Kyle Larson won the regular-season finale last week at Richmond Raceway, so now the table is set for the Chase as NASCAR’s best aim to capture the Monster Energy Cup. It begins at Chicagoland Speedway with the Tales Of The Turtles 400, and the defending race-winner is Martin Truex Jr., who just so happens to be the regular-season champion.
Details
Event: Tales Of The Turtles 400
Category: NASCAR Monster Energy Cup Series
Date: Sunday, September 17th, 3:00 PM ET
Location: Chicagoland Speedway, Joliet, Illinois
Larson’s win was his fourth of the season, which pulled him level with Truex, who actually led 198 laps. However, a late caution put him back in the back, he got tangled up and finished 20th. Joey Logano, Ryan Newman, Kurt Busch and Denny Hamlin (who got into Truex late in the race) rounded out the top five, and Logano came up just short of getting into the Chase. Instead, Chase Elliott, Matt Kenseth and Jamie McMurray made it in on account of points.
Past Five Winners
2016: Martin Truex Jr.
2015: Denny Hamlin
2014: Brad Keselowski
2013: Matt Kenseth
2012: Brad Keselowski
The Field At The Tales Of The Turtles 400
You’d thin kthat Martin Truex Jr. is our favorite for the race this week, but that’s not the case. He’s the leader in terms of points in the series as he’s picked up 2053 so far on the strength of four wins and 10 Top 5’s, but he’s second in line. Kyle Larson is second in the standings – just 20 back of Truex Jr. – but he’s third in terms of the odds. Larson has 26 starts this year and has picked up four wins, 15 Top 10’s and 11 Top 5’s. Kyle Busch is actually the favorite for this race even though he’s third in the standings, 24 points back of Truex Jr. and four back of Larson. He has just two wins on the year, which is a bit disappointing if you’ve been betting him regularly. He’s been close with 10 Top 5’s, so consider betting him on that prop.
What To Know About The Track
Chicagoland Speedway opened in 2001 and NASCAR promptly put an event at this 1.5-mile track, which is banked at 18 degrees in the corners, 11 degrees down the frontstretch and five degrees down the backstretch. This is the final time that Chicagoland will host the first race of the Cup postseason, however, as it switches to Las Vegas Motor Speedway next year.
A Good Matchup To Bet At The Tales Of The Turtles 400: Kyle Busch over Martin Truex Jr.
Truex has been great this season with four wins and more stage wins than anyone else, and he won at Chicagoland last year. However, history says that Busch, who is rated at +110 to -140 for Truex, is better here. Busch has made 12 starts here, winning in 2008 with a finishing average of 11.1, including four top-fives. Truex has 11 starts here, posting a finishing average of 14.9 with just one top-five. Busch also started from the pole here in 2016, but he led just 21 laps en route to an eighth-place finish. If that team can keep up with the track, he should be able to beat Truex, and possibly win the race.
Top-Five Pick: Jimmie Johnson
This is it. Johnson is the defending Cup champion and going for his eighth title, and he is coming off an eighth-place run at Richmond, his best finish since winning at Dover in June. He has never won at Chicagoland, one of three Cup tracks where he hasn’t picked up the checkered flag (the others are Watkins Glen and Kentucky, but Johnson has been pretty good here. He has 15 starts with an average finish of 9.5, he has won two poles here with an average finish of 7.9 and he led 118 laps last year, but finished 12th. If the seven-time champion gets off to a good start at Chicagoland, it could spark him to #8.
Odds To Win The Tales Of The Turtles 400
Martin Truex Jr +450
Kyle Busch +300
Kyle Larson +800
Kevin Harvick +800
Brad Keselowski +700
Jimmie Johnson +2000
Denny Hamlin +900
Joey Logano +1500
Matt Kenseth +2000
Chase Elliott +1800
Ryan Blaney +2500
Erik Jones +4000
Kurt Busch +4000
Clint Bowyer +4000
Jamie McMurray +6000
Dale Earnhardt Jr +10000
Daniel Suarez +7500
Ryan Newman +7500
Kasey Kahne +10000
Austin Dillon +3500
Ricky Stenhouse Jr +10000
Field +3500
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