Shriners Children's 500 Picks, Odds & Predictions 3/9/2025

by Guy Bruhn - 3/7/2025

Shriners Children's 500

Sunday, March 9, 2025

3:30 PM EST

Phoenix Raceway

Avondale, AZ

NASCAR will stay in the Western U.S. for the next race as they head to Arizona from Texas. Phoenix Raceway is one of the more unique tracks on the NASCAR circuit and we're fortunate enough to get to watch some racing there this weekend. This track is considered an irregular "D" shaped oval. The banking in the corners go from eight to 11 degrees, which is considered very low in comparison to other tracks. The flats carry off very fast into the sweeping corners with only three degrees. Because of this, Phoenix has some very high speeds for this type of track and actually come close to the speeds you might see on intermediate ovals. As we've seen in past races at Phoenix Raceway, it is generally the driver that brings the fastest car that ends up taking the checkered flag when all is said and done. There aren't many late pushes that will take a driver from behind and put him in the front. Out of the last 12 races in Avondale, the driver that has led the most laps in the race has won seven times.

nascar picks Chase Elliott predictions best bet odds

This race is a big change from the standard ovals we've seen so far this season. That said, there isn't much to compare to, so you have to go to prior races at Phoenix Raceway to see the patterns and who has done well. Chase Elliott has the highest overall driving rating over the last 40 races here with a 103.2 rating. Ryan Blaney has also performed well when looking back. His average finish is at 10.4 with a driver rating of 100.2. While Kyle Busch is sitting down the list at +2500 for this race, he has done well here historically. He's led for 1,190 laps and has an average finishing spot of 11.5.

EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix Recap

After already getting a win earlier in the season at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Christopher Bell was looking forward to this race and thought he would do well. Sure enough, he was able to hold off William Byron over the last 5 laps and pass Kyle Busch on his way to his second victory of the season. He finished just 0.433 seconds ahead of the last season's winner of this race in Byron. It is the first time in his career that he's won back-to-back races as he leads all drivers with 2 wins.

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NASCAR Playoff Standings

With the win, Christopher Bell has taken the top spot in the standings with two wins and 95 points. William Byron sits right behind him with one win and 116 points. In the third spot sits Ryan Blaney with 114 points, a top 5 finish and two top 10 finishes. Filling out the final two spots of the top five are Tyler Reddick with 111 points and Chase Elliott with 95 points. One win can launch a driver to the top of the list, so the next race is always the most important one.

Shriners Children's 500 Odds

Christopher Bell - +450
Ryan Blaney - +550
Kyle Larson - +750
William Byron - +850
Chase Elliott - +900
Joey Logano - +950
Denny Hamlin - +1000
Chase Briscoe - +1000
Tyler Reddick - +1200
Ross Chastain - +1400
Ty Gibbs - +2200
Chris Buescher - +2200
Kyle Busch - +2500
Josh Berry - +3300
Brad Keselowski - +3500
Bubba Wallace - +4000
Alex Bowman - +5500
Austin Cindric - +6500
Ryan Preece - +7500
Carson Hocevar - +7500
Daniel Suarez - +8000
Cole Custer - +10000
Noah Gragson - +10000
Michael McDowell - +17500
Erik Jones - +20000
Riley Herbst - +20000
Justin Haley - +20000
AJ Allmendinger - +25000
Austin Dillon - +25000
Shane Van Gisbergen - +25000

Kyle Larson is looking to get in the win column for the first time this season and change his fortunes of a slow start to the season. He's got one win under his belt in Avondale and three top 5 finishes in his last four stars at the desert track. I like his chance to do very well this weekend.

Guy's Pick: Take Kyle Larson (+750)

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Pick:	Cruz Azul -1.5 (-130)
Start:	March 15, 2025 @ 9:00 PM
Expert:	Doc's Sports

Analysis:

Free Soccer Play from Doc’s Sports for Saturday. Liga MX Take Cruz Azul -1.5 (-130) over San Luis (9 p.m. EST, Saturday March 15) (Graded after regulation time - 90min - plus injury time – we need Cruz Azul to win by 2 or more goals) San Luis was a strong playoff team last season but have fallen on their faces this season. We have played them a couple times recently as they are better than their record, but this is a poor team no doubt, and they are in for a tough match here. They have lost three of their last four road matches by multiple goals, with the only close match a 1-0 road loss to horrible Queretaro. Cruz Azul is No. 5 on the table heading into this week and they have aspirations to move up after being one of the best teams in the history of the league in the regular season last season. This team is a real contender and they will not take this matchup lightly. Last time San Luis visited they left battered after a 3-0 beat down. We expect a similar result here, and we don’t mind laying the juice here on the goal line. Read More Read Less

Shriners Children's 500 Picks, Odds & Predictions 3/9/2025

EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix Recap

NASCAR Playoff Standings

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