NASCAR Cup Series Great American Gateway 400 Predictions & Picks: Will Hamlin Pick Up Another Pocono Win?
After a wet and wild run through the Windy City streets last week, the NASCAR Cup Series is back on the ovals this week for the 21st race of the season, the Great American Getaway 400 at Pocono (2:30 pm ET, USA).
Last week, Alex Bowman became the latest driver to punch his ticket to the championship playoffs with a victory in the Grant Park 165 in Chicago. It was Bowman’s first win since March 2022, when he won the Pennzoil 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
With six races remaining in the regular season, most of the playoff field is accounted for, whether by wins or by points. And with series points leader Kyle Larson finishing next-to-last in the 40-car field after starting on the pole in Chicago, the race for the regular season championship has tightened up heading into today’s race at Pocono.
Current NASCAR Cup Series Points Standings (Through 20 Races)
Drivers in bold have won at least one race this season.
- Kyle Larson (Hendrick Motorsports) – 671
- Chase Elliott (Hendrick Motorsports) – 660
- Tyler Reddick (23XI Racing) – 648
- Denny Hamlin (Joe Gibbs Racing) – 629
- Martin Truex Jr. (Joe Gibbs Racing) – 601
- William Byron (Hendrick Motorsports – 599
- Ryan Blaney (Team Penske) – 587
- Christopher Bell (Joe Gibbs Racing) – 586
- Ty Gibbs (Joe Gibbs Racing) – 560
- Brad Keselowski (RFK Racing) – 558
- Alex Bowman (Hendrick Motorsports) – 553
- Ross Chastain (Trackhouse Racing) – 529
- Chris Buescher (RFK Racing) – 521
- Joey Logano (Team Penske) – 484
- Bubba Wallace (23XI Racing) – 476
- Chase Briscoe (Stewart-Haas Racing) – 433
- Kyle Busch (Richard Childress Racing) – 423
- Daniel Surez (Trackhouse Racing) – 410
- Todd Gilliland (Front Row Motorsports) – 400
- Austin Cindric (Team Penske) – 389
Despite having no wins this season, Truex and Gibbs are set to be part of the Round of 16 even if they don’t pick up a win between now and the regular season finale at Darlington on September 1.
Today, Gibbs, who finished third last week, has a chance to lock down his spot from pole position. It is his second pole of the season, following his start at the front for the Coca-Cola 600 in May. Even replicating the sixth-place finish he had at Charlotte would go a long way towards locking up his playoff spot, but if he can pick up his first Cup Series win this today, any remaining doubts will be erased.
Gibbs is on pole, but he isn’t the favorite to win the race, according to Great American Getaway 400 odds at BetOnline. That would be five-time race winner Denny Hamlin, who will start fourth. Hamlin won last year’s race under controversial circumstances after making contact with Larson late in the race.
Odds to Win the Great American Getaway 400
- Denny Hamlin +400
- Martin Truex Jr. +500
- Kyle Larson +600
- Ty Gibbs +650
- William Byron +950
- Tyler Reddick +1100
- Ryan Blaney +1100
- Brad Keselowski +1200
- Christopher Bell +1600
- Chase Elliott +1600
- Joey Logano +2200
- Chris Buescher +2800
- Alex Bowman +2800
- Josh Berry +2800
- Kyle Busch +3300
- Ross Chastain +4000
- Bubba Wallace +4000
- Michael McDowell +5000
- Daniel Suarez +10000
- Noah Gragson +10000
- Chase Briscoe +10000
- Austin Cindric +10000
- Todd Gilliland +10000
- Carson Hocevar +10000
Check out the rest of the Great American Getaway 400 odds at BetOnline, a longtime fixture among the top online sports betting sites.
Check out our BetOnline sportsbook review, then snag some extra cash (100% welcome bonus if your first deposit is with Bitcoin, Ethereum, or another cryptocurrency) to bet on today’s Cup Series race at Nashville Superspeedway.
Starting Lineup for the 2024 Great American Getaway 400
- Ty Gibbs
- William Byron
- Martin Truex Jr.
- Denny Hamlin
- Josh Berry
- Alex Bowman
- Tyler Reddick
- Ryan Blaney
- Zane Smith
- Joey Logano
- Chase Elliott
- Kyle Larson
- Christopher Bell
- Brad Keselowski
- Carson Hocevar
- Daniel Suarez
- Austin Dillon
- Chris Buescher
- Ross Chastain
- Austin Cindric
Great American Getaway 400 Predictions & Picks
- Alex Bowman to finish in the top ten (+100 at Bovada): After snapping an 80-race winless streak last week, I like Bowman’s chances to have another solid showing today. Only once in his career has he followed a win with a top-ten finish, but that won’t put me off here. For what it’s worth, that one occurrence was in 2020, when he won the first of two Pocono races then followed it with a seventh-place finish in the second race the next day.
- Chris Buescher to finish in the top ten (+130 at Bovada): Buescher will start 18th today, but I really like the value here. Prior to finishing 20th last week, he finished fifth in back-to-back weeks at New Hampshire and Nashville. With where he is in the points, he needs to have a strong Sunday, and I think he will.
- Larson to finish in the top five (+100 at Bovada): Larson has bounced back well after his poorer finishes this season, and I expect that trend to continue today. After finishing 32nd at Atlanta in the second race of the season, he won the following week at Las Vegas. And after finishing 34th at Iowa Speedway, he finished fourth the following week at New Hampshire.
- Denny Hamlin to finish in the top three (+130): Hamlin loves Pocono, and a win or contending for the win would be a welcome sight for him after finishing 30th in Chicago. It was his fifth straight finish outside of the top ten, a stretch in which he has finished 38th, 24th, 24th, 12th, and 30th.
- William Byron to win Group G (+230 at Bovada) and win the race: Byron hasn’t won since the eighth race of the season, the Cook Out 400 at Martinsville. But he was fast in both practice and qualifying for the Great American Getaway 400, and that is very, very encouraging.
Recent NASCAR Cup Series at Pocono Winners (2004-Present)
- 2023: Denny Hamlin
- 2022: Chase Elliott
- 2021: Kyle Busch
- 2020: Denny Hamlin
- 2019: Denny Hamlin
- 2018: Kyle Busch
- 2017: Kyle Busch
- 2016: Chris Buescher
- 2015: Matt Kenseth
- 2014: Dale Earnhardt Jr.
- 2013: Kasey Kahne
- 2012: Jeff Gordon
- 2011: Brad Keselowski
- 2010: Greg Biffle
- 2009: Denny Hamlin
- 2008: Carl Edwards
- 2007: Kurt Busch
- 2006: Denny Hamlin
- 2005: Kurt Busch
- 2004: Jimmie Johnson
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Other NASCAR Betting Information
Where Can You Bet on NASCAR This Season?
NASCAR odds are widely available, as many sports betting sites offer race winner odds for the NASCAR Cup Series, NASCAR Xfinity Series, and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.
Additionally, sportsbooks like BetOnline, BetUS, and Bovada offer finishing position odds for each of NASCAR’s top national series. For example, you can bet on top 3, top 5, and top 10 finishing position odds for the Great American Getaway 400 at Bovada.
Are you unfamiliar with any of them? Check out our sportsbook reviews to learn more about each book. Our sportsbook reviews cover betting options, deposit and payout options, mobile and live betting, and the kind of sportsbook sign-up bonuses and other promos available at each book, as well as other factors like customer support.
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We’re now past the midway point of the NASCAR Cup Series season, but with several regular season races and the playoffs to come, there is still a lot of money to be made this season. Strap in, enjoy the ride, and last but certainly not least, bet responsibly.
