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NASCAR Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Best Bets, Picks and Predictions

NASCAR returns to the famous oval in the Brickyard 400 Sunday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

By Benjamin Upson

Cars leave pit road prior to the start of the Pennzoil 250, Saturday, July 20, 2024, at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Cars leave pit road prior to the start of the Pennzoil 250, Saturday, July 20, 2024, at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. / Christine Tannous/IndyStar / USA TODAY
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The summer of racing continues as NASCAR heads to famous Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the Brickyard 400. One of the most historical and favorite venues in motorsports, the action is always sure to be intense. This is the first time NASCAR is back on the oval since 2020 after the road course was utilized in previous years.

This 2.5 mile long monster of a track never fails to disappoint. This is always one of the most exciting races of the season at a venue filled with legends who have had the honor of kissing the bricks once before. Here’s what you should be placing your wagers on.

Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis

  • Date: Sunday, July 21
  • Race Time: 2:30 PM
  • Venue: Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Indianapolis, IN
  • How To Watch (TV, Streaming): NBC, Peacock

Best Bets for NASCAR at Indianapolis

  • Tyler Reddick Top 3 Finish
  • Christopher Bell Top 10 Finish
  • Winning Manufacturer: CHEVROLET

Tyler Reddick Top 3 Finish

This is one of the hottest drivers in all of NASCAR right now. Tyler Reddick’s speed has been on full display with some incredible finishes across the past couple weeks. He’s in prime position to win this race today at Indy, and it makes sense why all the sportsbooks believe in him. 

In the last four races, Reddick has finished sixth (New Hampshire), third (Nashville), second (Chicago) and sixth (Pocono). Reddick also won at Talladega earlier this season, another track that suits the racing style here at Indianapolis. He will start from the front of the field in this race as well, and the pole winner has won the event five times.

While Reddick is certainly a short favorite in this event, I’ll take a safety cushion with a top three finish because he’s been hovering around there across the last month. It’s right around even money which makes it worthwhile instead of taking a +400 bet to win the race. Don’t overthink this, Reddick has been hot as of late and I believe in him to keep it up here in Indy.

Christopher Bell Top 10 Finish

One of the forgotten names in today’s race is Christopher Bell. I’m eyeing him with his three wins and six top five finishes this season. Whether it’s a big track or not, he always finds his way into the mix. He continues to remain as one of the top favorites to win the 2024 NASCAR championship later this fall.

There’s not enough track record here, but Bell came in 12th here in 2020, just the one event that he has raced on the oval before. He begins this race in 18th, which is below his average start of 11.3 on the season. He’s been up and down at these big speedway tracks in 2024, with a third place finish at Daytona, 38th at Talladega due to a crash and 12th at Pocono.

While we’re going relatively safe here and laying the juice with the top 10 finish, it’s worth it in this position. It’s still a tame -150 currently at most sportsbooks and definitely a price you won’t receive every week with the caliber of talent and skill that Bell possesses. I believe he gets up through the field at the start and should be able to finish in that top 10 area.  

Winning Manufacturer: CHEVROLET

I like that we’re getting a bit of value on Chevrolet to win the race here. In the starting lineup, there’s Elliott, William Byron and Kyle Larson all in the top five. These are three great options for Chevrolet and they will almost certainly be right there down to the wire.

I simply cannot pass on this due to the firepower of these Chevy guys. Starting with Kyle Larson, he has three wins and eight total top five finishes this season. His results from the past at Indy are pretty ugly, his best being a fifth place finish on the oval back in 2016. Let’s not forget that William Byron has been great this season on big tracks. He won at Daytona, came in seventh at Talladega and finished fourth at Pocono last week.

All the attention is on Toyota, especially with Reddick’s exceptional recent track record. I think that the Chevys will steal the thunder this Sunday at the Brickyard. A nice little plus value price also makes this a valuable play. Back the Chevrolet crew to pull it off here.

Note: Odds are subject to change.

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