2018 AAA Texas 500 Odds & Preview

Texas Motor Speedway’s 1 ½-mile loop will be the site of this week’s second race in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series playoff’s Round of 8. Joey Logano won last week at the First Data 500 at Martinsville Speedway, giving him a spot in the Championship 4 at Homestead-Miami Speedway, but the other three spots are still up for grabs, beginning this weekend and then continuing next weekend at Phoenix’s ISM Raceway. Kyle Busch is the top-ranked driver in the standings who still has yet to qualify, and he won at Texas Motor Speedway back in April. Overall, he has started 26 races here and has cracked the top five in twelve of those. Take a look at the overall driver odds as well as our NASCAR betting suggestions for your wagering cards.

2018 AAA Texas 500 Odds & Preview

Everything’s bigger in Texas. Get ready for two awesome editions of #NASCARTrackside Live from @TXMotorSpeedway! pic.twitter.com/3TEzDZqdUZ

— NASCAR (@NASCAR) November 2, 2018

• Kevin Harvick                                                                                                            +275
• Kyle Busch                                                                                                                +325
• Martin Truex Jr                                                                                                          +400
• Brad Keselowski, Kyle Larson                                                                                +700
• Chase Elliott                                                                                                              +1000
• Ryan Blaney, Joey Logano                                                                                      +1200
• Clint Bowyer, Kurt Busch                                                                                        +2000
• Denny Hamlin                                                                                                            +2200
• Aric Almirola                                                                                                             +2500
• Erik Jones                                                                                                                  +4000
• Jimmie Johnson                                                                                                       +5000
• Alex Bowman                                                                                                                        +6600
• Daniel Suarez                                                                                                            +7500
• Austin Dillon                                                                                                             +10000
• Jamie McMurray, Paul  Menard, Ryan Newman                                                   +15000
• Ricky Stenhouse Jr                                                                                                  +20000
• AJ Allmendinger                                                                                                       +25000
• Ty Dillon, William Byron, Chris Buescher, Bubba Wallace, Trevor Bayne, Regan Smith                                                                        +50000
• Ross Chastain, JJ Yeley, Matt DiBenedetto, Michael McDowell, David Ragan, Timmy Hill, Corey LaJoie, Parker Kilgerman                                +100000

The longest streak without a win that Kevin Harvick has endured this year extended a week last week, and he needs a win to increase his chances to get into the Championship 4. Harvick hasn’t fallen off the table, though, as he has 12 top-10 finishes in his last 15 starts. He won this race last year and has seven top-8 finishes in his last eight races at Texas Motor Speedway. The moneyline doesn’t offer a lot of value, but his history here and his performance lately combine to make him a solid pick. Brad Keselowski has missed the cut for the Championship 4, but he has five top-8 finishes in his last nine races, and he has won three of those outright. He finished fifth at the AAA Texas 500 a year ago and came in second in 205. He races well at Texas Motor Speedway, with five top-8 finishes in his last eight starts here. The moneyline gives you some value — and Keselowski has delivered consistency. Kurt Busch has an outside shot at the championship and offers considerable value. He won the AAA Texas 500 nine years ago and has six top-10 finishes in his last eight races at Texas Motor Speedway. With that moneyline, and with the fact that a win makes him a player in the Championship 4 conversation, it’s hard to leave him off your card. Denny Hamlin almost came through last week despite the fact that he hasn’t found the checkered flag in some time. He has been sniffing around it lately, with three top-5 finishes in his last four starts. He won here in 2010 and came in third here in 2017, and he has four top-10 finishes in his last five AAA Texas 500 appearances, so he’s worth adding. Jimmie Johnson has five first-place trophies at the AAA Texas 500, including four in the last six years. At Texas Motor Speedway, he has nine top-6 finishes in his last 13 starts, so he definitely knows the track and performs well on it. He’s way down the moneyline list, which means he will offer a ton of value of he can come in first. Kyle Busch has also delivered time after time this year. He’s almost the co-favorite on the basis of that moneyline, but there are plenty of times when the favorites come in. A win would lock him in for the Championship 4, so that’s the kind of hunger that could inspire him to push through and pick up yet another checkered flag.