NASCAR Odds at Watkins Glen: Chase Elliott is back (in your gambling hearts, anyway)!
Didn’t take much, did it?
“Give us something, Chase. Anything, just some little something to bring us back,” you all said.
Lots of moving parts in auto racing, but one thing that never seemed to move was Chase Elliott atop the odds board, week after week, month after month, big tracks and small, ovals and roadies.
The wagered greenbacks flowed Chase’s way, more than any other direction, therefore our beloved Billy Clyde Elliott was a fixture on the northernmost tip of that board.
And so it remained early this year, right up until Chase decided to go snowboarding in Colorado. Someone said, “Break a leg,” and Chase, too young to realize it was just an old saying, apparently said, “Sure thing,” and returned in a cast.
NASCAR QNA Chase Elliott can't break through in this crowd?
Upon his return, the gambling public was tentative at first, and rightly so, then a bit more hesitant and finally downright hands-off with Chase, as he tumbled deep (by his standards) down the hill of odds. At least this time, only his pride was injured.
But then came the Indy road course last week, and the sight of the No. 9 Chevy giving a hell-bent chase for the win and that coveted playoff berth. He came up short, but not in your hearts.
Chase has been decent-to-good but not great since leaving the ski lodge, but the Indy performance indicates his old road-racing mojo has returned, and whaddaya know, this week we get a second straight road course — one where he’s been especially good — and if desperation equates to horsepower, he’s the man to beat.
Or at least that’s what the public bucks are saying.
SPEED FREAKS Chase Elliott was close at Indy, can he do it at Watkins Glen?
Chase Elliott, back in the (favored) saddle again
Chase Elliott +330; Kyle Larson +600; Martin Truex Jr. +700; Tyler Reddick +750
Funny, huh? All it took was one great run by Billy Clyde Elliott to bring back all his gambling folks — at least those who bet with heart ahead of head. The dude had been sitting back there around eighth or worse for the past two months, and now look at him.
The Michael McDowell bandwagon is in full stride
Michael McDowell +1,000; Christopher Bell +1,000; Daniel Suarez +1,100; Kyle Busch +1,200; AJ Allmendinger +1,200
The big mover and shaker here is Suarez, who might’ve been the man to beat last week until he had his hose stomped on. That’s not exactly a figure of speech, by the way.
Chris Buescher’s odds improve after win streak ends!
Chris Buescher +1,800; Denny Hamlin +2,000; William Byron +2,200; Ty Gibbs +2,500; Austin Cindric +3,000; Alex Bowman +3,000
One of these guys will have a chance to win Sunday. But which one?
Joey Logano is due, right?
Kevin Harvick +4,500; Joey Logano +4,500; Ross Chastain +5,000; Chase Briscoe +5,000; Ryan Blaney +6,500; Brad Keselowski +6,500
It seems like we have a group of guys capable of scrambling into the top five, at best. But isn’t this the exact time and place where Logano wins a race? Maybe?
Long, longer and longest of longshots …
Ricky Stenhouse +15,000; Bubba Wallace +15,000; Mike Rockenfeller +30,000; Andy Lally +100,000
In all of the world of road-course racing in fendered automobiles, there might not be 10 racers better than Rocky. But he’s at +30,000, which tells you how hard it is to adjust to NASCAR-style stockers against guys with flaring elbows.
Last Week
Two weeks ago, I came oh-so-close to picking Chris Buescher to win a second straight race, but didn’t because who saw that happening? Well, it happened, so I figured, “Well, didn’t see it happening twice, so why not take a shot at the three-peat?”
That’s half of the $100 allotment that fluttered away.
The other half spun out with AJ Allmendinger, who would’ve brought in $100 for a top-5.
This Week
If Chase Elliott wins, I wouldn’t be any more surprised than I would if you told me the sun is rising over Bermuda tomorrow morning. But at those very low odds, where’s the fun in that bet?
Part of me wants to take a flier on Logano at +4,500, because our $50 allotment would bring $2,250. But I’d feel very stupid (even stupider?) when he doesn’t win.
Put my half-a-hundred on Tyler Reddick at +750, which would mean $375 (by my math).
Wow, the prop is problematic. A lot of temptations.
Of all the props, my least favorite is the driver-versus-driver contests, because they just don’t pay much. But here’s the good news: You only have to beat one driver, not a bunch.
It won’t pay much, but give me Suarez (-110) over Bell (-120), which would pay $95.45 for the $50 wager.
Not looking at big paydays this week, but any payday is better than a payout.
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: NASCAR odds, Watkins Glen: Chase Elliott returns (in DraftKings)!
