The run of short-track races is over for now! It’s on to Talladega Geico 500 race weekend at Talladega superspeedway. Talladega is considered to be a track where anyone can win due to the quick lead changes towards the end of the race… and wrecks!

Those ‘Dega wrecks are often termed as being the “Big One” race fans and broadcasters. They can shuffle a field fast and collect a bunch of cars. That adds to the idea that any driver, even a smaller team, can win the race. Oddsmakers don’t see it that way this week. They are going with a tight group of favorites starting with Ryan Blaney who comes in at +1000.

NASCAR Bookies

He’s not alone, the next two drivers both come in at +1200 and they are Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin. All three of these drivers have won at Talladega in the Cup Series. Logano won the 2018 Gieco 500 while Blaney won the 2020 Geico 500. Hamlin won the Fall Talledega race in 2019. Nine former Talledega winners are in the field and that does not include wins in the Xfinity Series, Camping World Truck Series, or ARCA Menards Series.

Talladega may offer more opportunity for “long shots” but it seems the top drivers manage to regularly find a way to win. This week there is value deep down the favorites list! Here are the favorite drivers to win the Geico 500 outright.

Ryan Blaney +1000

Joey Logano +1200

Denny Hamlin +1200

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2022 GEICO 500 Race Preview

Date: Sunday, April 24, 2022, 2:00 pm EST

Track: Talladega Superspeedway – Lincoln, AL

Type: Tri-Oval, Asphalt, 2.66 miles

Race Distance: 188 laps, 500.08 miles.

Defending Track Winner: Bubba Wallace (Fall Race)

TV/Radio: FOX / MRN

About those past winners. A quick look at the last ten Talladega Cup Series races shows the same names that we are used to seeing in Victory lane. Denny Hamlin, Ryan Blaney, Keselowski, Joey Logano, Aric Almirola, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Kevin Harvick, Bubba Wallace, and Kyle Busch have all won Cup Series races at Talladega.

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2022 GEICO 500 Picks

Joey Logano +1200

Joey Logano has not had the season that he may have expected but he has been one of the better Ford cars so far this season. And Logano races well on larger tracks. He has also won at Talladega three times with eleven finishes of 10th or better. Penske seems to always be dialed in when it comes to Talladega so you can’t count any of his teammates out either. At the last ‘Dega in the Fall, he finished 3rd and in the Spring he was one of the frontrunners until he was involved in another driver’s mess.

Darrell Wallace Jr.

Darrell Wallace Jr. put himself into position last year to claim the win and there is no question that he’s comfortable on the high-speed superspeedways. Wallace has raced at Talladega five times in a Cup Series car and he’s won once and finished in the top twenty-five times. He’s also led plenty of laps here. During the season opener at Daytona, he was a constant threat for the lead and was the leader heading into the last two laps.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr +2800

I’m reaching a bit here but Ricky Stenhouse Jr races well on superspeedways. He has two Cup Series wins and both came on Superspeedways – Talladega and Daytona. He’s always in the mix at ‘Dega and seems to run his best on these larger faster tracks. Stenhouse has moved from Roush Fenway Racing to JTG Daugherty Racing so if there is a downside it’s the slight dip in quality equipment but his big track talent could keep him in the running.

Others to Consider: I want to go with Denny Hamlin (+1200) as he’s probably one of the best full-time active Talladega drivers. But he’s a bit off from week to week even with his Richmond win a few weeks ago. Aric Almirola (+2000) has finished 10th or better in seven of his last ten Talledega starts and that includes a win.

NASCAR Betting Stats

2022 GEICO 500 Betting Lines

Ryan Blaney +1000

Joey Logano +1200

Denny Hamlin +1200

Chase Elliott +1400

Kyle Larson +1400

Brad Keselowski +1400

Chase Briscoe +1400

Darrell Wallace Jr. +1400

Austin Cindric +1400

Kyle Busch +1600

Alex Bowman +1800

Kevin Harvick +1800

William Byron +2000

Aric Almirola +2000

Tyler Reddick +2200

Kurt Busch +2500

Chris Buescher +2500

Ross Chastain +2800

Christopher Bell +2800

Austin Dillon +2800

Ricky Stenhouse Jr +2800

Martin Truex Jr +3300

Michael McDowell +3300

Cole Custer +4000

Harrison Burton +5000

Justin Haley +6600

Daniel Suarez +6600

Erik Jones +6600

Ty Dillon +8000

Daniel Hemric +10000

Todd Gilliland +10000

David Ragan +10000

Noah Gragson +12500

Corey Lajoie +12500

Landon Cassill +30000

Greg Biffle +30000

J.J. Yeley +40000

BJ McLeod +50000

Cody Ware +50000