Darling' bets of May
It’s throwback weekend for the NASCAR Cup Series with the annual spring race at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway. It will be tough to replicate last week’s thrilling finish at Kansas, but Darlington typically produces great racing.
Caesars Sportsbook has Kyle Larson as the favorite (+400) to defend his win last season at the track known as the Lady in Black. He’s joined by past Darlington winners Denny Hamlin (+450), Martin Truex Jr. (+650) and William Byron (+800).
Follow along with my favorite bets by watching Sunday’s Goodyear 400 race at 3 p.m. on FS1.
Martin Truex Jr. to win (+700, BetMGM)
The dominance of Denny Hamlin and Kyle Larson has overshadowed an excellent season for Truex. He has been the most consistent drivers, and that first victory of 2024 is right around the corner.
Truex is a two-time winner at Darlington, but that easily could be higher. He has led 28-plus laps in five of the past seven races.
He had an issue while leading late in the race during the 2020 and 2022 playoff events. Truex led the most laps in last year’s Spring race before a late crash while running third.
Bad luck has led to poor finishes, but Truex is always fast at Darlington. That speed could lead to his first triumph of the season.
Kyle Larson top-three finish (+140, bet365)
Larson is still riding the high of winning last week’s Kansas race in the closest finish in Cup Series history. Larson has a great chance to score his thirdstraight top-three finish.
Like Truex, he has had the speed, but issues have prevented a great finish. If you take out races with an incident, Larson has five straight top-three finishes at Darlington, including a win in last year’s playoff race.
He had top-five speed in the past two spring Darlington races but crashed while running top-three. Larson has done a much better job avoiding issues in 2024.
It’s never a bad idea to back Larson, especially at Darlington.
William Byron top-five finish (+150, bet365)
Byron could use a good run after back-to-back finishes outside the top 20. Thankfully, he returns to a track that has brought him good fortune.
He took advantage of late carnage to win last year’s spring race. He would’ve won this race in 2022 without Joey Logano putting him in the wall with two laps to go.
Overall, Byron is No. 1 in speed rankings over the past four Darlington races. Without the issue with Logano, he’d have four straight finishes of eighth or better at the track.
Byron needs a strong run after the past two races. I expect a strong performance from the No. 24 Chevy.
Erik Jones top-10 finish (+175, bet365)
Jones returns this week after missing two races with a back injury. He was ready last week but opted to play it safe and return for Darlington. That decision could pay dividends, as the Lady in Black is among his best tracks.
He opened his Darlington career with six straight finishes of eighth or better. He has two wins at the track, including the 2022 playoff race.
Jones struggled in last year’s spring race, but his other three starts at Darlington in the Next-Gen era have yielded top-10 speed. I should also mention he’s never finished outside the top 10 in a Toyota at Darlington.
Jones may be a risky pick in his first race back, but his potential is too good to pass up.
Nick Sterling analyzes NASCAR for Action Network.