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NASCAR betting: Chase Elliott goes for back-to-back wins in 2022 and two in a row at Road America

Can Chase Elliott win back-to-back NASCAR Cup Series races for the second time in his career?

Elliott is favored to do just that ahead of Sunday’s race at Road America (3 p.m. ET, USA). After winning the twice rain-delayed race at Nashville, Elliott is +450 to go to victory lane for the second consecutive year at the Wisconsin road course.

Sunday’s race is just the third Cup race at the track after Tim Flock won in 1956 and Elliott’s win a year ago. Road America is in an apparently tenuous spot on the schedule, too. There is no agreement in place at the moment for the race for continue in 2023. That would be a shame.

The track is one of the best road courses in the country and was added to the schedule as NASCAR boosted the number of road courses in the Cup Series. The 2021 race was well-attended as Road America became the third different track in the last three years to host the Cup Series over the July 4 weekend.

Chase Elliott drives during his win in a NASCAR Cup Series auto race Sunday, June 26, 2022, in Lebanon, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)
Chase Elliott got NASCAR Cup Series win No. 15 at Nashville. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey) (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Daytona had long been NASCAR’s traditional July 4 spot but its second race of the season was made the regular-season finale in 2020. Indianapolis took over as the July 4 race that season but that “tradition” lasted a season before Road America got the race weekend.

As long as attendance continues to be strong, it’s hard to see why Road America should lose this weekend on the Cup schedule in the near future. It’s a historic track that’s perfect for NASCAR’s increased road racing push and offers a July climate that isn’t unbearable like many southern tracks on the schedule.

Elliott is probably wanting Road America to stay on the schedule, too. After all, he’s NASCAR’s road racing king. Seven of his 15 career wins have come on road courses.

Here’s what you need to know to bet Sunday’s race. All odds are from BetMGM.

The favorites

  • Chase Elliott (+450)

  • Kyle Larson (+700)

  • Ross Chastain (+800)

  • AJ Allmendinger (+1200)

  • Denny Hamlin (+1200)

  • Kyle Busch (+1200)

  • Martin Truex Jr. (+1200)

Larson was Elliott’s only foil on road courses in 2021. Chastain won at COTA earlier this year and Allmendinger got the win at the Indianapolis road course. Don’t pay attention to the Sonoma finishing positions of Hamlin, Busch and Truex. They were on a strategy that didn’t work out and will be contenders on Sunday.

Good mid-tier value

  • Christopher Bell (+1400)

  • Chase Briscoe (+2500)

Bell was second at Road America a year ago and has a road course win. Briscoe also finished in the top 10 and is better value here than he’s been at oval tracks.

Don’t bet this driver

  • Ryan Blaney (+1400)

Blaney has three top-five finishes in 13 road course starts. Perhaps he gets his first road course win this weekend. We’re not going to rule it out. However, we’re also not going to bet on him at these low odds.

Looking for a long shot?

  • Cole Custer (+20000)

Custer qualified sixth at Sonoma and was 17th a year ago at Sonoma. He’s likely not going to win and he’s in the midst of a terrible season at Stewart-Haas Racing. But there’s enough promise here to bet on him among the long shots than anyone else.