Talladega, picking up a win in eight Cup starts at the track. In addition, he has three top-5 showings and four top-10 finishes, while racking up 126 laps in the front of the pack and turning in a 13.25 AFP, second among active drivers with at least three career Cup starts at the superspeedway.

Talladega Superspeedway prop bets

ARIC ALMIROLA (-110) has stepped up his game in recent seasons, bringing it home inside the top 10 in each of his past seven Talladega starts. As such, he is a SOLID BET TO FINISH INSIDE THE TOP 10 yet again. The defending champ from the fall race, Blaney (-200) is a little on the expensive side even for a top-10 finish. While yes, he won last season at the track, he had posted a 23.8 AFP in the previous five runs at ‘Dega. A better bet might be Ryan Newman (+185), as he has finished inside the top 10 in four of the past five runs at the superspeedway.

For Talladega, you can take part in group betting. If you’re new to betting, this simply means you choose one driver among a listed group of four. Whomever places highest cashes a winning ticket. In Group 3 betting, AUSTIN DILLON (+250) is a good play in the group with William Byron (+215), Matt DiBenedetto (+250) and Christopher Bell (+275).

Among the best finishing position matchups, take LOGANO (-118) to finish better than Denny Hamlin. ALMIROLA (-115) is a good bet to outpace Alex Bowman, while DILLON (-118) is also worth playing against DiBenedetto.

Talladega Superspeedway long-shot bets

RICKY STENHOUSE JR. (+2000) is always worth a look at superspeedways. He picked up a win here during the spring 2017 run in his Ford, while starting from the pole position. In 13 career Cup starts here, he has five top-5 showings, eight top-10 runs and a 11.62 AFP, leading all active drivers.

ALMIROLA (+2000) is also worth a roll of the dice, posting a win, four top-5 runs, eight top-10 results and 46 laps led with a 15.35 AFP in his 20 career Talladega starts. And, as mentioned, he has cracked off seven straight runs finishing ninth or better, including the win in the fall of 2018 at ‘Dega.

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Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services. Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

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Dixie Vodka 400 at Homestead-Miami odds, picks and best bets

Previewing Sunday’s Dixie Vodka 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway sports betting odds and lines, with NASCAR analysis, picks and tips.

The NASCAR Cup Series heads down to Homestead-Miami Speedway for the Dixie Vodka 400. The green flag drops Sunday at 3:30 p.m. ET with the race televised on FOX. Below, we analyze the Dixie Vodka 400 odds and betting lines, with NASCAR picks and tips with odds from BetMGM sportsbook.

Dixie Vodka 400: What you need to know

Odds courtesy of BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Saturday, June 13 at 6:20 a.m. ET.

Sunday’s race at Homestead-Miami Speedway will be the first sporting event with fans in the stands since mid-March. NASCAR will allow 1,000 fans, just military members or first responders, to attend as honorary guests. Fans will be required to wear masks, will be screened upon arrival and will be expected to follow physical-distancing guidelines at six feet apart.

Even with a smattering of people in the grandstands, this event will have a much different look and feel from previous seasons. From 2002 to 2019, the South Florida track hosted the final race of the season, leading to the crowning of the Cup Series champion. Joe Gibbs Racing’s Kyle Busch (+500 for Sunday’s race) won the championship with a checkered flag at this track last season, his second trip to Victory Lane at HMS in five years.

  • Six of the previous seven races have been won by a driver starting fifth or better. Denny Hamlin (+1000), Joey Logano (+800), Brad Keselowski (+1000), Busch and Chase Elliott (+700) are in starting spots 1 through 5.
  • Toyota has been the Victory Lane in two of the past three at Homestead-Miami Speedway, and four of the past seven.
  • Busch leads all drivers with 463 laps led, although he ranks 12th among active drivers with a 16.33 Average-Finish Position (AFP) across his 15 career starts at this track.
  • Rick Ware Racing’s J.J. Yeley (+100000) and Front Row Motorsports’ Michael McDowell (+50000) lead all active drivers with four DNFs apiece.

Who is going to win the Dixie Vodka 400?

HAMLIN (+1000) was a big disappointment at Martinsville Wednesday night, but has had strong results at this track in the past. Look for a nice bounce back. Plus, he is a strong value at this price.

Hamlin has two career wins at Homestead-Miami Speedway, while posting four top-5 runs, 10 top-10 finishes, 256 laps led and a 10.53 AFP in 15 starts at the track.

KEVIN HARVICK (+400) is always a threat at Homestead-Miami Speedway. He leads all active drivers with a sparkling 6.42 AFP in 19 career starts. While he has just one win, he has placed inside the top 5 on 11 different occasions while leading 414 laps. He has never finished lower than 20th at this track, too.

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CHASE ELLIOTT (+700) has yet to taste victory at HMS, but has never finished lower than 15th, either. In fact, he has a 9.50 AFP, second best in the field among drivers with at least four starts.

Homestead-Miami Speedway prop bets

HARVICK (-154) is a strong play to finish inside the top 5. In addition, HAMLIN (+140) is worth a roll of the dice to finish in the top 5, too.

Among the best finishing position matchups, take HAMLIN (-112) to finish better than Keselowski. CLINT BOWYER (-106) is a good bet to outpace William Byron, while Florida native ARIC ALMIROLA (+125) is a value play over Tyler Reddick.

Homestead-Miami Speedway long-shot bets

AUSTIN DILLON (+1400) has the best potential to crash the party and spoil the day for the favorites. He has shown tremendous and consistent improvement since making his debut at this track in 2014. He improved to 15th in 2015, 12th in 2016, 11th in both 2017 and 2018 and eighth last season.

Want action on this race? Sign up and bet at BetMGM. For more sports betting picks and tips, visit SportsbookWire.com.

Follow @JoeWilliamsVI on Twitter, and follow SportsbookWire on Twitter and Facebook.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services. Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

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Alsco Uniforms 500 at Charlotte odds, picks and best bets

Previewing Wednesday’s Alsco Uniforms 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway sports betting odds and lines, with NASCAR analysis, picks and tips.

The NASCAR Cup Series continues on at Charlotte Motor Speedway Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET for the Alsco Uniforms 500. Below, we analyze the Alsco Uniforms 500 odds and betting lines, with NASCAR picks and tips with odds from BetMGM sportsbook.

Alsco Uniforms 500: What you need to know

Odds courtesy of BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Monday, May 25 at 6:05 p.m. ET.

It was another really entertaining race Sunday evening at the Coca-Cola 600 from Charlotte. Penske Racing’s Brad Keselowski (+900 for Wednesday’s 500) will be looking for the double-dip sweep in the Queen City, but is he a good bet?

  • Keselowski will start from the 20th position Wednesday, as Sunday’s finishing positions 1-20 will be inverted for the starting grid. His four previous stops at CMS resulted in a 19.3 Average-Finish Position (AFP), so go another way.
  • MARTIN TRUEX JR. (+500) is the Alsco Uniforms 500 favorite. He enters with five straight finishes of sixth or better at Charlotte, including Sunday’s sixth-place result. Eight of his past nine starts at the track have been sixth or better, good for a 4.0 AFP.
  • Joe Gibbs Racing driver KYLE BUSCH (+600), who took fourth at the 600, admitted after Sunday’s race that he “stole a top 5 (finish)” and that his car was maybe a “ninth-place car at best.”  He hasn’t been hitting on all cylinders so far this season, but he has a 3.7 AFP in his past three Charlotte starts.
  • Rookies Christopher Bell (+15000) and Tyler Reddick (+4000) made their Cup debuts Sunday at Charlotte, with Reddick ending up eighth and Bell finishing ninth.

Who is going to win the Alsco Uniforms 500?

Hendrick Motorsports driver CHASE ELLIOTT (+600) was snake-bitten in each of the past two races, and his bettors definitely suffered a bad beat Sunday. Elliott had what seemed to be an insurmountable lead with two laps to go at the 600, but teammate William Byron (+2000) cut a tire, bringing out the caution flag.

Elliott’s crew chief Alan Gustafson followed by making a questionable call, pitting for four tires. So, Elliott didn’t get to restart from the front and couldn’t make up the difference in the two-lap overtime period. He did work his way all the way up to third by the time the checkered flag waved – and actually received a second-place finish when JIMMIE JOHNSON (+900) failed post-race inspection and was disqualified. Byron, by the way, finished 20th, so he will be the pole-sitter on Wednesday night.

But it’s been back-to-back heartbreakers for the No. 9 car.

Elliott was wrecked late at Darlington by Kyle Busch, turning two potential wins in the past two races into nightmare finishes for Elliott and his bettors.

Meanwhile, seven-time champ JOHNSON (+900) looks to be running with renewed vigor, as he looks to snap a 102-race win drought dating back to June 4, 2017 at Dover. He is getting closer, and is worth a small-unit bet at a track he has fared well in the past.

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Kevin Harvick (+900) of Stewart-Haas Racing quietly posted a fifth-place finish Sunday despite the fact it looked like he just didn’t have it. This is a scary sign for the rest of the field, as he and his team have a few days to figure it out.

The better bet than Harvick, however, might be Hendrick’s ALEX BOWMAN (+800). He led 164 laps at the 600 before settling for a 19th-place finish. He proved earlier at the Auto Club 400 in California that he can win races, and he had a runner-up in Darlington in the first race back.

Charlotte Motor Speedway long-shot bets

Reddick and Bell are strong plays based on their top-10 performances Sunday. However, don’t sleep on RICKY STENHOUS JR. (+10000) for a small-unit wager. He was 13th, 10th and 5th in his prior three stops in Charlotte before a 24th-place run Sunday. He has the tools to not just finish high, but win at this track.

A little less risk AUSTIN DILLON (+8000). He won on this track in the 600 back in May 2017. Dillon posted a 14th-place run in Sunday’s race, and is worth a roll of the dice.

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NASCAR drivers haven’t waited very long to roast jokester Ryan Newman after scary crash

Drivers like Martin Truex Jr. and Joey Logano had some jokes after learning Ryan Newman is OK.

Ryan Newman was released from the hospital less than 48 hours after a horrific crash on the last lap of Monday’s Daytona 500.

Although the specifics of any injuries he sustained are not public, Newman was “joking around” with his family and the hospital staff, according to a statement from his team, Roush Fenway Racing, which also said he remained true to his “jovial nature”.

Several NASCAR drivers who have talked with Newman since the accident were happy to say the No. 6 Ford driver’s sense of humor was still intact, and Ryan Blaney — who made contact with Newman, sparking the terrifying wreck — said it “brought a smile to my face.” Drivers have also taken some of the friendly jabs at Newman after learning he’s OK.

Saturday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, where NASCAR is racing this weekend, Martin Truex Jr., a good friend of Newman’s, said he saw the driver after he was released from the hospital, and “he’s good spirits.” Truex added:

“I just wanted him to know we were there for him if he needed anything. It was cool. It was good to see the good shape he was in. It was a little surprising as well. We’re planning fishing trips already, so it was a fun visit to hang out.”

Truex also called Newman “a tough son of a gun” but joked:

“He’s got no neck and a big hard head, so that helps for sure. I told him this week he’s lucky he’s such a hard-headed son of a gun.”

Friday at the Las Vegas track, Joey Logano said:

“I texted him and said, ‘I knew it wasn’t your neck that broke. I don’t think you could do that.’ We have a neck joke going back and forth because I’ve got a long one, and he’s got none. We had a good joke about that at least, so his sense of humor still seems to be there.”

Austin Dillon, Newman’s former teammate at Richard Childress Racing, said:

“I shot him a text. I said, ‘I’ve never been so glad to see a picture of you.'”

Corey LaJoie, who hit Newman head-on during the wreck, said he and Newman texted Wednesday night and shared a laugh about one time when they raced go-karts together. LaJoie told SiriusXM NASCAR Radio on Thursday:

“We shared a couple laughs [about when] we went to that little slick track in Pocono called S&S [Speedways]. And for whatever reason, Newman and I always found each other, and his big ass looked like Bowser in that little go-kart.

“We’re sliding around and smashing into each other, and his head is so big he had to hold the roof up because his head was smashing into it.”

The specifics of Newman’s injuries remain unknown, but he will not be racing this weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Ross Chastain is filling in for him in Sunday’s Pennzoil 400.

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NASCAR Betting: Daytona 500 odds, picks and best bets

Previewing Sunday’s Daytona 500 sports betting odds and lines, with NASCAR betting picks, tips and best bets.

The Monster Energy Cup Series kicks off the 2020 NASCAR season at Daytona International Speedway Sunday afternoon for the Daytona 500 at 2:30 p.m. ET. Below, we analyze the Daytona 500 betting odds and lines, with NASCAR picks and tips.

The weather forecast is always important for NASCAR races, particularly in the early part of the season when the rains are a little more prevalent in the East. The good news is the temperatures will be in the mid-70’s with just a 20%  chance of precipitation for the first Monster Energy Cup Series race, and really the worst day for weather for Speedweeks appears to be Friday. While the Gander Outdoors Truck Series race might be affected Friday night, the Xfinity race Saturday and MENCS race Sunday look to be good to go barring a change to the forecast.

Who is going to win the 2020 Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway?

Feb 9, 2020; Daytona Beach, Florida, USA;NASCAR Cup Series driver Denny Hamlin (11) during qualifying for the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway. (Photo Credit: Mike Dinovo – USA TODAY Sports)

Odds courtesy of BetMGM; access them at USA TODAY Sports for a full list. Odds last updated Wednesday at 9:45 a.m. ET.

Last season’s Daytona 500 winner, Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin (+1000), as well as Hendrick Motorsports driver Jimmie Johnson (+2000), are the only active drivers with multiple victories at the Daytona 500.

According to NASCAR’s Loop Data, Johnson has an 85.3 Driver Rating over his past five starts at DIS, which includes the July summer races, to rank fifth among active drivers while leading 14 laps and running 57.1% of his rotations inside the Top 15.

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If you look at the Loop Data for just the past five Daytona 500 races, Hamlin goes from outside of the Top 10 in Driver Rating for all races, to second. He has a 99.4 Driver Rating over the past five February races at the track while leading a circuit-best 151 laps. He has also run 70.2% of his laps inside the Top 15 in the past five Daytona 500s. Hamlin not only won the 2019 installment of the Great American Race but also the 2016 version, too.

Penske Racing driver Joey Logano (+1000) is actually listed as a co-favorite with Hendrick’s Chase Elliott, Hamlin and JGR’s Kyle Busch (+1000). Logano tops the charts over the past five Daytona 500 starts with a 102.7 Driver Rating while leading 61 laps and running 80.7% of his laps inside the Top 15. He has managed a 4.2 Average-Finish Position (AFP) during the five-race span, too. Logano averaged 161.939 mph in his 2015 victory at Daytona, the fastest average speed since Dale Earnhardt Sr. won Feb. 15, 1998 with an average speed of 172.712 mph.

2020 Daytona 500 longshot bets

Feb 9, 2020; Daytona Beach, Florida, USA; NASCAR Cup Series driver Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (right) wins pole award and driver Alex Bowman (left) is the runner up during qualifying for the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway. (Photo Credit: Mike Dinovo – USA TODAY Sports)

JTG Daugherty’s Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (+2000) is on the pole for Sunday’s race, the eighth consecutive season a Chevrolet leads the pack out. He’ll be right ahead of Hendrick’s Alex Bowman (+2000), who will be on the outside of Row 1. In the past four Daytona 500 starts, Bowman is closing in on a winner. He has averaged a 1.5 Average-Start Position while registering a 9.5 AFP. That’s good for a 93.4 Driver Rating, so he’ll be one to watch as he looks to earn his first checkered flag in the Great American Race. His best-ever finish in the 500 is 11th, so he’ll be looking to improve upon that dramatically.

Stenhouse leads all drivers with a 95.9 Driver Rating across his past five starts overall at Daytona International Speedway, leading 97 laps. While he isn’t rostered on one of the ‘power’ teams at JTG, he does have a Hendrick motor under his hood, so don’t discount him. Traditionally he has fared well at the superspeedways.

Don’t forget about Richard Childress Racing’s Austin Dillon (+3500), the 2018 winner of this race. In 15 career starts at DIS he leads all active drivers (at least two starts) with a 15.1 AFP with seven Top 10 finishes in 13 starts.

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Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services. Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

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