O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 Predictions, Picks, Odds and Betting Preview: 2017 NASCAR Monster Energy Cup Series

We finally have our first two-time winner of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season in Brad Keselowski, who took home the checkered flag this past weekend at Martinsville.

A trip to the newly-reconfigured Texas Motor Speedway is up next. Can Keselowski pull off back-to-back victories to reclaim the top spot in the drivers standings, or will we crown sombody else who has yet to win this 2017? Let’s learn more below about the drivers worth keeping tabs on this Sunday at Fort Worth.

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Favorites

Brad Keselowski

Yes, Brad Keselowski should still be considered as a favorite this week despite not having won a race at Texas yet. He’s certainly the hottest driver this very moment, as he’s riding a five-race streak of top-5 finishes sandwiched by his win at Atlanta on March 5 and last week’s victory at Martinsville.

That goes without saying, again, that No. 2 is the only two-time winner of the season thus far. Keselowski’s not too shabby at TMS either, as he has six top-10 finishes in his last nine starts on the course.

Kevin Harvick

Another driver who has yet to win at Texas is Kevin Harvick, who’s somehow not off to a blazing start this year. He and Keselowski actually share more than just the need to win in the Lone Star State; both of them are former Cup Series champions driving the same car model, and we’ve seen how Fords have relatively dominated this season’s races.

With top 10s in his last five trips to TMS, and having led the most laps and the best driver rating on intermediate tracks for the past two seasons, Harvick’s one household name that you can definitely count on this week. He’ll even be glad to have crew chief Rodney Childers back in action after a one-race suspension to be his trusty guide from this week onwards.

Sleepers

Kyle Busch

Near-wins at Phoenix (third) and Martinsville (second) has got to motivate more than frustrate Kyle Busch at this point. Since getting into that minor post-race scuffle with Joey Logano in Vegas, No. 18 has reeled off three-straight top-10 finishes.

Busch should definitely fancy his chances of winning his first race in 2017 this Sunday. He’s won two races and has five-straight top-5 finishes at TMS already, which is more than what Keselowski and Harvick could actually say about their time on the course.

Chase Elliott

Kyle Larson just won for the first time in his young Cup Series career a couple of weeks back, and it’s only a matter of time before Chase Elliott finally gets his as well.

The 21-year-old has been on the cusp of victory all season long, with top-15 finishes in all six races and three top-5s. Even Elliott’s two Cup-Series starts at TMS have resulted in top-5 finishes, making him just as attractive a pick this week along with NASCAR’s more decorated veterans.

Long Shot

Austin Dillon

The fifth-place finish at Martinsville marked the first time this season that Austion Dillon broke into the top 10, but we’re still not confident that he can win it all in Texas this weekend.

Dillon’s best finish at TMS was 11th in 2015 and he’s never been able to trump that feat ever since. In fact, the Lewisville, North Carolina native has no other top-15 finish in eight-career starts on the track other than the one we just mentioned.

Writer’s Prediction

Harvick finally wins his first race of 2017.

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