2024 Grant Park 165 Odds favor Larson and van Gisbergen
van Gisbergen's stunning victory in 2023 was a top story of the season. Can he repeat on the street course?
- Top contenders include Kyle Larson, Shane van Gisbergen, Tyler Reddick, Christopher Bell, and Chase Elliott.
- William Byron, Michael McDowell (+1400), and Denny Hamlin (+3000) are potential dark horses for the race.
- Tyler Reddick excels on non-oval courses and is a consistent top-10 finisher, making him a pivotal driver to watch.
One of the more chaotic races in recent NASCAR Cup Series history saw a record five overtime restarts in Nashville. Joey Logano ultimately crossed the line first and made it to victory lane for the first time this season.
A late gamble on fuel made the difference for the Team Penske driver. This week, the grid heads to the lone street course race of the season with a new face among the favorites in the 2024 Grant Park 165 Odds.
2024 Grant Park 165 Odds: Favorites
Kyle Larson (+550)
Larson’s opened a 20-point gap at the top of the NASCAR Cup Series standings over teammate Chase Elliott thanks to another top-10 finish in Nashville.
He’s now made the top 10 in four of the last five races after failing to make the Coca-Cola 600 due to the Indy 500.
There’s minimal track record to use for the Chicago street course. Last year, Larson finished fourth from seventh on the grid in a chaotic finish.
Larson did win the most recent road course race in Sonoma, which bodes well for this weekend.
Shane van Gisbergen (+550)
van Gisbergen is making his fourth appearance in the Cup Series this weekend. The full-time Xfinity Series driver won this race last season on debut from third on the grid.
He’s one of the more popular NASCAR driver props this weekend, thanks to that impressive result.
He’s raced well on non-ovals recently. He won Xfinity Series races in Portland and Sonoma and led the most laps in Austin.
He’s had less luck in the Cup Series this season but that could change at one of the biggest outlier events on the calendar. He should be at least in for a top-10 finish.
Tyler Reddick (+600)
Reddick’s quietly been one of the most consistent drivers on the grid recently. He’s made the top 10 in five of the last six races and only Christopher Bell can match that. He finished third last time out in Nashville.
Reddick’s typically a strong driver on non-oval courses. He led the most laps and won the first stage in Sonoma before ultimately finishing eighth this season.
Last year, he finished in the top three of Stages 1 and 2 at this race but a strategy call dropped him to 28th by the checkered flag. He should have better luck this time around.
Christopher Bell (+600)
Bell won both stages and led the most laps in Nashville but came home 36th after a bad pit strategy and a spin in Turn 2. It ended his streak of solid performances and put to rest his hopes of consecutive wins for the first time in his career.
Last year, Bell started fourth and won Stages 1 and 2 in Chicago before dropping down the order in the race’s final stage. His NASCAR betting trends are shifting Bell to a weekly favorite thanks to his recent run of success.
He’s done well in road courses in 2024 with a Stage 1 win and second place in Austin and ninth in Sonoma. He has a solid chance at victory this weekend.
Chase Elliott (+750)
Elliott finished 18th for the second week in a row in Nashville and that was his worst back-to-back result of the season. There’s hope for this weekend because of Elliott’s success on road courses with wins in Road America, Watkins Glen, Austin, and the Charlotte Roval. Last year, he finished third from 26th on the grid.
Sleepers
William Byron (+1400)
Like Elliott, Byron’s in his worst stretch of results this NASCAR season. Thirtieth in Sonoma, 26th in New Hampshire, and 19th in Nashville are a far cry from his three wins in the first eight races.
But one of those wins – Austin – came from pole position and leading the most laps on a road course. He’s historically a good driver in road courses and that should shine through this week.
Look for him to bounce back from poor results this weekend.
Michael McDowell (+1400)
McDowell had a rough weekend in Nashville and was classified 35th by the checkered flag. He’s managed just one top-five result this year and that came at a road course (Sonoma).
Last year, he was one of just four drivers to finish in the top 10 in both stages and by the checkered flag. He could surprise this weekend.
Denny Hamlin (+3000)
Hamlin took pole position last week but could only manage 12th by the end of this NASCAR race. It continues what’s been a rough stretch for the three-time winner this season.
He could be in for a better result this weekend, though. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver took pole position in Chicago last season and managed to finish 11th despite multiple crashes during the race. At these odds, he’s worth a flyer.
2024 Grant Park 165 Odds: Predictions
Chicago’s arguably the toughest challenge on the Cup Series calendar as the lone street course race. It’ll likely be unpredictable again and provide fans some thrilling racing in the Windy City.
Of the favorites, we like van Gisbergen (+550) to repeat. He’s racing well enough in the Xfinity Series to have confidence this weekend. Of the sleepers, we like McDowell (+1400) to have a surprise win. Our top five picks are:
- van Gisbergen (+100)
- Bell (+110)
- McDowell (+240)
- Reddick (+110)
- Hamlin (+500)
For NASCAR betting news, odds analysis, and more, visit Point Spreads Sports Magazine.
