Race: Toyota Owners 400 Picks and Betting Odds to Win
Date: Sunday April 30, 2017
Track: Richmond International Raceway
Time: 2pm ET
TV: FOX

Here's our expert preview of NASCAR's Toyota Owners 400 at Richmond Raceway, along with fantasy driver picks, Vegas odds, start time, and TV channel. Kyle Busch has a great chance to win once again this week and one needs look no further than the odds to explain why. The 33-year-old driver is a 2/1 favorite to win the Toyota Owners 400, which. See the full starting lineup for Saturday night's Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Toyota Owners 400 at Richmond Raceway. Kurt Busch has not won a race since last August but he’s finished 9th place or better in five out of his last six starts so he’s in good form heading to the Toyota Owners 400. The elder Busch won the Toyota Owners 400 in 2015 and finished 11th here last year. Kevin Harvick is the 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup series champion and a two-time Xfinity Champion Series champion as well. He won the Toyota Owners 400. Toyota Owners 400 Prediction. Matt Kenseth is usually one of my go-to drivers as a top-valued pick when the odds are right. That is why I like him this week at +1800 to win his first point-race event of the year. 20 Toyota has had its fair share of issues through the early part of the 2017 season, but it could be headed in the right.

by Virginia Vroom, NASCAR Handicapper, Predictem.com

So, it appears that Jimmie Johnson is bringing his “A game” back. He managed to take the checkers at Bristol for his second win in a row, after winning at Martinsville before the Easter break. There wasnt a whole lot of controversy at Bristol this year. Kyle Busch cut down a tire (of course!). Other than that, we didnt see a whole lot of story lines. Clint Bowyer, Kevin Harvick, Matt Kenseth, and Joey Logano rounded out the top five. Some of the other veterans saw better days. Earnhardt Jr., Kyle Busch, Kurt Busch, and Brad Keselowski all boasted finished of 25th or worse. They will have to see if they can get any redemption as we head to yet another short track this weekend in Richmond, Virginia.

But first, we must at least mention the elephant in the room. Dale Jr. is joining the ranks of Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart, Greg Biffle, and Carl Edwards in stepping away from his NASCAR Sprint Cup driver role. Its interesting to see the media and fan reaction to this scenario. Honestly, I totally saw this coming and thought this was a possibility even last year seeing him race. Hes not at the level of competitiveness that he wants to be at, and he made it perfectly clear that if hes not in championship contention, he will not be racing after 2017. That being said, hes had a very disappointing season thus far. Hes at the bottom of the rung in terms of comparing to his teammates right now. In all honestly, Jr. has an entire world open to him. He could start his own Cup team or be a broadcaster like former teammate Gordon. If I had to take a guess, though, I think that Jr. is going to do something huge for the sport but stay behind the scenes. Hes not a limelight kind of guy. Hes got a lot to offer and certainly wants to continue the Earnhardt legacy. Only time will tell what we will see from him, but let us regroup and wish him the best for the remaining 2017 season.

As I previously mentioned, we are heading to Richmond this weekend for the third short track race in a row. Im not too sure how I feel with them all grouped together. I kind of like to see the monotony of the intermediate tracks broken up, but this is what NASCAR gave us to work with this year, so I guess we have to deal with it. Richmond is unlike Bristol or Martinsville. Its unique in its size and doesnt tend to drive like a short track. It has its own unique challenges in terms of tire wear, though, and I anticipate that we will see a lot of that on Sunday. Additionally, track position is huge at Richmond. Even though its a short track, its a track that drivers can really pull ahead from the rest of the field. This track is a mile asphalt D-shaped oval. Its had the same configuration since 1988 with few revisions.

When it comes to picking the winner here, we have to take into consideration the most dominant driver on this track in recent history. Theres no one better here than Kyle Busch. If this team can overcome their incessant tire issues, he will absolutely be the one to beat this weekend. Hes going to have a lot of competition from Matt Kenseth and Kevin Harvick from the A list group of drivers, but he should have no problem outdriving them here. With 4 wins and
the best average out of the active drivers, Busch will have all eyes on him. Lets take a look at your potential winners heading into Richmond this weekend:

My Pick to Win: Kyle Busch
Middle of the Road Pick: Kyle Larson
Dark Horse Prediction: Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Bet YOUR picks using your credit card at one of the web’s oldest and most trusted sportsbooks where you’ll receive a generous 50% bonus! –> Bovada Sportsbook!

Stenhouse isnt a crazy pick, believe it or not. This guy has come a long way and has produced top 10 finishes in both of the short tracks we just came from. Richmond is a solid track for him as well. Running probably the best he ever has, dont count Stenhouse out of a very solid performance. Finally, Kyle Larson is on fire. Hes got the best average finish of anyone this year. Hes also coming off a second place finish at his last start at this track. Larson is going to absolutely be a driver to keep on the top of your list. That being said, lets look and see how these guys are stacking up after Bristol:

Here are your current top 16 after last week’s race:

1. Kyle Larson
2. Chase Elliott
3. Martin Truex Jr.
4. Joey Logano
5. Brad Keselowski
6. Jimmie Johnson
7. Jamie McMurray
8. Clint Bowyer
9. Kevin Harvick
10. Ryan Blaney
11. Kyle Busch
12. Erik Jones
13. Trevor Bayne
14. Ryan Newman
15. Denny Hamlin
16. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

One guy we havent heard much from is Denny Hamlin. Richmond is a good track for that team. Well have to keep our eyes on them too. Theres a lot of young guns in that top group of drivers. Jones, Bayne. Larson, Elliottits nice to see a crop of young drivers making some consistent runs. With these retirements hitting us like deer flies on the legs, we really need a good group of guys to count on and to raise the bar. Its hard seeing our top drivers all moving out. Its crazy to be in this generation of seeing an entire group of drivers moving on past racing and leaving us with some who really arent what were used to seeing. Hopefully, the racing stays at the level that its currently at. Well have to see how this all plays out. But for now, we move on. To Richmond we go for another great weekend of short track racing! Bet your Toyota Owners 400 picks for FREE by taking advantage of a HUGE 50% sign-up bonus up to $1000 at MyBookie!

Toyota Owners 400 Betting Odds to Win the Race
Kyle Busch 5/1
Kyle Larson 6/1
Joey Logano 15/2
Brad Keselowski 8/1
Kevin Harvick 8/1
Chase Elliott 9/1
Jimmie Johnson 9/1
Martin Truex Jr. 9/1
Denny Hamlin 10/1
Matt Kenseth 16/1
Clint Bowyer 20/1
Jamie McMurray 25/1
Dale Earnhardt Jr. 30/1
Erik Jones 30/1
Kurt Busch 35/1
Ryan Blaney 35/1
Kasey Kahne 40/1
Ryan Newman 40/1
Austin Dillon 65/1
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 100/1

Race: Toyota Owners 400
Date: Saturday April 13, 2019
Track: Richmond International Raceway
Time: 7:30pm ET
TV: FOX
By: Virginia Vroom, NASCAR Handicapper, Predictem.com

As predicted, Bristol boiled down to a battle of the Busch brothers in the closing laps. Unfortunately for Kurt, Kyle pushed his way to the front of the pack and made his move to victory lane with his 8th win at Bristol. Kurt was trying to tie Kyle at 7 wins but just couldn’t seal the deal. It was impressive for Kyle who had a very early wreck in the opening laps of the race, but that sure didn’t stop him. He was a dominating force and proved that he was there for one reason only and that was to win! Overall, this is Busch’s 54th NASCAR Cup Series win. He’s won a total of 204 races across all three series. Talk about domination. If that doesn’t tell you that Busch is a wheel man, then I don’t know what will. The fact that he can dominate each series like that and understand exactly what goes into driving each type of car/truck shows experience and expertise. Sure, he’s got great equipment, but that only gets you so far. Ask Danica Patrick.

But I digress. Kyle Busch’s talent is unmistakable. Love him or hate him, there’s got to be a mutual respect for his abilities. Busch took the checkers ahead of his brother, who finished 2nd. Joey Logano, Ryan Blaney, and Denny Hamlin rounded out the top five spots. Paul Menard, Clint Bowyer, Daniel Suarez, Ryan Newman, and Jimmie Johnson rounded out the top ten spots. Other notable accomplishments include Ty Dillon winning his first stage in a tough battle with Clint Bowyer. It wasn’t without contact and certainly reminiscent of the Bristol we all know and love. The other interesting fact here was Kyle Busch’s strategy in the closing laps. Most of the leaders opted to pit for tires. Busch decided to stay out in the final 20 laps on older tires. Darrell Waltrip wasn’t having any of that. From the booth, Waltrip would swear that Busch made a fatal mistake and would never be able to hold off Logano or anyone else with fresh tires. Little did he know, Busch had what it took to navigate the lap traffic and hold everyone off when it mattered most.

This weekend, the drivers are heading to another short track in Virginia. Richmond is where the teams will gather for a Saturday race under the lights. The night races always bring out the excitement in the stands and the crazy on the track. If we can continue what the drivers started at Bristol, I have no doubt that this weekend will be just as exciting. The cool thing about this track is that it’s much flatter than Bristol. It has 14 degree banking in the turns, 8 degrees on the frontstretch, and just 2 degrees on the backstretch. It’s bigger than Bristol, though, allowing drivers to gain some speed that they can’t quite get there or at Martinsville. It’s a 0.75-mile asphalt D-shaped oval. Richmond is pretty unique, as are most of the short tracks. It has its own nuances, but perhaps the biggest difference between this place and others is the ability that the drivers have to put some distance between themselves and the rest of the field. Lap traffic is a concern, but tires are going to play a larger role here than what you saw at Martinsville or Bristol simply because of the configuration of the track. That being said, we’ll likely see several different pit strategies through the night, as drivers try to outsmart each other.

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When it comes to picking winners for this weekend, the obvious choice is Kyle Busch. I mean, the guy is on fire. He’s been winning everything this season and has 6 wins overall at Richmond. In fact, he won both Richmond races last year. How do you really bet against that? The next potential contender in my book is going to be Denny Hamlin. He’s got 3 total wins here and has had top 10 finishes in the majority of his races. Overall, this is somewhat of a hometown track for Hamlin. He’s been successful over the last few weekends and is looking to really keep the momentum going. With his ticket already punched to the Chase, you better believe he’s willing to take some risks to get those wins in. Let’s take a look at your potential winners heading into Richmond:

My Pick to Win: Kyle Busch (2-1)
Middle of the Road Pick: Clint Bowyer (20-1)
Dark Horse Prediction: Aric Almirola (20-1)

With a top 5 finish at the fall race at Richmond and his momentum thus far this year, I think that Almirola’s best shots are at the short tracks. This is a good track for him. He had an unfortunate incident on the first lap of Bristol, but he had a nice streak of top 10 finishes prior to that. With 20-1 odds, that stats aren’t favoring him, but his skill might fool a lot of folks for a nice payout this weekend. Look for him to be at the front of the pack this weekend. Clint Bowyer is going to really run hard in my opinion. He’s getting pretty feisty and is tired of being shut out. He’s another driver that really wants to see victory lane sooner rather than later. I’m a little surprised to see his odds not as favorable, but I think that this is setting him up to be a solid pick for a good money weekend. Bowyer is another wheelman that just doesn’t get the credit he deserves. If he can keep it together this weekend, I think he’s got a great shot at getting his first 2019 victory.

Here are your current top 16 after last week’s race:
1. Kyle Busch (2-1)
2. Denny Hamlin (10-1)
3. Joey Logano (7-1)
4. Kevin Harvick (7-1)
5. Brad Keselowski (7-1)
6. Ryan Blaney (12-1)
7. Martin Truex Jr. (7-1)
8. Kurt Busch (25-1)
9. Aric Almirola (20-1)
10. Chase Elliott (12-1)
11. Clint Bowyer (20-1)
12. Daniel Suarez (60-1)
13. Jimmie Johnson (30-1)
14. Kyle Larson (20-1)
15. Ryan Newman (60-1)
16. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (60-1)

Stenhouse seems to be fading a little bit. He’s got some work to do if he wants to stay in Chase contention. Basically, those last 4 drivers are already on the bubble if you ask me. It’s early in the season, but those 4 spots seem to be the most easily lost by the time we get to the Chase. Jimmie Johnson is in danger again this year if he can’t figure something out. He’s got a lot of work to do. Kyle Busch is doing just fine. Along with Hamlin, Logano, Keselowski, and Kurt Busch, Kyle is well on his way to the Chase this season already. It will be a great battle this weekend as the guys get on the short track once again. Stay tuned for an exciting evening of racing under the lights at Richmond International Raceway!

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