EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix Odds: NASCAR Heads to Circuit of the Americas

The Cup Series' First Road Course Event of 2023 Provides New Challenge

Defending NASCAR Cup Series champion Joey Logano earned his first win of the 2023 Cup schedule last week in Atlanta. His last-lap pass on Brad Keselowski means he now leads the standings by one point over Christopher Bell.

The NASCAR Cup Series heads to a road course for the first time this season on Sunday. The EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas hosts a race for the third year in a row. It is a newer track on the NASCAR schedule so the drivers aren’t as familiar with it as other mainstays. Here’s a look at the odds for this weekend:

Larson leads Busch, Chastain

Kyle Larson and is much farther down the NASCAR Cup Series standings than expected five races into the season. He has a pair of top-five finishes in Las Vegas and Phoenix but has averaged 26th everywhere else.

But oddsmakers think he’s due to turn his luck around. Larson has the best NASCAR odds for a win this weekend in Austin, Texas at +600. Larson finished second in the 2021 race and 29th last season. He’s won multiple road course races in his Cup Series career, including two wins at Watkins Glen and one each at Sonoma and Charlotte.

Kyle Busch (+800) also has four road course wins in his career: two each at Sonoma and Watkins Glen. But that’s over 47 Cup Series races compared to Larson’s 27. And his last road course win was Sonoma during his first Cup Series title-winning season in 2015. It’s been a long time since he’s won but he has raced well on road courses.

Ross Chastain (+800) is the defending winner. He started in 16th but made his way through the field to take the chequered flag. That was Chastain’s first Cup Series win and the first for Trackhouse Racing. So far this season he’s stayed near the top of the Cup Series standings and could be in for another good result this weekend.

Tyler Reddick is close behind at +900. He’s on a bit of a hot streak lately with two top-five finishes in the last two weeks. Third place in Phoenix and fifth in Atlanta has him up to 15th in the championship standings. Reddick’s a good road course driver in his young career.

Two of his three career wins came at road courses last year in Road America and the Indianapolis road course. He took pole position for the 2021 EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix and finished fifth last year. He’s coming into the weekend with momentum and a history of good performances at these tracks.

Championship leaders, 2023 race winners next

There’s a group of seven drivers in a tier below Reddick in odds. AJ Allmendinger, William Byron, and Bell all sit at +1200. Allmendinger’s experienced in road courses thanks to his years in the Champ Car and IndyCar Series. His only Cup Series win came at the Indianapolis road course in 2021. Byron, a two-time winner this season already, hasn’t finished well outside of his wins this season.

In 21 career Cup Series road course races, he’s never cracked the top five. Bell’s consistency this season (three top-five finishes in five races) has him in a good place in the standings early on. Bell’s also won two of his four career Cup Series races at road courses.

Ryan Blaney, Daniel Suarez, and Austin Cindric are close behind at +1400. None of those three drivers have won a race yet in 2023. But Blaney and Suarez both have recent road course wins on their resume and have been consistently in the top 10 this season.

Longer Shots for the EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix

Though he’s eighth in the Cup Series standings, Martin Truex Jr. is +2500 for the win this week in Austin. He’s a good road course driver with three wins in Sonoma and one in Watkins Glen. It’s a long shot considering his last win was at Richmond in 2021 but could give a nice payout.

Jordan Taylor (+4000) is filling in for the injured Chase Elliott this week for Hendrick Motorsports. Has he ever driven a Cup Series race? No. But he does have years of experience on road courses like Circuit of the Americas through his IMSA SportsCar Championship career. Hendrick Motorsports already has two wins on the season as a team. It’d make for an incredible story.

Predictions for the EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix

Larson keeps coming close to wins this year. He was in a good position late in both Las Vegas and Phoenix before being in the wrong place for Aric Almirola’s spin last week in Atlanta.

He crashed out with 51 laps to go. He’s bound to get that first win of 2023 sooner than later. But Reddick’s odds look great for that top group. A proven track record in Austin plus recent success make him a great choice.

For longer odds with a better payout, Bell looks to be a good choice as well. He’s consistent this season and has proven to be a strong road course racer. For fun, we also like Taylor as a long shot with a great story behind him.

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