Editor’s Note: Don’t just bet your favorite sports. LIVE YOUR BET LIFE! Get started today at PointsBet with two risk-free bets up to $2,000. Bet now!
After many years of fans clamoring for more road course races, NASCAR answered in a big way. For most of the Modern Era, NASCAR hosted two road course events. That expanded to three when Charlotte Motor Speedway made the bold choice to create an infield road course in 2018 and that is where it remained until last year.
In 2021, six races were scheduled on the twisty tracks, but one was added on the Daytona International Speedway road course because California was not quite ready to reopen from the COVID-19 pandemic and Auto Club Speedway was forced to cancel their early-season race.
The Circuit of the Americas (COTA), Road America, and Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course doubled the usual road races and created some unique opportunities. Chase Elliott and Kyle Larson dominated the twisty tracks last year, but Christopher Bell’s win at Daytona and AJ Allmendinger’s Indy win raised a few eyebrows. In 2022, Ross Chastain has already become a dark horse winner on this track type.
From 1958 through 1988 Riverside International Raceway was the West Coast home for NASCAR road racing. It fell to land developers in 1989 because – well, Los Angeles doesn’t have enough shopping centers – and the race was moved to the Wine Country and Sears Point Raceway. That track has been on the schedule ever since, with a break in 2020 for COVID, and is currently known as Sonoma Raceway.
The longevity of this track is kind of important. Not all road courses are created equal, and as we search to determine how COTA, Road America, and the Indy road course fit into the mix, there is a lot of data from Sonoma and Watkins Glen International.
As Kevin Harvick (+4000) continues to search for the track that will snap his 58-race winless streak, he doesn’t care where it comes. He is an undervalued road course racer with wins on both longstanding road courses. His Sonoma win came as recently as 2017 in the middle of a five-race streak of finishes sixth or better. He did not live up to his potential last year, but has shown a lot of speed in 2021.
Allmendinger (+1000) might be considered a favorite by some because of his road racing prowess and last year’s win, but it is difficult to go all-in on teams that employ multiple drivers. Added to that is the fact that Allmendinger was not in the last two races on this track because this was typically a date that hosted an Xfinity race in Mid-Ohio. Then again, the ‘Dinger won last week on a completely new track in Portland – and in the rain, nonetheless – so his fans like his chances.
Hendrick Motorsports (HMS) has lost much of their luster in recent weeks. William Byron fell out of the Power Rankings after World Wide Technology Raceway and Alex Bowman (+2500) is hanging on by his fingertips, so they have lost the benefit of the doubt. In three starts with this team at Sonoma, Bowman has a pair of top-10s and a worst of 14th, but he has not come close to cracking the top five. Place a wager or activate him in fantasy games only if he has a stellar practice session.
The App is Back! Don’t forget to download the NBC Sports EDGE app to receive real-time player news, mobile alerts and track your favorite players. Plus, now you can check out articles and player cards. Get it here!
Byron (+2500) does not yet have a road course top-five to his credit, so he is not expected to run particularly strong this week. He has finished 12th or better in three of the last four road course races, however, and cannot be entirely overlooked.
Joey Logano (+1800) proved last week that he is not to be taken lightly. He was quiet for much of the Enjoy Illinois 300 but found another gear when it mattered most. The pass for the lead was clean and respectful – something we have not seen a lot of in 2022 – and it showed a different side to this driver than his Darlington Raceway win. Last year, Logano finished fourth at Sonoma, which was one of three road course top-fives.
Austin Cindric (+1500) could be this week’s biggest wild card. He has run exceptionally well on road courses in the Xfinity series – so well, in fact, that the three new Cup races on this track type were part of his pre-rookie warm-up. He ran with the leaders in the first two races before disappointment struck, but he survived the hungry turtles of Indy and finished ninth there. He backed that up with an eighth at COTA this spring.
Erik Jones (+4000) has run a lot better than his results reveal and his name is getting called at the front of the pack more often. This hasn’t translated to a win yet and if that doesn’t happen soon, he could miss his opportunity to make the playoffs. A road course is an unlikely venue for that to happen, but Jones has two top-10s in his last three starts on them. He finished third at the Charlotte Roval in 2020.
PointsBet Sportsbook is our Official Sports Betting Partner and we may receive compensation if you place a bet on PointsBet for the first time after clicking our links. NJ, IA, IN, IL, CO, MI, VA, WV only. 21+. T&C apply. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER
Dark Horses for the 2022 EchoPark Grand Prix [COTA]
2021 Save Mart 350k [Sonoma]
Go Bowling at the Glen [Watkins Glen]
