NASCAR Cup Series heads to Talladega this Sunday, April 24, for the 2022 GEICO 500. It will mark the 10th race of the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season and one of the most exciting races of the NASCAR 2022 schedule.
This article will take a closer look at the GEICO 500 odds and provide you with our expert betting picks and predictions for this weekend’s race.
Last races records
The 2022 GEICO 500 follows the Food City Dirt Race in Bristol, which was won by Kyle Busch, who ended the race ahead of Tyler Reddick, and Joey Logano in third.
But even though Busch has looked good in Bristol, his performances on the Bristol Motor Speedway don’t necessarily guarantee that he will shine at Talladega.
That is mainly because the Talladega Superspeedway is a unique track that requires a certain set of skills for any driver to compete for the top spot. But since it is similar to Daytona, we should instead look at the 2022 Daytona results as a form guide for what will happen this weekend.
Race Information
- Time, day: Sunday, April 24, 3 pm EDT
- Location of the race: Talladega, Alabama
- Track: Talladega Superspeedway
GEICO 500 Betting Picks
Pick 1: Ryan Blaney
Ryan Blaney won the 2018 Fall and 2020 Spring races here and has three top-10s in the last five trips to Talladega. Moreover, he has been sixth or better in four of his last five starts here and has just one finish outside of the top-7 across the last six races of the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season.
But even with such figures, the online betting sites offer very generous NASCAR odds on Blaney, who is priced as high as +1000. Admittedly, some drivers have looked better than Blaney this season, but Blaney is one of the NASCAR picks that is hard to look past at the offered price.
Pick 2: Michael McDowell
When making your NASCAR betting picks, Michael McDowell is not someone you would normally look at, but there is a very good reason why we like him for the GEICO 500. And there are more reasons besides the very generous odds we’re getting on him.
McDowell finished third in this racer last season and has done well on the track before, having placed 18th or better in four of his last five trips. That stretch includes two top-5s.
Moreover, McDowell placed seventh at Daytona at the start of the year and has three top-10s across the last five superspeedway races.
Pick 3: Ty Dillon
According to most sports betting guides, priced as high as +10000, Ty Dillon is a complete longshot bet, but one we’re happy to place a small wager on.
Ty Dillon’s worst finish across eight Cup Series starts is 18th, which isn’t phenomenal, but Dillon’s 12th-place average finish is the third-highest over the last five years. And we must also mention that Dillon has finished all eight of his trips to Talladega on the lead lap.
If we look at Dillon’s results at Daytona, he has finished 11th or better in four of his last six trips and has finished 12th or better in six of his last 12 superspeedway races. And if that is not enough, Dillon is coming off his season-best finish of 10th last weekend.
GEICO 500 Betting Trends
- Five of the last six winners at Talladega started the race ninth or worse
- Over those six races, there have been, on average, 45 lead changes
- An average of 18 drivers at Talladega have led at least one lap over that stretch
- Talladega sees, on average, eight cautions per race
- Brad Keselowski is by far the most successful driver on the track, having won the race six times in his career.
GEICO 500 Betting Predictions
When making our NASCAR picks for GEICO 500, it’s hard not to bet on Ryan Blaney. Admittedly, the NASCAR odds on him don’t show Blaney as the favorite, which is fair, but at +1000, he seems a bit underrated.
Having been showing solid form and with strong results at Talladega in the past, Blaney is the man to watch as we head into the NASCAR Cup Series‘ 10th race of the season.
As an additional bet, we’re on Ty Dillon to finish inside the top-10. He is by no means someone you would expect to win the GEICO 500, nor would we try to convince you he has a very good chance to do so.
But he has done well on superspeedways in the past and has shown some improvement last week, suggesting he should be good for another strong finish at the track where he has consistently delivered.
Prediction: Ryan Blaney to win
Prediction: Ty Dillon top-10 finish
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