Eric Uribe
It’s almost postseason time in NASCAR, but not before the Verizon 200 at the Brickyard! The race — held inside the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway — is the third-to-last of the regular season. We preview what lays ahead in Indy, plus offer our own picks to win NASCAR Brickyard race!
Online oddsmakers have already released odds on the upcoming event. At the moment, here are the top-5 drivers bookies are favoring to straight-up win the competition:
| Driver |  |  |
| Chase Elliott | +200 | +200 |
| Kyle Larson | +350 | +350 |
| Martin Truex Jr. | +700 | +700 |
| Kyle Busch | +900 | +900 |
| Denny Hamlin | +1200 | +1200 |
After last week’s race at Watkins Glen, the Cup Series standings are deadlocked at one. Kyle Larson and Denny Hamlin — two of the top favorites at Brickyard — are tied with 917 points apiece. The next closest driver is Will Byron, who is a whopping 131 points behind them.
Now let’s dive into our best bets to win the Brickyard. We’re actually backing two different drivers, which helps safeguard us against any freak accidents or bad luck happening on the track and killing our wager (spoiler alert: it happens all too often in NASCAR). Plus, at these steep betting odds, you can come up in the green so long as one pick wins. Here are the two drivers we’re most confident in winning:
Brickyard Betting Pick — Chase Elliott
For the second consecutive week, Elliott is the bookmaker’s overwhelming favorite to win. That favoritism stems from the makeup of the track, an Elliott specialty — a road course!
You see, this isn’t the Brickyard 400 anymore. NASCAR ditched that 27-year tradition in favor of a road competition this year, the first time in the track’s storied history. It’s a drastic change given the history of the ‘ol Brickyard 400, but it is what it is. As a bettor approaching the event, you have to consider which drivers benefit most from this switched-up event. The immediate answer is Elliott.
No doubt about it, Elliott is the “road course” king of NASCAR today, and one of the all-time greats in fact. He finished runner-up at last weekend’s road event at Watkins Glen. With the finish, in the past 12 road races Elliott has participated in, he’s won seven times and placed second two other times. That’s a 75-percent rate of ending up top-two for Elliott in these styled events.
C’mon, you tell me you’re not riding that trend with a wager? You’d have to be crazy not to. Don’t overthink anything and bet with Elliott here. His seven road wins is third-best all-time in NASCAR history and that gives him credentials no one else in the current racing field has on road courses.
Brickyard Betting Pick — Kyle Larson
You know who Elliott finished second to at Watkins Glen? That’s right, Larson! The road course victory was Larson’s second of this season so he’s starting to earn his own reputation for road dominance akin to Elliott.
Plus, Larson has a little extra incentive to bring his A-game at Brickyard. Like we said at the top, he’s currently tied for the top spot on the Cup Series leaderboard — unlike Elliott, who is much lower at sixth. Simply put, Larson NEEDS this race more than Elliott. Larson needs a Brickyard ‘W to separate himself from Hamlin and other championship contenders.
No, it’s not “sexy” wagering with both betting favorites, Elliott and Larson, but it makes all the sense in the world with this event. Both these drivers have proven themselves at high-stakes road events so what’s one more?
How To Watch NASCAR 2021 Brickyard Race
As we said, the playoffs are right around the corner. After Brickyard, only the FireKeepers Casino 400 and Coke Zero Sugar 400 remain on tap before the round of 16 begins on September 5. With championship fates hanging in the balance, NASCAR becomes almost “must watch” at this point in the year. Welp, here’s how you can watch Brickyard 400 live:
- Race day: Sunday, August 15
- Race start time: 1 pm EST
- What channel: NBC channel (every race remaining will be on either NBC or NBC Sports Network; no more events will be broadcasted on FOX in 2021)
How To Bet NASCAR 2021 Brickyard Race
Looks like you’re completely up to speed with the NASCAR Brickyard race. You got betting advice, you got viewing information, now all that’s left is for you to lock in your bet. To do just that, you can use one of the betting sites listed underneath. These bookmakers are go-to sources for NASCAR odds and bets.
But you want to know the best part about gambling on these sites? They offer killer sign-up bonuses to new players to the tune of hundreds to thousands of dollars in free play! This free play can be wagered right back on NASCAR or any other sport of your choosing.
Earning the sign-up bonus is super easy, too. It literally takes a few minutes to complete. First, you register an account and then you fund it with your own money — which is what the betting sites match with free play. Two steps and voila, you have free money in your playing account, which can be spent as you please.
To earn your big-money bonus, just hit one of the “play now” buttons underneath. All current deals are listed in the table. Just pick the one that’s right for you — based on match percentage and max bonus — and follow the quick sign-up process to redeem the reward!
