Goodyear 400 Betting Preview/Prop Pick
05 May 2022
The upcoming NASCAR Goodyear 400 race at Darlington could be a pivotal turning point for some drivers looking to gain momentum on the season. Some of the usual favorites have been steady at the top, while others have yet to perform well.
The typical choices are favored to win once again, but some drivers might have a better chance to steal a win. Below you can see which drivers have that shot.
Race Details
Date: Sun, May 8, 3:30 PM
Watch on: FS1
Track: Darlington Raceway
Betting Overview
If you want to bet strictly on manufacturing brands, Ford is the one to go with. They have 18 total victories at this event.
Looking at this season’s best manufacturing brands, Chevy drivers lead with 52 top 10 finishes in addition to seven wins. Also, there have not been any repeat victories since 2010, so one driver, in particular, could be at a disadvantage.
Head to Head Matchup to Watch
Chase Elliott (174.506) and Ross Chastain (176.853) will be an interesting duo to watch compete. Elliot currently leads in the Cup Series standings, while Chastain is sixth.
However, Chastain has two victories and several top-five performances over the last five races. This will be a close one, with Elliot potentially placing better.
Dunkel Index For This Event
The Dunkel Index is showing these top 10 drivers that could win this event. The following ten are:
1 Chase Elliott 174.506
2 Alex Bowman 175.058
3 Kyle Busch 176.732
4 Ross Chastain 176.853
5 Martin Truex Jr 178.456
6 Denny Hamlin 179.697
7 Kyle Larson 179.744
8 Erik Jones 179.751
9 Chase Briscoe 180.106
10 Daniel Suarez 180.116
*index is subject to changes
Drivers That Could Win
Kyle Busch (176.732) has five consecutive top 10 finishes, with a victory in the Dirt Race and a third-place finish at Talladega. Looking back at his history at Darlington, he was third last year, second in 2020, and third in 2019.
Martin Truex Jr (178.456) is the defending champion of this event, which we already pointed out that it probably will not matter. He would have to break the cycle of defending winners. He has two top-five finishes this season with random places elsewhere, making him a volatile pick to consider.
Kyle Larson (179.744) is gaining momentum at the right time. Currently eighth in the Cup Series standings, he finished second at Darlington last year and has put up top-five finishes over his last few races.
Ross Chastain (176.853) has been on fire lately in the previous four out of six races, with a third-place finish at Dover, victory at Geico 500, fifth at Blue-Emu 500, and victory at EchoPark. In addition, he placed third at the fall race here back in 2021 at the Cook Out Southern 500.
Potential Winning Pick
Chase Elliott (174.506) is looking as consistent as they come, with top 10 finishes over the last four races and a win at Dover recently. His performances have kept him at the top of the leaderboard for the Cup Series.
Prop Pick
Matchup: Chase Briscoe (-120) OVER Christopher Bell
Briscoe has been looking to regain that early season edge that saw him win at Phoenix and showed signs last week with a 13th place finish at Dover. The No. 14 car is 7th in Laps Lead (187) and # of Fastest Laps (127).
Bell also had a strong showing at Dover (4th). But he’s been inconsistent of late, alternating Top 10 finishes with a 20th at Martinsville and 22nd at Talladega. The No. 20 car is 10th in Laps Lead (118) and 12th in # of Fastest Laps (79).
With Briscoe rated No. 9 in this week’s Dunkel Index and Bell No. 20, take Briscoe (-120) to have the edge in this matchup.
Keep up with your latest NASCAR news coverage and betting pick previews at The Dunkel Index.
