Joey Logano

The 2022 NASCAR Cup Series Duels will take place as part of a condensed schedule to open the season at Daytona International Speedway.

The series typically spends two weeks at Daytona, but this year's Clash exhibition race took place at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on Feb. 6.

NASCAR's best drivers did not get on the track in Florida until Tuesday for practice. The qualifying session for the front row will take place on Wednesday.

The starting lineups for Duel 1 and Duel 2 will be determined based off the order from Wednesday's qualifying runs. 

One of the duels will set the odd-numbered starting positions for Sunday's Daytona 500, and the other will determine the even-numbered spots on the grid. 

      

NASCAR Duels Information

Date: Thursday, February 17

Start Times: 7 and 8:45 p.m. ET 

TV: FS1 

Live Stream: FoxSports.com and FoxSports app

   

Predictions

Team Penske Sits At Top Of Field

Team Penske's Ryan Blaney and Joey Logano laid down the two best times in the second practice run on Tuesday afternoon.

Austin Cindric, who took over for Brad Keselowski in the No. 2 car, was eighth in the second practice session. 

The three strong runs by the Team Penske cars put them in a good position for the qualifying session and to have success in the duels. 

Of course, plenty of alterations will be made over the next 48 hours, but it is a promising sign for Team Penske to open up the NextGen car era with a strong outing on the track.

The team is used to having success in the Duel races. It has won one of the two races in three of the last four years. Blaney claimed victory in 2018 and Logano triumphed in 2019 and 2020. 

The recent success in navigating the event could help Team Penske settle into the races. It would help any of the three drivers if they ended up in the same race for drafting purposes. 

If Blaney or Logano do not earn the pole through qualifying, look for them to be at the front of their races. Cindric, the 2020 Xfinity Series champion, could be in the mix as well because of the horsepower in his car. 

    

Ford Cars Control Races

Ford cars produced all of the top-10 times during Tuesday's second practice. 

Some unlikely drivers, such as Harrison Burton, Cole Custer and Chase Briscoe, were among the racers with the best times. 

As noted, though, plenty can change over a day during Speedweeks, but the initial takeaway is that the Ford cars have the most speed. 

Team Penske has the most notable group of Ford cars, but Stewart-Haas Racing, RFK Racing and some smaller teams could benefit from the control of the speed standings. 

Ford had three of the top four finishers in Duel 1 last season and the top finishers from four different teams in Duel 1 in 2020. 

The manufacturers sometimes form a drafting alliance throughout the Daytona Speedweeks to have strength in numbers. 

That could be the case during one or both of the Duels for Ford to take advantage of its early speed in Daytona. 

Joey Logano held off Kyle Busch to win the Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum on Sunday.

Despite the small nature of the track, Busch was unable to gain much ground on Logano during the race's final stages.

The No. 22 car finished with a 0.877-second cushion on the runner-up. Austin Dillon was a relatively distant third, crossing the finish line 3.225 seconds after the winner.

RETWEET TO CONGRATULATE JOEY LOGANO ON HIS WIN AT THE LOS ANGELES MEMORIAL COLISEUM! pic.twitter.com/1o3sVztZBe

— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) February 7, 2022

---

Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum Leaderboard

1. Joey Logano
2. Kyle Busch
3. Austin Dillon
4. Erik Jones
5. Kyle Larson
6. William Byron
7. Cole Custer
8. Christopher Bell
9. AJ Allmendinger
10. Kevin Harvick

Full standings available at NASCAR.com

---

Busch will feel disappointed with the result. He was the most dominant driver overall before losing the lead right before a caution with 34 laps left. The two-time series champion also shot himself in the foot as he attempted a move for first place.

Kyle Busch: "When I got close I was like OK I have to try more and pounce, and just overheated the tires and smoked them in three laps."

— PRN (@PRNlive) February 7, 2022

The track's dimensions made this one of the more unique races in recent years. Space was in short supply on the quarter-mile oval, and aggression was a necessity in order to maintain a given position in the field.

Have you ever?!

🟢#BuschLightClash 🟢 pic.twitter.com/nu4UY71dmC

— NASCAR (@NASCAR) February 6, 2022

Somewhat surprisingly, the first caution didn't come until the 53rd lap as Ricky Stenhouse Jr. got turned around after some contact by Harrison Burton.

It was an eventful caution period as Denny Hamlin, Chase Briscoe and race leader Tyler Reddick were all forced to bow out because of mechanical issues. The Clash wasn't a great advertisement for NASCAR's new Next Gen cars.

Many companies suddenly wondering if #nascar might have some fresh Next Gen RFPs before the end of this race.

— Nate Ryan (@nateryan) February 6, 2022

I expected stuff like this to break the first time that these cars are driven in anger and I've shared my observations about the transaxle in the past and what I expect to see and only one being broken so far at a short track is decent form my POV. https://t.co/D0DZbPnAF3

— Bozi Tatarevic (@BoziTatarevic) February 6, 2022

Teams will likely have to experience some trial and error as they adjust to the new builds, which will inevitably lead to the kind of issues Hamlin, Briscoe and Reddick experienced Sunday.

Ryan Blaney was also forced to make an early exit after contact from Erik Jones sent him into the wall with 35 laps left. Blaney proceeded to take his frustrations out by throwing his HANS device toward the No. 43 car.

Ryan Blaney is done for the day. pic.twitter.com/0YWQHdEXq3

— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) February 7, 2022

That is Ryan @Blaney's HANS device! pic.twitter.com/Zb87CXYz9D

— NASCAR (@NASCAR) February 7, 2022

Blaney vented his frustration mid-race:

"Don't really make no sense."- Blaney pic.twitter.com/llsIEBAwqm

— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) February 7, 2022

With the Clash concluded, all eyes turn to Daytona International Speedway. The Daytona Duels get underway on Feb. 17 ahead of the Daytona 500 on Feb. 20. Beyond what's at stake, drivers might be looking forward to a return to normalcy in the Great American Race.

An improbable victor last year, Michael McDowell will be a long shot to repeat as champion.

For Kyle Larson, the Daytona 500 is an opportunity to get his NASCAR Cup Series championship defense off to a strong start.

The NASCAR Cup Series postseason field has been cut in half from its original number. 

Eight drivers survived the first two stages of the playoffs to reach the final three-race stage of the postseason, which begins on Sunday at Texas Motor Speedway. 

Kyle Larson, Denny Hamlin, Martin Truex Jr., Ryan Blaney, Kyle Busch, Chase Elliott, Joey Logano and Brad Keselowski advanced from the round of 12 to the round of eight. 

The eight drivers will battle at Texas, Kansas and Martinsville over the next three weeks for four playoff spots. 

The top four competitors after Martinsville will battle it out for the playoff crown at Phoenix on November 7.

Larson, Hamlin, Truex and Blaney start the round of eight in the four qualifying positions. Busch is one point back of Blaney, Elliott is two points behind the cut, Logano is 11 points adrift and Keselowski needs to make up a 16-point gap between himself and Blaney.

           

Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 500 Info

Date: Sunday, October 17

Start Time: 2 p.m. ET 

TV: NBC

Live Stream: NBCSports.com and NBC Sports app

      

Odds

Via DraftKings Sportsbook

Kyle Larson (+340; bet $100 to win $340)

Denny Hamlin (+600)

Kyle Busch (+700)

Chase Elliott (+750)

Martin Truex Jr. (+900)

Ryan Blaney (+900)

Joey Logano (+1200)

Kevin Harvick (+1400)

William Byron (+1600)

Brad Keselowski (+1800)

Alex Bowman (+2000)

      

Starting Lineup

Larson on the pole Sunday at Texas: pic.twitter.com/pQWpzQOE9a

— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) October 13, 2021

      

Preview

The NASCAR Cup Series is making its second trip to Texas this season but its first for a points race. 

The Cup Series visited Texas back in June for the All-Star Race, which was won by Larson. 

Larson has to be viewed as the favorite to capture the postseason title. He has a win in each postseason round and has been the most consistent driver on the circuit all season long. 

Larson comes into Texas off a victory on the Charlotte road course. He also won at Bristol in the final race of the round of 16. 

Hamlin matched Larson's performance with a win to kick off the round of 16 and round of 12. He won at Darlington and Las Vegas to secure safe passage to the next rounds. 

Hamlin landed in ninth place in the Cup Series' last points race at Texas in October 2020. His Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Busch and Truex went one-two at that event. 

Larson and Hamlin are in the best positions possible to advance to the championship round on points. Larson owns a 35-point gap on Hamlin, who is seven points above the cut line.

If the two drivers continue at their current pace, they should make up half of the championship contenders in a few weeks. 

All it takes is one win by a driver in the bottom four, or a poor day at the track, to rearrange the postseason picture. 

Busch is the reigning champion at Texas. He has four career wins at the track. If he goes back-to-back, or benefits from his strong history at the track, he could leap into the top four. 

Since 2017, Busch, Hamlin, Kevin Harvick, Austin Dillon and Jimmie Johnson are the only drivers to win points races at Texas. There were multiple races at the track up until this season. 

Dillon won the first trip to Texas last season. Busch took fourth in that race behind Dillon, Tyler Reddick and Logano last July. 

Logano is the other driver in the bottom four to watch. He has nine top-10 finishes at Texas in his last 10 races at the track. At +1200, Logano carries some of the best value to win the race.

        

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The second race of the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs' Round of 12 will take place Sunday at the Talladega Superspeedway.

Drivers hoping to advance to the next round will take on the largest oval on the circuit for 188 laps of steep banking in the always competitive and challenging YellaWood 500.

Denny Hamlin will be on the pole after his win last time out at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, but the Joe Gibbs Racing stalwart is already in the third round of the playoffs, so this race isn't as important to his title hopes as it is to those of Joey Logano (3,045 points), who is in seventh place and a whopping 51 points behind leader Kyle Larson (3,096 points).

Brad Keselowski (3,043 points) and Kevin Harvick (3,036 points) are in eighth and 10th place, respectively, so they should have vastly different strategies heading into Sunday, hoping to close the gap in the standings.

Here's a quick look at the lineup of top drivers, schedule and odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.

            

Geico 500 Information

Date: Sunday, October 3

Start Time: 2 p.m. ET

TV: NBC

Live Stream: NBC Sports App

             

Starting Lineup

Denny Hamlin on the pole for the Cup race Sunday at Talladega: pic.twitter.com/qrMJHjLxyu

— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) September 29, 2021

           

Odds

Denny Hamlin: +900 (bet $100 to win $900)

Joey Logano: +1000

Chase Elliott: +1000

Ryan Blaney: +1,000

William Byron: +1100 

Brad Keselowski: +1,200

Kyle Larson: +1,200

Kevin Harvick: +1,500

Kyle Busch: +1,500

Alex Bowman: +1,800

                    

Preview

Not all drivers are best suited for the superspeedway, so Talladega can be a bit tricky, but it's always entertaining because it's downright Darwinian on the track.

Hamlin is the favorite going into Sunday's race, but he's got some stiff competition from drivers who like to shine in Alabama.

Of all the drivers taking the track, Keselowski has the most wins at Talladega (six), followed by teammate Logano, who has three. The Team Penske duo are both trying to remain in the top eight, so they will be pushing hard to cross the finish line first.

The third member of the Penske trio, Ryan Blaney, is in fifth place in the standings (3,063 points) and oddsmakers have him as the fourth-favorite.

And even though Keselowski has one foot out of the door with Team Penske, bettors still aren't counting him out this Sunday.

"Maybe [you would overlook him] if he wasn't racing for a championship or [was] leaving on bad terms. Or if the team was folding," professional sports bettor Zack White told Marcus DiNitto of NASCAR.com. "Everyone still wants to win in this case, so no change for me."

Looking to shake things up is Hendrick Motorsports driver and reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion Chase Elliott. Sitting in sixth place with 3,061 points, Elliott will try to draw on his first and only win at Talladega (April 2019) to make good on his third-ranked odds and race to victory.

No matter what, it's going to be an unpredictable but must-see race Sunday.

The NASCAR Cup Series regular season is down to its final two races.

The Cup Series moves back to an oval Sunday at Michigan International Speedway. The past two races were on road courses.

Fourteen of the 16 playoff spots have been clinched by 13 eligible race winners and Denny Hamlin, who is second on the circuit in points. Kevin Harvick is next in line to secure a spot in the playoff field. He either needs a win to secure automatic qualification or he can get in on points because of the gap between him and Tyler Reddick.

Reddick and Austin Dillon are fighting for the final playoff spot. The former leads his teammate by 28 points. Matt DiBenedetto, Chris Buescher and others could play spoiler to the race for 16th with a victory. The drivers sitting in 18th and below likely can't get in on points alone.

                    

Firekeepers Casino 400 Info

Date: Sunday, August 22

Start Time: 3 p.m. ET 

TV: NBCSN 

Live Stream: NBCSports.com and NBC Sports app

               

Odds

Kyle Larson: +260 (bet $100 to win $260)

Kyle Busch: +700

Kevin Harvick: +700

Martin Truex Jr.: +750

Chase Elliott: +800

Denny Hamlin: +900

Alex Bowman: +1200

William Byron: +1400

Brad Keselowski: +1600

Joey Logano: +1600

Ryan Blaney: +1800

Via DraftKings Sportsbook.

           

Starting Lineup

Larson on the pole Sunday for Michigan. Elliott to start beside him. pic.twitter.com/jBuZNlx3vM

— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) August 18, 2021

        

Preview

Harvick is in the best possible position to lock up the 15th playoff spot Sunday.

The No. 4 car driver has won the past three races at Michigan, and he starts in a favorable spot on the outside of the fourth row.

A win would put Harvick in the field alongside teammate Aric Almirola, who won at New Hampshire in July to clinch his postseason spot. A strong run would provide another confidence boost for Stewart-Haas Racing since Harvick does not have a victory one year after he and Denny Hamlin traded wins throughout the regular season.

The two drivers directly beneath Harvick in the standings are set for all-out battle over the next two races. Reddick and Dillon, who are teammates at Richard Childress Racing, are separated by 12 places on the starting grid.

Dillon had the best performances at Michigan in 2020. He took eighth in the second of two back-to-back races. Reddick placed 18th and 24th in those two races.

Reddick needs a good race to feel somewhat secure going into next week's race at Daytona International Speedway, which is much more unpredictable and a track that Dillon won at in the past.

A victory would be the ideal result for either driver. But if that does not happen, they need to be in the best spot possible to earn the 16th playoff spot.

The only way Reddick and Dillon both miss out on the playoffs is if a driver beneath them in the standings wins at either Michigan or Daytona. DiBenedetto is the likeliest candidate to achieve that feat. He had two top-15 finishes at Michigan last season and has five top-11 placings in a row.

If the No. 21 car driver puts a solid run together Sunday, he could upset the RCR drivers and lock in his spot in the playoff field. However, it feels like everyone will be chasing Kyle Larson, who is the regular-season points leader and pole-sitter for the race.

Larson has five victories and 17 top-10 finishes this season. Accordingly, he is the overwhelming favorite to win Sunday's race.

If you are looking for a long shot, Joey Logano could be the best option. He is the only racer outside of Harvick to win in the past five Cup Series races at Michigan, and Team Penske needs a strong run after two poor road course finishes.

                      

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Kyle Larson gave Alex Bowman everything he could handle Sunday. But he couldn't quite catch up to him at the end.

Bowman won the Drydene 400 at Dover International Speedway, claiming his second win in the process. Larson, who won both stages, finished second, with Chase Elliott, William Byron and Joey Logano rounding out the top five.

Retweet to congratulate @Alex_Bowman on his NASCAR Cup Series WIN at Dover!@TeamHendrick goes 1-2-3-4 at the @MonsterMile. Incredible. pic.twitter.com/xpwPc4f5ia

— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) May 16, 2021

A historic day for Hendrick Motorsports at the @MonsterMile!

Congratulations to @TeamHendrick for becoming the first organization since Roush Fenway Racing in 2005 to finish 1-2-3-4 in a NASCAR Cup Series race! pic.twitter.com/tCWG4WmbMU

— NASCAR (@NASCAR) May 16, 2021

Hendrick Motorsports has 267 wins in the #NASCAR Cup Series. Petty Enterprises is the all-time leader with 268. pic.twitter.com/Q8xVWOFD2K

— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) May 16, 2021

"We won Richmond and then had a really rough couple of weeks there and went to some really good racetracks for us and struggled," Bowman said after his win. "I told the guys last week, 'We're still the same team that did it in Richmond. This is another really good place for us.'"

"Help me, Tom Cruise. I'm on fire."@Alex_Bowman and @TeamHendrick smoke the competition in Dover. pic.twitter.com/m1kaGpsWak

— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) May 16, 2021

"Just so proud of this pit crew," he added. "It was obviously a rough offseason for us and a big void to fill. Not that we're ever going to fill the void that Rowdy left, but ... the whole pit crew is doing a really good job."

Former Hendrick Motorsports pit crew member William "Rowdy" Harrell, 30, and his wife Blakley, 23, died in a car crash in November.

Bowman led for 98 of the 400 laps, while Larson led a race-high 263 laps.

Larson was disappointed not to come away with the win, though he was happy with his effort and the showing of his team:

"I honestly don't know if there was anything I could've done different to win the race after we came out second on pit road. ... Maybe I could have chosen the bottom on the restart ... but I feel like we maximized our day."

Kyle Larson says lap times were just too equal. pic.twitter.com/sxoO7MINHQ

— Matt Weaver (@MattWeaverRA) May 16, 2021

Kyle Larson tells team he gave all he had, but it wasn't enough to pass Bowman: "Too equal and track position was the key."

— Jeff Gluck (@jeff_gluck) May 16, 2021

It was a tough day for Aric Almirola, meanwhile. His race ended after he hit the wall with 99 laps remaining. It was the second weekend in a row he didn't finish and his fifth DNF result in 13 races.

"I'm okay. That was another hard hit. My body's hurting."- Aric Almirola pic.twitter.com/s8scUjuIE4

— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) May 16, 2021

The NASCAR Cup Series will return next Sunday at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas at 2:30 p.m. ET on FS1.

Since the start of the 2014 season, only seven active NASCAR Cup Series drivers have won at Kansas Speedway.

Joey Logano, Kevin Harvick, Denny Hamlin and Martin Truex Jr. all have multiple wins during that span. Logano and Truex are the only members of the quartet with victories in the 2021 season.

Brad Keselowski, who won at Kansas in May 2019, became the latest driver to win his first race this season at Talladega Superspeedway.

Keselowski will be on the pole for Sunday's Buschy McBusch Race 400, with William Byron alongside him on the front row. Harvick is joined by Michael McDowell on the second row. Logano, Truex and Hamlin will all have to win the race from outside the top 10.

A start outside the top 10 does not make it impossible to win at Kansas, but it is historically more difficult, with only three of the past 10 winners at Kansas beginning the race outside the top 10.

                 

Buschy McBusch Race 400 Information

Date: Sunday, May 2

Start Time: 3 p,m. ET

TV: FS1

Live Stream: Fox Sports app or FoxSports.com

          

Odds

Denny Hamlin: +550 (bet $100 to win $550)

Kyle Larson: +650

Martin Truex Jr.: +650

Brad Keselowski: +850

Chase Elliott: +900

Kevin Harvick: +900

Joey Logano: +900

Ryan Blaney: +1000

Kyle Busch: +1200

William Byron: +1600

Alex Bowman: +1800

Via DraftKings Sportsbook.

              

Starting Lineup

Brad Keselowski on the pole for the Cup race Sunday at Kansas. William Byron on front row @NASCARONFOX pic.twitter.com/NMyJGzCGGJ

— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) April 28, 2021

         

Preview

A starting position further back in the field should not bother Hamlin, who won in Kansas from 23rd in October 2019. He followed that up with a victory in July 2020 from the 10th spot on the grid.

The Joe Gibbs Racing driver has been the most consistent racer that does not have a victory this season, but he leads the series in points and owns eight top-five finishes. Hamlin has some work to do from the 20th position, but he is one of two drivers to ever win at Kansas from a spot outside the top 20.

Keselowski was the other driver to achieve that feat in June 2011. He has two career wins at Kansas. The No. 2 car driver took second and fourth at Kansas in 2020, and his position on the pole could aid him in landing another top finish at the track.

At +850, Keselowski carries decent value to win since Hamlin, Truex and Kyle Larson are listed above him.

Harvick could be Keselowski's top competition for the lead in the early phase of the race since he starts fourth and was the only other driver to land two top-five placings at Kansas in 2020. He is coming off one of his best finishes of the season: a fourth-place mark at Talladega.

The Stewart-Haas Racing driver has a chance to build off that finish at a track where he has two victories in the past nine races. He and Hamlin are the top two drivers in the points standings without a win.

While you can't go wrong with Hamlin, Keselowski and Harvick, there is one driver who could cash in at a higher value.

Alex Bowman took third at Kansas in October and possesses four top-10 finishes this season. At +1800, he has the largest moneyline value of any top contenders.

Most of the drivers listed at +2000 and beyond would be better choices for top-five or top-10 prop bets.

Christopher Bell, Erik Jones and Aric Almirola are the best options from that group to land in the top 10. Each driver had one such finish at Kansas in 2020.

               

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90. Statistics obtained from Racing Reference.

If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER (1-800-426-2537) (IL).

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Denny Hamlin is in a good spot to replicate his fall victory at Talladega Superspeedway on Sunday.

The No. 11 car driver won the most recent NASCAR Cup Series race at the Alabama track after starting on the pole. He is back there for the Geico 500 thanks in part to his status as the points leader. Hamlin does not have any wins this season, but he has been one of the most consistent drivers on the circuit. Expect him to run up front, with two of his teammates starting on the inside row.

Joey Logano will join Hamlin on the front row, while Martin Truex Jr. and William Byron will begin the 500-mile race on the second row.

Alex Bowman, who won the Cup Series' latest race at Richmond, will be on Row 3 with Christopher Bell. Last year's Talladega June race winner, Ryan Blaney, starts alongside Chase Elliott on the fourth row.

                      

Geico 500 Information

Date: Sunday, April 25

Start Time: 2 p.m. ET 

TV: Fox

Live Stream: FoxSports.com or Fox Sports app

            

Odds

Denny Hamlin: +650 (bet $100 to win $650)

Joey Logano: +900

Ryan Blaney: +1000

Chase Elliott: +1100

Brad Keselowski: +1100

Aric Almirola: +1600

Kyle Busch: +1800

Ricky Stenhouse Jr.: +1800

Kevin Harvick: +2000

Alex Bowman: +2000

William Byron: +2000

Kyle Larson: +2000

Via DraftKings Sportsbook.

                         

Starting Lineup

Denny Hamlin on the Cup pole Sunday for Talladega. @NASCARONFOX pic.twitter.com/Dk462q9taB

— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) April 21, 2021

               

Preview

The best way to avoid the major wrecks at superspeedways is to remain near the front of the pack.

Hamlin carries the luxury of starting up top thanks to the consistent set of results he put together in the first nine races. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver owns eight top-10 finishes, and he took fifth on the first superspeedway race of the year at the Daytona 500.

He owns 13 top-10 placings in 30 starts at Talladega. His strong finishes at the track and results this season made him the easy choice for pre-race favorite.

Logano is viewed as Hamlin's top competition from an odds perspective. The No. 22 car driver sits at +900, and if he gets off to a fast start on the outside, he could dictate the pace of the race.

If you look past Hamlin and Logano on the odds chart, there is an easy trend to point out. The past six drivers to win at Talladega have the six best odds to take the checkered flag. Blaney won back-to-back Talladega races in October 2019 and June 2020, Keselowski and Aric Almirola won the 2017 and 2018 October races, Elliott was the April champion in 2019 and Logano last won in Alabama in April 2018.

The positioning of the recent Talladega winners allows you to grab more value on the likes of Alex Bowman, Kyle Larson and Martin Truex Jr., all of whom are +2000 or above.

Bowman is coming off a win at Richmond and could lead the Hendrick Motorsports train to the front of the field. Byron, Larson and Elliott all start inside the top 12.

If the Hendrick cars push to the front and avoid wrecks, they could be one of the groups to fear in the final stage. That was not the case at Daytona, as Bowman exited early and Byron finished laps behind winner Michael McDowell.

Since Talladega is a superspeedway, you always have to consider the possibility that a long shot wins, as McDowell did in February at Daytona.

Ryan Preece is the top dark horse to watch. He drove the No. 37 car to a pair of top-15 placings at Talladega in 2020 and finished sixth at the Daytona 500.

Erik Jones is another long shot to consider since he landed second behind Hamlin in October and turned in a fifth-place mark in June 2020.

             

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90. Statistics obtained from NASCAR.com.

If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER (1-800-426-2537) (IL).

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The NASCAR Cup Series completes its first run through its circuit of short tracks Sunday at Richmond Raceway.

The Toyota Owners 400 ends a three-race stretch on the shortest tracks in NASCAR. Joey Logano won on dirt at Bristol Motor Speedway and Martin Truex Jr. captured first at Martinsville Speedway.

Truex won two of the past three races at Richmond. Those results landed him the title of betting favorite for Sunday afternoon's competition.

Brad Keselowski is the defending champion at the track. He is one of the many top drivers still looking for his first race victory of 2021.

                      

Toyota Owners 400 Information

Date: Sunday, April 18

Start Time: 3 p.m. ET 

TV: Fox

Live Stream: FoxSports.com or Fox Sports app

               

Starting Lineup

Starting lineup for Cup race Sunday afternoon at Richmond ⁦@NASCARONFOX⁩ pic.twitter.com/HvwyyFsCXM

— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) April 14, 2021

          

Odds

Martin Truex Jr.: +400 (bet $100 to win $400)

Denny Hamlin: +600

Kyle Larson: +700

Brad Keselowski: +750

Chase Elliott: +850

Joey Logano: +850

Kyle Busch: +900

Kevin Harvick: +1100

Ryan Blaney: +1600

Via DraftKings Sportsbook.

                   

Preview

Truex comes into Richmond as the driver to beat.

The Joe Gibbs Racing team member is the only competitor with two Cup Series wins in 2021, and he has been dominant on short tracks recently. Truex has five first-place finishes at Martinsville and Richmond since the start of the 2019 season.

The prolonged success makes Truex one of the best bets for the Sunday's race. The No. 19 car starts on the pole, and he has plenty of experience running up front on short tracks.

Truex has 12 top-10 finishes and six top-five placings at Richmond in 29 starts. He finished second behind Keselowski in September. He does not carry much value outside of a top-three finish prop, but that could be worth the wager since he has two wins and a second-place mark in his previous three trips to Richmond.

Keselowski is among the challengers attempting to dethrone Truex as king of the Virginia short tracks. The No. 2 car driver beat out Truex at Richmond in September, and he boasts similar stats as Truex with 12 top-10 finishes and six spots in the top five.

With seven winners locked into the playoff field, Keselowski and other drivers used to being at the top of the Cup Series need to show a bit of urgency in getting to Victory Lane.

It is not time to panic yet, but if we continue to see variety in race winners, some notable names may not make the 16-driver postseason field through points. Kevin Harvick is among the group of winless drivers, but he has yet to show the winning speed that helped him trade wins with Denny Hamlin in 2020.

Harvick has not finished above ninth in the past three races, and he failed to land in the top three of any competition in 2021. In 2020, Harvick had two wins and two more top-three finishes through the first 10 races of the season.

There is still time for the Stewart-Haas Racing crew to figure things out, but until then, Harvick will be further up the odds chart than he was last season. At +1100 to win and -175 to finish in the top 10, Harvick could be a driver to pinpoint in prop bets.

Kyle Busch is another driver to watch, as he won both Richmond races in 2018 and has four top-10 placings in 2021.

                      

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90. Statistics obtained from NASCAR.com.

If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER (1-800-426-2537) (IL).

Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER (NJ/WV/PA), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (CO), 1-800-BETS OFF (IA), or call or text the TN REDLINE: 800-889-9789 (TN).

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Joey Logano held off Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Denny Hamlin in overtime to win the Food City Dirt Race at Bristol Motor Speedway on Monday.

Logano took control in the middle stage, claiming a Stage 2 win and remaining at or near the top of the leaderboard for the remainder of the evening. He led 61 laps, second-most in the field.

Inclement weather forced officials to postpone the race—the first NASCAR Cup event on dirt since 1970—by one day, but conditions couldn't have been much better in Bristol, Tennessee. That isn't to say the event was totally drama-free as 10 cautions were called over the 250 laps.

The final caution came with only four laps remaining, providing Hamlin, who was running in second, with a lifeline. 

The Joe Gibbs Racing driver miscalculated by attempting to pass Logano on the outside. The No. 11 Toyota slid to the top of the track and opened the door for Stenhouse to overtake him for second. That left Logano with a clear path to his first victory of the 2021 season.

Retweet to congratulate @JoeyLogano on his NASCAR Cup Series WIN on the Bristol Dirt Track!

@BMSUpdates | @Team_Penske pic.twitter.com/SpKqwkkANt

— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) March 29, 2021

No matter how the Food City Dirt Race unfolded, Martin Truex Jr. was guaranteed to leave Bristol Motor Speedway with at least one victory Monday. The 40-year-old was victorious in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race that ran prior to the main event.

Truex's momentum carried over into the NASCAR Cup Series contest as he took the first stage.

Truex. Not a road course guy but wins on road courses. Not a dirt guy but cruising out there today. Pretty awesome! @MartinTruex_Jr #BristolDirtRace #NASCAR

— JR Hildebrand (@JRHildebrand) March 29, 2021

The JGR driver was fortunate early into the race as Aric Almirola lost control and spun out in the middle of the track. The No. 19 car managed to slow down and weave his way around to avoid being a part of the collateral damage.

The red flag is out after a big crash at the Bristol Dirt Track. https://t.co/vX3wLq74Ah pic.twitter.com/kTMQ4lOFsv

— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) March 29, 2021

The dirt track was a great callback to the sport's history and made for excellent visuals. To those who actually had to do the driving, the novelty might have worn off quickly.

The surface provided less traction than a traditional concrete or asphalt track and presented different challenges in terms of managing the tires. Simply seeing where you were going was difficult at times as well.

Ride with @CBellRacing as the No. 20 car spins coming off the corner.

📺: FOX | 📲: https://t.co/oWWAusOO8X pic.twitter.com/9YT07GHMLZ

— NASCAR (@NASCAR) March 29, 2021

"Dude, you can't see anything. NOTHING."- Kyle Busch pic.twitter.com/GBF8qDrqbf

— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) March 29, 2021

Past experience didn't count for much, either. This was far from Kyle Larson's first rodeo on the dirt, which made the Hendrick Motorsports driver one of the top contenders in the eyes of many. 

Instead, Larson was dragged into a wreck in the first stage and quickly fell two laps back. While the No. 5 car eventually returned to the 0.533-mile oval, some modifications were required to make it race-ready.

Trouble for two of today's favorites to win. Christopher Bell goes around and Kyle Larson has nowhere to go. pic.twitter.com/nhKfNCSawx

— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) March 29, 2021

Kyle Larson would be ready to put this race in the rearview mirror but I think that fell off also. #NASCAR #BristolDirtRace pic.twitter.com/xBCdf4KLx5

— nascarcasm (@nascarcasm) March 29, 2021

Bristol already announced it will be bringing the dirt back next spring. That gives NASCAR plenty of time to make some adjustments based on Monday's action.

Drivers will get the weekend off before they're back on the track for the Blue-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway on April 10. Chase Elliott captured the checkered flag in the NASCAR Cup Series' penultimate race of the 2020 season at the 0.526-mile short track.