NASCAR’s top series takes on COTA on Sunday, March 2nd. Trackhouse Racing’s Shane Van Gisbergen and Connor Zilisch are the favorites, but many drivers have the resume to prove they can win the race.
Bleacher Brothers has broken down the best picks and values for this weekend’s NASCAR Cup Series Race at COTA.
All odds are from FanDuel.
Outright Winner Picks
Chris Buescher (+5000)
The number 17 RFK Ford has a long shot of winning, but his stats on road courses makes us confident in the value here. The Texan has the best average finish at road courses since 2022, and knows how to win, earning a victory at the Glen last season.
Connor Zilisch (+1400)
The 18-year-old gained his second career Xfinity Series win at COTA earlier on Saturday. His win was by 1.6 seconds. The field included William Byron, Ross Chastain, and Carson Hocevar. Putting money on the 87 is a great move, for those looking for a longer shot.
Alex Bowman (+2800)
The Hendrick driver has not finished worse than 4th since 2022 at COTA. While Bowman is starting 21st, HMS does well at road courses. Expect the 48 team to get to the front quickly.
Top Three Picks
Carson Hocevar (+850)
The Spire Motorsports Chevy will be starting 4th on Sunday. The fact that 11 other names are ahead of Hocevar is shocking. Since he started racing in the Cup Series he has a 13.5 average finish on road courses and was the fastest non-Hendrick Chevy on Saturday in qualifying.
Ty Gibbs (+900)
COTA has been Gibbs’ best track in his cup series career. The grandson of Joe Gibbs has an average finish of sixth at the track including a third place finish last season.
William Byron (+470)
The 24 camp won this race last season, and Byron is coming off a 2nd place finish in the Xfinity series race on Saturday. He has two top-three finishes as well in his three cup series starts at the circuit.
Top Ten Picks
AJ Allmendinger (-140)
Previously, COTA has not treated the 43-year-old well. He has an average finish of 24.3 at the track since 2022. The problem has been his finishes of 33rd and 34th. He will not have those problems again though as a top ten pick is great value.
Alex Bowman (+100)
Mentioned earlier, Bowman has not finished worse than fourth since 2022. This gives a lot of room for one to easily double their money on this pick.
Ty Gibbs (+105)
Just like Bowman, an average finish inside the top-ten is all one needs to know about this pick. Another lock on this list.
🔒LOCKS 🔒
Connor Zilisch Top Ten (-210)
William Byron Top Ten (-185)
William Byron Top Five (+200)
Daniel Suárez Top Ten (-130)
Shane Van Gisbergen Top Three (+115)