Kevin Harvick will be aiming to tally his second race victory in just four days when he returns to action on Wednesday night for the NASCAR Cup Series Toyota 500 as the +400 betting favourite at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
Harvick earned his 50th career victory in Sunday’s long-awaited return to the track at The Real Heroes 400, but as a result will be starting from the No. 20 spot on the starting grid in Wednesday night’s Toyota 500 at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina.
With the starting lineup determined by the order of finish in this past Sunday’s race, a pair of longshots will lead the way when the flag drops to start Wednesday’s race. After recording a 20th-place finish this past weekend, Ryan Preece will start on the pole for the first time as a Cup Series driver and just the second time in his NASCAR career while sporting +30000 odds at online sports betting sites.
The 29-year-old recorded a pair of victories during six years driving in the NASCAR Xfinity Series but has yet to enjoy a breakthrough in the NASCAR Cup Series, finishing better than 20th just once in six appearances this season.
Ty Dillon will start second on Wednesday night, and sits just ahead of Preece as a lengthy +25000 wager. Dillon has yet to earn a victory in six years of NASCAR Cup Series racing, with his best ever performance at Darlington coming three years ago when he finished 13th at the 2017 Bojangles’ Southern 500.
Back at the top of the Toyota 500 odds, Kyle Busch aims for his first victory of the season as he sits just behind Harvick as a +650 second favourite, ahead of Denny Hamlin at +700. Martin Truex Jr. is listed at +800 along with Chase Elliott and Alex Bowman, with Brad Keselowski and Kurt Busch at +1200, and Joey Logano at +1400.
Busch recorded a disappointing 26th-place finish after starting Sunday’s race from the No. 4 spot. Accordingly, he will start Wednesday’s contest from the No. 26 position, and will have plenty of work to do to earn his first win at Darlington since 2008.
Hamlin’s fifth-place performance on Sunday has earned him the 16th position in Wednesday’s starting lineup. The 39-year-old has demonstrated consistency in 2020, finishing among the top six drivers in four of seven outings including a second straight win at the Daytona 500.
Logano enjoys the strongest starting position among the favourites. The 2018 NASCAR Cup Series champion will start third as he aims for his third victory of the season, and his first ever win at Darlington.
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