2021 Verizon 200 Betting Preview/Prop Play
12 August 2021
Another road course is coming up for the next event in NASCAR. This means all eyes will be on the betting favorites to win, but other drivers may have a day to that.
Drivers will be competing in Indiana at the largest sports venue in the world, at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Many current drivers have victories here, but will it be enough to break past the favorites?
Race Details
Date: Sun, Aug 15, 12:00 PM
Watch on: NBC
Track: Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Betting Overview
This road course spans roughly 2.439 miles and will have drivers competing for 82 laps. If drivers can hold the lead or position early, then this could help their chances down the line.
Many drivers are not as smooth on-road course tracks as some others have proven. However, you never quite know when a dark horse enters the race and steals the show.
Head to Head Matchup to Watch
It is no secret that all eyes will be on Kyle Larson (136.227) and Chase Elliott (137.442). These two have gone back and forth when competing on road courses.
Larson won last weekend’s event to give him some momentum coming into this event. However, road courses have been Elliot’s superpower this season and has dominated the field.
Dunkel Index For This Event
The Dunkel Index is showing these top 10 drivers that could win this event. The following 10 are:
1 Kyle Larson 136.227
2 Kyle Busch 137.356
3 Chase Elliott 137.442
4 Martin Truex Jr 139.703
5 Christopher Bell 140.753
6 Denny Hamlin 140.995
7 Kurt Busch 142.823
8 Aric Almirola 144.095
9 Tyler Reddick 145.718
10 Ryan Blaney 145.938
*index is subject to changes
Drivers That Could Win
Martin Truex Jr. (139.703) has three top 10 finishes, with two of them being third place. On-road courses, he has done just as well with three consecutive top 10 finishes. Truex also finished third in last weekend’s race, making him a dangerous driver to steal the show.
Kyle Larson (136.227) had a weird slump early on this season. Jump forward to now; he is in first place in the standings but in a close battle with Denny Hamlin.
Larson has a great opportunity to extend his lead. Road courses have also been a great experience for him, as he won last weekend’s event and finished second at COTA earlier this season.
Potential Winning Pick
Without attempting to overlook the field, it would be hard to ignore Chase Elliott (137.442). You could flip a coin between Elliot and Larson to win this event, but history shows that Elliot has been more dominant on these tracks.
Elliot also needs a win here to make a jump in the standings. Currently, he is sitting at the sixth spot in the Cup Series rankings. In addition, Elliot would love nothing more than to help knock off Larson out of first place.
Prop Play
Top 5 Finish: Martin Truex Jr. (-145)
Truex did everything but win the race at Watkins Glen last weekend. He led 45 of the 90 laps and took the second stage only to finish behind Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott in the end.
The No. 19 car admitted afterward he was “a little behind” those two on the road courses. But with a third last weekend and a third at Sonoma, he’s shown he’s right in the mix. And with three wins under his belt on other tracks, it’s likely only a matter of time before he conquers one of the road courses.
That could come this weekend at The Brickyard. At a minimum, we will take Truex (-145) to finish in the Top 5 on Sunday.
Keep up with your latest NASCAR news coverage and betting pick previews at The Dunkel Index.
