This weekend, NASCAR heads to Darlington for what should be another great few days of racing. We are saying this every week, but it’s something that definitely needs to be said, which is that this has been a strange type of season. We are seeing a lot of surprise winners, which may explain why the driver standings are as tight as they are at the moment. Denny Hamlin is on top and proving that you can get there without winning as long as you stay consistent in this type of year. He is likely going to need to start winning at some point, though, but will that happen this weekend? Let’s take a closer look at the favorites for the Goodyear 400 this Sunday so you can get ready to make your bets against their NASCAR odds.

NASCAR Cup Series: Goodyear 400 Betting Preview

Kyle Larson (+450)

After being forced to sit out the majority of last season die to controversial circumstances, Larson has returned and has made a decent start to the year. He has cooled off a little after a very good start that saw him pick up a win. He has 6 top 10 finishes out of 11 races this season, 4 of which were top 4, and you do have to like his chances at Darlington. After all, in his last 4 races at the Darlington track, he has landed in the top 3 no less than 3 times. There are a few other drivers who are solid at that track, too, but you do have to think that Larson will be in the mix.

Denny Hamlin (+550)

Given the start that he has made to the season, you have to ask yourself when, not if, Denny Hamlin will pick up his first win of the year. After all, he has been in the top 5 in 8 of 11 races this season, which explains why he has accumulated enough points to be in first, ahead of drivers who have picked up more than 1 win. Hamlin has had 3 wins at Darlington, the most recent of which came last season, plus he has had an average finish of around 7^th in 17 career races on that track. Simply put, he always seems to be among the leaders at Darlington, so well worth a look.

Kevin Harvick (+700)

Last year proved to be a disappointing one for Harvick, as he hit a poor run of form at the worst possible time. Harvick sat atop the driver standings for most of the season and racked up wins in seemingly comfortable fashion before cooling off in the playoffs and failing to make the final four. It has been a slower start for him this season, as he is down in 8^th and still looking for his first win. That could potentially come this weekend, though, as Harvick has been ridiculously good at Darlington. Over his past 10 runs there, he has won 3 times and only finished outside the top 5 once. He is my pick for Sunday.

Martin Truex Jr. (+750)

This is one of those situations where you look at recent form as opposed to performance at a specific track. Strange as it may seem after 11 races, Truex is the only driver in the Cup Series to have delivered multiple wins this season. He has been in the top 10 in 7 races and is as close to the top spot as it gets. As far as Darlington goes, he won there back in 2016, but he hasn’t really come close since. Will is current form negate those less than stellar performances at Darlington?

I have read enough, I need to place my bet now. What to do?