Dean Etheridge
The second Round of 12 NASCAR Cup Series race takes place at Talladega Superspeedway on Sunday, and with qualifying for the Round of 8 hotting up, here we look ahead to the race and also bring you our free NASCAR betting picks.
Can you believe that after four playoff races we’ve still had zero races won by a playoff qualified driver. Tyler Reddick was the winner last weekend at the AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 500.
CHECKERED FLAG: @TylerReddick is victorious in Texas!
He picks up his third win of the 2022 season! pic.twitter.com/wCB1UcJ0Q1
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) September 26, 2022
The win came seven days too late for the Richard Childress Racing driver, as Reddick was eliminated from the playoffs in the Round of 16 the previous week. The win was Reddick’s third of the season. It was his first on an oval circuit, with the other two coming on road courses.
Only Chase Elliott (4 wins) now has more wins than Reddick this season, and yet Reddick finds himself out of the running to be Cup Series champion after his exit in the Round of 16.
Another week of drama on the NASCAR roadshow
So, apart from Tyler Reddick winning, what else occurred last weekend at the Texas circuit?
Well, in winning, Reddick held off Joey Logano to win by just over one second. And as a result of his second place finish, Logano now finds himself top of the points table, 12 ahead of Ross Chastain (13th place finish last Sunday).
A penalty with #NASCARPlayoffs implications.
Here are the points going into @TALLADEGA. pic.twitter.com/b7uQIh39OC
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) September 27, 2022
The table is shaping up nicely, and with no playoff series qualified drivers seemingly capable of winning a race, the points are becoming increasingly important. As things stand, the four drivers in the red zone heading into this weekend’s race are Austin Cindric, William Byron, Christopher Bell, and Alex Bowman.
Long time championship favorite with the best NASCAR betting sites, Chase Elliott is seventh on the table. And although not in any immediate danger, things are getting tighter for Elliott.
One of the drivers in jeopardy, William Byron didn’t help himself by getting involved in a run-in with Denny Hamlin. Byron ended up finishing seventh, but was in the top three when he claimed Hamlin hit him and sent him spinning into a wall on turn two.
Byron wasn’t happy and shunted Hamlin in retaliation during a caution. This could be a fight set to continue throughout the playoffs.
Who is the betting favorite to win the YellaWood 500?
It’s quite an open betting field this weekend with BetOnline having no fewer than five joint favorites. Kyle Larson, Denny Hamlin, Chase Elliott, Joey Logano, and William Byron are all at +1200 to win.
| YellaWood 500 Winner Betting Odds |  |  |
| Joey Logano | +1200 | +1080 |
| Denny Hamlin | +1200 | +1100 |
| Kyle Larson | +1200 | +1200 |
| Chase Elliott | +1200 | +1200 |
| William Byron | +1200 | +1300 |
| Ryan Blaney | +1400 | +1600 |
| Tyler Reddick | +1600 | +1600 |
| Bubba Wallace | +1600 | +1500 |
| Ross Chastain | +1600 | +1800 |
| Kyle Busch | +1800 | +1800 |
| Christopher Bell | +1800 | +1700 |
| Erik Jones | +1800 | +1600 |
| Brad Keselowski | +2000 | +2000 |
| Martin Truex Jr | +2200 | +2500 |
| Chris Buescher | +2200 | +2000 |
Odds supplied by BetOnline, you can read more about them in our BetOnline sportsbook review.
In the betting to win the Cup Series championship, it’s still Chase Elliott (+350) out in front. Close behind Elliott is Joey Logano (+475), and Denny Hamlin (+500). The 2021 champion, Kyle Larson (+650) is next, with Ross Chastain (+750) pushing him hard for the fourth favorites spot.
What can we expect at YellaWood this weekend?
The Talladega Superspeedway track is a tri oval asphalt circuit that measures 2.66 miles. It has four turns with banking of over 30% on all four bends.
The circuit is far bigger than last week in Texas. At Talladega 188 laps are required to complete 500 miles this week, that’s some change when you compare it to the 334 needed in Texas last Sunday.
- What; YellaWood 500
- Where; Talladega Superspeedway, Alabama
- When; Sunday, October 2nd, 2022
- Time; 2 pm ET
- Laps; 188
- Distance; 500 Miles
Last year’s race was won by Bubba Wallace. Denny Hamlin took pole position, and Kevin Harvick led for most laps (16). The stats are slightly distorted, as the race had to be shortened from 188 laps to 117, due to rain.
YellaWood 500 Betting Picks
So, with this looking set to be an open race, and having seen what’s happened already this season, do we go back to picking long shots for this weekend’s NASCAR betting picks? Or do we go with a playoffs qualified driver to finally win a playoff race?
In short, the answer is we do both!
Joey Logano +1200
For my first NASCAR betting pick this weekend, I’m going for Joey Logano. He’s in good form, he’s top of the points championship, and he has also won this race twice previously.
Okay, those wins were back in the 2015 and 2016 seasons, but they are still wins. This pick falls into the category that sees me kicking myself for not backing a previous winner after he wins. So Logano is my first pick.
Brad Keselowski +2000
Okay, I know, everybody goes for Keselowski on superspeedway circuits, but why wouldn’t you? Like with the Logano bet, you kick yourself if Keselowski wins and you’re not on him. It looks so obvious after the event, so just pick Keselowski.
Brad Keselowski has the skills and bravery required, we all know that. And in his Ford Mustang, we also know he has the tools to win here.
If you want to throw another driver in to increase your chances of profit, then Keselowski’s RFK Racing teammate Chris Buescher could be worth a punt. Buescher is +2200 and well worth a small wager.
