Sportsbooks favor Kyle Busch to win two of the three NASCAR events scheduled for this weekend.
Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series 2017 Overton’s 400
Date: July 30th
Location: Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pennsylvania
Course: Permanent racing facility 2.5 mi (4 km)
Distance: 160 laps, 400 mi (640 km)
Unlike his brother Kurt, Kyle has yet to win the Overton’s 400 but he had a 9th place finish in the 2017 Axalta presents the Pocono 400 and has four top 5s and five top 10 finishes at Long Pond in Cup Series competition. In addition to that, Busch’s 8.38 average finish in intermediate tracks ranks third best among all drivers since 2015. Kurt’s brother’s stiffest competition will come from 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Driver standings leader Martin Truex Jr., who finished 6th in the aforementioned Pocono 400 – a race which he won in 2015 and placed 3rd in 2007 (then known as the Pocono 500). Truex Jr. also came in 3rd place at the 2012 Overton’s 400 (then known as the Pennsylvania 400).
Camping World Truck Series 2017 Overton’s 150
Date: July 29th
Venue: Pocono Raceway
Distance: 150 miles (241.402 km)
Laps: 60 (Stage 1: 15 Stage 2: 15 Stage 3: 30)
Busch has not raced as many World Truck Series races at Pocono Raceway as Cup Series races, but he has certainly been more successful. He won the 2015 Overton’s 150 and was the runner-up in 2011. Busch shares his No. 51 Truck Myatt Snider, Harrison Burton, and Todd Gilliland so he’s ineligible for Camping World Truck championship points but sportsbooks care little about. What matters to these establishments is that Busch has won two of the four races he’s competed in this season; the Toyota Tundra 250 and the North Carolina Education Lottery 200. The only Truex in sight is not Marty but Ryan, and his odds are pretty long. Busch will have to contend instead with Christopher Bell who finished 10th in last year’s race (under the Pocono Mountains 150 name) and has finished in the top 10 in all but one race this season, including three wins.
Xfinity Series 2017 U.S. Cellular 250
Date: July 29th
Venue: Iowa Speedway
Location: Newton, Iowa, United States
Distance: 218.75 miles (352.04 km)
Laps: 250 (Stage 1: 60 Stage 2: 60 Stage 3: 130)
Rookie William Byron will enter Saturday as the favorite to win and with good reason. The 19 year old won the 2016 Overton’s 150 and while he finished 12th at the Pocono Green 250 this year, he has six straight top 10 finishes with two podiums and three wins in that stretch – including the Lilly Diabetes 250 last Saturday. Sam Hornish Jr. is second in sportsbooks’ odds-boards; he finished 6th in last year’s edition of the race and won the 2014 (then known as Get to Know Newton 250) 2016 American Ethanol E15 250, also run at Iowa Speedway. Additionally, Hornish has four top 5 finishes and one top 10 finish in Long Pond.