Eric Uribe
We have our first road race of the NASCAR season on Sunday, March 26! We’re talking about the EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix, which goes down in Texas. Before you make a betting pick on the EchoPark winner, you’ll want to digest this article. That’s because we’re breaking down the race field and dropping expert betting advice on it. Stick with us if you want to make some money come Sunday!
2023 EchoPark Grand Prix Preview
The biggest story of the weekend is a driver who will NOT be competing — and that’s Chase Elliott. Any preview of the EchoPark Grand Prix has to start with Elliott because his absence is no small thing.
For those out of the loop, Elliott suffered a leg injury in a snowboard crash a few weeks ago. He underwent surgery for it and is expected to miss a few more weeks (Elliott has been out of action for the past three races already). If he were healthy and in the field, Elliott would likely be the betting favorite. He’s the de-facto king of road races with six career wins at such tracks.
Without Elliott in the picture, the current EchoPark odds are more scrambled. We scoured the most-used betting sites for NASCAR and each is in agreement about which drivers are the top contenders to win outright. The group includes the following drivers:
| Driver |  |  |  |
| Kyle Larson | +650 | +650 | +650 |
| Ross Chastain | +800 | +800 | +800 |
| Kyle Busch | +800 | +800 | +800 |
| Tyler Reddick | +900 | +900 | +900 |
| William Byron | +1200 | +1200 | +1200 |
| A.J. Allmendinger | +1200 | +1200 | +1200 |
| Daniel Suarez | +1500 | +1500 | +1500 |
A name not included above but worth mentioning is Jimmie Johnson. The semi-retired legend is competing for his own Legacy Motor Club team this Sunday. However, for everything that Johnson has accomplished in this sport, he’s never raced at the famed Circuit of the Americas course which will play host on Sunday. The Austin, Texas track was added to the Cup Series rotation in 2021, the year after Johnson officially retired.
NASCAR has embraced road races more in the past few years. The 3.41-mile road course in COTA is one of six locations getting a road race in 2023. For motorsport enthusiasts, you’d know that F1 also competes in COTA annually. On that note, we have a former winner of that F1 COTA race competing this weekend. Kimi Räikkönen will drive the No. 91 Project 91 Chevrolet for Trackhouse Racing. Räikkönen’s F1 win here came only five years ago but despite that recency, he’s getting just a +5000 chance to win by bookmakers.
Best Bets To Win 2023 EchoPark Grand Prix
We always make multiple bets on NASCAR race winners, and that’s especially the case for the 2023 EchoPark Grand Prix. Road races are even more crapshoots than your usual oval events and demand this multi-bet approach. Here are the drivers we think are most worthy of your betting money come Sunday:
Kyle Larson
Few drivers have been as hot and cold as Larson has been this year. He was in contention last week until a crash knocked him out. It’s the second time Larson has gotten a DNF this season (Dayton 500 too) and Larson was close to winning then too. Aside from those low points, Larson also has a pair of top-5 finishes in 2023. So the way we look at it, Larson is going to be in the hunt in COTA. Our money says he gets back in the win column.
Kyle Busch
With no Elliott, Busch is the temporary “king of road races.” His four wins all-time are tied with Truex Jr. for the most among active drivers (besides Elliott). With one race victory this season already (Auto Club Speedway in California), Busch is trending in the right direction too. This all makes him very bet-worthy.
Chase Briscoe
Briscoe is our “value” pick. His +2500 is shortchanging him. Look, Briscoe had a bad road race campaign a year ago — which likely explains his mid-value odds here. But Briscoe showed during his Xfinity days that he can work around a road course. We wouldn’t be shocked if 2023 treats Briscoe better in the road race department and COTA is where that change begins.
How To Watch 2023 EchoPark Grand Prix
Road courses are always a treat to watch, especially this one. With 20 turns and over 130 feet of elevation changes throughout the course, chaos is likely on the horizon for this competition. To watch the EchoPark Grand Prix, tune in to FOX. The race begins at 3:30 EST on Sunday.
FOX does have a streaming app, but live streams are only accessible to those with a subscription to FOX on cable or satellite. Though, FOX is available on streaming TV packages like Fubo or Hulu + Live TV if you want to sign up for those services.
How To Bet On 2023 EchoPark Grand Prix
The outright winner is just one bet available for the 2023 EchoPark Grand Prix. There are also plenty of props on various in-race outcomes. If you want a complete list of bets, then you’ll find them at one of the trusted online sportsbooks below.
Not only are these sites killer options for betting on this weekend’s race but also the rest of the season. We mean, it’s only race six of the whole year. Way, way more betting opportunities await you the rest of the 2023 season. Reference the information in the table underneath if you want to select the best sportsbook!
