NASCAR Betting: Picks, Tips for Grant Park 220 at Chicago Street Course

Best Best for the Grant Park 220

• Chase Elliott is +500 at FanDuel Sportsbook
• Kyle Busch is +1200 at Caesars Sportsbook
• Martin Truex Jr. is +800 at UniBet Sportsbook and +700 for the polek

NASCAR Running in the Streets of Chicago

The NASCAR Cup Series rolls on to Chicago for the Grant Park 220 on Sunday. Chicago is the third road race of the season and the first and only street race. 

With the debut of this course, drivers have hit the simulator hard this week, and probably a lot of them are watching the eSports races.

Martin Truex Jr. has won four times at Sonoma, but since 2020, Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott have each won four times. Tyler Reddick has taken three checkered flags.

Chase Elliott is the sports betting favorite this week, at +500, almost across the board. 

Grant Park 220 

• Date: Sunday, July 2
• Time: 5:30 p.m. ET
• TV: NBC
• Track: Chicago Street Course, Chicago, Illinois
• Distance: 220 miles (100 laps around the track)
• Stages:  20-25-55
• First race in Chicago

What Drivers Should You Bet on at the Grant Park 220?

To help with your NASCAR betting, we will try a hand at some course “recon.” This will be important, along with previous road race experiences. 

One of the things we did at Gambling.com this week was look at some of the videos spanning from Dale Earnhardt Jr. to iRacing Sports. Why? Again, the correlation is almost zero compared to the tracks most NASCAR drivers have seen. 

This is a 12-turn layout with extremely tight turns and wide South Columbus Drive (Turns 5 and 6). Watch that weather forecast for practice and qualifying. If you want to bet for qualifying, take a small wager sooner. Qualifying is expected to be dry. 

With rainy conditions possible to likely Sunday, NASCAR may have a challenge on its hands. So do we. Therefore, consider a few possibilities to bet on this Sunday evening.

Chase Elliott 

Chase Elliott has won four road races over the last 3+ seasons. The Hendrick Motorsports Racing driver’s last such victory came in Wisconsin at the Jockey Made In America 250. 

Since then, the No. 9 car has come close several times but a little short. Those Top 5 and Top 10 results are great, but there is that debut or “new to us” road race trend. In three of those scenarios, Elliott has taken the checkered flag. 

Chase Elliott still has the best average result among all drivers on the road since 2020. That comes in at 6.5, with the highest driver rating at 115.1. Lastly, Elliott has led the most laps (291). 

A warmer track might hurt the Chevy a bit. Kyle Larson and Elliott are +450 to take the pole. 

A motivated Elliott is worth a look, given his ability to adapt on road courses. 

Kyle Busch 

Since 2020, Kyle Busch has been one of those drivers who has come so close yet so far on road courses. The Richard Childress Racing driver has been on the podium three times in a row. That includes two runner-up finishes this season (Sonoma and COTA). 

The best part is his place differential. Busch has moved up in each race, including a fantastic +17 at the Charlotte Roval. At Sonoma, Busch moved up ten spots and seven at COTA. With the slower street course, look out if he can qualify in the top five!

Busch has an even better chance of winning if cooler temperatures and humidity reign supreme. With all due respect to A.J. Allmendinger and Ross Chastain, Busch is slightly more motivated to win, given the close calls.

Martin Truex Jr. 

Some clamor for Tyler Reddick and even Denny Hamlin in this spot. Both are worthy choices. However, the weather forecast gives us some concern. Martin Truex Jr. won at Sonoma and triumphed at Dover (the last rain-marred race). With two wins and the LA Colosseum victory, Truex Jr. can negotiate this street course. 

The Joe Gibbs Racing driver has done this many times before. From his days at Wall Township to various streets around South Jersey near his childhood home of Mayetta, New Jersey, Truex Jr. can race on any surface and track. It does not matter if it is dirt, road, street, or whatever, the No. 19 driver is ready.

While Ty Gibbs has looked great in the simulator, Martin Truex Jr. thrives on track scenarios like what may play out on Sunday. He is worth a long look. 

Favorites to Win the Grant Park 220

Good luck; hopefully, the rain does not delay this race on Sunday!