It was only a matter of time before Kyle Busch finally broke through with his first win of the season. That time came at Pocono last weekend as Busch ended a career-long 36-race drought with a victory in the Overton’s 400. The breakthrough could be a sign of things to come as the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series shifts to Watkins Glen International for the I LOVE NEW YORK 355 at The Glen this Sunday. Busch has enjoyed a ton of success at this track throughout his career. He will once again be among the sports betting favorites to win outright this weekend.
Details
Event: I LOVE NEW YORK 355 at The Glen
Category: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
Date: Sunday August 6th, 2017 – 3:00 PM ET
Location: Watkins Glen International, Watkins Glen, New York
The I LOVE NEW YORK 355 at The Glen will be the second and final road race of the season. It will be very interesting to see if there is another first-time winner this week with the potential for another shakeup in the point standings. Another first-time winner would at least temporarily knock another driver out of The Chase by eliminating another point position. With only five races left the intensity is about to ramp up again this weekend at The Glen.
Past Five Winners
2016: Denny Hamlin
2015: Joey Logano
2014: A.J. Allmendinger
2013: Kyle Busch
2012: Marcos Ambrose
What To Know About The Track
The final road race of the season is only 90 laps long on a 2.5-mile course. The circuit is an 11-turn, winding road course with many long straights that are terminated by hairpin turns. The top speeds are close to 160 miles per hour, which is very unusual for a road track, and is due to those long stretches. Horsepower and aero-handling are two key factors at this race. Experience will also be an extremely important factor as drivers with a better feel for the track should perform better when they attempt aggressive braking in the corners and accelerating maneuvers when making passes.
The Field
Busch is among the sports betting favorites to win this race outright at +450 odds. However, he won’t be the favorite as that title belongs to Martin Truex Jr., who is listed at +400 odds to win outright. Kevin Harvick is listed at +700 odds. He is followed by Brad Keselowski, Clint Bowyer and Kurt Busch, with all three drivers listed at +800. Denny Hamlin is available at a decent number at +1000 to win this race outright. Meanwhile, Jimmie Johnson and Kyle Larson are both listed at +1500 odds to win the I LOVE NEW YORK 355 at The Glen outright. Johnson in particular has really struggled of late but is decent value. Meanwhile, Larson is coming off back-to-back finishes outside of the top-25 after posting back-to-back runner-up finishes at Kentucky and New Hampshire prior to that.
A Good Matchup To Bet: Martin Truex Jr. over Jimmie Johnson
While the value isn’t incredible betting Truex over Johnson, he should be close to a lock to win the head-to-head sports betting matchup and that is enough for us to stick with this pick. Truex was running up front at Sonoma earlier this year when mechanical issues took him out of the race but it’s unlikely he will have to deal with similar issues in this race. Truex has been outstanding over the past couple of months and he will really want to add to his playoff point total this weekend. Meanwhile, Johnson has been absolutely terrible with only one top-10 finish in his last six starts. Johnson placed 40th in this race a year ago so it’s unlikely that this is the week that he turns things around.
Top-Five Pick: Kyle Busch
The fact that Busch has been so good at this track makes him impossible to ignore following his first win of the season. In 12 career races at the New York road course, Busch has delivered a pair of victories and 10 top-10 finishes. Busch should have plenty of confidence heading in to this week’s race and after winning back-to-back races in each of the last two years it wouldn’t be a surprise if he does it again in 2017. Busch is a solid pick to win the I LOVE NEW YORK 355 at The Glen. At the very least, he should be able to record another top-five finish this Sunday.
Odds To Win
Martin Truex Jr +500
Kyle Busch +500
Kevin Harvick +800
Brad Keselowski +800
Kurt Busch +800
Clint Bowyer +1000
Denny Hamlin +1000
AJ Allmendinger +1000
Jimmie Johnson +1200
Kyle Larson +1500
Joey Logano +2000
Jamie McMurray +2500
Chase Elliott +3000
Ryan Blaney +4000
Kasey Kahne +4000
Dale Earnhardt Jr +4000
Matt Kenseth +6000
Daniel Suarez +6000
Michael McDowell +6000
Paul Menard +7500
Ryan Newman +7500
Field +2000
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