The 2023 NASCAR Cup Series Championship landscape just got rockier. Strong work by the teams on top combined with Ryan Blaney's must-win execution ushers in a dicey Round of 8. Las Vegas, Homestead, and Martinsville stand in the way of four drivers punching their ticket into Championship contention at Phoenix.…
The first set of cuts in the 2023 NASCAR Playoffs came after one hell of a Bristol Night Race. JGR's domination on that misty night led to a Denny Hamlin victory while his cohorts Martin Truex Jr. and Christopher Bell moved on in the postseason gauntlet. Toyota's five playoff representatives…
Last Chance at Daytona was one hell of a show. Three-wide racing and hard hits led to the RFK Racing boys executing to perfection, delivering Chris Buescher a career-high victory #3 in 2023. Yanni has us covered for the NFL season with a must-read series of divisional previews and the…
And then there were eight. Of course it is a group missing one key name: defending Cup Series Champion Kyle Larson. Talk about an unusual series of events that turned a fairly tame race at the Roval into mayhem after the final restart. An iffy caution with a handful of…
Chopping last week's featured matchup bets represented a split of my entire Talladega betting card. Despite the Blaney/Elliott bet flip-flopping on us in the final laps, Charlotte approaches with my bankroll intact. When it comes to making the Round of 8, the top teams headlined by Chase Elliott sit in…
We all know that you don't mess with Texas. But wow. Sunday's 500 miles fought hard against several playoff teams, burying the #20 & #48 at the bottom of the heap. Plus William Byron's self-inflicted 25-point penalty submarined the #24 team's chance to advance. What a way to kick off…
New week, new round of the NASCAR Playoffs! The Round of 12 fires up this afternoon with the 2022 AutoTrader Automotive 500 at Texas Motor Speedway. 500 miles on the lone "vanilla" track of the round calls for sustained speed and handling over the long haul. You better believe the…
Plenty of NASCAR Cup Series teams' prospects took an abrupt turn for the worse at the Bristol Night Race. Unfortunately, I did not get the memo on Ford's tire pressure gamble that snagged our Joey Logano Top 10 bid late in the race - let alone the early blowout that…
Nighttime is the right time in my old stomping grounds of East Tennessee. There are few better ways to eliminate four drivers from the playoffs than with one of the toughest tracks in NASCAR: Bristol Motor Speedway. And you know the 2022 Bristol Night Race is going crush some dreams.…
Seems like there might be a little something bubbling in the 23XI organization after their season sweep at Kansas Speedway. Kurt's W in the spring followed up by Bubba's statement victory on Sunday says a lot about the trajectory of that organization. As for me, 2-1 seems to be the…
With the Bristol Night Race on deck, the field of 16 Championship hopefuls approaches the 2022 Hollywood Casino 400 as a prime opportunity to take the checkered flag and advance to the Round of 12. These 1.5-mile intermediate tracks are like a mid-range jump shot in basketball - occasionally overlooked…
We knew the Southern 500 was going to chew some cars up and spit them out. But wow did Sunday night's test of stamina consume some of the best teams in the Cup Series. Kevin Harvick's late charge failed in an unforeseen fiery end while mechanical issues rejected the bids…
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…
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 36 (Martinsville) Episode 36 of the Playing the Odds NASCAR Style podcast takes you to the penultimate race of the NASCAR Cup Series season - the 2021 Xfinity 500 at Martinsville Speedway! The high-speed intermediates give way to contact-filled short track racing in the final race of the Round…
Download Episode 35 (Kansas) Episode 35 of the Playing the Odds NASCAR Style podcast heads to the Midwest for the second-to-last chance for a playoff team to lock themselves into the NASCAR Cup Series Championship race at Phoenix. Sunday's 2021 Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway rewards speed and a little…
Download Episode 34 (Texas) Episode 34 of the Playing the Odds NASCAR Style podcast rolls on with just eight playoff drivers remaining in hunt for the Cup Series Championship. The Round of 8 begins in the Lone Star State with the 2021 Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 500 at Texas Motor Speedway. Four…
Download Episode 33 (Charlotte Roval) Episode 33 of the Playing the Odds NASCAR Style podcast rolls into Charlotte with a head of steam for the 2021 Bank of America ROVAL 400 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The hybrid road course threatens elimination to four playoff drivers who will not join the Cup…
Download Episode 32 (Talladega) Episode 32 of the Playing the Odds NASCAR Style podcast takes you to the biggest crapshoot in the NASCAR Playoffs - the 2021 YellaWood 500 at Talladega Superspeedway! The Joe Gibbs Racing vs. Hendrick Motorsports heavyweight battle took a one-sided turn at Las Vegas last week but…
Download Episode 31 (Las Vegas) Episode 31 of the Playing the Odds NASCAR Style podcast takes you to the first race of the NASCAR Playoffs Round of 12 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Sin City welcomes a stacked playoff field to town for a Sunday evening showdown at the 2021 South…
Download Episode 30 (Bristol) Episode 30 of the Playing the Odds NASCAR Style podcast takes you to the first elimination race of the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs - the 2021 Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway. After it’s all said and done Saturday night, only 12 Championship contenders…
Download Episode 29 (Richmond) Episode 29 of the Playing the Odds NASCAR Style podcast keeps the playoff vibes rolling with a preview of the 2021 Federated Auto Parts 400 at Richmond Raceway. Paul welcomes in his guest JJ from The BetCrushers to look back at the wild race that was the Southern…
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…
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…
With Richmond in the books, just one race remains before four teams find themselves on the outside looking in. The tracks have gotten progressively smaller as the Round of 16 plays out, which wraps up at The Last Great Coliseum Saturday night. Bristol Motor Speedway is one of the shortest…
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…
What an odd way to get here, but the NASCAR Playoffs have arrived! The field of 16 contenders was set when William Byron survived Daytona's late fireworks and punched his postseason ticket with a big win. I expect that intensity to carry through on Sunday. The Cup Series returned from…
NASCAR Playoffs mainstay Kevin Harvick earned his free pass to the Championship 4 with a dominant win at Texas last week. He joins Martinsville winner Martin Truex, Jr. with that distinction, leaving only two open slots for the finale in Miami. It's do-or-die for two-thirds of the contenders, so let's…
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 Yellow Flag Fiesta at the end of Sunday's race at Kansas was a nail biter. Brad Keselowski's Championship hopes were dashed at the expense of runner-up Chase Elliott. Round 3 of the NASCAR Playoffs shifts from the speedy 1.5-mile tri-oval to the half-mile short track at Martinsville Speedway. It's…
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…
Last week's race at Talladega was expectedly unpredictable. Only a handful of the top drivers made it across the line, and most of their cars were torn up. We doubt that Kansas will be as explosive as Talladega, which makes handicapping significantly more straightforward. That said, let's jump right into…
Dale Earnhardt, Jr. said it well before Friday's final practice that he expected an 80% chance of getting caught up in a crash at Talladega when he still raced. It's inevitable. It's The Big One. And this is the BetCrushers final NASCAR handicapping at Talladega. Weekend Recap The dual practice…
The NASCAR Playoffs action is getting intense in the lead up to the Cup Series' middle race of Round 2. After six months of regular-season racing, the circuit is back at one of the United States' baddest tracks: Talladega Superspeedway. Let's roll with the BetCrushers Talladega NASCAR race preview! We…
The Monster Mile is small but mighty, and there's no doubting that the racing action will be fierce to open Round 2 of the NASCAR Playoffs. We're looking to follow up a big handicapping week at the Charlotte Roval last Sunday with another one at Dover. Our card was limited…
What a way to end Round 1 of the NASCAR Playoffs at the Charlotte Roval last weekend with a huge performance from Chase Elliott. He persevered after a major miscue mid-way through the race to get the victory. This cemented his position in Round 2 (and a profitable day of…
It's been a full weekend in Charlotte, and now it's race day! The Bank of America 400 at the Roval is the last race before four playoff contenders are cut from the field. We detailed how unique this track is in our race preview, as confirmed by the weekend practice…
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…
The playoffs are here, and there's no better place to kick them off than Las Vegas! At least from the perspective of a handicapper and bettor, it sure can't be beat. Several of our drivers have been on the wrong side of wrecks the last couple races and we're ready…