2022 EchoPark Automotive Texas Grand Prix Odds and Picks
3 min readDate: Saturday, March 27, 2022, 3:00 pm EST
Track: Circuit of the Americas
Type: Road, asphalt, 3.426 miles, 20 turns.
Race Distance: 68 laps
Defending Track Winner: NA
TV/Radio: FOX / MRN
Can Chase Elliott defend his win? The NASCAR Cup Series made history last season when the Cup Cars took to the track for the 2021 EchoPark Texas Grand Prix. It was the first Cup Series race at the famed Circuit of the Americas, known as COTA, in Austin Texas. The road course track also hosts both the Xfinity and Camping World Truck Series. Last year Chase Elliott was the favorite heading into the race weekend, and he won a rain-shortened event.
But things have changed some since last season as Kyle Larson now claims the honor of topping the everygame.eu odds list. Larson comes in at +325 with Elliott right there at +500 heading into the race weekend. The reasons for the swap at the top of the odds list are simple. Larson is coming off the season where he won a ton of races and captured the 2021 Cup Series Championship. And Elliott has broken through so far this season.
He’s had some good runs and fast cars but seems to be unable to grab a win this season despite finishing 11th or better in four of five races so far. He’s also led laps in three of those five outings. In comparison, all three of his Hendrick Motorsports teammates have won this year.
It looks like oddsmakers are taking that into consideration while understanding the limited history, and stats, that the Cup Series has at COTA. That explains the favorites list as it’s top-heavy with drivers that have a history of road racing.
Here are the favorite drivers to win the EchoPark Texas Grand Prix outright:
Kyle Larson +325
Chase Elliott +500
William Byron +750
Denny Hamlin +850
Kyle Busch +850
2022 EchoPark Automotive Texas Grand Prix Predictions
Chase Elliott +500
Chase Elliott is the defending winner of this race and he’s known as a fantastic road racer. Even though the race was rain-shortened last year, Elliott managed to lead 5 laps and be in a position to win the race when the red flag waved due to the weather. In his career, Elliott has won seven Cup Series road races. Also, even though he has not won this season – three of his Hendrick teammates have. That shows that the Hendrick teams have a good grasp on how to set up the NextGen cars.
Kyle Busch +850
Kyle Busch has not won this year, he crashed out last week at Atlanta, and he almost finished last season without a win before grabbing a checkered flag late in the season. However, Busch has quietly put together a strong season despite a few hiccups. He’s finished 14th or better in four of five races this season and 7th or better in three of five outings. Last year at COTA he led 12 laps which were second- best on the day.
Joey Logano +1100
Joey Logano may not be the obvious pick this weekend but he’s worth taking a glance at because of one huge stat. Last year at COTA he was out front for the most laps – a total of 14! He then went on to finish the race in 3 rd place and probably could have done better if the race was not shortened due to the rain. Logano has a road race win under his belt and he’s racked up 17 top-ten road course finishes in his Cup Series career.
Others to Consider: The only reason why I’m not more excited about Martin Truex Jr (+1000) this weekend is that he’s been a bit up and down this year with one DNF and no top-five runs. Also, don’t be surprised if Denny Hamlin (+850) grabs his first win of the season.
By:Kent Whitaker for Scores And Stats