Reddick and 23XI have speed, but still searching for execution

Tyler Reddick might have one of the fastest cars in the NASCAR Cup Series, but he and his 23XI Racing team haven’t done themselves any favors in trying to show it. “That’s pretty much it,” Reddick said Saturday about the team’s lack of execution in …

Tyler Reddick might have one of the fastest cars in the NASCAR Cup Series, but he and his 23XI Racing team haven’t done themselves any favors in trying to show it.

“That’s pretty much it,” Reddick said Saturday about the team’s lack of execution in recent weeks. “We’ve got plenty of speed, it’s just we got to have clean races. It’s really difficult in this day and age of this Cup (Series) racing to have mistakes, rebound from it and still win.

“We haven’t had many of those this year, and that’s basically what we have to do.”

Reddick started and finished sixth last weekend in New Hampshire. It was his first top-10 finish since late May at Charlotte Motor Speedway. But it wasn’t a clean top-10 finish in New Hampshire as Reddick was called or speeding on pit road at the end of the first stage.

Some of the other mistakes or issues the No. 45 team has made in recent weeks:

Atlanta: pit crew called for being over the wall too soon.

Chicago: Reddick goes into the Turn 6 tire barriers with 18 laps to go and gets stuck.

Nashville: Reddick spins onto pit road as the right-rear wheel comes off.

Sonoma: suffered a flat left-front tire with 14 laps to go.

St. Louis: Reddick gets spun in Turn 1 on lap two. Explodes a brake rotor with 66 laps to go.

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He led eight laps in Chicago before nosing into the tire barriers, led 33 laps in Nashville and four laps in St. Louis.

Before his sixth-place finish in New Hampshire, Reddick had finished 27th or worse in the previous five races. And those results followed qualifying efforts of ninth (St. Louis), second (Sonoma), second (Nashville), second (Chicago), and 12th (Atlanta).

With six races to go before the postseason starts, Reddick didn’t deny being concerned about the team’s execution. He’s already locked into the postseason with a win from Circuit of The Americas.

“It’s good we can bounce back from so many of these things that happen,” Reddick said. “We’ve pretty much gotten used to unnatural races, so we have to get back to having some boring races where nothing really exciting happens.”

Reddick isn’t immune to making mistakes and has put some of the blame on his shoulders. He apologized over the radio to his team at Atlanta Motor Speedway before the race was called official for weather, saying he had “screwed” them two weeks in a row.

“At the time, I thought the penalty was on me,” Reddick said. “But we still have had a few races where I’ve cost the team and, collectively, we have to get out of that habit. We’re pretty much used to the craziest of things happening and just moving on and trying to get the best finish possible after the fact.

“We have to stop doing that and have normal days. I feel like if we’re fast enough where we don’t even have to give it 100 percent, honestly, we could run top 10, no problem.”

The good news is that Reddick and his team aren’t searching for speed, which is a far tougher task than needing to clean up their execution.

“Correct,” he said. “We’re just searching for ways to get the finishes that we’re deserved with the speed we have.”

Gibbs reflects on the long year since his shock Pocono Cup debut

Ty Gibbs unexpectedly made his NASCAR Cup Series debut last season at Pocono Raceway and, according to the rookie, it’s been one “long last year” since then. Gibbs finished 16th in a substitute role for 23XI Racing when Kurt Busch suffered a …

Ty Gibbs unexpectedly made his NASCAR Cup Series debut last season at Pocono Raceway and, according to the rookie, it’s been one “long last year” since then.

Gibbs finished 16th in a substitute role for 23XI Racing when Kurt Busch suffered a concussion from a crash in qualifying. Gibbs didn’t know he was going to be in the car until late Saturday night, which led to a 1 a.m. simulator session and a need to get fitted in the seat the morning of the race.

“It’s definitely been a long last year, for sure,” Gibbs said Saturday afternoon. “It’s been really cool; I’ve had great experiences. Being able to make my Cup start a year ago this weekend is really special to me.

“As I’ve always said, appreciate Denny and Michael for the opportunity and all the experience I had last year. It’s crazy where time takes you.”

Gibbs is now a full-time rookie in the Cup Series with Joe Gibbs Racing. In making his return to Pocono, he did think about the frantic preparation ahead of making his debut.

“Rolling into the track, I remember coming in last year and going to get my seat ready early in the morning (and) stuff like that,” Gibbs said. “It was a scramble last year, but everybody at 23XI did a great job, and the people around me did a fantastic job, so it was actually pretty easy.”

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The leading rookie of the year candidate is also in contention for a playoff spot. Gibbs is 41 points below the playoff grid cutline going into Sunday’s race (2:30 p.m. ET).

He can’t deny his rise has come fast.

“God has put me on a crazy plan and it’s been really fun, and I’ve enjoyed every bit of it…” he said. “The highs and the lows. It’s been crazy, and I’ve been very thankful for the experience I’ve had and the times I’ve had. I’m very blessed, so I have to keep working hard and enjoy my time here.”

Pocono was the first of what became 15 starts for Gibbs last season as he pulled double duty through the end of the year. He earned his first top-10 finish in Michigan and has six top-10 finishes through the first 20 races of 2023.

Gibbs came into the year embracing the challenge of being a rookie, despite the experience he got last year. There is only one chance to be a Cup Series rookie — as he well knows — plus there was the challenge of learning a brand new race car. Halfway through the season, he’s still having fun, but there is still plenty of work to be done.

“I, for sure, want to be a way better driver than I am and I definitely want to be winning races,” Gibbs said. “It’s definitely hard sometimes, but then you just relax and know you’re a rookie, and usually, it takes some of these guys a little bit to get going, so you have to know going from Xfinity to Cup is really hard.

“You just have to work hard and not focus on anybody else and keep racing and doing the best you can, and see where time takes you.”

Byron overcomes Toyota’s speed to take Cup Series pole at Pocono

William Byron will lead the NASCAR Cup Series field to the green flag at Pocono Raceway after earning his third pole of the season Saturday afternoon. He earned the top spot with a lap of 170.629mph (52.746s). It is his second pole in 10 starts at …

William Byron will lead the NASCAR Cup Series field to the green flag at Pocono Raceway after earning his third pole of the season Saturday afternoon.

He earned the top spot with a lap of 170.629mph (52.746s). It is his second pole in 10 starts at Pocono.

“It’s really important to have pit stall selection; I feel like I reiterate that a lot with my team in that qualifying position is important, but pit stall selection is really critical,” Byron said. “I’m just really happy to get that number one pit stall. For us, I felt we had a really smooth day. We had some tough conversations after Loudon; we just had a tough weekend and we went into Wednesday and focused hard on building up our Pocono car and using the Chevy sim. Just thanks to those guys for their efforts. Some weeks it’s different than others, but this week they did a great job.

“I’m just thankful for our whole team, the effort we put in. This really is a speed racetrack, and I was nervous coming here – I feel like the Toyotas have been really strong, but we’re inching up on it and I think we’re right there.”

Martin Truex Jr. qualified second at 170.235mph. Truex is the Cup Series championship point leader, and Byron is his closest competitor.

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Kyle Larson qualified third at 170.074mph and Kevin Harvick fourth at 169.750mph. Christopher Bell completed the top five qualifiers at 169.645mph.

Joey Logano qualified sixth at 169.472mph and Tyler Reddick seventh at 169.361mph. Denny Hamlin, the disqualified winner at Pocono last year, qualified eighth at 169.195mph. Austin Cindric qualified ninth at 168.508mph.

Bubba Wallace made the final round and is 10th in the starting lineup but did not post a speed in the final round, bouncing off the wall at the exit of Turn 1 on his lap. The 23XI Racing driver did not finish his lap and drove straight to the garage for his team to assess the damage.

Chase Elliott spun in Turn 2 during his lap. He did not record a qualifying time and was able to keep his car off the wall and will start 35th.

Elliott is the defending winner of the HighPoint.com 400.

Todd Gilliland will start last after his own spin. Gilliland got loose over the bumps in Turn 2 and spun, hitting the outside wall with the left rear of his Front Row Motorsports Ford. Fortunately, there are no significant repairs needed to the car.

Busch takes 100th Trucks win for KBM at Pocono with last-lap pass

In what was both a thrilling and historic afternoon at Pocono Raceway, Kyle Busch earned a hard-fought win in Saturday’s CRC Brakleen 150 with a last-lap pass for his Kyle Busch Motorsports team’s milestone 100th series victory in the NASCAR …

Busch made a daring move low on series championship leader Corey Heim in Turn 2 — the “Tunnel Turn” of the iconic 2.5-mile track — got around cleanly and motored off to a 0.604s win in the No. 51 KBM Chevrolet to at last secure that unprecedented 100th victory for his decorated team. It marks the second win of the year in five truck starts for Busch, 38, a two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion.

“It’s pretty cool — we’ve been around for a long time, but it’s been fun, said Busch, who contributed 64 of those 100 wins himself and now has three at Pocono.

“A great ride. Obviously, this [Chevrolet] Silvarado today was really really fast, just mired in traffic. Couldn’t find a way to make a clean move so had to make a little bit of a racey one, a little bit of a dicey one there at the end getting into two. Heim ran a great race. We just needed this 100th win to get it over with.

“Really proud of the guys and everybody at KBM,’’ he said. “It’s a monumental day, a century mark of being able to win a hundred truck races. We’re a small team, just one that performs in the Truck Series.’’

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Eighteen drivers contributed to that grand win total for Kyle Busch Motorsports — including Heim, who finished runner-up to his former boss on Saturday after leading a race best 27 of the 60 laps.

“Just unreal,’’ said Heim, who holds a 42-point lead over Zane Smith atop the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series championship heading into the regular season finale next week at Richmond Raceway.

“I felt like I did everything right,’’ continued Heim, who drives the No. 11 TRICON Garage Toyota. “Seemed like we had about five laps in the truck before it started tightened up really bad on me. I really did get the run I wanted out of 1 and knew his straightaway speed was really good. I was a little upset initially but realistically, I would have done the exact same thing. Heat-of-the-moment deal there.

“Looking back on it, I’ve just got a lot of respect for Kyle. I raced for him for two years and he was really good to me and raced me with respect today. He’s a hard racer and didn’t wreck us for the win and I probably would have done the same thing. Really sucks — really thought we had it there.’’

Heim’s TRICON Garage teammate Taylor Gray finished a career best third place with another NASCAR Cup Series full-timer, Christopher Bell in fourth place in the Hattori Racing Enterprises No. 61 Toyota and Grant Enfinger rounding out the Top-5 in the No. 23 GMS Racing Chevrolet.

Ty Majeski, Christian Eckes, Dean Thompson, 2021 series champion Ben Rhodes and Matt DiBenedetto completed the Top-10 on Saturday.

It was Heim’s closest championship challenger that dominated early at Pocono. Zane Smith, whose 19 laps led was second only to Heim, won both stages (his third and fourth of the season) giving him bonus points to seemingly narrow the championship gap.

That pit strategy, however, left him vulnerable in the rear of the field during that final stage and he was among 10 cars involved in an incident with eight laps remaining that brought out a 13-minute red flag period.

Smith’s truck was too damaged to finish the race, as was another championship hopeful, Stewart Friesen. The reigning series champion now shows up at Richmond a longshot to claim the regular season trophy, but he is one of four drivers with two wins on the season – second best to Heim’s three victories.

Pole winner, 22-year old Nick Sanchez was involved in an accident just prior to the “big one” and took out his fellow front row starter and rookie Jake Garcia.

Heading into the Richmond regular season finale, three-time former series champion Matt Crafton holds an eight-point advantage over Friesen for that final 10th place Playoff transfer spot.

The series races in the Worldwide Express 250 at Richmond Raceway on Saturday night (7:30 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) to formalize the 10-driver Playoff field. Chandler Smith is the defending race winner.

RESULTS

Reddick paces mostly smooth sailing Cup practice at Pocono

Tyler Reddick was fastest in NASCAR Cup Series practice at Pocono Raceway with a lap of 168.596mph (53.382s) – his second on track Saturday afternoon. He was quickest over Kyle Busch, who ran 168.483mph. William Byron was third fastest at …

Tyler Reddick was fastest in NASCAR Cup Series practice at Pocono Raceway with a lap of 168.596mph (53.382s) — his second on track Saturday afternoon. He was quickest over Kyle Busch, who ran 168.483mph.

William Byron was third fastest at 168.397mph, Kyle Larson fourth at 168.290mph and Martin Truex Jr. completed the top five at 168.205mph.

Chris Buescher was sixth fastest at 168.130mph. Buescher then went for a single-car spin off Turn 1 but kept his Ford Mustang off the wall — the only incident of practice.

Denny Hamlin was seventh fastest at 167.854mph. Hamlin crossed the finish line first at Pocono last season but, along with now-former teammate Kyle Busch, was later disqualified. It handed the win to Chase Elliott, who was eighth fastest in practice at 167.748mph.

Ty Gibbs was ninth at 167.436mph. Alex Bowman completed the top 10 at 167.408mph.

Gibbs ran the most laps — 19. It was a year ago this weekend at Pocono Raceway when he made his Cup Series debut, filling in for the injured Kurt Busch.

There are 36 drivers entered in the HighPoint.com 400.

William Byron was the fastest in the best 10 consecutive lap averages over Tyler Reddick, Gy Gibbs, Chris Buescher and Denny Hamlin.

Haley’s RWR move has ‘a lot more depth to it than you might think’

Justin Haley revealed Saturday that there is a lot of depth to why he signed a multiyear deal with Rick Ware Racing, including the economics of the sport. Haley will drive a Ford Mustang for Ware beginning in 2024. There are still details to be …

Justin Haley revealed Saturday that there is a lot of depth to why he signed a multiyear deal with Rick Ware Racing, including the economics of the sport.

Haley will drive a Ford Mustang for Ware beginning in 2024. There are still details to be worked out — car number and team partners, all of which Ware can go about selling now that Haley is signed. The news came as a surprise considering how close Haley has been to Kaulig Racing, whom he’s driven for in the NASCAR Xfinity Series and Cup Series since 2019.

“RFK (Racing) and RWR wanted me and they were very persistent. I like that,” Haley said at Pocono Raceway of the Ware team and its alliance partner. “Rick gave me a really good opportunity and a really good deal that I kept lying in bed thinking about and wanting to take. I don’t want to speak (for) Rick, but I think back to where Spire was a few years ago – a lot of people were wondering why Spire was in the sport, especially after our win. They thought it was a money grab or whatnot.

“I think Rick really wants to show people that he’s here to win races, and they just won an NHRA race last week. Rick Ware, in all forms of motor sports, is a race-winning, championship-caliber team, and he wants to drive his NASCAR program to that. And signing me, a full-time driver, was, I think, one of his first steps after the RFK alliance. Rick wants to change the narrative.”

When Haley met with Ware, he was given the address to come to the RFK Racing shop in Concord, North Carolina. Haley initially thought it was a mistake because he didn’t realize the Ware cars are housed in the same shop as those of Brad Keselowski and Chris Buescher. Given how Haley has found himself competing against the Ware cars in recent weeks, it’s further fed his belief in the organization.

“There’s a lot more to it than just the sport side of it, and I have to protect myself,” Haley said.

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The deal between the two sides has been done for almost a month. Haley said it was finalized the week leading into the Chicago race, and the unusual timing of the announcement is nothing more than needing to be publicized so Ware can focus on putting his 2024 program together.

“I think there is a lot of uncertainty in the sport right now (and) in the world, really,” Haley said. “Obviously, there’s a charter agreement that’s not finalized, there’s a TV deal that’s not finalized and the election is next year. So, I think for Matt and Kaulig Racing, and where they are – obviously, he’s a businessman, and he needs to make business decisions. I think we were close to doing a deal. I feel like it was a probable option. I feel like I had a few deals, and Rick just kept coming and calling and just gave me a really good deal.

“I believe in what they’ve been able to do, especially with the RFK alliance. Brad Keselowski and Steve (Newmark) over at RFK were very helpful in my decision process; they were convincing as well. I think with our alliance with RFK, Rick Ware…maybe on the surface it might look an odd move, but there’s a lot more depth to it than you might think.”

As for the security of a multiyear deal, the 24-year-old Haley laughed that Ware wanted to sign him for a lifetime.

“He wanted to sign me forever,” Haley said. “That’s where Kaulig was too. I called Chris (Rice) and Matt (Kaulig) after it went out, and they both told me they would have loved to stay with me forever, but the economics of the sport right now are just not in a position where a driver like me who doesn’t have a lot of sponsorship can thrive.

“And Chris and Matt both told me that. They said, ‘We’d love to have you forever.’ Chris mentioned yesterday in an interview that it wasn’t performance related, it’s purely economics of where we are as a sport right now, and as I said, Rick and everyone at RWR was giving me a chance and opportunity. I think it’s something we both can build around, and I’m looking forward to it. I’m really so excited to step into this role and hopefully be what the team can build around.”

Racing on TV, July 20-23

All times Eastern; live broadcasts unless noted. Thursday, July 20 Stafford Springs 9:00- 11:00pm Friday, July 21 Hungary practice 1 7:25-8:30am Hungary practice 1 7:25-8:30am Hungary practice 2 10:55am- 12:00pm Hungary practice 2 10:55am- 12:00pm …

All times Eastern; live broadcasts unless noted.

Thursday, July 20

Stafford
Springs

9:00-
11:00pm

Friday, July 21

	Hungary practice 1	7:25-8:30am
	Hungary practice 1	7:25-8:30am
	Hungary practice 2	10:55am- 12:00pm
	Hungary practice 2	10:55am- 12:00pm
	Pocono practice/ qualifying	1:30-3:00pm
	Pocono practice/ qualifying	3:30-5:00pm
	Iowa practice 1	4:30-6:00pm
	Lime Rock qualifying	5:35-5:55pm
	Pocono	6:00-8:30pm

Saturday, July 22

	Hungary practice 3	6:25-7:30am
	Hungary practice 3	6:25-7:30am
	Lime Rock race 1	9:05-9:50am
	Iowa qualifying	9:30- 10:30am
	Hungary qualifying	9:55-11:00am
	Hungary qualifying	9:55-11:00am
	Pocono	11:00am- 12:00pm pre-race 12:00-2:00pm race
	Iowa	11:00am- 12:20pm
	Lime Rock race	12:00-3:00pm
	Kent qualifying 1	2:00-3:00pm
	Suzuka	2:00-3:00pm (D)
	Iowa race 1	3:00-5:00pm
	Pocono practice/ qualifying	3:00-5:00pm
	Misano	3:00-4:00pm (D)
	Lime Rock race 2	3:05-3:50pm
	Washougal	4:00pm
	Lime Rock	4:15-5:55pm
	Pocono	5:00-5:30pm pre-race 5:30-8:30pm race

Sunday, July 23

	Hungarian GP	7:30-8:55am pre-race 8:55-11:00am
	Hungarian GP	7:30-8:55am pre-race 8:55-11:00am
	Iowa warmup	11:05- 11:30am
	Washougal	12:00-2:00pm (R)
	Kent qualifying 2	1:30-3:00pm (D)
	Iowa race 2	2:00-2:30pm pre-race 2:30-4:30pm race
	Pocono	2:00-2:30pm pre-race 2:30-6:30pm race
	Kent finals	4:00-7:00pm

Key: SDD: Same day delay; D = delayed; R = Repeat/Replay

A variety of motor racing is available for streaming on demand at the following sites:

MAVTV.com

MotorTrendOnDemand.com

SRO-america.com
SCCA.com
Ferrari Challenge
The Trans Am Series airs in 60-minute highlight shows in primetime on the MAVTV Network. For those wishing to tune in live, the entire lineup of SpeedTour events will stream for free on the SpeedTour TV YouTube page. SpeedTour TV will also air non-stop activity on Saturday and Sunday (SVRA, IGT and Trans Am). You can also watch all Trans Am event activity on the Trans Am YouTube page and Facebook page.
All NTT IndyCar Series stream live on Peacock Premium.

Big Machine Hand Sanitizer 400 Powered by Big Machine Records from Indianapolis odds, picks and best bets

Previewing Sunday’s Big Machine Hand Sanitizer 400 Powered by Big Machine Records at Indianapolis Motor Speedway sports betting odds and lines, with NASCAR analysis, picks and tips.

The NASCAR Cup Series moves to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the Big Machine Hand Sanitizer 400 Powered by Big Machine Records. The green flag drops Sunday at 4 p.m. ET with the race televised on NBC. Below, we analyze the Big Machine 400 odds and betting lines, with NASCAR picks and tips with odds from BetMGM sportsbook.

Big Machine 400: What you need to know

Odds courtesy of BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Saturay, July 4 at 5:30 p.m. ET.

Sunday’s race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the largest sporting venue in the world with a capacity of 235,000, will take place in front of no fans due to the COVID-19 global pandemic and social distancing practices.

Seven-time series champ Jimmie Johnson tested positive for the coronavirus Friday and will miss the race – and likely a few more. His streak of 663 consecutive Cup starts will end – a streak that ranks fifth all time behind Jeff Gordon (797), Ricky Rudd (788), Bobby Labonte (704) and Rusty Wallace (697).
Stewart-Haas Racing driver Kevin Harvick (+400 for Sunday’s race) is the chalk in Indy. He won last season’s race from the pole position. In 19 career starts at the Brickyard, he has two wins, seven top-5 finishes and 13 top-10 showings, while leading all active drivers with an 8.95 Average-Finish Position (AFP).
Ford had not won in 18 consecutive Cup races at IMS from 2000-2017 before Penske Racing’s Brad Keselowski (+800) broke through for checkers in 2018. With Harvick’s win last season, Ford has consecutive wins at the Indiana 2.5-mile oval for the first time since 1996-97.
Three of the past seven winners at Indianapolis have come from the No. 1 spot on the starting grid, while six of the previous seven have started ninth or better.

Who is going to win the Big Machine 400?

HARVICK (+400) won last summer at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and leads all active drivers with an 8.95 AFP. He has finished eighth or better in each of his past six starts, including top-5 showings in three of the previous five.

Harvick was 13th in the 2013 version of this race. In the previous six starts at the track, Happy has posted a 4.7 AFP.

While Keselowski gets a lot of the attention due to his 2018 win at this track, the more consistent Penske driver at IMS is JOEY LOGANO (+800). He was a runner-up to Harvick last season, and has been the bridesmaid in two of his past five Indianapolis runs. In his previous seven IMS starts he is averaging a 5.9 AFP, making him WORTH A BET.

DENNY HAMLIN (+500) has been delivering consistency in the No. 11 FedEx Toyota lately, including a win at Pocono last Sunday. He has actually never won at Indianapolis in 14 tries, but has a strong 12.4 AFP with five top-5 finishes, eight top-10 showings and 112 laps led with zero DNFs.

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KYLE BUSCH (+500) is among the favorites despite the fact he has zero victories so far during the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series schedule, and there just seems to be something off with the No. 18 team. If Busch and his team can finally figure out the right combination, HE IS A STRONG BET to win at this track. He posted back-to-back wins at IMS in 2015-16.

Indianapolis Motor Speedway long-shot bets

WILLIAM BYRON (+2500) appeared in the long-shot bets section last weekend at Pocono, but was unable to come through. He has been a quick study during the early years of his Cup career, posting a 19th-place finish at Indy in 2018 before improving to fourth in last season’s installment.

RYAN NEWMAN (+8000) is WORTH A SMALL-UNIT BET at this price. He won this race in 2013, and has racked up finishes of 12th or better in eight of his past nine starts at the track. “Rocket Man” is also a Hoosier State native, so he brings more intensity than usual when running on his home turf.

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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Pocono 350 odds, picks and best bets

Previewing Sunday’s Pocono 350 at Pocono Raceway sports betting odds and lines, with NASCAR analysis, picks and tips.

The NASCAR Cup Series is back at the Pocono Raceway for the Pocono 350. The green flag drops Sunday at 4:20 p.m. ET with the race televised on FOX. Below, we analyze the Pocono 350 odds and betting lines, with NASCAR picks and tips with odds from BetMGM sportsbook.

Pocono 350: What you need to know

Odds courtesy of BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Sunday at 5 a.m. ET.

The NASCAR boys just ran on the track Saturday in the first doubleheader weekend in Cup Series history. Stewart Haas driver Kevin Harvick streaked to victory, holding off Joe Gibbs Racing’s Denny Hamlin by a few car lengths.

Leavine Family Racing driver Christopher Bell and Front Row Motorsports’ Michael McDowell showed Saturday that the little guys can compete, especially in these shorter-length races. The rookie Bell had a tremendous Cup debut at the “Tricky Triangle,” racing his way to fourth place, while McDowell finished eighth.
Toyota’s streak of five consecutive Pocono victories was snapped Saturday with Harvick’s win. Ford now has three wins in the past eighth Pocono runs, while Chevrolet hasn’t been to victory in Long Pond since the Axalta “We Paint Winners” 400 in the Spring 2016 race.
Lucky Nine? Harvick started in the ninth position Saturday and raced to the win, while Hamlin won from the ninth starting spot last July at Pocono. Penske Racing’s Ryan Blaney (+1200 for Sunday’s race) starts ninth in the 350.
Aric Almirola (+1600) recorded a third-place finish Saturday, his highest finish in a Cup car during a Pocono start. His previous best was seventh, set during the Spring ’18 run.

Who is going to win the Pocono 350?

HAMLIN (+500) was my top pick for Saturday’s race, and he was just edged out by Harvick. Hamlin could have used some lapped traffic to disrupt Happy’s flow, but it just never came into fruition and the No. 11 had to settle for runner-up.

Hamlin is 12th or better in seven of his past eight Pocono starts, including a win last July, and the runner-up showing on Saturday. He was the top finishing Toyota in Saturday’s race.

KYLE BUSCH (+550) was unable to pick up the checkered flag Saturday, but still has three wins in his past six Pocono starts. He ended up in fifth place Saturday, which isn’t too shabby. In fact, Rowdy has placed inside the top 10 in eight consecutive starts at the “Tricky Triangle” since a disastrous 31st-place showing in the Spring ’16 start.

Place legal sports betting on NASCAR action in CO, IN, NJ and WV through BetMGM. Sign up and bet at BetMGM now!

MARTIN TRUEX JR. (+1000) made his presence felt with a solid sixth-place run, giving JGR three cars – joining Hamlin and Kyle Busch – in the top six positions. Truex was third in last season’s summer race, and has been sixth or better in five of his past seven Pocono starts. At this price (+1000), TRUEX IS A VERY GOOD VALUE.

Pocono Raceway long-shot bets

BELL (+6500) turned in a fourth-place showing in his Pocono Cup debut Saturday, so he has to be on the radar of bettors at this price as we eagerly wait to see what he can do for an encore. Even if he falls a few positions, you can scoop him up and RING THAT BELL AT +310 FOR A TOP-10 FINISH.

WILLIAM BYRON (+2200) had a solid 14th-place showing Saturday, setting him up to start from the seventh spot in Sunday’s grid. He has a solid 10.2 Average-Finish Position (AFP) in five career Cup starts at the Pennsylvania tri-oval, so keep an eye on the No. 24 car. If you’re not feeling him for checkers, but perhaps to place inside the top 10, he is just about even-money at +105.

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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Pocono Organics 325 odds, picks and best bets

Previewing Saturday’s Pocono Organics 325 at Pocono Raceway sports betting odds and lines, with NASCAR analysis, picks and tips.

The NASCAR Cup Series heads to the Pocono Raceway for the Pocono Organics 325 in partnership with Rodale Institute. The green flag drops Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET with the race televised on FOX. Below, we analyze the Organics 325 odds and betting lines, with NASCAR picks and tips with odds from BetMGM sportsbook.

Pocono Organics 325: What you need to know

Odds courtesy of BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Friday, June 26 at 8:20 a.m. ET.

Saturday’s race at Pocono Raceway will take place as a part of a two-day, four-race card in Long Pond, Pa. Saturday kicks off with the Pocono Organics 150 to benefit Farm Aid, a Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series race at 12:30 p.m. ET. Then our Pocono Organics race follows. Sunday will feature the Xfinity Series’ Pocono Green 225 Recycled by J.P. Mascaro & Sons at 12:30 p.m., followed by the Cup Series’ Pocono 350 at 4 p.m.

Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin (+800 for Saturday’s race) won the July race at Pocono last season, starting from the ninth position. According to NASCAR’s Loop Data, he has averaged a 105.1 Driver Rating at Pocono Raceway since 2005 to lead the circuit.
Toyota has rattled off five consecutive victory at Pocono, all from the JGR stable of cars, including three checkered flags going to Kyle Busch (+500).
Kyle Busch was the last driver to win from the pole position at the Overton’s 400 during the July ’17 race at Pocono. He is the only driver in the past 13 starts to win from the pole in the shadows of the twin spires in Pennsylvania.
Erik Jones (+2000) is the only current JGR driver who hasn’t won at Pocono in the Cup series, but he leads all active drivers with an 8.3 Average-Finish Position, including four top-5 runs, in six career starts.

Who is going to win the Pocono Organics 325?

HAMLIN (+800) has been super consistent over the years at this track, rattling off five wins, 11 top-5 results and 18 top-10 showings with 726 laps led and an 11.96 AFP in 28 career starts. The driver of the No. 11 Toyota has finished 20th or better in 22 of his 28 outings at the track, too.

Hamlin is 12th or better in six of his past seven Pocono starts, including a win last July.

KYLE BUSCH (+500) has three wins in the previous five starts at Pocono, and he has been ninth or better in each of his past seven outings. He has posted a 100.7 Average Driver Rating since ’05 at the track, third among all active drivers. While he has five DNFs in 30 career starts, or roughly 16.7 percent of his starts, he is the one to beat at Pocono lately.

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BRAD KESELOWSKI (+800) is the best bet among non-Toyota cars. The Penske Racing driver hasn’t won at Pocono since the Good Sam RV Insurance 500 in August 2011, starting in a Dodge from the 13th position. While that was a while ago – and Dodge is no longer associated with the sport – he has been eighth or better in eight of his past nine starts with three runner-up finishes and one DNF.

Pocono Raceway long-shot bets

WILLIAM BYRON (+2000) has just four Cup starts under his belt at the three-turn Pennsylvania track. He has been a quick study, however, finishing sixth in the July ’18 race, ninth in the June ’19 run and fourth in the July ’19 outing. Overall, he has a 9.3 AFP in his four Cup starts, making him worth a small-unit investment.

ERIK JONES (+2000) is another young driver who has really turned heads in the early part of his career. In six Pocono starts he has been eighth or better in five of the outings, including three finishes inside the top 3. Jones was a runner-up last July to his teammate Hamlin, and his 8.3 AFP over the past 10 Pocono races is the best among all active drivers.

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