Goodyear 400 Picks, Odds & Predictions 5/14/2023

by Josh Schonwald - 5/11/2023

Goodyear 400

Sunday, May 14, 2023

3:00 PM EST

Darlington Raceway

Darlington, SC

Once again, drivers will face the "Track Too Tough to Tame" in Darlington, SC. This track runs 1.366 miles and is one unlike the rest of the tracks on the circuit. Darlington Raceway isn't quite a superspeedway, and it's not an intermediate oval, which puts it somewhere in-between. One of the interesting factors on this track is the stark difference between two different sets of turns. Turns 1 and 2 are much wider than turns 3 and 4, which makes this course really challenging for drivers and crew chiefs alike. When setting up the handling for the car, there has to be a happy medium found to tackle the difference in the turns. Combine all this with wide racing grooves and variable banking from 23 to 25 degrees, and you've got a recipe for an exciting day.

nascar picks Kyle Larson predictions best bet odds

One thing that fans might notice when they watch a race at Darlington is how high the cars will get when going through the turns. This is a pretty unique track in which drivers go high when on most ovals, the line that most drivers like is tight to the inside and low. At Darlington, drivers like to run that high line to shoot them out onto the straightaways. The distinctive setup of this track is cause for the high groove being the fastest way to navigate around the track. This is a big change this weekend considering we just came from Kansas where racing is multi groove.

AdventHealth 400 Recap

Kyle Larson was all set to win the race last weekend before Denny Hamlin gave him a little nudge to get him to the front of the line and in Victory Lane. Hamlin started the hunt for the first spot at lap 221 and he was on Larson's tail until the last lap. Larson's car was already loose so when Hamlin bumped him on the final lap, Larson went into the outside wall. Larson ended up getting everything under control and finished 1.307 seconds behind Hamlin. Hamlin ended a 33-race winless streak by doing this, but he heard it from the fans who didn't like the way Hamlin won the race.

Larson was in the middle of his post-race interview when Ross Chastain and Noah Gragson went blow for blow after running into each other numerous times during this race. That said, Hamlin is now in the Playoff race and can rest a little easier going into this weekend’s race at Darlington.

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NASCAR Playoff Standings

With his runner-up finish this weekend, Kyle Larson put himself into first place in the Playoff race. He is sitting with two wins and 338 points for the season thus far. Sitting in second place is William Byron with two wins and 331 points while Kyle Busch has 308 points and two wins. In fourth place sits Christopher Bell with 373 points (one win) and Martin Truex Jr. (one win). The only other drivers with a win this season are Denny Hamlin, Tyler Reddick, Joey Logano and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. There are still spots up for grab and every race gets a little closer to the end.

Goodyear 400 Odds

Kyle Larson - +550
Denny Hamlin - +550
Martin Truex Jr. - +700
Tyler Reddick - +850
William Byron - +900
Kyle Busch - +900
Christopher Bell - +1,000
Ross Chastain - +1,100
Kevin Harvick - +1,200
Joey Logano - +1,200
Chase Elliott - +1,200
Ryan Blaney - +2,200
Bubba Wallace - +2,800
Daniel Suarez - +4,500
Brad Keselowski - +4,500
Josh Berry - +6,500
Erik Jones - +6,500
Ty Gibbs - +7,000
Chris Buescher - +7,000
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. - +10,000
Chase Briscoe - +10,000
Austin Dillon - +10,000

Kyle Larson has been racing incredibly well thus far and he's the favorite this weekend. While Larson is still looking to tame this track, he has yet to do it. That said, he has come close on numerous occasions with three runners up finishes and two finishes in third since 2016. I think he has as good a chance as any to win the race this weekend.

Josh's Pick: Take Kyle Larson (+550)

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Goodyear 400 Picks, Odds & Predictions 5/14/2023

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