Another week, another action-packed NASCAR race. That’s the same old story ahead of this weekend’s event in Richmond, where the likes of Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin are expected to make a big play for another win this season. They can’t always be winning, though, so having some go-to sleepers to lay money on is always a good idea. Read on for three drivers who could pull the rug underneath the chalks.
Almirola wasn’t able to do much in last week’s race in Bristol. In fact, he finished last, thanks to an early exit as a result of an unfortunate crash. Nevertheless, that’s not a reason for bettors to look away from the Team Stewart-Haas Racing driver. For one, Almirola finished fifth in last year’s Federated Auto Parts 400 race at Richmond Raceway. Prior to his start in Bristol, Almirola had a six-race streak of finishes inside the top 10. In Vegas, Aric has 20/1 odds to win the 2019 Monster Energy Cup Series Championship.
Erik Jones
Jones is sitting just outside of the playoff cutoff with 186 points to his name. In front of him is Ricky Stenhouse Jr., who has 187 points. Jones failed to build on a fourth-place finish in Texas last month, as he placed just 24th in Bristol last weekend. But Jones could rebound as soon as this weekend in Richmond, where he has either finished or starter in the top 1o in three of his last four appearances at the track. He started seventh and finished 13th in last year’s edition of the Toyota Owners 400. In Vegas, Erik has 22/1 odds to win the 2019 Monster Energy Cup Series Championship.
Austin Dillon
After a hot start to the season, when he had a sixth place finish during the Clash at Daytona, Dillon has failed to sustain whatever momentum he got from that impressive drive. That said, he seems to be picking up some steam of late, having finished inside the top 10 in each of his last five races, including a 14th place in Bristol last weekend. He’s generally a mediocre driver at Richmond Raceway, but he had a sixth-place finish last year there, so that’s probably a sign that good things are about to start happening for him in Richmond. In Vegas, Austin has long 80/1 odds to win the 2019 Monster Energy Cup Series Championship.
