23XI Racing’s Bubba Wallace proved that it’s difficult to be the fastest driver, dominating an entire weekend and landing on Victory Lane last week in Texas.
Wallace was the fastest qualifier, won both stages, and led the most laps until Hendrick Motorsports’ William Byron saw an opening, taking the race lead and winning at Texas, with Wallace dropping to third. Trackhouse Racing’s Ross Chastain finished second, while Joe Gibbs Racing’s Christopher Bell and Denny Hamlin completed the top five.
However, this weekend is different; this weekend is Talladega, where there have been seven different race winners in the last seven years, and Ford’s likely to have multiple drivers fighting for the race win.
BangtheBook has your betting needs covered with our YellaWood 500 at Talladega betting preview, with odds provided by BetOnline.
Check out the full YellaWood 500 odds over on Bookmaker
A Ford-Heavy Field of Favorites
RFK Racing
RFK Racing have been the best-performing Ford team across the season, with both Brad Keselowski (+1100) and Chris Buescher (+1200) likely to make the Round of Eight cut, which strong performances at Talladega would help cement.
Buescher is third in the standings and has two top-five finishes in four playoff races. In his last seven races at Talladega, Buescher has one top-five (third at the Spring 2023 race) and three top-ten finishes.
Keselowski is the betting favorite with good reason: Keselowski has six wins, ten top-five, and 14 top-ten finishes at Talladega in 29 career races. He’s a two-time winner of the Fall race at Talladega (2014, 2017) and has one win and three top-five finishes in his last seven races at Talladega, including fifth-place at NASCAR’s Spring Talladega stop.
Team Penske
2022 Cup Series Champion Joey Logano (+1200) was eliminated in the Round of 16, while teammate Ryan Blaney (+1200) is currently 11th in the Cup Series standings and needs a big result to save his playoff hopes.
However, both Team Penske Drivers have previous success at Talladega and could land the team on Victory Lane for the first time since Charlotte.
Logano has two top-ten finishes in the last five races. However, Logano won this race in back-to-back years (2015-16), taking three wins, nine top-five, and 11 top-ten finishes in 29 career starts at Daytona.
Blaney finished second in the Spring Race at Talladega and has won the Fall race in 2019. In 18 career starts, Blaney has two wins, five top-five, and seven top-ten finishes at Talladega.
The Toyota Picks: Hamlin and Wallace
Toyota isn’t expected to win at Talladega, but if a Toyota is going to pull the upset and win, Joe Gibbs Racing’s Denny Hamlin (+1400) and 23XI Racing’s Bubba Wallace (+1400) are the oddsmakers favorites.
Hamlin scored his third consecutive top-five playoff finish at Texas, continuing his season-long, Championship-caliber performance. Having won the 2020 Fall race at Talladega, Hamlin’s past success suggests he can pull the upset, with two wins and ten top-five finishes in his career, taking one win and three top-five finishes in the last seven races.
Bubba Wallace has one win at Talladega (Fall 2021), but that is his only career top-ten finish at Talladega in his career.
Byron and Busch: Chevrolet’s Top Picks in the Talladega Mix
Richard Childress Racing’s Kyle Busch (+1800) is currently 12th and facing playoff elimination but will be looking to replicate his Spring win at Talladega this weekend. Busch has two wins, eight top-five, and ten top-ten finishes in 36 career races at the track.
Current Cup Series points leader, Hendrick Motorsports’ William Byron (+1200), will be among the betting favorites for the remainder of the season, with three top-ten finishes in four playoff races and a ticket to the Round of Eight. Byron has two top-five and three top-ten finishes in his last seven races at Talladega.
BangtheBook’s NASCAR Cup Series YellaWood 500 at Talladega Betting Pick
Bangthebook is taking RFK Racing’s Brad Keselowski to win at Talladega, with Hamlin, Byron, Blaney, and Buescher completing the top five.
