After a great time in Kansas, NASCAR picks up and moves on to the Goodyear 400 at Darlington. The lady in black is one of NASCAR’s toughest tracks on the schedule. It’s usually only won by the best of the best. It’s not called “Too Tough to Tame” for no reason.
The storylines heading into this one are heavy. We’re coming off the closest finish in NASCAR history as Kyle Larson beat Chris Buescher by .001 seconds. The Fords have underperformed and are still desperate to hit Victory Lane. The non-drafting tracks have only been won by Hendrick Motorsports or Joe Gibbs Racing drivers. My bet is, that that trend continues. But we have picks to make, and we’ll try to find you some money or valuable points in your fantasy lineups or pools along the way. Here are your expert picks for the Goodyear 400 this weekend in Darlington!
Chris’s Picks: #17 Chris Buescher (+2500) & #20 Christopher Bell (+900)
Embed from Getty ImagesWell, those odds are a little lower than I’m used to at least for Chris Buescher. Let’s talk a bit about it though. Chris is coming off finishing second in the closest finish in NASCAR history. I feel like motivation can be one of the best factors to put into a driver’s tool bag. Plus, before Martinsville, he was riding a string of top-ten finishes on a pretty short-tracked stacked stretch. I think Chris can easily contend for the win too though so these odds are a little crazy. He finished in the top ten in both of last year’s trips to Darlington. This driver and his team know how to bring speed to Darlington.
Now as for the next Christopher in the group. He broke a horrible run thankfully last week at Kansas while looking strong even contending for the lead at times. Coincidently enough he also was on a roll with top-ten finishes before Martinsville as well. I wished last year would’ve looked a bit better for Christopher at Darlington. He finished 23rd and 14th in the Spring. Either way, those had to be blips in the force that is Christopher Bell’s driving ability. I think if you’re looking for a good sure thing type of pick C Bell could be that choice easily once again this week.
Kaleb’s Picks: #8 Kyle Busch (+1500) & #45 Tyler Reddick (+750)
Embed from Getty ImagesKyle Busch has been moving well over the past couple of weeks. At Kansas, he led 14 laps and collected P8. he also won the pole at Dover and collected P4. It’s also worth noting he jumped 13 spots in two laps last week to collect that 8th-place finish. The #8 car has been disappointing, to say the least in 2024. But that trend could change at Darlington where Rowdy has 14 top-ten finishes, P7 and P11 in the two races last year.
As for Tyler Reddick, he’s up this high on the odds for good reason. He’s one of the best all-around drivers in the sport, and Darlington could play right into his favor. Last year he was runner-up in the fall race and the top five in both races in 2022. He has better value than picking Truex, Larson, Hamlin, and Byron while having a great shot at winning. I like the #45 car for the Goodyear 400.
Chris’s Fade: #19 Martin Truex Jr (+650)
Embed from Getty ImagesI think this might be a record for the best odds a driver has had that either me or Kaleb have faded. I will need to fact-check to be sure though. Martin has had some success in recent years winning this Spring race back in 2021 at Darlington.
Since then though he and Darlington have had a love-hate relationship. In the five races since that win Martin has led a total of 222 laps, but has only one finish inside the top ten. That lone finish was in the fall of 2021 too. So that’s four consecutive trips to Darlington or two race seasons since he has tasted the top ten at the checkered flag. Will this pick probably come back to bite me? Yes, to simply answer but I don’t like the ora this team carries into one of NASCAR’s oldest tracks.
Kaleb’s Fade: #54 Ty Gibbs (+2200)
Embed from Getty ImagesI hate fading the guys who are beyond +2000 in odds, but when I scrolled down the list Gibbs was the highest-ranked driver I thought was an out-of-place listing. The second-year driver has just one top 15 in three races at Darlington. Gibbs has been having a more than solid year, but pick and choose with the #54 car and where you put him. Darlington is a track that values experience, and Gibbs doesn’t have a ton of it. I still think Gibbs is due for victory lane at some point soon. I’m just not sure Darlington and the Goodyear 400 are it.
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