“Between Bets” is an article series revealing our staff’s best wagers across the NFL, NASCAR and PGA Tour. This edition’s bets feature our favorite wagers for the 2024 Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway.
(Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook)
2024 Goodyear 400 Betting Picks
Kyle Larson (+400)
It always pains me to drink the juice and pick the favorite, but Kyle Larson at Darlington is just one of those driver/track combinations you can’t ignore. “The Lady in Black” is a driver’s racetrack, and it’s not easy to fake being good here.
Larson is the most recent winner here, taking the checkered flag last fall, though it was his first T10 here in the Next-Gen era. Half of his career starts at Darlington are T5s, and two-thirds are T10s, including a run of four consecutive T3s from 2018 through 2021.
Leading 770 laps at Darlington in his career, Larson is certainly one to watch to go back-to-back both here and in general in the Cup Series.
Martin Truex Jr. (+650)
I feel like I’ve been a little too high on Martin Truex Jr. at times this season, but a +650 outright via DraftKings is worth at least a sniff.
The Next-Gen results at Darlington aren’t pretty on paper for Truex Jr., but a trio of DNFs in 2022 and 2023 blur how well he actually ran. We saw him lead a combined 221 laps in those races. Last fall’s race didn’t go so well (P18), but the veteran’s car was damaged during practice, and none of last season’s playoffs went well for him anyway.
Following a P3 at Dover and P4 at Kansas – which may have been a victory if not for the late caution – now is the time for Truex Jr. to catch fire heading into the summer stretch.
Chase Elliott (+1400)
With how juiced the books look this week, getting Chase Elliott at a favorable enough outright price of +1400 feels like somewhat of a steal.
Not only has Elliott been on a hot streak in general, but Darlington has been a great track for the series’ most popular driver. He’s earned T10s in half of his career starts at “The Lady in Black,” and even his bad finishes here have only been due to incidents largely out of his control. Elliott’s worst incident-free finish in the Next-Gen era here is eighth.
As for 2024’s hot streak, the No. 9 team hasn’t finished outside of the top five since Circuit of the Americas (COTA), aside from the chaos/asterisk mark track of Talladega.
Check out all of our content for the 2024 Goodyear 400:
- PropKings: 2024 Goodyear 400
- Between Bets: 2024 Goodyear 400 Outrights
- NASCAR DFS Picks, Tiers & Rankings: 2024 Goodyear 400
Thanks for reading my best bets for the Goodyear 400. Be sure to catch us live every Thursday night at 8:30 p.m. EST on The Backroad! Also, follow me on Twitter/X @ehicks39 for more NASCAR takes and betting advice.
*Photo Credit: Jim Dedmon – USA TODAY Sports*