A pair of drivers looking to claim victory for the first time this season sit deadlocked atop the odds ahead of Wednesday’s running of the Alsco Uniforms 500, with Chase Elliott and Martin Truex Jr. set as the +500 co-favourites at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
Bad luck has befallen Elliott since NASCAR resumed its schedule 10 days ago. After a collision with Kyle Busch ended his hopes for victory at last week’s Toyota 500, the 24-year-old was forced to settle for a second-place finish at last weekend’s Coca-Cola 600. Elliott’s misfortune now leaves him winless in 14 Cup Series race appearances going into Wednesday night’s Alsco Uniforms 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
With the starting lineup in Wednesday’s race determined by last Sunday’s order of finish, Elliott must settle for a start from the No. 19 spot. That bodes poorly for the popular Hendricks Motorsports driver, who has finished well out of contention this season when starting from outside the front 15 in the lineup.
Truex Jr. also has a lot to prove after seeing his current checkered flag drought extended to 10 races with a sixth-place finish at the Coca-Cola 600. That run equaled the 39-year-old’s best finish of the season. However, Truex Jr. has been a steady performer at Charlotte, where he has twice raced to victory in the Coca-Cola 600 since 2016, and could surprise in Wednesday’s shorter race, which measures just 500 kilometres.
Further down the Alsco Uniforms 500 odds, Kyle Busch will be looking to continue his climb up the Cup Series standings when he hits the track as a +650 wager. Busch closed out the Coca-Cola 600 in fourth place, marking his fourth straight finish among the top four at Charlotte.
Alex Bowman follows at +750, just ahead of the current leader in the Cup Series standings, Kevin Harvick, at +800. Jimmie Johnson is pegged as a +900 wager, while Sunday’s winner, Brad Keselowski, rounds out the front of the pack with +1000 odds at online betting sites.
Set to start from the No. 2 spot on Wednesday, Bowman has capitalized on strong starting positions this season. The 27-year-old earned his second career Cup Series win in early March at the Auto Club 400 after starting third. Bowman also showed no signs of rust when racing resumed last week, grabbing second place at the Real Heroes 400, which he started from the No. 2 spot.
Harvick has finished in the top ten in each of his seven starts this season, including a win at the Real Heroes 400, while Keselowski’s victory on Sunday marked his first win in over a year.
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