Tag: Kevin Harvick

Kevin Harvick on hitting 50th NASCAR win milestone: ‘It doesn’t seem real’

Kevin Harvick won NASCAR’s first race back since the coronavirus pandemic shut racing down 10 weeks ago.

Kevin Harvick won NASCAR’s first race back Sunday at Darlington Raceway after the season was suspended for 10 weeks this spring because of the global COVID-19 crisis.

The No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford driver dominated The Real Heroes 400, leading 159 of 293 total laps and earning his 50th career Cup Series win and first of the 2020 season. He’s the 14th driver to hit that milestone and is now in a three-way tie for 12th on the all-time wins list, joining Ned Jarrett and Junior Johnson and breaking his tie with team owner Tony Stewart, who retired with 49 career wins.

Harvick, the 2014 Cup Series champ, entered the first of nine currently scheduled NASCAR races as the leader in the standings and is the only driver to finish all five races so far this season in the top 10. Alex Bowman, Kurt Busch, Chase Elliott and Denny Hamlin rounded out the top-5 finishers Sunday.

In Harvick’s post-race, on-track interview with FOX Sports, he seemed to be in disbelief over his career achievement. He said:

“It doesn’t seem real. And I think as you look at Darlington, I think as you look at the things that happened this weekend, I really thought that it would definitely play into our hand just because our guys are so good at hitting the car off the truck for the most part.

“We put a lot of time, a lot of effort, a lot of studying, a lot of meetings and just have to thank everybody at the shop who has built all these cars. And just, man, I’m excited. It is weird just because there’s nobody up there. … I’m speechless.”

For NASCAR to return after missing eight races because of the global coronavirus pandemic, it needed to establish several safety protocols to keep the limited personnel allowed at the tracks safe.

In addition to health screenings, social distancing rules and mandatory masks, NASCAR is not having practice or qualifying for the first four races back — with the exception of qualifying for the Coca-Cola 600 next Sunday. So prior to Sunday’s race, the last time drivers were in their cars was 71 days ago on March 8 at Phoenix Raceway.

Also among the many noticeable differences about this race compared with traditional NASCAR events was the empty grandstands. He said on a Zoom call with reporters after the race that the weirdest part of the day for him was climbing out of his car to a silent atmosphere and described an empty Victory Lane as “awkward.”

While speaking on the track still, Harvick noted how peculiar it felt to celebrate without fans:

“I didn’t think this was going to be much different, and then we won the race, and it’s dead silent out here so we miss the fans. … It’s a pretty big honor to win 50 races in this deal, and just gotta thank all my team guys and everybody for what they’re doing.”

The NASCAR Cup Series’ next race is Wednesday, again at Darlington, at 7:30 p.m. ET on FS1.

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Kevin Harvick on why he’s OK with NASCAR not testing for coronavirus at the track

NASCAR will have health screenings but not on-site COVID-19 testing when it returns to racing.

When NASCAR resumes competition Sunday after a 10-week hiatus because of the global coronavirus pandemic, a variety of health and safety precautions will be taken and rules seriously enforced with up to a $50,000 fine from the governing body for breaking them.

Race day will have a completely different look to it without fans in the grandstands, limited personnel at the race tracks and health screenings, including temperature checks, for those entering and exiting the venue.

However, on-site testing is not among the protocols put in place for the first four races — two at Darlington Raceway followed by two at Charlotte Motor Speedway — NASCAR has confirmed in its return.

Although most of the sports world is on hold because of the COVID-19 outbreak, NASCAR will join UFC as two of the only organizations able to host competitions right now. But in the week leading up to UFC 249 on Saturday, 300 people were tested for the novel coronavirus, president Dana White said via ESPN, and one fighter and his two cornermen tested positive.

But NASCAR not having on-site coronavirus testing for drivers and other team members doesn’t bother Kevin Harvick.

The No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford driver explained Thursday during a conference call with reporters why he’s comfortable with the health screenings NASCAR will be doing, even if that means no testing. Comparing NASCAR to UFC or other contact sports, Harvick said:

“Well, I’m not gonna get punched in the face by anybody else or be put in a head lock or be directly in contact with any of my other competitors. So I think it’s a drastically different situation.

“And I think when you look at the guidelines of entry and exit and temperature checks during the week and all the logs and things of where people are and who they have interaction with, I think we have done what we need to do from what fits our sport the best. So it’s just a much different situation than other sports that actually have human to human contact and have to be in each other’s face and things of that nature.”

NASCAR’s COVID-19 regulations include rosters being limited to 16 people per car — including the driver, team owner, crew chief, spotter and hauler driver — and social distancing measures have been put into place to limit interactions. Personal protective equipment, like masks, is also required.

With races confirmed so far only for Darlington and Charlotte, both tracks are within driving distance from NASCAR’s base in Charlotte, allowing each event to be a one-day trip. And those traveling to races have been asked to keep a log of the people they interact with each race day, just in case someone does test positive and needs to identify who they’ve come into contact with.

About the lack of testing at this point, NASCAR vice president of racing operations John Bobo said during a media teleconference on April 30:

“Those tests remain in short supply. Getting results can take two to three days. Really those tests should be targeted for people most in need.”

In an attempt to ensure everyone’s safety at the track as much as possible, Harvick also emphasized “that there’s a personal responsibility that comes with each one of us” to be cautious and follow the rules put in place. He continued:

“I think our sport is much different than other sports as far as the interaction between the competitors and the way that things function. So with every driver and every person in that garage being treated like they have the virus and being compartmentalized and doing the things that it takes to keep our sport safe, it’s not a locker room full of guys that are getting ready to go throw a ball around or have to have that interaction with each other on a weekly basis. …

“I think our sport has done a good job to prepare us for this. We’ve got 40 guys that need to make sure that they take it seriously from a driver’s side and a whole garage that will do the same. I think we’ll do that.”

Although there won’t be on-site testing, NASCAR told For The Win its medical liaisons will help team members if they need or think they need to be tested.

In terms of possibly being exposed to the virus or unknowingly spreading it, Harvick continued:

“The actual goal [for] everybody is to, obviously, not have anybody test positive for it. But I think with the way that everything is laid out, if somebody is tested positive for it, I think there’s a good plan in place to know where they’ve been, who they’ve been in contact with and the precautions that have been put in place to kind of build those walls. So that if it does happen, you have a good firewall built of trying to keep the people who have been exposed to it quarantined, and the procedures that have been put in place are there to be able to deal with that. So I think it’s something that could happen.

“I don’t know that it’s definitely not a make or break situation. I think building in the possibility of that happening and the plans and in the procedures and understanding that that could happen before we get started was built into everything. So I can’t tell you whether it’s going to happen or not. But I can tell you that the plan is in place in case it does happen to make sure that we take the precautions that we need to keep it from spreading as much as possible.”

After missing eight races this spring because of the COVID-19 outbreak, NASCAR makes its return Sunday at Darlington Raceway for the Real Heroes 400 (3:30 p.m. ET, FOX). The next race will be Wednesday the 20th at Darlington, followed by two races at Charlotte, including the Coca-Cola 600.

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NASCAR Cup Series race at Darlington odds, picks and best bets

Previewing Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Darlington Raceway, with NASCAR betting odds, picks and best bets.

Say goodbye to those virtual races, as the NASCAR Cup Series returns for real at Darlington Raceway Sunday at 3:30 p.m. ET. Below, we analyze the betting odds and lines, with NASCAR picks and tips with odds from BetMGM sportsbook.

NASCAR changes: What you need to know

Sunday’s return to action after the pause due to COVID-19 will not have any practice sessions or qualifying. In fact, there will be no practice sessions for any May race, and qualifying will only be held for the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte May 24. Here is what we know:

  • Positions 1 through 12 to be determined by a random draw from charter teams in those positions in team owner points
  • Positions 13-24 to be determined by a random draw among charter teams in those positions in owner points
  • Positions 25-36 to be determined by a random draw among charter teams in those positions in owner points
  • Positions 37-40 to be filled out by open, non-chartered teams in order of owner points

NASCAR standings & Darlington odds

Odds courtesy of BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Wednesday, May 13 at 1:25 a.m. ET.

A quick perusal of the current standings after four starts shows Stewart-Haas Racing’s (SHR’s) Kevin Harvick (+600 for Sunday’s Darlington race) sitting in first, one point ahead of Penske Racing’s Joey Logano (+750). Hendrick Motorsports teammates Chase Elliott (+850), Alex Bowman (+1300) and Jimmie Johnson (+2000) are in third through fifth, respectively, while Penske’s Ryan Blaney (+2200) sits sixth. SHR’s Aric Almirola (+5000) is tied for seventh with Kyle Larson (more on him below). Matt DiBenedetto (+5000) of Wood Brothers is ninth, while Penske’s Brad Keselowski (+850) rounds out the top 10.

As for Larson, he was released by Chip Ganassi Racing and indefinitely suspended by NASCAR for uttering a racial slur during a live virtual racing broadcast during the COVID-19 pause. While he has completed a mandated sensitivity training course, Matt Kenseth (+2000) is coming out of retirement to join CGR in the No. 42 car.

Who is going to win Sunday at Darlington Raceway?

Joe Gibbs Racing’s Kyle Busch (+500) is noticeably absent from the top 10 in the standings, but he is actually listed as the race favorite due to his recent run of success at the track. While he hasn’t won in the past 10 stops, he has been 11th or better in each of those starts.

Busch has finished seventh or better in eight of his past 10 starts at Darlington, posting a stellar 11.1 Average-Finish Position (AFP) in his 15 overall runs at the South Carolina track.

Johnson actually leads all active drivers with three wins at “The Lady In Black,” and he has a 12.1 AFP in 21 starts with nine finishes inside the top 5. He has also led 554 laps, fourth-most of any driver. Busch actually leads with 716 laps led, followed by Harvick (581) and Denny Hamlin (+700), another driver currently outside of the top 10 in standings. That could change in a hurry, however.

Looking to place a legal sports bet on this race or other motorsports? Get some action in the NASCAR race in NJ, IN, CO and WV through BetMGM. Sign up and bet at BetMGM now!

Martin Truex Jr. (+800) is also flying a bit under the radar – he won this race in 2016, followed by his JGR teammate Hamlin in 2017. So, definitely do not base your wagering decisions on starting position alone. The past two winners have come from a starting position of 15th and 13th, and the last five winners have been from eighth or lower in the starting grid, so the pole hasn’t amounted to much lately.

Darlington Raceway long-shot bets

If you’re looking to back a long shot, why not Kenseth? He is a rather moderate underdog in his return to the track. Kenseth won at Darlington as recently as the 2013 season, and raced a Cup car in 2018, albeit a 25th-place fun. He has five top-10 starts in his past seven Darlington runs, including the 2013 win, so how amazing of a story would it be if he won Sunday?

SHR’s Clint Bowyer (+5000) has been a disaster at Darlington in recent years, posting a 40th-place run in 2017, a 36th-place finish in 2018 before running sixth last season. He is a great driver, but a long shot for a reason, as he has found the title “Track Too Tough To Tame” apropos. In 14 career Darlington starts, he has a dismal 21.6 AFP with just two top-10 showings and only 17 laps led. Still, a driver of his caliber at this price is worth a small-unit bet, especially with all of the chaos and uncertainty heading into the season restart.

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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NASCAR Betting: FanShield 500 odds, picks and best bets

Previewing Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series FanShield 500 at Phoenix Raceway, with NASCAR betting odds, picks and best bets

The NASCAR Cup Series moves to Phoenix Raceway Sunday afternoon for the FanShield 500 at 3:30 p.m. ET in Avondale, Ariz. Below, we analyze the FanShield500 betting odds and lines, with NASCAR picks and tips.

Who is going to win the 2020 FanShield 500 at Phoenix Raceway?

Odds courtesy of BetMGM; access them at USA TODAY Sports for a full list. Odds last updated at 10:20 a.m. ET.

Joe Gibbs Racing driver Kyle Busch (+325) has been at or near the top of the heap at Phoenix (previously ISM Raceway) for a while now. He has rattled off nine consecutive finishes in the Top 10, with eight of those runs resulting in a finish of fourth or better, with three runner-ups and a pair of checkered flags. Since the fall 2015 race he has an Average-Finish Position (AFP) of 2.9, which makes him the overwhelming betting favorite

Hendrick Motorsports driver Chase Elliott (+1000) is on the pole for Sunday’s race. He has been a quick study at the track, posting an AFP of 13.8 in eight career starts with two top-5 showings, four top-10 finishes and 156 laps led, although he does have a DNF in that span. His teammate Jimmie Johnson (+5000) is looking to snap a lengthy winless drought, and Phoenix could be just the place for him. He has four career wins at the track, second-most among all active drivers. In 33 career starts, he has a 10.3 AFP with 15 of his runs resulting in a finish of fifth or better while leading 994 laps.

New to sports betting? A successful $10 wager on Busch to win would return a profit of $32.50.

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Stewart-Haas Racing’s Kevin Harvick (+550) is always a threat at this track as well. He has collected nine checkered flags at this flat track in his 34 career starts, with exactly half of his starts resulting in a finish of fifth or better. He also leads all active drivers with 1,595 laps led. And, most importantly, he has never had a DNF in his 34 starts at Phoenix, so you know he’ll be there in the end.

JGR’s Denny Hamlin (+800) is one of five active drivers with at least two wins at the track, four if you exclude the injured Ryan Newman. The driver of the No. 11 FedEx Toyota has registered 13 top-5 showings in his 29 career starts with an impressive 11.0 AFP and 821 laps led.

Also of note, JGR’s Martin Truex Jr. (+600) will start from the back of the field due to an engine change before pre-technical inspection Saturday.

2020 FanShield 500 longshot bets

Of the racers without a career win at Phoenix, Ganassi Racing’s Kyle Larson (+2500) has slightly longer odds than the four above. He is the best non-winner by the career numbers. In 12 career starts he has a tremendous 12.7 AFP with four top-5 finishes, six top-10 showings and 69 laps led. He was a runner-up in the spring ’17 race, and he has five finishes of sixth or better in his past seven starts.

If you want an even deeper sleeper, SHR’s Aric Almirola (+6000) could be a nice selection. He has never won at the track, but in 18 career starts he has a solid 15.3 AFP with 14 of his finishes coming in the Top 20, and two runs inside the Top 5. The ‘Cuban Missile’ had back-to-back fourth-place runs in the fall of ’18 and spring of ’19 race, too.

Want some action in this one? Place a bet at BetMGM now. For more sports betting tips, visit SportsbookWire.com.

Follow @JoeWilliamsVI and @SportsbookWire on Twitter.

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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Chase Elliott, Kyle Larson will try to cash in on $100k Kyle Busch bounty in Truck Series

Kevin Harvick offered a bounty on Kyle Busch, and NASCAR drivers are chasing after it.

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. This is not a serious feud at all, but it is one of the more fun and entertaining things to happen in NASCAR.

Kevin Harvick offered a bounty on Kyle Busch, and their fellow NASCAR Cup Series drivers are chasing $100,000.

After Busch won NASCAR’s third-tier Truck Series race last weekend at his home track, Las Vegas Motor Speedway — he also extended his win streak in the series to seven races dating back to the 2018 season — Harvick offered $50,000 to any full-time driver in the premier series who can beat Busch in the Truck Series. And then Marcus Lemonis — the CEO of Gander Outdoors, which is the Truck Series title sponsor — matched it.

Because of Busch’s experience, the reigning Cup Series champ is limited to just five Truck Series races. So anyone who wants to try to beat Busch has four remaining chances to do so: Atlanta Motor Speedway on March 14, Homestead-Miami Speedway on March 20, Texas Motor Speedway on March 27 and Kansas Speedway on May 30.

So far, Chase Elliott and Kyle Larson are in.

The two young and talented Cup Series drivers tweeted Thursday that they’re each running one of the truck races on Busch’s schedule. Elliott will compete at Atlanta, while Larson will race at Homestead.

Denny Hamlin and Austin Dillon are among the other drivers who have expressed an interest in running one of these Truck Series races, but neither has announced a ride yet. Hamlin implied he has the money, but he can’t find a ride and is looking to his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate, Busch, to give him a hand.

For his part, Harvick is pretty pumped too. He also previously clarified that a full-time Cup driver has to beat Busch fairly and can’t wreck him to win.

In a release from GMS Racing, both drivers explained they’re competing at one of their favorite tracks, making this bounty even more enticing. Via GMS Racing:

“When I heard about the $100,000 bounty I wanted in!” said Larson. “I’m thankful for GMS and Chevy giving me this opportunity, Homestead is one of my favorite tracks so looking for to the challenge!”

If no full-time driver beats Busch in the Truck Series this season, Harvick and Lemonis agreed to donate the money to Kyle and Samantha Busch’s Bundle of Joy Fund, which helps couples cover costs associated with infertility.

And while Busch surely doesn’t think anyone can beat him, he also explained that he sees Harvick’s bounty as a “huge compliment”.

And in his quintessential Kyle Busch manner, he’s having some fun with the many, many haters who are tired of him winning truck races, which contributed to this whole bounty thing in the first place.

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Kevin Harvick puts $50k bounty on Kyle Busch in NASCAR’s Truck Series

Kyle Busch is on a seven-race win streak in the NASCAR Truck Series.

Kyle Busch, the defending NASCAR Cup Series champion, runs as many races in the lower-tiered XFINITY Series and Truck Series as he’s allowed to. He often dominates, and his haters don’t exactly love that.

In his first Truck Series race of the 2020 season, Busch won the Strat 200 at his home track, Las Vegas Motor Speedway, on Friday night, extending his win streak in the series to seven races going back to the 2018 season. He also became the winningest Truck Series driver last year and just keeps adding to his record.

NASCAR rules dictate that because of his experience as a Cup Series driver, he’s only allowed to compete in five total Truck Series races this season.

And Kevin Harvick wants to have a little fun with that. The 2014 Cup Series champion tweeted Saturday that he’ll offer a $50,000 prize to any fellow full-time Cup driver who beats Busch in a Truck race.

Now, it’s a little unclear whether that driver has to beat Busch once in his next four Truck Series races or all four times, but things could get interesting.

Busch’s four remaining truck races are at Atlanta Motor Speedway on March 14, Homestead-Miami Speedway on March 20, Texas Motor Speedway on March 27 and Kansas Speedway on May 30. He’s also planning to compete in the maximum five XFINITY races this season, starting with Phoenix Raceway in two weeks.

Not long after Harvick put down his $50,000, Marcus Lemonis — the CEO of Gander Outdoors, which is the Truck Series title sponsor — tweeted he’ll match the No. 4 Ford driver’s offer.

And with all of Busch’s Truck Series races coming in the next several weeks, this could get fun.

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NASCAR Betting: Pennzoil 400 odds, picks and best bets

Previewing Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series Pennzoil 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, with NASCAR betting odds, picks and best bets

The NASCAR Cup Series moves to the Las Vegas Motor Speedway Sunday afternoon for the Pennzoil 400 at 3:30 p.m. ET. Below, we analyze the Pennzoil 400 betting odds and lines, with NASCAR picks and tips.

The weather won’t be a problem like it was in Daytona last weekend, when a surprise rain storm ended up pushing the race to Monday. The haulers had one less day to travel across the country, subsequently canceling the mid-week hauler parade down The Strip, but the cars and drivers will be ready to go Sunday with no interruptions.

Who is going to win the 2020 Pennzoil 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway?

Odds courtesy of BetMGM; access them at USA TODAY Sports for a full list. Odds last updated Friday at 3:30 p.m. ET.

The winner of the most recent Cup race at Vegas, Joe Gibbs Racing driver Martin Truex Jr. (+550), is among the favorites at this race. Only Vegas-born driver and teammate Kyle Busch (+500) and Stewart-Haas Racing’s Kevin Harvick (+500) have shorter odds.

MTJ has posted two wins in 16 career starts in Vegas, with five top-5 showings and eight top-10 finishes with a 10.9 Average-Finish Position (AFP). He’ll be a very popular selection this weekend. Truex also tops the charts with a 123.8 Driver Rating across the past five starts in Vegas, according to NASCAR’s Loop Data. Busch has a win in 17 career starts, posting nine top-10 showings and a 12.7 AFP.

New to sports betting? A successful $10 wager on Truex to win would return a profit of $55.

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Penske Racing driver Joey Logano (+700) will also be a pick many gravitate toward, as he has a 5.0 AFP and 116.8 Driver Rating across his past five starts at LVMS while running a circuit-best 95.4 percent of his laps inside the Top 15 during the impressive span. He also has eight consecutive top-10 showings at the track.

Logano’s teammate Brad Keselowski (+600) is also a solid play, as he has three straight finishes of third or best at Vegas, including a win. He is a nice selection to finish in the Top 3 (+150).

2020 Pennzoil 400 longshot bets

Keselowski and Logano’s teammate, Ryan Blaney (+2000), kicked off his 2020 campaign with a second-place run at Daytona. He heads into this one with a 95.6 Driver Rating over the past five Vegas starts while posting an 8.8 AFP. He has finished seventh or better in five of his past six starts at the track, too, including three top-5 showings in the previous four.

Hendrick Motorsports’ William Byron (+2500) and Alex Bowman (+3000) finished in the Top 10 in the second Vegas race last season, with Byron seventh and Bowman sixth. Those two are worth a small-unit bet with rather moderate odds. Tossing a little change on their veteran teammate, seven-time Cup champ Jimmie Johnson (+3000) is also worth a shot. He has four career wins at Vegas to lead all active drivers, and he is 12th or better in seven of his past 10 starts at the track.

Want some action in this one? Place a bet at BetMGM now. For more sports betting tips, visit SportsbookWire.com.

Follow @JoeWilliamsVI and @SportsbookWire on Twitter.

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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44-year-old Kevin Harvick explains why he signed NASCAR contract extension through 2023

Kevin Harvick will be in NASCAR for (at least) four more years.

Kevin Harvick is already one of the oldest full-time NASCAR Cup Series drivers — he turned 44 in December — and the next time he’s in a contract year, there’s a good chance he’ll easily be the oldest on the track.

The No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing driver was previously under contract through the 2021 season, but Saturday at Daytona International Speedway, he confirmed that he signed an extension taking him through the 2023 season, shortly after which he’ll turn 48.

The 2014 Cup Series champion has expressed an interest in the broadcast side of NASCAR following his eventual retirement from racing, but that’s clearly not an option for a few more years.

Harvick explained his decision regarding the two-year contract extension to the media Saturday:

“The TV and radio stuff is definitely something that I’m extremely interested in doing. But I talked with some of my friends over the offseason just about where I was at with things, and everybody told me the same thing: If you’re not done with that competitive side of it, just keep chasing that side. And I’ve got everything around me I need to be competitive, so just gonna continue doing that.”

Harvick has raced for Stewart-Haas Racing since 2014, and has won 26 of his 49 career checkered flags with Tony Stewart’s team. He has also advanced to the Championship 4 race in five of the six years under the current format, including in the 2019 season when he finished third in the final standings behind champion Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr.

However, Harvick did seem to imply that he’ll be calling it quits when his new contract expires, which lines up with a new TV broadcast contract. He said, via NBC Sports:

“That timing works well for me from a media standpoint just because of the fact you have the TV contract coming up (in 2024). I think at that particular point you’ll have a fair amount of experience in the new car. You will have hopefully been through the engine change, the vehicle change. There were a number of things that go along with that. I really like racing with the group of guys and the organization that I’m at.”

While Harvick fans are surely happy with their driver confirming he’ll be racing for four more years, his wife, DeLana, might feel a little differently and tweeted her response to the news becoming public:

But his crew chief, Rodney Childers, is obviously digging it:

The 2020 NASCAR season begins Sunday, February 16 with the Daytona 500.

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NASCAR Betting: Ford EcoBoost 400 betting tips

Breaking down Sunday’s NASCAR Monster Cup Series Ford EcoBoost 400 with predicted picks and betting tips

The Monster Energy Cup Series wraps up the 2019 season at Homestead-Miami Speedway Sunday for the Ford EcoBoost 400 at 3 p.m. ET, and we’ll crown a series champion after the sun goes down.

The four drivers eligible for the championship are Stewart-Haas Racing’s Kevin Harvick against the Joe Gibbs Racing trio of Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin and Martin Truex Jr. Harvick won the series title in 2014, Busch won in 2015 and MTJ won in 2017. Only Hamlin has yet to nail down a championship, but he comes in hotter than anyone.

Who is going to win the Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway?

For a full-set of today’s sports betting odds, access them at USA TODAY Sports.

Harvick enters Sunday’s race with a win, 10 top-5 finishes and 16 top-10 showings across 18 career races at Homestead with a 6.6 Average-Finish Position (AFP) with 373 laps led and zero DNFs.

NASCAR’s Loop Data shows Harvick with a 124.6 Driver Rating across the past five starts at HMS while posting a 2.6 AFP. He also leads all drivers running 99.6 percent of his laps inside the Top 15.

Busch ranks fourth in Driver Rating (111.1) across the past five starts at Homestead, leading 106 laps while posting a 10.4 AFP. He has also run 87.4 percent of his laps inside the Top 15. He has had mixed results over the years at this track, posting a win with four top-5 finishes and seven top-10 results, but he has two DNFs and a 17.4 AFP in 14 career starts.

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As far as Hamlin is concerned, he has two career victories at Homestead-Miami Speedway while posting an impressive 10.6 AFP in 14 career starts. He has led 254 laps, too. Across the past five starts he has a 102.6 Driver Rating while running 92.6 percent of his laps inside the Top 15. He is just as good a bet as any to win and claim his first championship. MTJ has a 98.2 Driver Rating, and he has a 13.6 AFP across the past five stops at Homestead while running 83.3 percent of his laps inside the Top 15.

Homestead-Miami Speedway long-shot bets

If you’re looking for a non-title contender to come and ruin the party, look to Hendrick Motorsports driver Chase Elliott. He has finishes of fifth, seventh and 11th in three career starts at Homestead. While he is certainly not returning big odds, and probably could have been in the hunt for a title if not for a wreck in Phoenix last week, he might have something to prove.

Ganassi Racing’s Kyle Larson is also a non-contender looking to capture checkers. He has six career starts at HMS, turning in three top-5s and three top-10s with an AFP of 8.5 while racking up 325 laps led. He has never won at Homestead, but he has a runner-up finish under his belt.

Now that you know which drivers you should consider to bet in the Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway, head to BetMGM and place your wagers today.

Follow @JoeWilliamsVI and @SportsbookWire on Twitter.

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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How Kyle Busch won around $1,000 off his fellow NASCAR drivers

Kyle Busch won an easy bet against his fellow NASCAR championship contenders — with a little trickery.

MIAMI BEACH, Fla. — Kyle Busch already beat his fellow NASCAR championship contenders this week and even made some money off of them.

In New York on Tuesday promoting Sunday’s season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Busch, Denny Hamlin, Martin Truex Jr. and Kevin Harvick were stuck in “heavy traffic” on their way back to their hotel. They were about five miles away but barely moving, so Busch decided to run it.

The No. 18 Toyota driver made a bet that he could arrive at the hotel on foot faster than they could driving. So Busch mapped it out, he changed his shoes and he, along with a cameraman — who works for Pro Sports Management, the company that represents Hamlin — got out of the van and took off running.

Hamlin said Thursday at NASCAR’s championship media day that it was his idea to get his teammate to jog through Midtown Manhattan with the temperature in the mid-30s, joking that he was “just trying to hamper my competition” ahead of NASCAR’s title race.

Busch was going to get a few hundred dollars from them just for doing it, Truex, told For The Win on Thursday at NASCAR’s Media Day, adding that he initially put down $100. But they were going to kick in a few hundred more if he actually won the bet. Truex said he would double his offer while Hamlin’s payout went from $100 to $300.

Sweating and panting by the time he was done, Busch won the race by a lot.

It took him about 20 minutes to get to the hotel, and he FaceTimed with the other drivers still in the van to prove he made it. But that’s when they guessed something was amiss.

“Somebody’s full of [expletive] here,” Hamlin said in a video posted to his social media channels.

Turns out that while the driving route said their hotel was about five miles away, Busch looked at the directions for walking, which dropped the distance to fewer than two miles.

“I’m glad I had a witness go with me, and he’s just as whipped as I am,” Busch told his fellow championship contenders while FaceTiming with them.

“[I was] zig-zagging in and out of traffic, and it was pretty awesome. And I was in the middle of the street for a while.”

Eventually, Hamlin, Truex and Harvick figured out how Busch got the best of them. Obviously, they were in disbelief that Busch ran a 4.5-minute mile in shoes borrowed from the cameraman who tagged along, but not even two miles in 20 minutes makes a lot more sense.

“We just realized we got whamboozled, absolutely whamboozled,” Hamlin said in a video afterward. “We Wazed it at 5.2 miles. That seems like a really long way. However, if you click the ‘walk’ button, he only had to travel 1.8 miles. … He still put a decent pace on it. It is 30-some degrees out here.”

In the end, they combine to owe Busch “about a grand,” Harvick said at media day. But the three NASCAR drivers weren’t the only ones to get in on the bet, Truex told FTW.

During the press conference for the championship drivers Thursday, Busch said Truex still hasn’t paid up yet, and the No. 19 Toyota driver joked he’s “on a payment plan.”

“Although Kyle’s run was impressive, would have been more impressive if he would have had boots on and carrying a camera like the other guy,” Hamlin said.

But in addition to owing Busch money, Harvick had another form of punishment Tuesday as they finished their commute back to the hotel.

“I carried [his] shoes,” Harvick said Thursday of the kicks Busch changed out of. “I felt like I was obligated in losing the bet to carry his shoes back.”

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