Dean Etheridge
The 2022 NASCAR season is off to North Carolina this weekend, and with the gimmicks of the All-Stars race now behind us, it’s time for some picks for the NASCAR Coca-Cola 600 race.
With a 600-mile race and tire problems thrown into the mix, it promises to be another enthralling race. But the downside to the tire issues, is it makes selecting picks harder, as conventional wisdom can go out of the window.
Last Sunday in the All-Stars race, both Kyle Larson and Kyle Busch saw their races ended by tire failures. And the previous week, numerous drivers suffered. None more so than Chase Elliott, who somehow survived a lost tire and violent spin to finish the race.
We will do our best though, and even allowing for the tire issues, we have found some decent value NASCAR picks for you.
Betting Odds To Win Coca-Cola 600
The betting favorite to win this year’s race is Kyle Larson, who is +550, just ahead of Kyle Busch with BetOnline, who is +600.
| 2022 Coca-Cola 600 Winner; Nascar Cup Series |  |  |
| Kyle Larson | +550 | +550 |
| Kyle Busch | +600 | +600 |
| Chase Elliott | +600 | +650 |
| Martin Truex Jr | +1000 | +800 |
| Ryan Blaney | +900 | +900 |
| Denny Hamlin | +900 | +1000 |
| William Byron | +1400 | +1000 |
| Ross Chastain | +1200 | +1100 |
| Tyler Reddick | +1500 | +1400 |
| Alex Bowman | +1500 | +1600 |
| Joey Logano | +2000 | +1800 |
| Christopher Bell | +1600 | +1800 |
| Kurt Busch | +2000 | +2000 |
Chase Elliott makes up the first three in the betting. The Hendrick Motorsports driver is +650. He finished 2nd here last year, so it’s a given he was going to be amongst the favorites with the best NASCAR betting sites.
NASCAR Coca-Cola 600; All You Need To Know
This is the longest race on the NASCAR Cup Series circuit, and as a result, generally, the cream rises to the top.
𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐃𝐖𝐀𝐑𝐄 𝐈𝐒 𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐄.
Who do you think takes it home? 🤔 #CocaCola600 | @CocaColaRacing pic.twitter.com/NjELb3Uv3i
— Charlotte Motor Speedway (@CLTMotorSpdwy) May 24, 2022
The circuit is quad-oval and is 1.5 miles long. First used in 1960, the Charlotte Speedway track is regarded as tough and testing as the course conditions can change during a race.
The race is also regarded as one of NASCAR’s four Crown Jewel races, this being the third of the season.
- Race; NASCAR Coca-Cola 600
- Venue; Charlotte Motor Speedway
- Where; North Carolina, USA
- When; Sunday, May 29th, 2022
- Time; 6 pm ET
- Laps; 400
- Distance 600 Miles
What Happened at Coca-Cola 600 in 2021?
The 2021 NASCAR Coca-Cola 600 was dominated by Kyle Larson.
The Hendrick Motorsports driver started on pole position, led for the most laps (328 in total), and won the race. It has to be noted that this time last year, Larson was dominating the sport.
Chase Elliott finished second, and in total, four of the five top positions were occupied by Hendrick drivers.
The one intruder to the Hendrick party was Kyle Busch, who finished third in his Toyota, representing Joe Gibbs Racing.
2022 Coca-Cola 600 Betting Picks
With this being a tough and enduring race, it’s often the case that the best teams and the best drivers come through in the top spots. The problem this year is the tires. And these are causing numerous drivers to have DNF put against their names.
So do we ignore the tire issues and choose our picks like we usually would? Or do we allow these random issues that are affecting a lot of drivers to influence our picks?
I’m going to go for the former. This is because we can sometimes overthink things a bit too much when making our NASCAR picks and overcomplicate what is really a simple process.
Chase Elliott +650
As we know, last season’s race was dominated by Hendrick’s drivers. Chase Elliott finished second to Kyle Larson and is in better form than the defending champion this season.
He scored a DNF at the All-Stars race and was nowhere to be seen at Kansas the previous week due to tire failure and a nasty spin.
But he finished third here in qualifying last season, and in the race he finished second to what was a dominant Larson at the time.
I think Elliott is worth a wager this Sunday.
You can read more about this top sportsbook in our BetOnline Review.
Kyle Larson + 550
It seems to be boom or bust with Larson this season. He has six Top 5 finishes, along with 4 DNFs. It’s almost like tossing a coin to see which Larson you will get each week.
Last week at the All-Stars race, Larson suffered another DNF. This time due to tire failure. That phrase again! But the week previous at Kansas, Larson was second.
Something may be bubbling up with Larson, and if his car allows, he could blow hot this weekend.
I’m taking him to finish in the Top 5 at -140. Yes, it’s playing safe, but the DNFs are a worry.
Ryan Blaney +900
Yes, this is a bit route one, and sticking with the form drivers, I get that. Blaney didn’t have much to write home about last year in this race; he finished down in 13th place, having started 11th on the grid.
But Blaney is in decent form this year, so it cannot be overlooked.
He is still yet to get that asterisk next to his name, a point also made in last week’s picks. But he is second in the NASCAR standing, has four Top 5 finishes, and won the All-Stars race (no points awarded) last Sunday.
Again, I’m going for a Top 3 finish for Blaney at +300. But again, don’t be put off backing him to win the race.
