It sure is good to have practice and qualifying back to help finalize this week's betting card. Saturday's action at Darlington shed some light on likely contenders and, of course, pretenders. In the good news department, Mother Nature appears to be in a favorable mood as the sun goes down…
Not getting Daytona under the lights last weekend was a damn shame, but that's on Mother Nature. I will say that the action in the Sunday morning into the late afternoon delayed race had my heart rate up for way too long. My eight matchup bets on the final regular…
After an eventful Indy Road Course fiasco the Cup Series migrates north to Michigan for a different style of action. Turn 1 debacles and the frenzied overtime restart combined to wreak havoc on some betting cards, while leaving others victorious. Daniel Suarez getting knocked out in that final sequence hurt…
Download Episode 1 of 2022 (Auto Club) Episode 1 of the Playing the Odds NASCAR Style podcast makes its post-Daytona kickoff for the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season. JJ joins Paul to handicap their favorite head-to-head matchups before qualifying begins for the 2022 Wise Power 400! Daytona showed us that the…
Download Episode 37 (Phoenix - NASCAR Cup Series Championship) It's Championship Week on Episode 37 of the Playing the Odds NASCAR Style podcast! Four teams are still alive, but it all comes down to Phoenix to decide the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series Championship. JJ joins Paul on the show to look…
Download Episode 28 (Darlington) Episode 28 of the Playing the Odds NASCAR Style podcast kicks off the NASCAR Cup Series postseason at Darlington Raceway for the 2021 Cook Out Southern 500. The playoff field of 16 is set and four teams will be eliminated after the next three races. But first, Paul welcomes…
Download Episode 26 (Michigan) Episode 26 of the Playing the Odds NASCAR Style podcast heads to the Irish Hills of Michigan for the 2021 Firekeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway! Paul welcomes his recurring guest JJ to help break down the race - but first, as always, it’s time to look back…
Download Episode 23 (New Hampshire) Episode 23 of the Playing the Odds NASCAR Style podcast shifts gears after Atlanta, where an improbable win by Kurt Busch cranked up the intensity on the NASCAR Cup Series' playoff hunt. We move from Atlanta Motor Speedway's potholes to New Hampshire's Magic Mile. JJ joins Paul to…
Download Episode 18 (Texas All-Star Race) Episode 18 is an All-Star Edition of the Playing the Odds NASCAR Style podcast as the NASCAR Cup Series’ mid-season exhibition comes to us live from Texas Motor Speedway! First, Paul and his guest JJ recap last weekend’s wild one at Sonoma - talking karma, pit strategy…
Download Episode 17 (Sonoma) Episode 17 of the Playing the Odds NASCAR Style podcast heads cross country from Charlotte all the way to northern California’s wine country. After a year away from one of the oldest road courses on the Cup Series schedule, NASCAR returns for the 2021 Toyota Save Mart 350 at…
Download Episode 14 (Dover) Episode 14 of the Playing the Odds NASCAR Style podcast ventures to the Monster Mile for the 2021 Drydene 400 at Dover International Speedway. Paul welcomes in JJ again for a race preview and handicapping - but first, the guys talk about an impressive race by Martin Truex, Jr.…
Download Episode 4 (Homestead-Miami) Episode 4 of the Playing the Odds NASCAR Style podcast takes you to South Florida for the 2021 Dixie Vodka 400. We just watched first time Cup Series winner Christopher Bell end Chase Elliott’s four-race road course winning streak in a drama-filled race at the Daytona…
The rich keep getting richer. Kevin Harvick held off a fierce bid from Kyle Busch to notch his ninth win of the 2020 season last weekend at the Bristol Night Race. Four drivers' Championship hopes were crushed, but there isn't much time for the survivors to catch their breath because…
The Southern 500 at Darlington ushered the 2020 postseason in style. Throwback Weekend at The Lady in Black delivered an excellent race where nearly all of the 16 Championship contenders were in the mix. Now the Cup Series moves north to Richmond for the second installment of the 2020 NASCAR…
And then there was one. Only one automatic bid to the 2020 NASCAR Playoffs remains after an unusual season on the Cup Series circuit. After the COVID hiatus this spring, we've been treated to mid-week races, weekend doubleheaders, and a new venue in the Daytona Road Course. The postseason came…
It is often said that invention is the mother of necessity. NASCAR responded to the COVID curveball by scheduling mid-week races and weekend doubleheaders. With just six races to go before the playoffs, things look positive for completing the 2020 Cup season. This weekend, Michigan International Speedway hosts the FireKeepers…
It seems like an eternity since the Cup Series last raced. Last week's race at Kansas combined with MLB's Opening Night for a long-awaited sports overload. NASCAR gave the big boys the weekend off, so you know they're chomping at the bit to get back on the track. And so…
Things are looking up in the NASCAR world. Last weekend, Kentucky's Quaker State 400 fired up without a weather delay and ended a rookie crossing the line in first. Wednesday night's All-Star Race at Bristol was a spectacle for sore eyes with fireworks, underlighting for the cars, and 30,000 people…
The Summer of NASCAR heads to the land of thoroughbred horses and bourbon whiskey after visiting the Tricky Triangle and the hallowed ground of Indy. There is no doubt that last Sunday's rendition of the Brickyard 400 was a little more "exciting" than in previous years. You had a pit…
2020 is a year of change for the NASCAR Cup Series in many respects, one of which is front and center this weekend. For the last two years, Indianapolis Motor Speedway hosted the final race before the postseason. This year, the traditional July 4th weekend race at Daytona is now…
Talladega. Must I say more? Mother Nature's lack of southern hospitality pushed Sunday's race into Monday. After waiting out another obligatory weather delay, we were rewarded by an evening of heart-pounding action. Ryan Blaney scored back-to-back wins at Talladega - both by a minuscule 0.007-second differential. Blaney, obviously affected by…
After 18 years of hosting the NASCAR Cup Championship race, Homestead Speedway is now home to a mid-season 400-mile contest. At this point in the sports landscape, that suits me just fine. Miami may no longer be the center of a season-ending celebration, but plenty of eyes will be focused…
Atlanta gave us a clean race on Sunday with a ton of green flag laps. Happy Harvick walked away with the checkered flag for the second time this season and the second time at Atlanta in three years. The hot rods took over the race and held on, as you…
The whirlwind that is the 2020 NASCAR schedule takes us next to Blue Ridge Mountains for a Battle at Bristol. Charlotte treated us to a spectacular Memorial Day weekend Coca-Cola 600 and a rain-delayed 311-mile sprint on Thursday. Brad Keselowski won his first 600 and Chase Elliott pulled away with…
Memorial Day can mean many things for Americans, but most important is commemorating our fallen military. A lot of traditions have grown up around the long weekend: time with friends and family, cookouts, camping, and (usually for me) catching a baseball game. For us race fans, Sunday means the Indy…
Sunday's action at The Lady in Black was fast, furious, and long-awaited. Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. started off as only he could by hitting the wall then shedding flames on his way to the garage - all before completing a single lap. Later, Jimmie Johnson ruined his own day with an…
It's been one hell of a wait, but we're a couple days away from green flag racing at the track that's Too Tough to Tame. We've had more than enough time to dig into the pair of upcoming NASCAR Cup Series races and our betting card is just about filled.…
I'll start by saying how competitive and entertaining the young 2020 NASCAR Cup Series season has been. Daytona - what can you say about that? Vegas - late caution forces a 2-lap sprint. Fontana - a huge, bumpy track made for flat-out racing. Three races into the season and the…
The NASCAR Playoffs intensity gets dialed up another notch this week at Texas Motor Speedway. Messin' with Texas is not a good idea, but it's not quite as bad as starting a slap-boxing match on pit road. The stakes are high so let's jump right into the BetCrushers.com NASCAR Texas…
The NASCAR postseason field will be slashed by a third when checkered flag flies at the Hollywood Casino 400 this afternoon. Two drivers are locked in for the next round of playoffs and four more are effectively in, barring some sort of disaster. Who will be in next week and…
The NASCAR Playoffs move further south this week to one of the most unpredictable tracks on the Cup Series circuit, the Charlotte Roval. It's a road course and an oval jammed together, exactly like how a spork is both a spoon and a fork. Bottom line: the Roval debuted in…
The NASCAR postseason intensity grows as the Cup Series hits Richmond for a Saturday night showdown. We love the night races, although our time to prepare for them is compressed. They wrapped two practices and qualifying into Friday so there's plenty to break down to fill out your betting card…
Race #1 of the NASCAR Playoffs is in the books. Martin Truex, Jr. scored an impressive win at Las Vegas, punching his ticket to the Round of 12. The win also gained him significant ground in the playoff point standings against Kyle Busch. Our betting results were very kind to…
After a rare week off, the NASCAR Cup Series returns to action on Labor Day weekend. Our early handicapping of the NASCAR Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway will give you the insights to tackle Sunday night's race. We took advantage of the extra week to highlight the track and isolate…
The NASCAR postseason kicks in after upcoming Cup Series stops at Darlington and the Brickyard. We hold a few small Championship futures tickets made before the season began, but now it's time to look for value as we near the final ten races of the season. Handicapping the 2019 NASCAR…
The stage is nearly set for 200 laps at one of the fastest tracks on the Cup Series circuit: Michigan International Speedway. Today's special Saturday BetCrushers.com NASCAR race update at Michigan comes at you because there's plenty to break down with this week's spread out schedule. Michigan native Brad Keselowski…
It's Sunday, and until the NFL season is up and running, Sunday is race day. Handicapping NASCAR at Watkins Glen is about as much of a challenge as racing it. OK, maybe that's a weak comparison. Regardless, this unique road course blends seven turns with long straightaways in a grueling…