The world-famous Circuit of the Americas track in Austin, Texas gets a race this weekend. No, not Formula 1 but NASCAR in the form of the EchoPark Grand Prix. If you need free betting picks on the NASCAR race, then keep reading cause we have three of ‘em for you!
2023 EchoPark Grand Prix Preview
The most important detail when previewing the EchoPark Grand Prix is the track itself — it’s a road course. There are six different road races in the 2023 season, however, COTA marks the first one of the season. The 3.41-mile road course features 20 turns and over 130 feet of elevation changes throughout the course. So buckle up cause it’s going to be a, quite literally, bumpy ride.
Road races are where Chase Elliott shines. With seven career wins on such courses — three more than any other active driver — Elliott is the “king of road races” in this sport. If he were competing, then there’s no question Elliott would be the favorite at the top-used betting sites. But that’s the thing, Elliott is OUT on Sunday. He’s still recovering from a snowboarding injury, which is expected to sideline him for a few more weeks.
With Elliott a no-go for Sunday, bookmakers have pegged other drivers as the favorites to win at COTA. As it stands, here are the top betting contenders in the field:
| Driver |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kyle Larson | +650 | +650 | +650 |
| Ross Chastain | +800 | +800 | +800 |
| Kyle Busch | +800 | +800 | +800 |
| Tyler Reddick | +900 | +900 | +900 |
| William Byron | +1200 | +1200 | +1200 |
| A.J. Allmendinger | +1200 | +1200 | +1200 |
| Daniel Suarez | +1500 | +1500 | +1500 |
It’s a star-studded affair this weekend. Even beyond the favorites, there are two other huge names competing on Sunday that you should be aware of. The first is NASCAR all-timer, Jimmie Johnson. He’s semi-retired but threw his name into the field this weekend. Johnson has done just about everything there is to do in this sport, except compete at COTA. The track became a regular on the calendar in 2021 after Johnson retired but alas, he’s here to give it a go for the first time ever.
The other name to mention is actually a former COTA winner — only that victory came in Formula 1, not NASCAR. We’re talking about Kimi Räikkönen, who won the 2018 American Grand Prix in his other motorsport career. Räikkönen is now trying out NASCAR and will drive the No. 91 Project 91 Chevrolet for Trackhouse Racing. Though, he has longshot odds of winning at just +5000.
Best Bets To Win 2023 EchoPark Grand Prix
Our usual NASCAR betting strategy is a simple one: if betting race winners, make multiple bets. Does that strategy change when betting on the 2023 EchoPark Grand Prix? Nope, not one bit. In fact, you double down on a multi-bet approach on a road course that’s typically more erratic than the normal oval race. With that said, here are the drivers we’re backing with outright winner bets:
Kyle Larson
One thing is for sure: Larson, the betting favorite, is going to be in contention toward the end. This year, he’s twice finished in the top-5. Two other times, he was inching toward a win before crashing and getting a DNF. So maybe Larson has boom-or-bust potential — especially the case on a road track — but we’re confidently backing him. He’s getting a 2023 win sooner rather than later at this pace so it’s good to have money on Larson now.
Kyle Busch
Without Elliott in the mix, Busch is the next-most accomplished road race driver in the field. He has four all-time wins on such tracks, which makes him worth a look here. Plus, Busch is having a solid season already, having won at the Auto Club Speedway in California. We like his chances in COTA to get win number two this year.
Chase Briscoe
Briscoe falls into our “darkhorse” category. He’s getting rather long +2500 odds, which makes sense given he struggled at road races in 2022. So why are we betting on him? Because Briscoe was actually an accomplished road race driver while in Xfinity. So there’s evidence to believe he can rebound come Sunday. He’s worth a small prayer bet in our book (that would pay plenty at these odds)!
How To Watch 2023 EchoPark Grand Prix
Per usual, FOX is the place to watch the EchoPark Grand Prix. The TV network has live coverage of the entire event starting on March 26 at 3:30 pm EST. Even if you don’t have traditional TV, FOX is available on many “skinny” streaming bundles such as FuboTV or Hulu + Live TV.
How To Bet On 2023 EchoPark Grand Prix
Ready to bet on the 2023 EchoPark Grand Prix? You should be if you’ve read the entire article. To lock in your bets, hit one of the bookmakers featured underneath. These sites are among the top-rated in our latest sportsbook review section.
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