The Cup Series hits another road course, this time at the rolling hills of California. Here are the best bets at Sonoma.
Sure Thing: Christopher Bell, To Win: +900
With his maiden Cup win coming at the Daytona Road Course in 2021 and another coming at the Charlotte Roval last year, Christopher Bell has established himself as one of the more skilled road course drivers in NASCAR. While the Oklahoma native has yet to record a finish better than 24th at Sonoma in two career Cup Series starts at the track, he has finished all 202 laps in those two races. With the difficulty of all 12 turns at Sonoma, Bell certainly has the skills to deal with everything thrown at him come Sunday.
Sleeper: Ty Gibbs, To Win: +10000
Although he hasn’t quite lived up to the expectations set after a dominant Xfinity Series championship in 2022, Ty Gibbs can wheel his way around a road course. In just two seasons in Xfinity (with only one of them full-time), the 20-year-old grabbed three wins on road courses. So why such long odds? Well, Gibbs has never raced at Sonoma prior to this weekend. However, the rookie in the No. 54 strung together four top 10s earlier in the year, including a ninth-place finish at Circuit of the Americas.
Long Shot: Michael McDowell, To Win: +50000
While 50,000-1 are pretty long odds, don’t count Michael McDowell out on Sunday at Sonoma. Why? Well, the 2021 Daytona 500 winner has found success on road courses in recent years. As a matter of fact, McDowell finished third last year at Sonoma, complemented by finishes of eighth at Road America and sixth at Watkins Glen later in the season. Where did this success come from? Unlike many NASCAR drivers, McDowell got his start in racing in sports car and open-wheel racing, even running two Champ Car (now IndyCar) races in 2005. Could this experience benefit the Phoenix native tomorrow? Only time will tell.
All odds are provided by DraftKings Sportsbook. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, please call the National Gambling Helpline at 1-800-522-4700.
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