Nascar Go Bowling at the Glen Preview: Elliott’s First 2023 Win?

The 2023 NASCAR Cup Series is in the regular season’s final weeks. Fourteen of the 16 playoff spots are secured ahead of the Round of 16 start in Darlington. Two NASCAR races remain before that opener, starting this week at the famous Watkins Glen road course. One driver chasing a spot in the playoffs leads the odds in our NASCAR Go Bowling at the Glen preview.

Elliott leads group of road course standouts

Chase Elliott’s had an unusual season in 2023. Second place in round two at Fontana preceded a six-week absence while recovering from a fractured tibia sustained while snowboarding. He returned to notch three top-10 results in his first six races back from injury.

But he was suspended for Gateway due to intentionally crashing into Denny Hamlin in Charlotte. Since then, he’s been one of the most consistent Cup Series drivers. He’s finished outside the top 15 just once in the past nine races, highlighted by second place last week in Indianapolis.

This week he’s the favorite at +375 for victory. His track record at Watkins Glen is among the best in the Cup Series. He’s notched two wins in six races and hasn’t finished lower than fourth since 2017. In the other two road course events he’s run in the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series, he finished fifth (Sonoma) and second (Indianapolis). He’s the firm favorite for a very good reason.

Hendrick Motorsports teammate Kyle Larson is next at +450. He’s had a disappointing season this year primarily due to bad luck. If a few breaks went a different way, he could easily have tripled his current win total (two). Like Elliott, he’s one of the better road course drivers in the field and has an excellent track record at Watkins Glen.

He finished eighth at Sonoma and last week in Indianapolis. He’s also won the previous two races at Watkins Glen. If he wins the NASCAR race this weekend, he’ll build more momentum heading into the playoffs.

Tyler Reddick and championship leader Martin Truex Jr. round out the leading group at +700 each. Both have road course wins in 2023: Reddick in Austin and Truex Jr. in Sonoma. Reddick qualified second and finished fourth last week in Indianapolis, and Truex Jr. jumped from 12th on the grid to seventh by the chequered flag.

Truex Jr.’s steadily built a lead at the top of the Cup Series standings thanks to consistency beyond his three wins this year. He’s also won this race before in 2017. Reddick has yet to win at Watkins Glen in his two races there but has improved year over year. He finished seventh in 2022 after taking 10th in 2021. Both will likely be toward the front this weekend.

Other road course standouts with good odds

Road course standouts like Elliott, Larson, and Reddick highlight this NASCAR Go Bowling at the Glen preview. But they aren’t the only ones known for their prowess outside of ovals.

Daniel Suarez (+1000) took pole last week in Indianapolis and finished third in one of his best performances of the season. His one career Cup Series win came on a road course (Sonoma, 2022), and Watkins Glen is one of his best tracks by average finish (12th). He could be a threat to break into the playoffs with a win this weekend.

A.J. Allmendinger (+1400) has raced on Watkins Glen in more formulas than any other driver on the grid. His two Cup Series career wins have come on road courses, including one win at Watkins Glen in 2014. He also won the Xfinity race in Austin earlier this season. Watkins Glen is his best track by average finish (ninth) on the Cup Series schedule this year. Look for him to be in the mix for another win.

Christopher Bell (+1400) has just two races at Watkins Glen. But he’s impressed in both, starting with a seventh-place finish in 2021 in his first race there. Last year, he went through the field from 38th on the grid to take eighth by the chequered flag.

Despite sitting fourth in the Cup Series standings, Bell still has just one win this season (Bristol). He has two pole positions in the last five races and finished ninth last week in Indianapolis. As far as NASCAR predictions go, he could be a surprise winner this weekend.

Similarly, William Byron (+2000) could be a surprise winner this weekend. Hendrick Motorsports has won the last four races at Watkins Glen. In his four career Cup Series races there, Byron has either qualified well (second in 2019 and fourth last year) or finished in the top 10 (eighth in 2018 and sixth in 2021).

It’s never been both in the same event. He’s already notched four wins this year which equals his career Cup Series total from 2018-2022. He could put it together this year to qualify well and then finish the order on Sunday higher up.

NASCAR Go Bowling at the Glen preview picks for Sunday’s race

Watkins Glen’s been one of the longest-running road course events on the NASCAR calendar. Aside from a skipped event in 2020 due to COVID-19, the Cup Series has been racing there consistently since the mid-1980s. Many drivers are familiar with the course and understand the layout’s demands.

Elliott looks like the way to go among the favorites for this weekend’s race. Hendrick Motorsports has been dominant there starting in 2018. Larson could three-peat, but he’d be the first driver to do so since Jeff Gordon in 1999. Truex Jr. and Allmendinger are good choices if you’re looking for longer odds and will likely race well.

For NASCAR betting news, odds analysis, and more, visit Point Spreads Sports Magazine.

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