Wednesday night racing is back again! If you enjoyed last week’s mid-week race then gear up for another one this week. This time we will take a look into the betting of the Alsco Uniforms 500.
Odds on Odds: Alsco Uniforms 500
Charlotte Motor Speedway on Sunday hosted the 61st Coca-Cola 600 and now have the chance to double-up with the Wednesday night race. Another great betting night on Sunday and now we see what the Alsco Uniforms 500 holds as far as sports books go. This is another primetime event that will draw the attention of many non-Nascar fans.
When looking back at Sunday’s race, the hope is we will see a much more entertaining event with the shortened race. There will be anticipation and intensity to get to the front since this is only a 312 mile event. Drivers will be less patient and that could have been the case during the 600 on Sunday.
Brad Keselowski stole the show late after a pit decision to come in haunted Chase Elliott. His crew chief Alan Gustafson called him down pit road and Keselowski inherited the lead. Keselowski never looked back during the green-white-checkered and ultimately won his first Coca-Cola 600. Elliott rebounded to third but officially finished in second after teammate Jimmie Johnson, who finished second, was disqualified when he failed post race inspection.
Wednesday night is bound to be very interesting and betting during the Alsco Uniforms 500 will also see a interesting twist. We saw drivers run up front Sunday night that weren’t expected to and others that fell back that normally don’t.
Let’s dive a little deeper into the odds for the Alsco Uniforms 500. All odds are through Vegas Insiders. Odds are subject to change.
Betting Favorites for the Alsco Uniforms 500
Drivers like Martin Truex, Jr and Alex Bowman dominated the show on Sunday but it was a strategy race and it played into the hands of Brad Keselowski. Wednesday will bring some more strategy changes and don’t expect the result to be similar to Sunday.
The betting favorite for the Alsco Uniforms 500 is Martin Truex, Jr at +500. He finished second is stage one and two and led a number of laps. When it came down to the end of the race his car ended up fading but still managed a sixth place finish. He is always fast at Charlotte and don’t expect much different Wednesday. It could be the day he gets win number one of the year.
No one is busier than Kyle Busch right now. By Wednesday, he will have run three full races before another 300 mile event. Busch is +600, exactly where he was for Sunday, and is coming in with more confidence. He will run Tuesday night’s truck race and overcame a speeding penalty to win the Xfinity Series race on Monday night. With his top five finish Sunday, don’t expect Busch to be too far out of the lead by lap three on Wednesday.
Hendrick Motorsports teammates Chase Elliott and Alex Bowman are the next two favorites. Elliott, who was leading and had sailed away from the pack on Sunday before a caution, is on the board at +600. He had the field covered before teammate William Byron cut a tire and brought out a caution with just a handful of laps to go. It set up a green-white-checkered finish but Elliott brought his car down pit road and ended up restarting 11th.
Bowman was the class of the field Sunday. He won stages one and two and was second in stage three before getting caught in a bad spot on the last restart. He is +800 and has a legitimate shot at winning Wednesday. Now, Bowman starts second and has fast car couple that with great strategy by crew chief Greg Ives, look for the #88 to be at the front again.
Sunday night’s winner Brad Keselowski will make our betting favorites to watch in the Alsco Uniforms 500 on Wednesday. He played his cards right by staying out and inheriting the lead Sunday night. Being +900 on the board provides a little bit of a chance to play around and take him and make some cash along the way.
Other drivers that are favorites to win include Jimmie Johnson(+900), Kevin Harvick(+900) and Joey Logano(+1000).
Outside Favorites to Win
If you are looking for guys that should be in contention to win but also will be good takes in fantasy lineups then this is your list.
Look no further than the car that starts on the pole. William Byron is +2000 and showed a lot of speed on Sunday. His other Hendrick teammates are all favorites and Byron basically could be considered one as well. The Charlotte native looks to pick up win number one of his career Wednesday and has a good shot.
The driver who finished third on Sunday will be a part of this list. Ryan Blaney methodically worked his way to the front and kept his Team Penske Ford up front for the majority of the night. Listed at +1600, there is no reason Blaney won’t be considered as an outside betting favorite for the Alsco Uniforms 500.
Sunday’s pole winner Kurt Busch will have a solid shot at picking up his first win of the season. He is +1800 and looked strong early Sunday. In fact, Busch led all the laps prior to the rain delay and just couldn’t get the combination right to lead again. He did finish seventh in the event. Keep him in mind for your fantasy lineup come Wednesday.
Another young driver who has been impressive this season and ever since coming back from the stoppage he has run up front. Erik Jones has probably had one of the best season to this point in his career. He is +2000 and will be fast again. Since coming back from the stoppage in the season, Jones has finished eighth, fifth, and 11th. He starts 10th Wednesday. Look for him again to run up front. He even jumped inside MRN’s Pete Pistone’s Power Rankings.
.@PPistone's Power Rankings After #CocaCola600
RANKINGS: https://t.co/lPQX12Iyv5#NASCAR | #AskMRN pic.twitter.com/ocEvp7KW7j
— Motor Racing Network (@MRNRadio) May 26, 2020
Value Picks for the Alsco Uniforms 500
We saw many drivers on Sunday have a great run and finish probably higher than many expected. One of the bright surprises this year has been the rookie driving a Richard Childress Chevy. Tyler Reddick is a two-time Xfinity Series Champion, so many never doubted his talents. What was in question was how fast could he adapt to the Cup car and find speed in a car that struggled with speed in recent years. Answer given.
Reddick had yet another great run on Sunday and is +4000 to win on Wednesday. He had a care that could compete for the top five and possibly a win should things have gotten crazy. We expect to find these cars up front at Superspeedways but a nice surprise here at Charlotte and Darlington. Look for the California native to keep it rolling.
His teammate Austin Dillon also proved a lot of people wrong with his consistent top 10 effort on Sunday. It wasn’t until late that the grandson of RC fell out of the top ten. He is +8000 and has a legitimate shot at winning this shortened event on Wednesday as he will roll off seventh.
Matt DiBenedetto(+5000) used a strategy call to take the lead during the latter portions of the Coca-Cola 600 Sunday and it helped him hold a lead for a handful of laps. He is always near the top 10 and could do it once again. He rolls off fourth in the event Wednesday. Its a short event and clean air is king. Strategy might just play right into his hands.
Betting Long Shots for the Alsco Uniforms 500
Looking at the bottom half of the betting sheet for the Alsco Uniforms 500 immediately one name jumps off the page. Cole Custer hasn’t been getting the recognition he deserves this season driving the Stewart Haas Ford. He has been pretty darn good in his first full season of Cup racing. Wednesday he is +15000 and will start ninth. If you need a person to fill the bottom of your fantasy lineup the Custer is your guy.
Another rookie will get some air time and that is Christopher Bell. The Joe Gibbs development driver had a strong showing Sunday in his first 600 mile race. He now starts 12th on Wednesday and will be on the board at +15000. This is a great rookie class as you can tell and I think all three will be battling for wins shortly.
The other long shot that looking at the lineup that has a shot at success Wednesday is Chris Buescher. We mentioned him for Sunday’s race but he has still been very solid. Consistent and is bound to get you points along the way. He may not be in contention to win races right now but he is still silently putting himself in good points positions and not tearing a bunch of stuff up. Buescher is +15000.
Upset Drivers to Watch
Before his brakes went out Sunday, Bubba Wallace was having himself a solid run inside the top 15. Another shot at running well and finishing solid for his equipment comes on Wednesday and Bubba is +30000 to win the event.
Michael McDowell is listed at +50000 and starts in the third spot on Wednesday. What a story that would be if he could find himself near the front on Wednesday night. Again another great chance for an upset to come through.
Projected Fantasy Lineup
This midweek racing is exciting and I wouldn’t expect much less. DraftKings, I know, has been pulling in new fans looking to just bet on something and its a great way to have a rooting interest.
There have been some adjustments in my DraftKings daily fantasy lineup for the Wednesday night event. The lineup includes: Alex Bowman, William Byron, Joey Logano, Ryan Blaney, Erik Jones and Tyler Reddick.
Match-ups, Value and Upset Picks to Watch
Primetime racing has been exciting. Granted that was only one race but it still provided some action and drew the attention of new bettors and fans.
I split with my two match-ups to watch on Sunday night. This race will be a little more predictable compared to the last Wednesday night race because many drivers that finished near the front will be there again.
First match-up to watch is going to be Chase Elliott(+105) versus Martin Truex, Jr(-125). Chase, despite the pit call and not winning, finished ahead of Martin on Sunday. they both will have to climb through the field to be near the front. I really like this match-up because you have two drivers who were very good Sunday and it’s a prop bet that just stands out as fun to watch. I’ll take Elliott over MTJ in this match-up.
The other match-up that will draw some attention to few but quite a bit to me is two veterans of the sport. Jimmie Johnson(-120) versus Kurt Busch(Even) will be a fun battle. JJ has to start at the rear for his mishap in post race inspection. He will have work to do but when he was near the front he was fast. Busch led a handful of laps. I think Jimmie Johnson is going to get the best of Busch in this match-up.
My value pick for this race is going to be William Byron. The Hendrick driver is +2000 and has been up and down for the majority of the year. If there is a race that Willie B. can pull off it might as well be the one where he starts from the pole. Use him in every lineup that you can and it’ll pay off.
If there was ever anyone else to pull off the upset then look no further than a rookie. Yes, Tyler Reddick is an outside favorite but that doesn’t deter the fact that he is young and in a car that hasn’t won in a long time. I’m taking Reddick to upset the field and win the race Wednesday night.
The Pick to Win the Alsco Uniforms 500 is…?
Sunday, I went with the betting favorite. I came up just short. The betting favorite for the Alsco Uniforms 500 is Martin Truex, Jr and he is never a bad take here. Kyle Busch is riding high on momentum and has yet to win this season. Look for him to be up there again. Hendrick Motorsports is back. Or are they? We have seen fast cars and great runs from all four drivers but only one win to show for it. Maybe Brad can be the first to double-up at the same track in his contract year as free agency nears.
This Wednesday night race will be a lot more exciting in my opinion. there are many drivers that will use lessons learned from Sunday and take them to the track. There will be crew chiefs that have a chance to re-write the call they made and see if it pays off differently. It was pretty calm on Sunday. Wednesday will not be the same. My pick to win the Alsco Uniforms 500 is…
Alex Bowman
I picked him to win at California when he had a fast car and was starting on the front row. Hopefully it pays off again. William Byron cut a tire to ruin his day but had speed so expect him to challenge and Chase Elliott will be there as will the JGR guys. But, Bowman finds a way to get win two on the season and cement his place as the driver of the 88 for years to come after signing his extension. He is +800 and will be in contention without even making a strategy call.
Busch, Truex, Elliott, Harvick, Jones and more will all be in the fight but with the strength shown I think Bowman can find a way. Each of these drivers will have to climb through the field except Bowman. Sunday, we saw what track position can do for a driver.
Wednesday night racing in primetime. Might as well put together a few bets and kick back for a couple of hours as we see some exciting racing. The betting action will be high and so will the action on the track for the Alsco Uniforms 500.
The Alsco Uniforms 500 goes green on Wednesday night from Charlotte Motor Speedway at 8:00pm EST on FS1 and PRN.
