The NASCAR Cup Series heads to Concord, North Carolina, for the 2022 Coca-Cola 600 this Sunday, May 29, at 6:00 p.m. EST at Charlotte Motor Speedway. It will mark the 14th race of the NASCAR 2022 schedule and the first since the AdventHealth 400, which happened on May 15.
We’ll see the NASCAR drivers compete for over 400 laps on the 1.5-mile low tire-wear intermediate track, which is in some ways similar to Kansas, Las Vegas, and Texas tracks, serving as a solid form guide to what should happen at the 2022 Coca-Cola 600.
Coca-Cola 600 Betting Picks
Kyle Busch
Kyle Busch was in a class of his own at the All-Star Race and is rightly priced as one of the NASCAR betting favorites for the Coca-Cola 600. He led the first 47 laps of the All-Star race before he had suffered a devastating tire issue, which ruined his day.
Looking back at the Kansas race, Kyle Busch led for 18 laps and ended up in third, behind Kyle Larson and his brother Kurt Busch, who won the race. Another race we should check to have a better idea of how will Kyle do in Concord is Las Vegas, where he was dominant, leading 49 laps, but ending up in fourth.
Nevertheless, Busch always delivers on tracks similar to one in Concord, seeing how he has only one finish outside of the top-8 over the last 12 combined races in Kansas, Las Vegas, and Texas. Moreover, four of his last trips to Charlotte are top-5s, with one victory in 2018.
Chase Elliott
Chase Elliott is another name we are excited about, as one of the best NASCAR picks for the 2022 Coca-Cola 600. Earlier this year, he performed well in Kansas, where he finished first and second stage in the top-5 before he wrecked his car. Nevertheless, he had finished seven of his last nine races there sixth or better.
Even in Las Vegas, Elliott did not disappoint, finishing inside the topo-10 in his last two trips, and he finished seventh at texas during the playoffs the last season. In Charlotte, four straight – and five of his last six races – ended in a top-5 finish, including two runners up in Elliott’s last two appearances on the track.
With such figures, it’s easy to see why Elliott is priced as one of the favorites on the NASCAR odds and is one of the drivers we will keep an eye on this weekend.
Martin Truex Jr.
Martin Truex Jr. is another Toyota driver and another driver we would keep an eye on. He finished sixth at Kansas two weeks ago and was eighth at Las Vegas earlier this year.
Truex Jr. also won the Coca-Cola 600 race twice and has three total victories at Charlotte over the last ten starts. Last year he could only manage a 29th-place finish, which was his worst finish over his last nine races – with the second-worst being 13th.
Nevertheless, Truex Jr. has led by far the most laps in Charlotte over the last ten races at 919. To put it into perspective, that is over 400 more than Kyle Busch!
Coca-Cola 600 Betting Trends
- Coca-Cola 600 is the longest race on the NASCAR 2022 schedule, at 600 miles
- Three pool sitters have won in Charlotte over the last nine races
- The last nine winners at Charlotte have started the race on the pole or ninth or worse
- The Coca-Cola 600 saw, on average, 8.5 cautions per race over the last nine events
- Drivers who lead the most laps in Charlotte won the race five of the last nine times
Coca-Cola 600 Betting Prediction
At the offered Coca-Cola 600 odds, it’s not easy to pick our favorite driver, mainly because a handful of participants have past results and the talent to come out on top. Kyle Larson is the main favorite to win the Coca-Cola 600, but we don’t see him as a solid bet at the offered price, and while Kyle Busch is a solid alternative, his odds aren’t good enough for us to pull the trigger.
Instead, we’re on Martin Truex Jr., who is priced at around +700 on most online sportsbooks. He is the current sixth-best driver of the season and has yet to win a race, but that can easily change this weekend.
Truex Jr. has not disappointed over the season and has been driving well despite his occasional slip-ups. Admittedly, he wasn’t that great at Phoenix (38th), Martinsville (22nd), Bristol (21st), and Darlington (24th), but we’re mostly interested in his performance on a track similar to the one where he’ll race this weekend.
That includes Kansas, and Las Vegas, where Truex Jr. finished sixth and eighth. Moreover, he has a solid track record at Charlotte, where he has led by far the most laps over the last ten races and was extremely effective over the last few starts.
Ignoring his 29th-place finish in 2021, Truex Jr. has not placed outside of the top-9 since 2014, which included two victories (2016, 2019) and three top-5s (2015, 2017, and 2018). So even though he doesn’t seem like the best driver heading to the Coca-Cola 600 race, his past results here would suggest otherwise.
Prediction: Martin Truex Jr. to win
If you love sports and want more sports betting information follow us as @InsidersBetDig on Twitter and sign up to our mailing list for free betting picks.