NASCAR betting, odds: Shane van Gisbergen returns to the Cup Series as a favorite at Indy

Shane van Gisbergen returns to NASCAR as one of the favorites to win at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course.

Van Gisbergen became the first driver to win his first Cup Series start in 60 years when he won at the Chicago street race on July 2. He’s set to make his second Cup Series start Sunday (2:30 p.m. ET, NBC) after running Friday night’s Truck Series race at the Indianapolis Raceway Park short track.

The three-time Australian Supercars champion could end up in NASCAR in a variety of series in 2024. But his NASCAR plans beyond this weekend have yet to be announced.

After his performance in Chicago, it’s no surprise that van Gisbergen is the No. 4 favorite ahead of Sunday’s race. He was by far the fastest driver in the waning laps at Chicago as he easily moved his way from third to first over the final 20 laps to become the first driver since Johnny Rutherford in 1963 to win in his first Cup Series start.

Martin Truex Jr. is the favorite to win Sunday’s race and is followed by Tyler Reddick and Chase Elliott on the board. The race is the third Cup race on the Indianapolis road course and could be the final one for the foreseeable future. NASCAR and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway have not revealed if the 2024 race in Indianapolis will be on the road course or the 2.5-mile oval.

Here’s what you need to know to bet Sunday’s race. Odds are via BetMGM.

The favorites

• Martin Truex Jr. (+425)

• Tyler Reddick (+500)

• Chase Elliott (+700)

• Shane van Gisbergen (+900)

• Kyle Busch (+1000)

Truex has finishes of 15th and 21st at the Indianapolis road course but is still one of the better road course drivers in the series. Reddick won this race a season ago ahead of Austin Cindric and Harrison Burton. Elliott was third to van Gisbergen in Chicago but hasn’t had the same road course success with the current Cup Series car that he had with the previous version. Busch was 20th at Indianapolis in 2021 and 11th in 2022.

Good mid-tier value

• AJ Allmendinger (+1400)

• Chris Buescher (+2000)

Allmendinger won the first Cup race at the Indianapolis road course and won last season’s Xfinity Series race. He also needs a win to make the playoffs. Buescher has won each of the last two Cup Series races and has been very good on road courses this season.

Don’t bet this driver

• Daniel Suarez (+2000)

We’ve been fading Suarez for much of the season because his performance simply hasn’t matched his odds. His odds here are shorter than they should be because of his win at Sonoma a year ago and he has finishes of 37th and 28th at Indianapolis over the last two seasons.

Looking for a long shot?

• Ryan Blaney (+4000)

Blaney finished second to Allmendinger in 2021. He’s not one of the best road course racers in the Cup Series, but he’s also far from the worst and well worth a look at these odds.