United Rentals Work United 500 Betting Preview
10 March 2023
After an excellent weekend for Chevrolet rides in Las Vegas, the NASCAR Cup Series makes the short trip from Nevada to Arizona, descending on the Phoenix Raceway in Avondale for the United Rentals Work United 500.
It was all Hendrick Motorsports-Chevrolet podium in Vegas, but the question is, can one of Hendrick's drivers take home a second straight race win for the team, or will a challenge rise from the other betting favorites in Chevrolet rides, or can Ford or Toyota rides breakthrough and challenge for the win?
Chase Elliott: The Betting Favorite No More
Whether you are new to betting on NASCAR or have been on top of the Cup Series since time in Memorium, you know that Hendrick Motorsports-Chevrolet's Chase Elliott is a betting favorite on every line, be it Championship futures, race wins, or head-to-head prop bets.
However, Elliott can no longer be considered a betting favorite for anything NASCAR in 2023 as Elliott recovers from a snowboarding accident and surgery for a broken leg. Elliott's name might show up on oddsmaker's betting lines, but you should avoid Elliott-based future bets and Elliott's first few races back from injury when he returns, considering the severity of the injury.
Hendrick Motorsports are Still the Favorites
Despite the hole left in Hendrick Motorsports' four-car monster team by Elliott's injury, each of the remaining three Hendrick Motorsports drivers will be among the betting favorites with an actual chance to win in the United Rentals Work United 500.
Perennial NASCAR betting favorite Kyle Larson (245.825) is chief among the betting favorites and should be strongly considered to win at Phoenix this weekend. Hendrick's teammate William Byron won the Pennzoil 400 last weekend and is a much longer shot on most weekends.
The third Hendrick Motorsports driver to consider is Alex Bowman, who won the first Duel at Daytona and captured pole position for the Daytona 500, is due to break out and win after finishing third in Las Vegas. Bowman has finished in the top ten in the first three races of the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season.
The Threats to Hendrick Motorsports
While most NASCAR fans have a fondness for Trackhouse Racing-Chevrolet's Ross Chastain, not too many fans would have likely picked Chastain in their first five names who could be leading the Drivers' points standings at this point in the season. Chastain (243.029) finished 12th last week but has had two to ten finished this season and is a Chevrolet ride that poses a threat to the Hendrick Racing squad.
Richard Childress Racing-Chevrolet's Kyle Busch (243.191) is the only Cup Series regular with good showings when competing in Cup and Xfinity Series races on the same weekend.
Busch is the winningest driver in Xfinity Series at Phoenix. Busch is competing in both Series again this weekend, which makes us fade Busch further down our list of potential winners compared to his odds for this weekend.
Despite capturing pole position for the Pala Casino 400 but finishing 32nd, Joe Gibbs Racing-Toyota's Christopher Bell (242.376) is among the betting favorites, having a third and fifth-place finish this season.
2022 NASCAR Cup Series Champion Joey Logano (250.59) from Team Penske-Ford has been great all season, save for an incident that ruined his race in Las Vegas. Logano will be at the front challenging the Hendrick's crew unless something drops him down the order.
However, our Dunkel Index pick is for Christopher Bell (242.376) to land his Toyota ride in Victory Lane.
Keep up with your latest NASCAR news coverage and betting pick previews at The Dunkel Index.
All Media on this page by Associated Press.
