NASCAR Cup Series: GEICO 500 Betting Preview and Prediction

The NASCAR Cup Series schedule has a few races which have something special about them. While the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix, and the Indianapolis 500 are considered the “Crown Jewels of Motorsports,” NASCAR has four races considered Crown Jewels, the second of which is the 500-mile Spring race at the Talladega Superspeedway.

We’ll review the recent performances and odds to get you ready for Talladega with our GEICO 500 betting preview.

Before making any GEICO 500 betting picks, we need to review the NASCAR odds. 

Here are the drivers we are favoring for our NASCAR Cup Series picks this weekend at Talladega:

NASCAR Cup Series: Geico 500 | 188 Laps (500.08 mi)

Stage 1/2 – 60 laps | Final Stage – 68 laps.

Location of the race: Talladega Superspeedway, Lincoln, Alabama.

Date and Time: Sunday, April 23rd, 2023, 3:00 PM ET

How to Watch: FOX | NASCAR Live 

Talladega has held its spot on the NASCAR schedule since 1971 and has a long list of legends who have won at the Superspeedway. Nine current Cup Series drivers hold race wins at NASCAR’s Talladega Spring race.

RFK Racing-Ford’s Brad Keselowski is among the most decorated racers at Talladega, tied with NASCAR legend Jeff Gordon winning four times at Talladega (2009, 2012, 2016, 2021).

Richard Childress Racing-Chevrolet’s Kyle Busch won at Talladega in 2008. NASCAR veteran Stewart-Haas Racing-Ford’s Kevin Harvick won at Talladega back in 2010.

Joe Gibbs Racing-Toyota’s Denny Hamlin won this race back in 2014. JTG Daugherty Racing-Chevrolet’s Ricky Stenhouse Jr. won at Talladega in 2017.

Team Penske-Ford Teammates Joey Logano (2018) and Ryan Blaney (2020) have each won recently at Talladega.

Hendrick Motorsports have the most wins in the Spring race at Talladega but haven’t won since Chase Elliott landed on Victory Row in 2019.

Trackhouse Racing-Chevrolet’s Ross Chastain was the winner of the 2022 GEICO 500.

Joe Gibbs Racing-Toyota’s Christopher Bell leads the current Drivers’ Championship NASCAR standings and could secure his spot in the NASCAR playoffs. After winning on the dirt at Bristol and adding a fifth top-five finish to his record, Bell finished 16th at Martinsville. 

Bell has been strong, having finished third in Atlanta and Daytona and fifth in Las Vegas, but must improve at Talladega, having one top-five and one top-ten finish in his last six appearances. 

Team Penske-Ford’s Joey Logano survived being lapped at Martinsville, eventually leading the race before finishing in second. Martinsville was Logano’s third top-five finish and fifth top-ten of the season. Logano has led 98 laps in his last six appearances at Talladega, managing one top-five finish.

We’re not as high as oddsmakers and the betting public on Logano’s Team Penske teammate Ryan Blaney, who has four top-ten finishes this season, but only one top-five.

RFK Racing-Ford’s Brad Keselowski can become the winningest driver in the Spring at Talladega this weekend. Keselowski has one stage win at Dayton and a second-place finish at Atlanta this season but only has four top-ten finished this season. 

Hendrick Motorsports will aim to end its winless streak at Talladega and have three drivers consistently at the top of the betting odds. Kyle Larson should be the Hendrick Motorsports driver you pick to win from the three. 

Chase Elliott’s poor qualifying at Martinsville didn’t help in his first race back from injury, but he finished tenth. Elliott has significant work to do to make the NASCAR Cup playoffs.

• If we are picking one driver to win for our GEICO 500 betting pick, we’re taking Brad Keselowski.

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