Trent Reinsmith
- What: HighPoint.com 400
- Date: Sunday, July 23, 2023
- Location: Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, PA
- Time: 2:30 p.m. ET
- How to Watch: USA, NBC Sports App
NASCAR is back at the Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, PA, on Sunday, July 23 for the HighPoint.com 400. This week’s race follows last week’s Crayon 301, which Martin Truex Jr. won. With the victory, the driver of the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota picked up his third victory of the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season. The win moved the 43-year-old Truex into the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series points lead with 667 points, putting him 27 points ahead of William Byron, who finished in 24th place in New Hampshire behind the wheel of the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet.
In the past, NASCAR held two races per season at the Pocono Raceway. That number was halved in 2022. Chase Elliott won the race at Pocono last year after Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch, who originally finished first and second, were both disqualified for failing post-race technical inspection. Elliott’s win at the M&M’s Fan Appreciation 400 marked the first time a NASCAR driver won a race after the original first and second-place finishers were disqualified since 1955.
Jeff Gordon and Denny Hamlin hold the record for most wins at Pocono with six apiece. NASCAR has been racing at the track since 1971.
Before we look at the odds, betting picks, and predictions for the HighPoint.com 400 race at the Pocono Raceway, check out the best betting sites for NASCAR and our tips on how to bet on NASCAR.
2023 NASCAR Cup Series HighPoint.com 400 betting picks
Martin Truex Jr.
Martin Truex Jr. has been a force to be reckoned with since the 2023 Food City Dirt Race. After finishing outside the top 10 in six of the first seven races of the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series, the 2017 NASCAR Cup Series champ has finished in the top 10 nine times with wins at Dover, Sonoma, and New Hampshire.
Truex, who is unsure if 2023 will be his final year in the NASCAR Cup series, has two wins at Pocono, and both have come relatively recently, in 2015 and 2018. Truex has finished in the top 11 in four of his past five stars in Pocono and is coming off a seventh-place finish in 2022 after qualifying in eighth place.
Unless something changes, Truex looks like he will be a driver who is will be in the mix to win the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series championship.
Kyle Busch
The driver of the No. 8 Chevy for Richard Childress Racing, Kyle Busch saw his bad luck continue in New Hampshire last week. Going into the Crayon 301, Busch was the No. 3 racer in points. After finishing in 36th place last week after a crash at the end of Stage One in Loudon, Busch dropped to No. 5 in points with 593. The good news for the 38-year-old is that he has done well in recent years at Pocono, winning there in 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2021. Last year, Busch originally finished second, but he was disqualified after failing a post-race technical inspection.
Busch has nine top-10 finishes in his last 11 starts on this track, and he was driving very well before his crash in New Hampshire with seven consecutive top-10 finishes. Busch has three wins this year and should be considered one of the betting favorites to win in Long Pond.
Denny Hamlin
Denny Hamlin might only have one win during the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series, but he is still in the mix to win the championship with 601 points on the season, which puts him in fourth place in the points race. Hamlin, the driver of the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, has eight top-10 finishes this year. No active driver has as many wins at Pocono as Hamlin does with six. His most recent win at the track came in 2020 when he finished in first in one race on the course and second in the other.
Hamlin would have had his seventh win at Long Pond in 2022, but he was disqualified after a post-race inspection.
Like Busch, Hamlin has something to prove in 2023 after how things shook out on this track in 2022.
Best bets to win 2023 NASCAR Cup Series HighPoint.com 400 at Pocono
The three betting favorites for the HighPoint.com 400 all deserve consideration, thanks to their success on this track over the years. However, my betting pick for the 2023 Highpoint.com 400 is Denny Hamlin. Look for Hamlin to break his tie with Jeff Gordon for most career wins on the track on Sunday. For those looking for a value bet, it’s worth taking a flyer on Kevin Harvick to win or finish in the top five. The driver of the No. 4 Ford for Stewart-Haas Racing, Harvick has nine top-6 finishes in his last 12 Pocono starts.
Best 2023 NASCAR 2023 HighPoint.com 400 betting pick: Denny Hamlin to win.
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