The 2024 NASCAR Cup Series has produced three different winners in as many points races, and six different winners in six races if the three non-points races are included.
Drivers now turn their attention to Phoenix Raceway for Sunday’s Shriners Children’s 500. Our motor racing experts preview the event and provide five best bets to win along with one longshot to keep an eye on this week.
SHRINERS CHILDREN’S 500
Location: Phoenix Raceway in Avondale, Ariz.
Date: Sunday, March 10, 3:30 p.m. ET
Distance: 500 miles on 1-mile tri-oval track
Defending champion: William Byron
Cup Series leader: Kyle Larson
TV: FOX
Radio: SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
BEST BETS
Kyle Larson (+600 at BetMGM)
The 2021 series champion rebounded in a big way from a 32nd-place finish at Atlanta by winning at Las Vegas, and he has a strong history on intermediate tracks. He was passed by teammate William Byron late in last March’s race in Phoenix and should be a factor again this Sunday. Larson opened at +650 and leads the field with 31.3 percent of the total money wagered backing him to win. He has nine top-10s in his past 10 starts in Phoenix.
Ryan Blaney (+700)
Blaney finished second in Phoenix in November to claim his first Cup Series championship, and he arrived in the desert this week riding solid momentum with a second and a third in the past two races. He’s the book’s third-biggest liability this week, drawing 16.1 percent of the money since opening at +750. Blaney has five consecutive top-5 finishes in Phoenix.
William Byron (+750)
The defending champion also finished fourth at Phoenix in the championship races and has three consecutive top-10 finishes on the track. He’s coming off a 10th-place finish in Las Vegas after qualifying fourth. Blaney led more than 60 laps in each of the two Phoenix races last year.
Ross Chastain (+800)
Chastain didn’t make the Championship 4 last year but he did dominate the season-ending race. He has three top-5 finishes in four Phoenix races since joining Trackhouse Racing and was put into the wall in the other.
Tyler Reddick (+1400)
Reddick opened at +2000 but those odds have shortened dramatically as he leads the field with 10.6 percent of the total bets backing him and is third with 14.9 percent of the money. That makes Reddick the book’s biggest liability so far this week.
LONGSHOT PICK
Chase Briscoe (+2200)
Briscoe has one career Cup Series win in 111 races, which came two years ago in Phoenix. He struggled to a 24th last November, breaking a string of three consecutive top-10 finishes at the track. Briscoe needs to find some momentum as he’s coming off a 31st and a 21st the past two weeks.
–Field Level Media